Adventure Gamers - Forums

Is it just me or in some games puzzles feel superfluous even if they are well integrated? I assume that it happens when designer creates story with intention of telling story first and only after finishing plot begins to create goals and puzzles and to look for ways to integrate them with plot. In many good adventure games plot seems to be created not only for telling a story but also for motivating player to solve puzzles and main goals of part of plot are created together with that part of plot.

I’m guessing King’s Quest V would be one of the most severe cases (and possibly not the best example to use). For that game, it seemed as if Sierra wanted to showcase new technology, and maybe neglected to focus on sensibly integrated puzzles. In the Space Quest Historian’s interview with Ken and Roberta, the latter was asked about the cat puzzle to which she revealed that one of the programmers put that one in the game.

Dreamventure - 27 March 2023 08:49 PM

I’m guessing King’s Quest V would be one of the most severe cases (and possibly not the best example to use). For that game, it seemed as if Sierra wanted to showcase new technology, and maybe neglected to focus on sensibly integrated puzzles. In the Space Quest Historian’s interview with Ken and Roberta, the latter was asked about the cat puzzle to which she revealed that one of the programmers put that one in the game.

King’s Quest V has old fashioned puzzle chain structure but i was talking about games that are so focused on storytelling that question raises why did designers even add puzzles to game. KQV isn’t one of those games, having quite simple plot structure -character reaches initial goal (getting tambourine to drive off snake), learns more about ongoing plot and is off to journey. (Structure that both KQ3 and MI1 use.)

So, more along the lines of a walking simulator for example?