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Cheerful adventure games that aren’t comedies
Murders, crime, apocalypses, monsters, horrors, disasters and insanity. There aren’t many games which avoid disturbing topics and if there is then the mood is more often on the dark and gloomy side than it is positive and joyful. If it is joyful then it is either a comedy of a game for kids, most of the time.
Of course, there needs to be some kind of crisis to build tension and interest, but I would like to think it’s possible to make a serious game which is lighter in mood and subject matter and doesn’t rely on humor for this. This seems increasingly rare and I can think of only a few games (mostly older ones), so I would like suggestions on any I might have missed.
Some of the Kheops games are good at this, and something like Return to Mysterious Island is like what I am talking about.
A few more I can think of:
Riddle of Master Lu
Journeyman Project 3 ? (sort of, although mainly due to Arthur’s antics)
Agon series
Quest for Glory
You’ve probably played it as you’re a member of this forum, but The Longest Journey—there’s definitely humour there, but it’s general tone is more magical realism / cyberpunk.
I don’t think The Whispered World is a comedy.
Secret Files: Tunguska deals with mostly serious stuff and it has some humour in it I think.
Lula 3D
I don’t think The Whispered World is a comedy.
Seconded.
Almost the same goes for Edna&Harvey;. Dark stories told in lighter ways.
Amazon: Guardians of Eden and Flight of the Amazon Queen both have a great campy atmosphere without being outright comedies.
Normality springs to mind. But that is a very old game.
Beyond Atlantis springs to mind.
Carpe chocolate.
Secret Files: Tunguska deals with mostly serious stuff and it has some humour in it I think.
Add Puritas Cordis and especially Lost Horizon to that.
Flight of the Amazon Queen
^ Seconded.
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
How about Broken Sword I & II?
I don’t think The Whispered World is a comedy.
Cheerful!? The main character’s name is called ‘Sadwick’ and is a depressed circus performer.
Amazon: Guardians of Eden and Flight of the Amazon Queen both have a great campy atmosphere without being outright comedies.
Amazon had a very threatening atmosphere, you get killed all the time and it’s not what I’d call cheerful.
FOTAQ is a comedy.
A great one you probably know is Conquests of the Longbow. A great bunch of characters, noble deeds to perform and a happy ending.
There’s also Little Big Adventure, more of a platformer/adventure hybrid but worth a try.
Secret Files: Tunguska deals with mostly serious stuff and it has some humour in it I think.
Add Puritas Cordis and especially Lost Horizon to that.
Flight of the Amazon Queen
^ Seconded.
Agree with all of the post above, but I have to give special credits to Lost Horizon. A very underrated game. I absolutely loved it, even thought the puzzles were on the easy side.
Anticipating:The Devil’s Men
Recently played:GK1 Remake (4), A Golden Wake (3), Child of Light (4) Memento Mori 2 (4) Face Noir (3.5) Tex Murphy: Tesla Effect (4) Blackwell Epiphany (4.5),Broken Sword 5(4.5), The Shivah Remake (4.5), Monkey Island 2 Remake (4.5)
Top 10 Adventure Games:Tex Murphy: Pandora Directive, Gabriel Knight:The Beast Within, Broken Sword:Shadow of the Templars, Gabriel Knight:Sins of the Fathers, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon, Lost Horizon, Grim Fandago, The Longest Journey, Blackwell Epiphany
I’d say the Tex Murphy games fit the bill quite nicely. Overseer is actually quite somber but the two previous installments provide plenty of laughs alongside the solid crime/detective stories they tell.
Also, Ghost in the Sheet, an obscure but enjoyable indie, strikes a nice balance between first-person horror/mystery and humor (although it might be too comedic for your tastes).
No good deed goes unpunished
Forgot to mention some of the Ben Jordan games would be a good match. Also Yoomurjak’s Ring is pretty serious without being too dark.
Anticipating:The Devil’s Men
Recently played:GK1 Remake (4), A Golden Wake (3), Child of Light (4) Memento Mori 2 (4) Face Noir (3.5) Tex Murphy: Tesla Effect (4) Blackwell Epiphany (4.5),Broken Sword 5(4.5), The Shivah Remake (4.5), Monkey Island 2 Remake (4.5)
Top 10 Adventure Games:Tex Murphy: Pandora Directive, Gabriel Knight:The Beast Within, Broken Sword:Shadow of the Templars, Gabriel Knight:Sins of the Fathers, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon, Lost Horizon, Grim Fandago, The Longest Journey, Blackwell Epiphany
Games I’ve found that are upbeat without being explicitly comedic:
The Kyrandia games - whimsical and chipper
The Gene Machine - kind of a comedy, but not a primary component
The two Star Trek adventures by Interplay
Fable - the SirTech one. Beware though, I found it to be pretty bad.
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