Favorite non-Lucas point-and-click adventure games

Adventure/Lucasfilm Games
1

A few days ago I’ve seen Ron modifying the name and the description of this section of the forum, to extend the topic from “Lucas” adventure games to generic adventure games.

That’s a very welcome change for me, because I really liked some adventure games that were developed by other software houses.

So, I’ll do a very simple thing: I’ll take from a post that I’ve published on Steam forums the list of point-and-click adventure games that I have played along the years and I’ll remove the Lucas games from it.

The list doesn’t contain adventure games that usually are not considered classic point-and-click games, so you’ll not find games based on narrative like Gone Home or Her Story (that I both loved).

Here they are:

[details=Click here to show the list]### This is why I play adventure games:
Syberia 1 & 2

These have a special place in my heart:

Gray Matter
The Longest Journey
Gemini Rue
Blackwell series
Machinarium

Good games (I loved them):

Broken Sword 1 - Shadow of the Templars
Broken Sword 5 - the Serpent’s Curse
Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure
Beneath a Steel Sky
Simon the Sorcerer
Lost Horizon
Secret Files: Tunguska
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments
Botanicula
The Raven - Legacy of a Master Thief
A Vampyre Story
A Golden Wake
Samorost 1 & 2
Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy
Sinking Island

Good games (no special attachment):

The Book of Unwritten Tales
Gabriel Knight - Sins of the Fathers
The Whispered World
The Next BIG Thing
Deponia
Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet
Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 1: A Dreadly Business
Samorost 3
Simon the Sorcerer 2
Gobliiins series

Just OK:

Face Noir
Kaptain Brawe
Ben There, Dan That!
Telltale’s Back to the Future
Broken Sword 2 - the Smoking Mirror
Detective Grimoire

Meh:

Broken Age
Lilly Looking Through
Cruise for a Corpse

Didn’t like at all:

Lume

Special categories:

Never finished (but I liked what I saw):

The Lost Crown
Dark Fall 1: The Journal
Stacking

Never finished (I was not very interested):

Edna & Harvey: The Breakout
Anna’s Quest
Bulb Boy
Ceville

Never finished (I hated some of the game mechanics):

The Last Express
Return to Mysterious Island[/details]

What are your favorite non-Lucas adventure games?

3 Likes
2

The only non-lucas game I think is a masterpiece is Gabriel Knight 2. (did not play #3). I don’t even remember a puzzle, but when story and direction work…

I am also a fan of sierra AGI games.

Blackwell: the interaction between the two playing chsracters really works (similar to Indy4), but I don’t like the puzzles and the puzzle structure (linear).

3

I have not played GK2.

How does it compare to GK1 (which I have played)? Why do you prefer it to the other games of the series?

4

GK2 is totally different experience from gk1. Difficult to explain. It is the acting and the story that make the difference. It was really scary at times.

5

I’m shocked not finding Beneath a Steel Sky on your list!
I also really like the Gobliiins and Simon the Sorcerer series.

2 Likes
6

My bad, I forgot to add them. :frowning:

I started from the games that I have on Steam and they don’t include BASS nor Gobli(i(i))ns.

I’ll add them.

7

I confess I had an inexplicable attraction to Operation Stealth.

And really liked Leisure Suit Larry 2 (sierra SCI interface)

I found Beneath a Steel Sky too easy . I hated Broken Sword for being too linear and easy.

I loved Gobliins 1 and especially 2.

8

I remember also Woodruff and Lighthouse from Sierra, but Broken Sword series so far is my favourite non Lucasarts adventure.

1 Like
9

Oh yeah, when including this type of adventure games: I loved Riven but especially Lighthouse! (It’s an Sierra adventure game without nasty deadends around every corner!)

2 Likes
10

I pretty much think that the list @LowLevel has added has most of them.
I was quite surprised by how good Secret Files Tunguska was. Funnily, I firstly played on my Nintendo DS (when I was already around 22, the DS saved me from being bored to death in my commute to uni), and even on that tiny resolution I enjoyed the puzzles quite a lot.

It’s still surprising that not many adventures have reached the level of openness that the second part of Monkey Island 2 has. Or have I missed any?

2 Likes
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I really loved the Westwood Blade Runner game from 1997. While perfectly capturing the mood of the film it managed to be it´s own thing with different characters in the same universe. And it was designed to be played and enjoyed multiple times as it had several endings, and who was a replicant and who wasn´t would change everytime.

Such a shame this can´t be played on modern computers anymore, as it´s source code was lost.

2 Likes
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Runaway (but it’s only one of my favorite adventures :slight_smile: ) :

2 Likes
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The sequel was such a letdown. It had the Monkey Island Sequel problem, the protagonist isn´t supposed to “get the girl”, it just gets boring after that.

14

I have to agree: The first part was the best one. But the other two aren’t that bad. :slight_smile:

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I recommend:

The puzzles are ok, but the story and the endings of both games impressed me.

16

While both have their flaws, I’ve always had a soft spot for Blazing Dragons (both the game and the cartoon were created by Python Terry Jones) and Toonstruck (what other game has farm animal S&M and the phrase ‘total r*tard’ in it?)

17

Some very recent Pixel-Graphics Point and Click Adventures:

I recently played Paul Pixel, which I really enjoyed. Fairly short and Fun - Zombie story. Played on iPad.

http://paulpixel.site.cc

But Milkmaid of the Milkyway was much better. A little longer, and a lot of attention to the storyline and dialog - which is done very uniquely entirely in rhyme. Played on iPad.

http://machineboy.com/milkmaid

I just purchased Chronicle of Innsmouth - jury’s still out - Pixel graphics are not the highest caliber, but it does have a verb interface… :slight_smile: Playing on PC.

http://chronicleofinnsmouth.com/

2 Likes
18

Right now, in the middle of preparing a topic on the Lovecraft connection to our favourite adventure games that will (probably not) blow your minds.

2 Likes
19

Both Paul Pixel and Milkmaid of the Milkyway looked like such sweet little games I would have enjoyed but last time I’ve checked they violated my strict DRM-free-only policy.

1 Like
20

I admire you for sticking to your DRM-free principles. That’s a high road, and you probably miss out on some good games at times. Alas, I can’t say that I’m capable of the same.