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Are indies kinda resurrecting AG or killing it?
Being an indie developer of adventure games, I suppose I’m biased toward indies leading the adventure game renaissance, rather than killing it (or, “killing it” in the sense of the modern colloquialism that means the opposite 
).
But it is always nice to hear a major game site like IndieDB say that one is, in fact, at the masthead of the revolution:
(My game is Neofeud, but Paradigm was also a great title this year!)
But that aside, all of the best adventure games—and games generally speaking—that I’ve played over the past decade have been by indie studios. My two favorite are Technobabylon and Primordia, both by Wadjet Eye.
Since EA has declared single player games dead, and the American Superbowl-ization of games which is impending (Pubg e-sports et. al. raking in boatloads and Twitch just announced that they will be streaming the actual NFL through their service), and given the adventure game genre’s de-facto ‘single-playerness’, I’d say the already iffy stock of the major league studios should be heavily shorted when it comes to adventure games.
Coupled with today’s utter miscarriage of democracy that was the evisceration of Net Neutrality*, which is basically the Tech Supergiants borrowing some horrible practices from the AAA game industry and turning the entire internet into a lootbox and microtransaction cesspit wherein we’ll be paying-to-level our Netflix subscription past 14.4 kbps bandwidth and being charged 1.99 every time we want to publicly comment on an FCC policy or a Comcast crime against humanity… I’d say there’s very
little reason to trust the big companies with anything, let alone an adventure game renaissance.
I particularly do not trust Square Enix nowadays, given their penchant to inject digital heroi- sorry, microtransactions, into everything, and the fact that they’ve royally blown it with my favorite franchise of all time (Deus Ex). They’ve since admitted that Mankind Divided was a disaster causing an indefinite hiatus for the series. The steady decline from the first entry onward is indicative of how throwing bigger and bigger piles of money at a genre *does not* improve it, necessarily**. In fact, doing so has literally killed the Immersive Sim (Dishonored, Prey, DX, etc.). I would not bet on the white-glove, creativity-free suits who don’t play any games besides golf not figuring out a way to screw up adventure games through some as-yet-unknown ‘financial innovation’ (new form of exploitative money-grubbing).
*As an aside, perhaps we can easily avert post-net neutrality neofeudal dystopia: tech companies, just “Don’t Be Evil”. 
That appears to be Comcast’s Greenspanian idea of self-regulation if you glance briefly at their Twitter feed. Serious ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ nonsense in there.
**Life Is Strange is great, however they’d best be wary, being under Squenix.
well, cant indies the least lookout like Randal’s Monday or Paradigm? that is not a question to be answered, that way to show that indies that use an engine as SCI or AGI are hard to understand, i wouldnt appreciate Sierra coming back to life today giving those engine either.
even Wadjet Eye initiative move has done its time.
the scene of adventure gaming today has no mercy i see it, and niches that people all the time ARE turning over them need to reconsider.
if we accepted our niche to be just indies and some number between 4-5 games a year that can push limits i am okay with it, but indies need to be a little bit more evolving* in its technical & budget limits of course.
well, cant indies the least lookout like Randal’s Monday or Paradigm?
Adventure games could probably do with some evolution outside of the 320x200 range, which is why I chose to make Neofeud in 1360x768 resolution rather than pixel art. (Highest res my laptop could handle). Although graphics and art are two different things, and I’d argue the big studios tend to believe the former makes up for a lack of the latter, often with lackluster results. I.e. the Transformer sequels, the onslaught of repetitive, phoned-in, CGI sweatshopped-out superhero movies. That said, I do believe Unavowed is in about double the res of their previous titles, 640x360 I believe.
At the same time, we have to remember that 320x240 pixel art was long, long outdated by the time Wadjet Eye came along. By the early 90’s there were 640, 800-res games, 3D was already a thing, and that kind of pixel art was technically old-school. By the early 2000s, pixel art was ancient history, and Half Life 2 had subsurface scattering and great realtime physics. So when Primordia came out in 2009, it certainly wasn’t because of some sort of technical graphical ‘innovation’ or evolution that it succeeded to the extent that it did. I’d argue it was Victor Pflug’s art, not Adventure Game Studio’s graphics that sold Primordia. (The writing was also top-notch)
So I’d say, yes, indies should try to improve, but games generally should strive to also be unique, because a.) there are a whole hell of a lot of games coming out and you will get lost in the crowd b.) I don’t want to play the same vidya game again, just with more pixels, gud sword reflections and better boob physics (though that’s my personal preference). I recently did a podcast with Mark Yohalem (writer of Primordia, published under Wadjet Eye) where we discuss this and other challenges in the adventure game industry in particular, and game industry in general.
well, cant indies the least lookout like Randal’s Monday or Paradigm? that is not a question to be answered, that way to show that indies that use an engine as SCI or AGI are hard to understand, i wouldnt appreciate Sierra coming back to life today giving those engine either.
I just recently played The Colonel’s Bequest.
It looks (though not really plays…) better than many games released this year.
but indies need to be a little bit more evolving* in its technical & budget limits of course.
Indies are very evolving. Go to Kickstarter any day of the week and you will find plenty, choose what you like and support with your wallet.
Most of the time though games that try to do things differently never get funded, as there have been many crossovers, hybrids, and other oddities which never got nowhere.
Sometimes there are surprising successes, like very recently Trüberbrook. Whether that will turn out to be a good game or not, remains to be seen, but at least it’s very innovative.
The adventure games are still being produced by the big studios, they have just evolved enough that we no longer consider them adventure games. Studios like Telltale and Quantic Dreams keep pushing the boundaries of the genre and we are all better for it.
For my “fix” of classical adventure games, I am very comfortable with the indies. Games like Resonance keep bringing fresh new ideas to the table, and if not revolutionary they are at least evolutionary.
Having a big publisher like EA making a classic adventure game today would be a laugh. Can you imagine?:
—————————————————-
Join Tobias Thriftweed in his adventure to become a pirate. Meet the pirate leaders and participate in epic swordfights with the inhabitants of belee island.
Collect Koins to purchase new swords (also available through our RealMoneyTM store) or pick one of our CofferboxesTM for a chance to win a new pair of pants or a new hat for your hero.
100s of hours of entertainment as you grind your way to an acceptable gear to defeat the evil Pirate LeBuck.
Don’t forget to buy the season pass that will include both episodes 3 and 4 of your adventure where you’ll be able to explore Gorila IslandTM, a new setting for you to continue your pirate life and bring your adventure to a closure.
*- See the end of the game directly without needing to play for just $2.99 at our RealMoneyTM store.
—————————————————-
Hell no! Leave my adventure games alone!
Adventuring since 1986
Having a big publisher like EA making a classic adventure game today would be a laugh. Can you imagine?
^ that cub sure looks cute! From what I understand, it’s being developped by a Swedish studio, and only published by EA. Apparently they have this program, EA Originals, to foster independent studios whose projects could potentially turn into a commercial success. It would seem to be their second project only, the first one being A Way Out, a cooperative, action-packed “interactive storytelling” by some of the developpers behind Brothers : A Tale of Two Sons (another Swedish studio, by the way).
^ that cub sure looks cute! From what I understand, it’s being developped by a Swedish studio, and only published by EA.
“Only published” suggests that publishers don’t have influence in a game’s development. This is a wrong assumption, the truth is they have a lot of influence. You can be sure a lot of “EA-isms” will work their way into this game. It sure doesn’t look like a classic adventure game.
That is still an indie endeavor, if supported by EA. I meant a fully fledged triple A title from EA…
Adventuring since 1986
“Only published” suggests that publishers don’t have influence in a game’s development. This is a wrong assumption, the truth is they have a lot of influence. You can be sure a lot of “EA-isms” will work their way into this game. It sure doesn’t look like a classic adventure game.
I completely agree, in fact I was going to say it doesn’t look much like an adventure game at all, but then I realised I wasn’t sure exactly what an adventure game is supposed to look like in this day and age. Anyway, I didn’t mean to assume anything about their level of interference, just that there doesn’t seem to be anyone resident working on such borderline adventure-ish concepts, since they seize them from smaller studios.
Sadly, there hasn’t been a single indie adventure game, outside of the latest Broken Sword, to remotely pique my interest these past few years.
Not interested in any of these retro, pixellated adventure games. Call me shallow, but I just can’t get immersed in a primative looking adventure. I’ll only put money down for well animated characters and beautifully draw pre-rendered locations, or excellently designed 3D locations.
Then there’s the issue that most adventures now seem to take themselves way too seriously. Many of my favourite adventures are comedies. I like what some might call ‘mainstream’ adventures, as opposed to all these artsy games using the medium to handfist whatever narrative that they couldn’t get published into a book. And the adventures that do attempt at humour usually fall flat on their face.
I see a lot of review sites giving high scores to indie adventures for having ‘deep narratives, challenging X taboo issues, etc’, but I’m not looking to pay money to have some social or political issue thrown at me. Nor am I looking for a narrative with an edgy plot twist or some sort of controversial subject matter. I just want a decent story told, like that of the first Broken Sword, Grim Fandango, Discworld Noir, Myst 3: Exile or Post Mortem.
Mid-tier games in general is where it’s always been for me. A good balance of ambitioun, with the funds and desire to make something of good quality that can be sold in large quantities. More mature titles such as Still Life, Syberia or Sanitarium especially florish(ed) under these conditions, but they are no more. They’re either super cheapo, hipster adventures, or big budget David Cage games with no soul. Both sides seem to miss the point as to what made adventures of the past so great in the first place; great narratives, hugely likeable, iconic characters, wonderous locations and great puzzle design.
Another problem I’m seeing with indies is this attempt at innovation, or searching for something new or unique, which usually boils down to some sort of gimmick ala ‘The Witness’ seemingly throwing a bunch of disjointed grid puzzles in a large, barren open world. I’m aware there’s probably a little more to it than that, but I’m not going to risk investing the money or the time to find out.
Finally, I’m often busy with work, and taking the first steps at starting a family of my own, so I simply don’t have the time, patience or money to drop on several random indie games in the hope that I come across the needle in the haystack (an indie I actually like). Perhaps, if I were 10 years younger, I’d be all over this stuff.
I’m not concerned with pushing the genre forward. Just give me more of the kinds of games I listed above, but perhaps improve upon their issues with level design, pacing issues, lack of polish, etc.
We’ve recently seen a surge in 16bit-esque 2D platformers, such as Shoval Knight. It would be great if we saw a sudden rise in popularity for pre-rendered point and clickers immitating the likes of Monkey Island and The Longest Journey.
Just to emphasis, I’m not criticising indie devs (or big budget releases for that matter). I wish indie devs all the best and it’s great to read that many on here are really enjoying a lot of the stuff that’s coming out these days. It’s just that I think that a large portion of people who, like me, just want more of the old stuff.
And to be fair, a lot of my sentiments are echoed at the gaming industry at large. Most of my favourite games of the past few years are mid-tier games such as Nier, Katamari, Everybody’s Golf, Shinobido 2, Sonic Mania and Tenchu Z. Not indie, but not big budget either. Sadly, with this latest generation of consoles, games like these have been almost completely squeezed out of the market.
Sadly, there hasn’t been a single indie adventure game, outside of the latest Broken Sword, to remotely pique my interest these past few years.
Not interested in any of these retro, pixellated adventure games. Call me shallow, but I just can’t get immersed in a primative looking adventure. I’ll only put money down for well animated characters and beautifully draw pre-rendered locations, or excellently designed 3D locations.
So what exactly was your issue with these beautiful, well animated 2D adventures from this year?
The Journey Down
The Inner World: The Last Wind Monk
The Dream Machine
Paradigm
Darkestville Castle
Bear With Me
Sadly, there hasn’t been a single indie adventure game, outside of the latest Broken Sword, to remotely pique my interest these past few years.
Not interested in any of these retro, pixellated adventure games. Call me shallow, but I just can’t get immersed in a primative looking adventure. I’ll only put money down for well animated characters and beautifully draw pre-rendered locations, or excellently designed 3D locations.
Then there’s the issue that most adventures now seem to take themselves way too seriously. Many of my favourite adventures are comedies. I like what some might call ‘mainstream’ adventures, as opposed to all these artsy games using the medium to handfist whatever narrative that they couldn’t get published into a book. And the adventures that do attempt at humour usually fall flat on their face.
See, I’d prefer a serious plot rather than unfunny games. Comedy games generally aren’t funny and have ridiculous and boring plots.
I see a lot of review sites giving high scores to indie adventures for having ‘deep narratives, challenging X taboo issues, etc’, but I’m not looking to pay money to have some social or political issue thrown at me. Nor am I looking for a narrative with an edgy plot twist or some sort of controversial subject matter. I just want a decent story told, like that of the first Broken Sword, Grim Fandango, Discworld Noir, Myst 3: Exile or Post Mortem.
I like to be challenged with stories…
Mid-tier games in general is where it’s always been for me. A good balance of ambitioun, with the funds and desire to make something of good quality that can be sold in large quantities. More mature titles such as Still Life, Syberia or Sanitarium especially florish(ed) under these conditions, but they are no more. They’re either super cheapo, hipster adventures, or big budget David Cage games with no soul. Both sides seem to miss the point as to what made adventures of the past so great in the first place; great narratives, hugely likeable, iconic characters, wonderous locations and great puzzle design.
Mid tier, as you call it, don’t make adventure games. At best, they make walking simulators or other no gameplay games.
Another problem I’m seeing with indies is this attempt at innovation, or searching for something new or unique, which usually boils down to some sort of gimmick ala ‘The Witness’ seemingly throwing a bunch of disjointed grid puzzles in a large, barren open world. I’m aware there’s probably a little more to it than that, but I’m not going to risk investing the money or the time to find out.
I don’t see gimmicks nearly anywhere in adventure gaming. I see it in other genres, but no adventure. I also don’t see putting puzzles throughout a world rather than loading screens, like the Witness, to be a gimmick. Would you rather loading screens and one off rooms?
Finally, I’m often busy with work, and taking the first steps at starting a family of my own, so I simply don’t have the time, patience or money to drop on several random indie games in the hope that I come across the needle in the haystack (an indie I actually like). Perhaps, if I were 10 years younger, I’d be all over this stuff.
Indie games, with the humble bundles and almost monthly gog/steam sales make games insanely cheap. You could get 5-20 indie games for $50 on a regular basis… The mid tier games you could get maybe 2-4 for that same price with sales.
I’m not concerned with pushing the genre forward. Just give me more of the kinds of games I listed above, but perhaps improve upon their issues with level design, pacing issues, lack of polish, etc.
They don’t make games just for you though.
We’ve recently seen a surge in 16bit-esque 2D platformers, such as Shoval Knight. It would be great if we saw a sudden rise in popularity for pre-rendered point and clickers immitating the likes of Monkey Island and The Longest Journey.
We see tons and tons and tons of those kinds of games annually.
Just to emphasis, I’m not criticising indie devs (or big budget releases for that matter). I wish indie devs all the best and it’s great to read that many on here are really enjoying a lot of the stuff that’s coming out these days. It’s just that I think that a large portion of people who, like me, just want more of the old stuff.
Which there are more of than ever before.
And to be fair, a lot of my sentiments are echoed at the gaming industry at large. Most of my favourite games of the past few years are mid-tier games such as Nier, Katamari, Everybody’s Golf, Shinobido 2, Sonic Mania and Tenchu Z. Not indie, but not big budget either. Sadly, with this latest generation of consoles, games like these have been almost completely squeezed out of the market.
I don’t know what this means. The gaming industry makes mainstream games for mainstream gamers. Maybe those titles appeal to you. They don’t appeal to me. Find what you like and have at it.
Dathmaul there are some mid tier AGs with gameplay
Observer, Valley, TalosP, Obduction, Witness etc
@Terramax
Sonicmania is this gen, rep+ you mentioned Shinobido/Tenchu etc
Japanese gaming has better comeback this gen after ps2 than ps3
Nioh to Automata to upcoming titles
Infact late 90s PC franchises coming back
Dathmaul there are some mid tier AGs with gameplay
Observer, Valley, TalosP, Obduction, Witness etc
@Terramax
Sonicmania is this gen, rep+ you mentioned Shinobido/Tenchu etc
Japanese gaming has better comeback this gen after ps2 than ps3
Nioh to Automata to upcoming titles
Infact late 90s PC franchises coming back
Talos, yes. Never heard of the first 2 somehow… Obduction and the Witness are definitely not small, that’s true. Looked it up at The witness took 7 years, and he is claiming it took 3-4 million to make. Obduction got its budget from kickstarter, so definitely wasn’t super small.
Edit: Looked them up. Observer-45% on pcgamer… But it’d be a stretch to call it an adventure game imo. And Valley, a first person platformer? Adventure by what standards?
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