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Adventure Games Thread 2022 - We CAN use these things together
- Thread starter Vampire On Titus
- Start date
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Vampire On Titus
Member
For this week's Monkey Island Monday we actually get a look at some of the game's UI. Seems to have Unavowed-esque hotspot text that contains little tidbits of commentary. I'm hoping that doesn't mean that all flavor text is in this very terse and unvoiced format, though, because that would suck.
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
Some screenshots have emerged. Wish they had gone more cartoony with Tintin's face, he looks a little uncanny valley at present.
Backgrounds look nice tho.
Vampire On Titus
Member
Update video for Perfect Tides: Station to Station, that shows off some gameplay and talks briefly about the new mechanics of this sequel. There seems to be a new character driven mechanic where you influence Mara's understanding of the world by finding new topics and applying them to her writing. Not entirely sure how it works at present but the tidbits of it look neat.
Vampire On Titus
Member
It seems that 2022, a full decade on from the initial KickStarter, will be the year SpaceVenture finally launches. The Two Guys From Andromeda have announced a September 16th 2022 release date (to backers first, the rest of us presumably some time shortly after...) in their latest KS update.
Hey everyone! We are super excited to make this announcement! The Kickstarter update that we have all been waiting for is finally upon us. On September 16th, 2022 we are officially releasing the Windows DRM-free version of SpaceVenture to all of you $15 and up backers.
To start this off, we would like to give you a bit of an FAQ on things you might be wondering:
Q. What? I thought you said a few weeks ago that the save/load system was still not working?
A: As of a few weeks ago, we were already pretty close to getting it working. As mentioned in the previous update, we had a couple of developers (one of which is the senior developer Patrick Johnston) that got together and worked four long days in getting the system where it needs to be. And the meet up was a success!
Q. Will the game be coming out on Steam?
A: Yes! After we release the game to you backers, we’re planning to release it on Steam. And our goal is to get all $15 and up backers Steam keys as soon as possible.
Q. What about the other platforms promised in the Kickstarter?
A: Yes we plan to get the game released on all the promised platforms. When we did the Kickstarter our plan was to release all platforms at the same time. At this point, in order to do that, we would have to make everyone wait even longer. So we feel it’s a good idea to go ahead and release it on Windows. The plan is to follow that up with Macintosh, Linux and then iOS/iPAD and Android.
Q. How will we get access to the DRM-free version of SpaceVenture?
A: Everyone who is a $15 and up backer will receive a message from us on September 16,2022 before the end of the day (Pacific Time) containing download information.
Q. Since we have a DRM-free version of SpaceVenture, can we share it with everyone in the world?
A: We can’t stop you, but we would REALLY appreciate it if you didn’t
Q. What about bugs?
A: Though there may be some bugs in the game, we have it in a state now to where we feel comfortable with releasing it to everyone.
Q. If we have problems/find bugs with SpaceVenture, how will we report those?
A: The download message you receive from us will contain that information. Please don’t report problems in the Kickstarter comments. We will not be looking there for bug reports.
Q. Will you be making updates that fix bugs in the future?
A: Absolutely. We plan to have a way to report bugs and post updates/patches.
Q. What is the deal with the physical rewards promised in the Kickstarter?
A: Please see the “Physical Backer Rewards” section in this Kickstarter Update below.
Q. Speaking of rewards, should we be giving you our mailing address?
A: Not at this time. We will request this from you when the time comes to ship everything out. We still have to get everything together before we will be ready to ship. Please see the physical backer rewards section of this update below for more details.
Q. Is there any way I can up my rewards tier so I can get some of the higher level physical rewards?
A: Not at this time. Though we have been purchasing a few extra (just in case of mailing issues) of each item and may make them available in the future.
Q. What about all the digital rewards for SpaceVenture?
A: Please see the “Digital Backer Rewards” section of this Kickstarter update below.
PHYSICAL BACKER REWARDS
For physical backer rewards we want to be clear on some things. After the Kickstarter was funded we went ahead and purchased a lot of the rewards that we needed. These rewards have been kept in a safe, clean, and dry storage area. There are some rewards we have not purchased yet but we are currently working on them as I type this up.
Here is a list of the physical items we still need to purchase:
Here is a preview pic of the DVD sleeve/DVD
- Materials for the Andromedon Nose to be created by Mark Crowe ($7500 and up backers)
- Hard copy concept art book ($500 and up backers)
- SpaceVenture movie posters ($150 and up backers)
- Guys From Andromeda Postcard ($150 and up backers)
- Game DVD sleeves to go into the game boxes ($100 and up backers)
- Game DVDs that will contain SpaceVenture ($100 and up backers)
- 8x10 photo containing an Easter Egg to be seen in game ($45 and up backers)
Another glimpse of the back of the actual game box
If you don’t see a physical reward listed in the above list, it is because it is most likely something we have already purchased. For example, Buckazoid Coins, T-shirts, Game Boxes, etc..
We hope you will all understand that though we do have enough money in the bank to purchase the rest of these rewards for everyone, unfortunately we don’t have enough money to cover all the shipping expenses right now. We will be shipping out items to around 2000 people. It has been a long 10 years and we hope you can understand that though a lot of money was brought into the Kickstarter, we (like you) could never have imagined it would take this long to finish it. Even though we kept our belts tight, the money has almost run out.
So here is our plan. Getting these rewards to you is very important to us. There are three strategies that we are planning to implement.
1: After purchasing the final rewards we need, any money left over from the Kickstarter will be used for reward shipping.
2: Once we put SpaceVenture on the market for sale, such as Steam, the money made from that will go to fulfilling the shipping of all of these rewards. We are not going to be taking any money from sales until we’ve shipped out rewards.
3: Some of you may decide you don’t want to wait any longer and would like to get your physical rewards sooner rather than later. We plan to make an option available where you can pay your own shipping to receive items faster. And yes we realize that you have all paid enough money as it is. This is just an option. Anyone who wants to wait for us to get the money for shipping will totally be able to wait. Either way, we plan to get the rewards out to you. And in time, you’ll all get the physical rewards in your hands.
As for getting us your information for shipping. Please don’t send us any updated shipping address information. We do realize a lot of you have moved. When the time comes, we’ll ask for your updated address information.
VERY IMPORTANT: We do ask that you update your Kickstarter profile/account settings to reflect your name/updated email address as you would like us to communicate with you. Please do this ASAP.
DIGITAL BACKER REWARDS
One of the things that the team is working on right now is putting the finishing touches to the cool digital backer rewards that are available in SpaceVenture, including:
If you don’t see a digital reward that you are looking for listed above, it's probably because it is something we’ve already completed. For example, the Wall of Fame reward, etc.
- Name a star or have your name on a star in game ($5000 and up backers)
- Fan/Name Vanity Card hidden object in game ($500 and up backers)
- Backer names in the credits of SpaceVenture ($100 and up backers)
- 8x10 Easter Egg related reward ($45 and up backers)
VERY IMPORTANT: As mentioned above, please update your Kickstarter information ASAP. Backers at the $100 level: The name that is listed in Kickstarter will be the name that is listed in the credits. We are going to give everyone a few days to take care of this. Backers at the $500 and up level, please update your Kickstarter info as well. You will probably get a message from us regarding your information. Please be on the lookout for that and respond ASAP. It is very important that you respond to this message quickly. Ideally, we want to get everyone’s info correct the first time.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
So that is it everyone. We realize it has been a long road. No one knows that better than our team. We have worked hard through some difficult times to make the game right and not release it half baked. And we are so appreciative of all of you that have hung in there with us. We also realize that there is still some road to hoe, as we have to get the game out on the various platforms and rewards shipped-out, but we are extremely excited to finally be releasing this game to everyone. We hope it lives up to your expectations. We realize that nothing can replace the nostalgia you may all have of playing Space Quest when you were younger, but think that SpaceVenture will be a proper spiritual successor to the series. Thanks again everyone!
Vampire On Titus
Member
Gamescom stuff:
Trailer of New Tales From The Borderlands hot off the gamescom presses.
Return to Monkey Island release date announced, September 19th
Brief behind the scenes look at Telltale's The Expanse.
Trailer of New Tales From The Borderlands hot off the gamescom presses.
Return to Monkey Island release date announced, September 19th
Brief behind the scenes look at Telltale's The Expanse.
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plushyp
Member
Thanks, appreciate the warning
Vampire On Titus
Member
Was pretty buried by the Monkey Island announcement and other gamescom news but this came out today.
SlimeGooGoo
Banned
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Vampire On Titus
Member
PQube looking shady out here. Short version: Publisher allegedly (PQube) surreptitiously steals indie dev's (Mojiken Studios) grant money, pockets some of it, and uses the rest to say "hey we're giving you guys more funds so in return bump up our revenue percentage!"
No response from PQube presently, but it's not looking great. For people who are unaware, A Space for The Unbound is a really promising upcoming adventure game that's been in development for quite some time now. Supposed to come out this year, hopefully it still does despite the issues.
Edit: PQube's statement via Gamingonlinux
IIRC that's Pendulo's very first game, right? Never played it but I do want to go back and play the original Hollywood Monsters since there's a fan translation.
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SlimeGooGoo
Banned
.
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Fuz
Banned
Shame if this ruins the game's release, it looks really promising.
Assuming the devs aren't finding excuses and trying to sneak out of it.
Vampire On Titus
Member
Looks like SuperMassive games is coming full circle, design wise, and adding more robust exploration and some puzzles to their choice based adventure formula. Unfortunately I haven't particularly enjoyed most of the games from them that I've played. I found Until Dawn incredibly boring, affectionally dubbing it Until Yawn, and of the two Dark Pictures episodes I've played (Man of Medan & Little Hope) I found one tolerably entertaining in a cheesy way (Man of Medan) and the other abysmally bad (Little Hope). The story for Devil in Me seems like a death game, which is well worn territory in many Japanese adventures I've played (Zero Escape, Danganronpa, Your Turn to Die) but I do like the genre so I'll be keeping a cautious eye on this one.
New trailer for Case of the Golden Idol, this was evidently a "world premiere" at the future game's show. Which is pretty funny because the first two seconds of the trailer mentions that the game has a demo, that people have played. Regardless of all that, this game does look like it has some neat and unique detective style puzzle mechanics.
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The Cockatrice
Gold Member
I'm buying all 4 when theyre super cheap and Ill play them in one go. Ez win.
amigastar
Member
Has anyone played A Vampyre Story? Thinking about getting it.
www.metacritic.com
A Vampyre Story Reviews
A Vampyre Story is the creation of Bill Tiller and his studio Autumn Moon Entertainment. A former employee of Lucas Arts, Tiller won himself a place in the hearts of adventure fans through his work on titles such as Steven Spielberg's "The Dig," the whip-cracking "Indiana Jones," and the...
www.metacritic.com
Kiansung
Neo Member
sometimes I do as I like to get updates on Twitter
Fuz
Banned
I did, but I honestly don't remember much. Now, don't take my words for it because too much time passed, but I think it was ok-ish, and... I don't want to sound overly negative but... it's kind of an example how mediocre the whole P&C genre became.Has anyone played A Vampyre Story? Thinking about getting it.
A Vampyre Story Reviews
A Vampyre Story is the creation of Bill Tiller and his studio Autumn Moon Entertainment. A former employee of Lucas Arts, Tiller won himself a place in the hearts of adventure fans through his work on titles such as Steven Spielberg's "The Dig," the whip-cracking "Indiana Jones," and the...
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Fuz
Banned
You know. I regret writing that post.
I really don't remember much, just that I wasn't impressed. You might want to try it. I'm grumpy.
Vampire On Titus
Member
I played Vampyre Story somewhat recently (I wanna say within the last year and a half?), it was okay. It ends on a cliffhanger that will never get resolved, story and characters are decent, puzzles are similarly decent if a bit uninspired, and the art direction/environment art is fantastic.
Could've been better if the game didn't end right as the plot was becoming interesting but that's what we got.
Could've been better if the game didn't end right as the plot was becoming interesting but that's what we got.
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
yeah Im intrigued. been following it for a while.
Vampire On Titus
Member
InvestiGATOR just got 4 and 1/2 stars out of 5 on adventuregamers.com and early impressions on Steam seem to be good. Could be a rare triumph for a merger of adventure game and action mechanics. Which, by the way, are optional in case anyone's interested and 100% can't stand the Beat Em' Up aspect.
Mr Underhill
Member
Came here to post that Brok is out, happy that it's on everybody's radar! ♥
Vampire On Titus
Member
New game by Sam Barlow (Her Story and Telling Lies), like his others it's an FMV mystery but the mechanic for this one is clicking on suspicious items in the movie scene to cut between different events. Early reviews for it are extremely positive and the look and premise of this game really interested me. I'll likely be playing this very soon.
Vampire On Titus
Member
New trailer an KickStarter (launches October 3rd) announcement for the Broken Sword inspired Foolish Mortals:
Game looks good and the presentation of the trailer is impressive. I think more adventure games should have narrated trailers like this that really give you a sense of the game's story and general feel. Unfortunately, despite the designs and figures looking faithfully Broken Sword-esque, the animation is using motion tweens. Not the worst I've ever seen but its a little disappointing, especially when the style of the game so clearly invokes comparisons to Broken Sword's beautiful traditional animation.
Regardless, this does look like a promising game. The look is (mostly) there, I just hope it can nail the backstory and have the breadth to establish a properly intriguing mystery.
Game looks good and the presentation of the trailer is impressive. I think more adventure games should have narrated trailers like this that really give you a sense of the game's story and general feel. Unfortunately, despite the designs and figures looking faithfully Broken Sword-esque, the animation is using motion tweens. Not the worst I've ever seen but its a little disappointing, especially when the style of the game so clearly invokes comparisons to Broken Sword's beautiful traditional animation.
Regardless, this does look like a promising game. The look is (mostly) there, I just hope it can nail the backstory and have the breadth to establish a properly intriguing mystery.
Vampire On Titus
Member
Trailer for detective JADV game Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate which shows off some of the puzzles/mystery solving like recreating crime scenes, and facing off against the city planning A.I in an Ace Attorney-ish battle of wits. This is a VR game that's being released episodically but there's also a non-VR version for switch planned which will compile all the episodes into a single release.
I think the premise for the game seems neat, there's an impossible murder in a future city that's supposed to have gotten rid of all crime, and it looks like they're not skimping on the gameplay either. So here's hoping they actually deliver on the story itself because I always like a good detective game.
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
Vampire On Titus
Member
You know I wasn't expecting much, but this hit lower lows than I could have anticipated. Aside from some good looking graphics, and I guess the VAs doing their jobs well enough, everything looks awful. The writing isn't even cringey enough to be ironically funny, it's just boring and forced. I can't think of a single joke that felt as it it occurred naturally from the scenario or personality of the characters. Each one carried a stench of a desperate writer trying to "punch up" an otherwise unfunny scene with some ham-fisted zaniness.
Well, at least the announcement of this game propelled me to finally finish the original Tales From The Borderlands, which was a solidly good game. Even though I get morbidly curious with bad games like this, I doubt I'll be checking out New Tales anytime soon or ever.
Fuz
Banned
It's got too cartoony and colorful. EDIT: I mean the series in general, not just this.
I skimmed the gameplay video and haven't seen any gameplay. Just cutscenes.
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Vampire On Titus
Member
It's 99% cutscene and QTE for the entire 18 minutes. Even when it comes to choices, there's not many. From what they've shown I don't know if you even control the player character or walk around anymore.
I'll also say, I think the character designs are bad and they're made worse by these dynamic wrinkles they've added to the expressions. It really doesn't work with the art style and makes the character look like they've randomly aged 30 years half the time.
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
Yes Borderlands writers have changed drastically post Borderlands 2. It's now just a feminist wet dream franchise. Women strong, men are evil or clowns, yelling random words equals hahaha so funny and all that cringe shit that Borderlands 3 had. I'll pass.
i dont do kick s but i hope the game gets the funds.
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Fuz
Banned
And you're forgetting the shitty pre-sequel. That's were I knew Borderlands was dead.
HUGE fan of BL1 and BL2, btw.
Vampire On Titus
Member
Replaying the Monkey Island games before the release of RtMI on the 19th. Finished LeChuck's Revenge and playing Curse again for the first time in a while. I forgot just how much I love this game, the characters, the locations, the puzzles themselves are funny too (like convincing the bar owner you're part of his family by cutting out a portrait and looking thru the port hole of a door). It's just such a polished and enjoyable experience from top to bottom. I know some people don't like Guybrush's design in Curse, but that doesn't bother me. The only real thing I could ding it with is it follows the SoMI template very closely (also the abrupt ending), but even then it adds so much of its own charm that it's hardly a knock against it. Having a blast playing it again.
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Vampire On Titus
Member
Also, The Excavation of Hob's Borrow (formerly Incantamentum) is coming out September 28th. Really looking forward to this one, played the demo twice and dug on the atmosphere. Should be even better now that Dave Gilbert's done his voice directing thing for the game.
The Cockatrice
Gold Member
Thats a lot of adventure games in these 2 months, brok, nine noir lives, return to puke island, etc. I should slowly start playing them.
Vampire On Titus
Member
Claymation horror adventure game by Gammagirl with a lot of style and a somewhat unique interface. Graphically it looks kinda like a cutesier version of Garage: Bad Dream Adventure, but it also evokes Amanita Design games with it's wordless approach to storytelling and exploration. It's getting a bit off attention after being featured on the latest haunted PS1 demo disc (semi regular collection of upcoming horror game demos). You can try the demo for yourself on the game's Itch.io page.
Vampire On Titus
Member
After delivering us Aconcagua earlier this year, Hilltop Works' next project is another PS1 era japanese adventure game/hidden gem B.L.U.E The Legend of Water. This was actually one of the examples used in my JADV thread, and I've wanted to play it for a while. The game seems divided into two parts: a P&C part where you're chilling around the station talking with ppl at the aquatic research facility, and a fully 3D part where you're exploring ancient ruins and solving puzzles with your dolphin buddy.
Description via GiantBomb:
Vampire On Titus
Member
First look at the gameplay for Master Detective Archives Raincode (formerly Enigma Archives Raincode). It's a neat look at some of the mechanics, many of which are reminiscent of the deduction based puzzles and mini-games from Danganronpa.
More info on the game's website.
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Vampire On Titus
Member
Finished playing Escape in my series re-playthrough leading up to Return to Monkey Island's release. Escape was the only game in the series I actually hadn't completed yet, and now that I've played each one I can definitively say that, yes, Escape From Monkey Island is the worst of the bunch. Although, that doesn't make it a bad game by any stretch. It just suffers from some issues, the controls being the most persistent. I emulated the PS2 version which nixes the tank controls (also optional to switch them on PC) and makes the GrimE engine's "unique" manner of interaction a bit more palatable. But it's still a finicky experience getting Guybrush to stand where he needs to stand to interact with certain objects. It's the worst when there's a row of small objects and you find yourself clumsily dancing back and forth, hoping you can somehow stand in the right spot to make the interactable appear on the game's context menu.
In addition the maps have too much open space, which makes back tracking more of a hassle than it should be. Newer adventure game like Roki solve this problem by having conveniently placed shortcuts. There were even some older games that did this as well, like... what was it called again? Oh yeah, the first fucking Monkey Island. So there's a lot about the nuts and bolts of gameplay that makes experiencing the content a bit of a hassle, but the actual content itself is mostly quite good. I really like the marital banter between Elaine and Guybrush. To me, it's cool that they didn't cheap out and reset their relationship. Ozzy Mandrill is an fun villain and his quest to essentially gentrify pirates out of the Caribbean is a unique plot for the series, a clever change of pace. I didn't even mind the Herman Toothrot reveal tbh. One thing that did irk me was the running gag of Guybrush hitting on other woman with the faux suave deep voice. It's just super out of character for him and it wasn't particularly funny either.
Most of the puzzles in the game are well designed, I completed the game without using a walkthrough and never really felt super "stuck" at any point. I always appreciate when the puzzles themselves are funny, which I think Curse did the best, and Escape has some good "funny puzzles" like when you bring back Herman's memory by repeatedly bashing him on the head with items related to what he was doing in the past. Or the dialogue puzzle where you have to intentionally flunk the pirate rehabilitation class by choosing the most gruesome pirate responses. But of course you cant mention puzzles in Escape From Monkey Island without mentioning the infamously dreaded Monkey Kombat. And, yeah, Monkey Kombat does suck. It's overly complicated and, crucially, it misses the point of insult sword fighting by not being piratey or funny at all. That being said, I did expect much worse from all the shit I've heard people give it over the years. Basically you just write down what stance beats what, all the transformations, and that's that. Don't get me wrong, it's not remotely fun or interesting, but I've endured way worse before. Maybe that says more about me than the game, though, lol.
In any case, yeah, Escape is a good game with many notable flaws. The ending is also a little weird with a sequence of pretty inexplicable things happening, such as LeChuck randomly gaining the power to possess large inanimate objects, him mysteriously breaking free of Ozzy Mandrills ultimate insult mind control for...a reason?, and them bringing back the "Monkey See, Monkey Do" concept that JoJo told you about for the last puzzle without any real prompting. Not my favorite Monkey Island game, but I'm glad I played it.
In addition the maps have too much open space, which makes back tracking more of a hassle than it should be. Newer adventure game like Roki solve this problem by having conveniently placed shortcuts. There were even some older games that did this as well, like... what was it called again? Oh yeah, the first fucking Monkey Island. So there's a lot about the nuts and bolts of gameplay that makes experiencing the content a bit of a hassle, but the actual content itself is mostly quite good. I really like the marital banter between Elaine and Guybrush. To me, it's cool that they didn't cheap out and reset their relationship. Ozzy Mandrill is an fun villain and his quest to essentially gentrify pirates out of the Caribbean is a unique plot for the series, a clever change of pace. I didn't even mind the Herman Toothrot reveal tbh. One thing that did irk me was the running gag of Guybrush hitting on other woman with the faux suave deep voice. It's just super out of character for him and it wasn't particularly funny either.
Most of the puzzles in the game are well designed, I completed the game without using a walkthrough and never really felt super "stuck" at any point. I always appreciate when the puzzles themselves are funny, which I think Curse did the best, and Escape has some good "funny puzzles" like when you bring back Herman's memory by repeatedly bashing him on the head with items related to what he was doing in the past. Or the dialogue puzzle where you have to intentionally flunk the pirate rehabilitation class by choosing the most gruesome pirate responses. But of course you cant mention puzzles in Escape From Monkey Island without mentioning the infamously dreaded Monkey Kombat. And, yeah, Monkey Kombat does suck. It's overly complicated and, crucially, it misses the point of insult sword fighting by not being piratey or funny at all. That being said, I did expect much worse from all the shit I've heard people give it over the years. Basically you just write down what stance beats what, all the transformations, and that's that. Don't get me wrong, it's not remotely fun or interesting, but I've endured way worse before. Maybe that says more about me than the game, though, lol.
In any case, yeah, Escape is a good game with many notable flaws. The ending is also a little weird with a sequence of pretty inexplicable things happening, such as LeChuck randomly gaining the power to possess large inanimate objects, him mysteriously breaking free of Ozzy Mandrills ultimate insult mind control for...a reason?, and them bringing back the "Monkey See, Monkey Do" concept that JoJo told you about for the last puzzle without any real prompting. Not my favorite Monkey Island game, but I'm glad I played it.
Fuz
Banned
You know, your description of it makes it sounds like MUCH BETTER than I remember...
Then I also remember it's called "Monkey Island".
Fuz
Banned
You have no excuses now.
(This one is also free right now: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/spirit-of-the-north-f58a66 )