Are you feeling oppressed by the constant bombardment of AAA gaming advertising campaigns, and left with a gaming soul molested by mediocre products that don’t live up to the relentless propaganda of marketing drones? It sounds to me like you need a strong dose of indie gaming goodness – adventure flavour.
This selection of free adventure game titles is sure to cause some retro-yearning among those of a certain age, and fill the young ‘uns with a sense of wonder as they can only imagine the glory of the halcyon days of adventure gaming.
The Marionette
The Marionette is a recent release – an atmospheric and moody ghost story. Martin, a struggling sculptor, receives some strange mail one day, and upon opening and reading the letter, he is rendered unconscious. It will be up to the player to piece together the mystery. The artwork is top rate and does well to draw the player into the story, which is driven by intriguing characters and the exploration of surreal environments. A quality soundtrack rounds out the experience.
Mental Repairs, Inc
This is a 2.5D point-and-click adventure-puzzle game that has the player taking on the role of Henrik, a machine psychiatrist. In a strange future, machines have grown increasingly complicated, and have even developed their own personalities, complete with mental problems. It’s Henrik’s job to soothe the troubled machines, and during the course of the game he will encounter a colour-blind photocopier, an elevator with multiple personalities, and a coffee machine with low self esteem – Mental Repairs.
What Linus Bruckman Sees When His Eyes Are Closed
This is a rather unique twist on adventure gaming, a game in which two stories are told simultaneously through a split screen interface. In one story the player controls a nameless samurai exploring Japanese mythology, and in the other, an alien heir to a galactic fast food empire. The game(s) are puzzle centric, and what one does in one story has an effect in the other, making for a brain busting experience at times. Visually the games are as different as their stories, a well suited juxtaposition – What Linus Bruckman Sees When His Eyes Are Closed.
Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!
This is a standard point-and-click adventure which has the player taking on the role of pirate captain Nelly Cootalot. Confronted by the ghost of pirate scourge and environmentalist William Bloodbeard, Nelly sets off to protect the endangered Spoonbeaks on the Barony of Meeth. The simple hand drawn environments compliment the humourous dialogue, catchy soundtrack, and intriguing puzzles. The game can be download here.
A Tale of Two Kingdoms
A Tale of Two Kingdoms is told in a fantasy realm in which the kingdom of Theylinn is beset by troubles – noble’s vie for favour and plot against the heiress, whilst enemies approach the kingdoms borders. From within, trouble stirs in the hidden faerie kingdom. The game boasts five endings, numerous sidequests, 75 minutes of original music, and even director’s commentary. The artwork is colourful and detailed, the story lengthy and engaging, and the puzzles sufficiently challenging. This is certainly one for those who wish to relive the golden era of PC adventure gaming.
Samorost
If you’re looking for a quick web-based point-and-click fix, then look no further than Samorost and Samorost 2. Created by the man behind the fantastic Machinarium, the Samorost games will take you on a surreal journey through a unique and beautifully illustrated game world, accompanied by a fantastic musical score.
AGD Interactive
As was mentioned in the King’s Quest retrospective, AGD Interactive is responsible for some fantastic recreations of retro titles. Currently on offer is King’s Quest I with a speech pack, King’s Quest II, and Quest for Glory II. Be sure to check out these titles if you missed the originals, or simply feel like some retro revivalism.
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