Content deleted Content added
Grueslayer (talk | contribs) That was published almost 15 years later and didn't leave much of an impact. |
removed Category:Video game terminology using HotCat |
||
| (31 intermediate revisions by 25 users not shown) | |||
Line 2:
{{About|the video game genre|the board game genre|Adventure board game|the television series|The Adventure Game|games named "Adventure"|Adventure (disambiguation)}}
{{VG Adventure}}
An '''adventure game'''
Adventure games were initially developed in the 1970s and early 1980s as text-based interactive stories, using text parsers to translate the player's commands into actions. As personal computers became more powerful with better graphics, the graphic adventure-game format became popular, initially by augmenting player's text commands with graphics, but soon moving towards [[point-and-click]] interfaces. Further computer advances led to adventure games with more immersive graphics using real-time or pre-rendered three-dimensional scenes or [[full-motion video]] taken from the first- or third-person perspective. Currently, a large number of adventure games are available as a combination of different genres with adventure elements.
For markets in the Western hemisphere, the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1980s to mid-1990s when many{{quantify|date=May 2019}} considered it to be among the most technically advanced genres, but it had become a [[niche market|niche]] genre in the early 2000s due to the popularity of [[first-person shooters]], and it became difficult for developers to find publishers to support adventure-game ventures. Since then, a resurgence in the genre has occurred, spurred on by the success of [[independent video game development|independent video-game development]], particularly from [[Crowdfunding in video games|crowdfunding]] efforts, from the wide availability of [[Digital distribution in video games|digital distribution]] enabling episodic approaches, and from the proliferation of new gaming platforms, including portable consoles and mobile devices.
Line 24:
|{{sfn|Rollings|Adams|2003|p=443}}{{sfn|Kent|Williams|1989|p=143}}{{r|agdefinition}}{{sfn|Gibson|Aldrich|2006|p=276}}{{sfn|Peterson|1983|p=189}}{{r|fundamentals}}
|-
| Player assumes the role of a [[Player character|character]] or [[hero]].
|{{sfn|Rollings|Adams|2003|p=443}}{{sfn|Alessi|Trollip|1985|p=205}}{{r|fundamentals}}
|-
Line 63:
===Goals, success and failure===
The primary goal in adventure games is the completion of the assigned quest.{{sfn|Pedersen|2003|p=16}} Early adventure games often had [[score (game)|high scores]] and some, including ''[[Zork]]'' and some of its sequels, assigned the player a rank, a text description based on their score.{{sfn|Montfort|2003|p=136}} High scores provide the player with a secondary goal,{{sfn|Pedersen|2003|p=16}} and serve as an indicator of progression.{{sfn|Montfort|2003|p=136}} While high scores are now less common, external reward systems, such as [[Xbox Live]]'s Achievements, perform a similar role.<ref>{{
The primary failure condition in adventure games, inherited from more action-oriented games, is player death. Without the clearly identified enemies of other genres, its inclusion in adventure games is controversial, and many developers now either avoid it or take extra steps to foreshadow death.{{sfn|Rollings|Adams|2003|pp=459–460}} Some early adventure games trapped the players in [[Unwinnable|unwinnable situations]] without ending the game. [[Infocom]]'s text adventure ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (computer game)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' has been criticized for a scenario where failing to pick up a pile of junk mail at the beginning of the game prevented the player, much later, from completing the game.<ref name="twinkie">{{cite web| last=Adams |first=Ernest | title=Designer's Notebook: Bad Game Designer, No Twinkie! | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3260/designers_notebook_bad_game_.php | website=[[Gamasutra]] | access-date=10 June 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100510113532/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3260/designers_notebook_bad_game_.php| archive-date= 10 May 2010 |url-status = live}}</ref> The adventure games developed by LucasArts purposely avoided creating a dead-end situation for the player due to the negative reactions to such situations,<ref name="usgamer lucasarts gateway">{{
==Subgenres==
Line 76:
===Graphic adventure===
Graphic adventures are adventure games that use graphics to convey the environment to the player.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=March 1996|title=The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Graphic adventure|url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-015/page/n35/mode/2up|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|issue=15|page=34}}</ref> Games under the graphic adventure banner may have a variety of input types, from text parsers to touch screen interfaces.{{sfn|Rollings|Adams|2003|pp=155–156}} Graphic adventure games will vary in how they present the avatar. Some games will utilize a first-person or third-person perspective where the camera follows the player's movements, whereas many adventure games use drawn or pre-rendered backgrounds, or a context-sensitive camera that is positioned to show off each location to the best effect.{{sfn|Rollings|Adams|2003|p=451}}
====Text-and-graphics adventure games====
Text-and-graphics adventure games (also called illustrated<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Pawn|last=Wright|first=Guy|magazine=[[Amiga World]]|date=May–June 1987|volume=3|number=3|publisher=[[CW Communications]]|page=84|url=https://archive.org/details/15-commodore-magazine/page/n77/mode/2up}}</ref> or graphical text adventures)<ref>{{cite book|title=The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies|page=236|last=Fernández-Vara|first=Clara|chapter=Adventure|editor-last1=Wolf|editor-first1=Mark J. P.|editor-last2=Perron|editor-first2=Bernard|isbn=978-0-415-53332-4|publisher=Routledge|date=2014}}</ref> combine interactive fiction-style text descriptions with graphic illustrations of locations.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Quest for Adventure: Text-and-Graphics Adventure Games|last=Ceccola|first=Russ|magazine=[[Commodore Magazine]]|date=March 1988|volume=9|issue=3|publisher=Commodore Magazine Inc.|at=77; 114|url=https://archive.org/details/15-commodore-magazine/page/n77/mode/2up}}</ref> These games sometimes use a text parser, as in the [[Magnetic Scrolls]] games;{{sfn|Montfort|2003|p=187}} a point-and-click interface, such as the [[MacVenture]] games;<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Uninvited|last=Wagner|first=Roy|magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]]|date=August–September 1987|number=39|publisher=Golden Empire Publications Inc.|page=41|url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_39/page/n39/mode/2up}}</ref> or a combination of both (e.g., ''[[Tass Times in Tonetown]]'';<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Wagner |first=Roy |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_33/page/n35/mode/2up |publisher=Golden Empire Publications Inc.|title=Commodore Key |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=December 1986 |volume=1 |issue=33 |pages=36}}</ref> ''[[Enchanted Scepters]]'' and other [[World Builder]] games).<ref>{{cite book |title= The Secret History of Mac Gaming |chapter=Game Development for The Rest of Us |last=Moss |first=Richard |page=43 |isbn=978-1-78352-487-7 |date=2018 |publisher=[[Unbound (publisher)|Unbound]] }}</ref>
====Point-and-click adventure games====
Line 81 ⟶ 84:
Point-and-click adventure games are those where the player typically controls their character through a [[point and click]] interface using a computer mouse or similar pointing device, though additional control schemes may also be available.{{sfn|Salter|2014|p=40}} The player clicks to move their character around, interact with non-player characters, often initiating [[Dialog tree|conversation tree]]s with them, examine objects in the game's settings or with their character's item inventory. Many older point-and-click games include a list of on-screen verbs to describe specific actions in the manner of a text adventure, but newer games have used more context-sensitive user interface elements to reduce or eliminate this approach. Often, these games come down to collecting items for the character's inventory, and figuring when is the right time to use that item; the player would need to use clues from the visual elements of the game, descriptions of the various items, and dialogue from other characters to figure this out. Later games developed by [[Sierra Entertainment|Sierra On-Line]], including the ''[[King's Quest]]'' games, and nearly all of the [[LucasArts adventure games]], are point-and-click-based games.
Point-and-click adventure games can also be the medium in which interactive, cinematic video games comprise. They feature cutscenes interspersed by short snippets of interactive gameplay that tie in with the story. This sub-genre is most famously used by the now-defunct [[Telltale Games]] with their series such as ''[[Minecraft: Story Mode]]'' and [[The Walking Dead (video game series)|their adaptation]] of ''[[The Walking Dead (franchise)|The Walking Dead]]''.
====Escape the room games====
{{main|Escape the room}}
[[Escape the room]] games are a further specialization of point-and-click adventure games; these games are typically short and confined to a small space to explore, with almost no interaction with non-player characters. Most games of this type require the player to figure out how to escape a room using the limited resources within it and through the solving of logic puzzles. Other variants include games that require the player to manipulate a complex object to achieve a certain end in the fashion of a [[puzzle box]]. These games are often delivered in [[Adobe Flash]] format and are also popular on mobile devices. The genre is notable for inspiring real-world [[escape room]] challenges.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/04/arts/video-games/in-escape-rooms-video-games-meet-real-life.html | title = In Escape Rooms, Video Games Meet Real Life | first= Chris | last = Suellentop | date = June 4, 2014 | access-date = December 20, 2019 | work = [[The New York Times]] }}</ref> Examples of the subgenre include ''[[MOTAS]]'' (''Mysteries of Time and Space''), ''The Crimson Room'', and ''[[The Room (2012 video game)|The Room]]''.<ref name="JOY">{{cite web|author=Ransom-Wiley, James|date=2007-01-15|title=New MOTAS levels to point and click thru|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/15/new-motas-levels-to-point-and-click-thru/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007163529/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/15/new-motas-levels-to-point-and-click-thru/|archive-date=October 7, 2012|access-date=2007-12-14|publisher=[[Joystiq]]}}</ref><ref name="vox">{{cite web | url = https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/10/26/13311456/escape-the-room-games-explained | title = The strange appeal of escape the room games, explained | first = Alex | last = Abad-Santos | date = October 26, 2016 | access-date = October 29, 2018 | work = [[Vox (website)|Vox]] }}</ref><ref>{{
====Puzzle adventure games====
Line 103 ⟶ 106:
{{Main|Visual novel}}
[[File:Wikipe-tan_visual_novel_(Ren%27Py).png|thumb|alt=A cartoon girl in a sailor outfit stands in front of a photograph of a green chalkboard. The lower-third screen is covered by a translucent dialogue box.|A common layout for a [[visual novel]] game]]
A {{Nihongo|visual novel|ビジュアルノベル|bijuaru noberu}} is a hybrid of text and graphical adventure games, typically featuring text-based story and interactivity aided by static or [[sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]]-based visuals. They resemble mixed-media novels or [[tableau vivant]] stage plays. Most visual novels typically feature [[dialogue tree]]s, [[Nonlinear gameplay|branching storylines]], and [[multiple endings]].<ref>[http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-First-Free-Visual-Novel-Engine-Released-30725.shtml The First Free Visual Novel Engine Released], [[Softpedia]]
===Interactive movie===
Line 110 ⟶ 113:
===Hybrids===
There are a number of hybrid graphical adventure games, borrowing from two or more of the above classifications. The ''[[Zero Escape]]'' series wraps several escape-the-room puzzles within the context of a visual novel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/12/17/999-9-hours-9-persons-9-doors-review |title=999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors – Review |work=[[IGN]] |first=Lucas |last=Thomas |date=17 December 2010 |access-date=8 February 2016 |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015194528/http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/12/17/999-9-hours-9-persons-9-doors-review |archive-date=15 October 2014 }}</ref> The ''[[Sherlock Holmes (video game series)|Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'' series has the player use point-and-click type interfaces to locate clues, and [[minigame]]-type mechanics to manipulate those clues to find more relevant information.<ref name="IGN review">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/21/sherlock-holmes-returns-to-investigative-gaming|title=Sherlock Holmes Returns to Investigative Gaming|website=IGN|access-date=21 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927022137/http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/21/sherlock-holmes-returns-to-investigative-gaming|archive-date=27 September 2014|url-status = live|author=Campbell, Colin|date=21 September 2012}}</ref>▼
▲There are a number of hybrid graphical adventure games, borrowing from two or more of the above classifications. The ''[[Zero Escape]]'' series wraps several escape-the-room puzzles within the context of a visual novel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/12/17/999-9-hours-9-persons-9-doors-review |title=999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors – Review |work=[[IGN]] |first=Lucas |last=Thomas |date=17 December 2010 |access-date=8 February 2016 |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015194528/http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/12/17/999-9-hours-9-persons-9-doors-review |archive-date=15 October 2014 }}</ref> The ''[[Sherlock Holmes (video game series)|Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'' series has the player use point-and-click type interfaces to locate clues, and [[minigame]]-type mechanics to manipulate those clues to find more relevant information.<ref name="IGN review">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/21/sherlock-holmes-returns-to-investigative-gaming|title=Sherlock Holmes Returns to Investigative Gaming|website=IGN|access-date=21 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927022137/http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/21/sherlock-holmes-returns-to-investigative-gaming|archive-date=27 September 2014|url-status = live|author=Campbell, Colin|date=21 September 2012}}</ref>
While most adventure games typically do not include any time-based interactivity by the player,
==History of Western adventure games==
===Text adventures (1976–1989)===
[[File:ADVENT -- Will Crowther's original version.png|thumb|300px|Telechrome^type output of [[Will Crowther]]'s original version of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'']]
The origins of text adventure games are difficult to trace as records of computing around the 1970s were not as well documented. Text-based games had existed prior to 1976 that featured elements of exploring maps or solving puzzles, such as ''[[Hunt the Wumpus]]'' (1973), but lacked a narrative element, a feature essential for adventure games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MichaelHeron/20160729/278114/Hunt_The_Syntax_Part_One.php |title=Hunt The Syntax, Part One |first=Michael |last=Heron |date=August 3, 2016 |access-date=August 3, 2016 |work=[[Gamasutra]] |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801072837/http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MichaelHeron/20160729/278114/Hunt_The_Syntax_Part_One.php |archive-date=1 August 2016 }}</ref> ''[[Colossal Cave Adventure]]'' (1976), written by [[William Crowther (computer programmer)|William Crowther]] and [[Don Woods (programmer)|Don Woods]], is widely considered to be the first game in the adventure genre, and a significant influence on the genre's early development, as well as influencing core games in other genres such as ''[[Adventure (
''Colossal Cave Adventure'' set concepts and gameplay approaches that became staples of text adventures and interactive fiction.{{sfn|Salter|2014|pp=23–24}} Following its release on ARPANET, numerous variations of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' appeared throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, with some of these later versions being re-christened ''Colossal Adventure'' or ''Colossal Caves''. These variations were enabled by the increase in [[microcomputer|microcomputing]] that allowed programmers to work on home computers rather than mainframe systems.{{sfn|Cameron|1989|p=40}}{{sfn|Montfort|2003|p=88}}{{sfn|Nelson|Rees|2001|p=349}} The genre gained commercial success with titles designed for home computers. [[Scott Adams (game designer)|Scott Adams]] launched [[Adventure International]] to publish text adventures including an adaptation of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'', while a number of [[MIT]] students formed [[Infocom]] to bring their game ''[[Zork]]'' from mainframe to home computers and was a commercial success.{{sfn|Salter|2014|pp=25–26}} Infocom later released ''[[Deadline (1982 video game)|Deadline]]'' in 1982, which had a more complex text parser, and more NPCs acting independently of the player. Also innovative was its use of "[[feelies]]", which were physical documents unique to the game itself which aided the player in solving the mystery, which also resulted in the higher cost of the game at the time of its release relative to other text adventures.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.filfre.net/2012/07/deadline/ |title=Deadline |last=Maher |first=Jimmy |date=July 11, 2012 |website=The Digital Antiquarian |publisher=<!--Self-published--> |access-date=January 24, 2023}}{{Self-published source|date=January 2023}}</ref> These feelies would soon become standard within the text adventure genre and would also be used as an early form of [[copy protection]]. Other well-known text adventure companies included [[Level 9 Computing]], [[Magnetic Scrolls]] and [[Krome Studios Melbourne|Melbourne House]].
Line 128 ⟶ 130:
The first known graphical adventure game was ''[[Mystery House]]'' (1980), by [[Sierra Entertainment|Sierra On-Line]], then at the time known as On-Line Systems.{{sfn|Salter|2014|pp=39–41}} Designed by the company's co-founder [[Roberta Williams]] and programmed with the help of her husband [[Ken Williams (game developer)|Ken]], the game featured static [[vector graphics]] atop a simple command line interface, building on the text adventure model. Roberta was directly inspired by ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' as well as the text adventure games that followed from it.<ref name="amjplay">{{cite journal | first = Laine | last = Nooney | title = Let's Begin Again: Sierra On-Line and the Origins of the Graphical Adventure Game | journal = American Journal of Play | volume = 10 | issue = 1 | date = 2017 | pages = 71–98 }}</ref> Sierra continued to produce similar games under the title ''Hi-Res Adventure''.{{sfn|Demaria|Wilson|2003|pp=134–135}}{{sfn|Montfort|2003|pp=169–170}} Vector graphics gave way to [[bitmap graphics]] which also enabled for simple animations to show the player-character moving in response to typed commands. Here, Sierra's ''[[King's Quest I|King's Quest]]'' (1984), though not the first game of its type, is recognized as a commercially successful graphical adventure game, enabling Sierra to expand on more titles.{{r|arstech gfx history}} Other examples of early games include ''[[Sherwood Forest (video game)|Sherwood Forest]]'' (1982), ''[[The Hobbit (1982 video game)|The Hobbit]]'' (1982), [[Yuji Horii]]'s ''[[The Portopia Serial Murder Case]]'' (1983), ''[[The Return of Heracles]]'' (which faithfully portrayed [[Greek mythology]]) by [[Stuart Smith (game designer)|Stuart Smith]] (1983), [[Dale Johnson]]'s ''Masquerade'' (1983), Antonio Antiochia's ''[[Transylvania (computer game)|Transylvania]]'' (1982, re-released in 1984), and ''[[Adventure Construction Set]]'' (1985), one of the early hits of [[Electronic Arts]].
As computers gained the ability to use pointing devices and [[point-and-click]] interfaces, graphical adventure games moved away from including the text interface and simply provided appropriate commands the player could interact with on-screen. The first known game with such an interface was ''[[Enchanted Scepters]]'' (1984) from [[Silicon Beach Software]], which
Graphical adventure games were considered to have spurred the gaming market for personal computers from 1985 through the next decade, as they were able to offer narratives and storytelling that could not readily be told by the state of graphical hardware at the time.<ref name="pcworld 2015">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026802/how-adventure-games-came-back-from-the-dead.html |title=How adventure games came back from the dead |first=Rob |last=Manuel |date=February 5, 2013 |access-date=August 3, 2016 |work=[[PC World]] |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721080014/http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026802/how-adventure-games-came-back-from-the-dead.html |archive-date=21 July 2016 }}</ref>
Line 135 ⟶ 137:
Graphical adventure games continued to improve with advances in graphic systems for home computers, providing more detailed and colorful scenes and characters. With the adoption of [[CD-ROM]] in the early 1990s, it became possible to include higher quality graphics, video, and audio in adventure games.{{sfn|Rouse|2005|p=208}}
This saw the addition of [[voice acting]] to adventure games. Similar to the first [[sound film]]s, games that featured such voice-overs were called "Talkies" by all the major adventure game companies, including [[Lucasfilm Games|LucasArts]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vg247.com/day-of-the-tentacle-the-oral-history?page=4|title=Day of the Tentacle: The Oral History|last=Mackey|first=Bob|date=June 25, 2018|website=[[VG247]]|access-date=14 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|date=Spring 1993|title=The Talkies Are Coming! The Talkies Are Coming!|url=http://www.lucasarts.com/pages/IndexAdventurer.6.html|journal=The Adventurer|publisher=[[Lucasfilm Games|LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC]]|issue=6|pages=3|access-date=14 August 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817090910/http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NzPGawbNQl0/ToHULxXircI/AAAAAAAAAcY/NMsAT6iW2xg/s1600/adventurer_06_pg03.JPG|archive-date=17 August 2019}}</ref> and [[Sierra Entertainment|Sierra]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18040|title=Review for King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder|last=Morganti|first=Emily|date=25 May 2007|website=[[Adventure Gamers]]|access-date=14 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/07/17/games-know-your-genres-adventure/|title=Know Your Genres: Adventure Games|date=17 July 2015|website=Xbox.com|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=14 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=30 April 1991|title=One Step Closer to PC Cinema: Adventure Games That Talk to You|url={{Google books|id=aAtUrtU87kQC|page=485|plainurl=yes}}|magazine=[[PCMag|PC Magazine]]|access-date=14 August 2023|volume=10|number=8|page=478}}</ref> Use of the term continues to this day, for example by [[GOG.com]] on its page about [[Revolution Software]]'s ''[[Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gog.com/en/game/broken_sword_3__the_sleeping_dragon|title=Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon|website=[[GOG.com]]|access-date=14 August 2023|quote=This is full "talkie" version of the game.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814193659/https://www.gog.com/en/game/broken_sword_3__the_sleeping_dragon|archive-date=14 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Mark J.P. Wolf, professor at [[Concordia University Wisconsin|CUW]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/mark-j-p-wolf-19401/|title=Mark J. P. Wolf|website=[[MIT Press]]|access-date=14 August 2023}}</ref> in his ''Encyclopedia of Video Games'':<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Wolf|editor-first1=Mark J.P.|year=2012|title=Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming|url={{Google books|id=deBFx7QAwsQC|plainurl=yes|page=97}}|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood]]|page=97|isbn=9780313379369|volume=1}}</ref>{{Blockquote|text=In some genres, the rich assets afforded by the CD format could be integrated more intricately into the gameplay, for example, "talkie" revised editions of popular adventure games with digitized voices, like ''King's Quest V'' (1992) or ''Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis'' (
The 1990s also saw the rise of [[Interactive movie]]s, ''[[The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery]]'', and the gradual adoption of three-dimensional graphics in adventure games, the critically acclaimed ''[[Grim Fandango]]'', Lucasarts' first 3D adventure.{{r|arstech gfx history}} [[Alone in the Dark]], released in 1992, and which is now referred to as a "survival horror" game, was originally considered among other graphic adventure games by critics of the time, and significantly influenced the development of then new genre, being looked at now as a separating point. Its development was considered a break-through in technology, utilizing the first fixed-camera perspective in a 3D game, and now recognized as the first 3D survival horror game, going on to influence games such as ''Fatal Frame'', ''Resident Evil'', and ''Silent Hill'', with its influence seen within other titles such as ''Clock Tower'' and ''Rule of Rose''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbr.com/alone-dark-kicked-off-video-game-horror-genre/ | title=Alone in the Dark: The Game That Kicked off the Horror Genre | date=30 October 2020 }}</ref>
[[File:Myst-library and ship.jpg|right|thumb|250px|''[[Myst]]'' used high-quality [[3D computer graphics|3D]] rendered graphics to deliver images that were unparalleled at the time of its release.]]
''[[Myst]]'', released in 1993 by [[Cyan Worlds]], is considered one of the genre's more influential titles. ''Myst'' included pre-rendered 3D graphics, video, and audio.{{sfn|Salter|2014|pp=46–47}} ''Myst'' was an atypical game for the time, with no clear goals, little personal or object interaction, and a greater emphasis on exploration, and on scientific and mechanical puzzles. Part of the game's success was because it did not appear to be aimed at an adolescent male audience, but instead a mainstream adult audience. ''Myst'' held the record for computer game sales for seven years—it sold over
The 1990s also saw the release of many adventure games from countries that had experienced dormant or fledgling video gaming industries up until that point. These games were generally inspired by their Western counterparts and a few years behind in terms of technological and graphical advancements. In particular the fall of the Soviet Union saw countries such as Poland and Czechoslovakia release a string of popular adventure games including ''[[Tajemnica Statuetki]]'' (1993) and ''[[The Secret of Monkey Island]]'' parody ''[[Tajemství Oslího ostrova]]'' (1994), while in Russia a whole subgenre informally entitled "Russian quest" emerged following the success of ''[[Red Comrades Save the Galaxy]]'' (1998) and its sequels: those games often featured characters from [[Russian jokes]], [[lowbrow humor]], poor production values and "all the worst things brought by the national gaming industry".<ref>{{
|script-title=he:פיפוש 2018: ראיון בלעדי עם יוצרי המשחק החדש |trans-title=Piposh 2018: an exclusive interview with the creators of the new game |last=פרוינד |first=ע"י גד |date=18 November 2018 |website=IGN Israel |language=he |access-date=24 January 2023}}</ref>
Line 157 ⟶ 159:
Following the demise of the adventure genre in the early 2000s, a number of events have occurred that have led to a revitalization of the adventure game genre as commercially viable: the introduction of new computing and gaming hardware and software delivery formats, and the use of crowdfunding as a means of achieving funding.
The 2000s saw the growth of [[digital distribution]] and the arrival of [[smartphone]]s and [[tablet computer]]s, with touch-screen interfaces well-suited to point-and-click adventure games. The introduction of larger and more powerful touch screen devices like the [[iPad]] allowed for more detailed graphics, more precise controls, and a better sense of immersion and interactivity compared to personal computer or console versions.<ref>{{
Further, the improvements in digital distribution led to the concept of [[Episodic video game|episodic adventure games]], delivering between three and five "chapters" of a full game over a course of several months via online storefronts, [[Steam (service)|Steam]], [[Xbox Live Marketplace]], [[PlayStation Store]], and [[Nintendo eShop]]. Modeled off the idea of televisions episodes, episodic adventure games break the story into several parts, giving players a chance to digest and discuss the current story with others before the next episode is available, and further can enhance the narrative by creating cliffhangers or other dramatic elements to be resolved in later episodes.<ref>{{
Meanwhile, another avenue for adventure game rebirth came from the discovery of the influence of [[crowdfunding]].{{sfn|Salter|2014|pp=136–137}} Tim Schafer had founded [[Double Fine Productions]] after leaving LucasArts in 2000. He had tried to find funding support for an adventure game, but publishers refused to consider his proposals for fear of the genre being unpopular. In 2012, Schafer turned to [[Kickstarter]] to raise $400,000 to develop an adventure game; the month-long campaign ended with over $3.4 million raised, making it, at the time, one of the largest Kickstarter projects, enabling Double Fine to expand the scope of their project and completing the game as ''[[Broken Age]]'', released over two parts in 2014 and 2015. The success led many other developers to consider the crowd funding approach, including those in the adventure game genre who saw the Double Fine Kickstarter as a sign that players wanted adventure games. Many sequels, remakes, and spiritual successors to classic adventure games emerged on Kickstarter, leading to a significant increase in traditional adventure game development during this time.{{sfn|Salter|2014|pp=136–137}} Some of these include:
Line 167 ⟶ 169:
*''[[Dreamfall Chapters]]''
*''[[Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers#Remake|Gabriel Knight]]''
*''[[Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded]]''<ref>{{
*''[[Moebius: Empire Rising]]''
*''[[Obduction (video game)|Obduction]]''
*''[[Sam and Max Save the World]]''
*''[[SpaceVenture]]''
*''[[Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure]]''<ref>{{
*''[[Thimbleweed Park]]''
{{div col end}}However, far fewer adventure games are released in Western countries annually than other genres.<ref>{{
==History of Japanese adventure games==
Line 182 ⟶ 184:
===Early computer graphic adventures (1981–1988)===
In the early 1980s, computer adventure games began gaining popularity in Japan. While the [[NEC]] and [[NEC PC-8801|PC-8801]] were prominent, the country's computer market was largely dominated by [[NEC PC-9801|PC-9801]] (1982), which had a [[Display resolution|resolution]] of 640×400, higher than Western computers at the time, in order to accommodate [[Japanese writing system|Japanese text]]. While the computer became known for its higher resolutions, the lack of hardware sprites and anemic video
The most famous early Japanese computer adventure game was the murder mystery game ''[[The Portopia Serial Murder Case]]'' (1983), developed by [[Yuji Horii]] and published by Enix. The player interacts with the game using a verb-noun [[parser]] which requires typing precise commands with the keyboard.<ref name="itmedia">{{cite web | url=http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/games/articles/0509/06/news029.html | script-title=ja:「ポートピア連続殺人事件」の舞台を巡る | access-date=16 August 2007 | author=Gameman | date=6 September 2005 | work=ITmedia +D Games | publisher=ITmedia |page=1 | language=ja| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070929125031/http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/games/articles/0509/06/news029.html| archive-date= 29 September 2007 |url-status = live}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgamez.itmedia.co.jp%2Fgames%2Farticles%2F0509%2F06%2Fnews029.html Translation])</ref> The game featured exploring an [[open world]], an interrogative dialogue menu system, and making choices that determined the order of events. The game was well received in Japan, with praise aimed at its mystery, drama, and humor.{{r|Kasavin}} The game was later re-released on the Famicom in 1985 and featured the addition of 3D dungeon mazes and a verb menu system.
Line 188 ⟶ 190:
Japan's first domestic computer adventure games to be released were [[ASCII (company)|ASCII]]'s ''{{Interlanguage link|Omotesando Adventure|jp|表参道アドベンチャー|vertical-align=sup}}'' (表参道アドベンチャー) and ''Minami Aoyama Adventure'' (南青山アドベンチャー), released for the PC-9801 in 1982.<ref>{{cite web|title=月刊アスキー別冊 蘇るPC-9801伝説 永久保存版 |url=http://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/341/341643/ |publisher=[[ASCII (company)|ASCII]] |access-date=19 September 2011 |date=February 2004 |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729141111/http://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/341/341643/ |archive-date=29 July 2012 }} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fascii.jp%2Felem%2F000%2F000%2F341%2F341643%2F&act=url Translation])</ref>
Due to a lack of content restrictions,<ref name="hg101_retro">{{cite web|author=John Szczepaniak |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers.htm |title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier |publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=16 March 2011 |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113214914/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers.htm |archive-date=13 January 2011 }} Reprinted from {{citation|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|work=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=67|year=2009}}</ref> some of Japan's earliest adventure games were also [[bishoujo game]]s with ''[[eroge]]'' content.<ref name=Pesimo>{{Citation|author=Pesimo, Rudyard Contretas|chapter='Asianizing' Animation in Asia: Digital Content Identity Construction Within the Animation Landscapes of Japan and Thailand|title=Reflections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity – The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows|year=2007|publisher=The Nippon Foundation|pages=124–160|chapter-url=http://www.apimal.org/blogcms/media/13/File/Pesimo.pdf|access-date=31 January 2011|archive-date=4 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904050744/http://www.apimal.org/blogcms/media/13/File/Pesimo.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1982, the ''eroge'', ''Danchi Tsuma no Yuwaku'' (''Seduction of the Condominium Wife''), was released, becoming a big enough success to turn [[Koei]] into a major software company.{{r|Pesimo}} Other now-famous companies such as [[Enix]], [[Square (video game company)|Square]] and [[Nihon Falcom]] also produced similar ''eroge'' in the early 1980s before they became famous for their mainstream role-playing games.
A notable 1987 adventure game was [[Arsys Software]]'s ''[[Arsys Software#Reviver|Reviver: The Real-Time Adventure]]'', which introduced a [[real-time game|real-time]] [[persistent world]] to the adventure game genre, where time continues to elapse, day-night cycles adjust the brightness of the screen to indicate the time of day, and certain stores and [[non-player character]]s would only be available at certain times of the day.<ref name="ohfm_reviver">{{cite web|title=Reviver|url=http://retropc.net/fm-7/museum/softhouse/arsyssoftware/001100200.html|work=[[:jp:Oh!FM|Oh!FM]]|access-date=2 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403034420/http://fm-7.com/museum/softhouse/arsyssoftware/001100200.html|archive-date=3 April 2015}} [https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fretropc.net%2Ffm-7%2Fmuseum%2Fsofthouse%2Farsyssoftware%2F001100200.html Alt URL]</ref>
Line 210 ⟶ 212:
[[Haruhiko Shono]]'s adventure games ''[[Alice: An Interactive Museum]]'' (1991), ''L-Zone'' (1992) and ''[[Gadget Invention, Travel, & Adventure|Gadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure]]'' (1993) used [[Pre-rendering|pre-rendered]] [[3D computer graphics]], predating ''Myst'', though lacking in the same level of interactivity, often referred to more as "Interactive Movies" rather than games. The plot of ''Gadget'' influenced filmmaker [[Guillermo del Toro]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/hellboy-director-talks-gaming |title=Hellboy Director Talks Gaming – Edge Magazine |publisher=Next-gen.biz |date=2008-08-26 |access-date=2011-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812073133/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/hellboy-director-talks-gaming |archive-date=2010-08-12}}</ref>
In 1995, [[Human Entertainment]]'s ''[[Clock Tower (1995 video game)|Clock Tower]]'' for the SNES console was a hybrid between a point-and-click graphic adventure and a [[survival horror]] game, revolving around survival against a deadly stalker known as [[Scissorman]] that chased players throughout the game.<ref name="ignhistory5">{{cite web|author=Travis Fahs |url=http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/104/1040759p5.html |title=IGN Presents the History of Survival Horror (Page 5) |website=IGN |date=30 October 2009 |access-date=26 January 2011 |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713004750/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/104/1040759p5.html |archive-date=13 July 2011 }}</ref> Alongside the French ''Alone in the Dark'', it played a key role in the formation of the survival horror genre.<ref>{{
===Visual novels (1990–present)===
Line 221 ⟶ 223:
From the early 1990s, Chunsoft, the developer for the Famicom version of ''The Portopia Serial Murder Case'', began producing a series of acclaimed visual novels known as the ''[[Sound Novel]]'' series, which went on to sell a combined total of more than two million copies.
The visual novel ''[[YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World]]'', directed by [[Hiroyuki Kanno (game designer)|Hiroyuki Kanno]] and released by [[ELF Corporation|ELF]] in 1996, raised standards in Japan with its elaborate storyline and music; heightened player expectations led to creative revitalisation in the genre.<ref>{{
===3D adventure games (1993–present)===
Line 260 ⟶ 262:
<!-- <ref name="Jones">{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=Matthew T. |date=December 2005 |title=The Impact of Telepresence on Cultural Transmission through Bishoujo Games |journal=PsychNology Journal |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=292–311 |url=http://www.psychnology.org/File/PNJ3(3)/PSYCHNOLOGY_JOURNAL_3_3_JONES.pdf |issn=1720-7525 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620120235/http://www.psychnology.org/File/PNJ3%283%29/PSYCHNOLOGY_JOURNAL_3_3_JONES.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2012 |access-date=31 January 2011}}</ref> --><!-- The text for this reference was removed in the edit of 14:03, 11 January 2023 (UTC). -->
<ref name="arstech gfx history">{{
<ref name="cgw199010">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=75 |title=No Soft Soap About New And Improved Computer Games |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=October 1990 |access-date=16 November 2013 |page=80 |type=editorial |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202233126/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=75 |archive-date=2 December 2013 }}</ref>
Line 266 ⟶ 268:
<ref name="1up">{{cite web|author=Parrish, Jeremy |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3134600 |title=When SCUMM Ruled the Earth |website=[[1UP.com]] |access-date=2 May 2008 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213613/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-myst |archive-date=3 March 2016 }}</ref>
<ref name="Independent">{{
<ref name="GP-45">{{cite magazine| magazine = [[GamePro]]| publisher = Bob Huseby| title = Overseas Prospects: Time Gal| author = Captain Pachinko| issue = 45|page=138|date=April 1993}}</ref>
Line 312 ⟶ 314:
==External links==
{{Commons category|Adventure games}}
* [http://www.atariarchives.org/adventure/ "Creating Adventure Games on Your Computer"], a 1983 programming manual by [[Tim Hartnell]]
* [http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/features/105/ "Defining the ideal adventure game"], article by David Tanguay (1999)
Line 322:
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRhbcDzbGSU GET LAMP: The Text Adventure Documentary] . Google Tech Talk 7 March 2011. 2hour documentary.
* [http://adventurepoint.forumotion.com/ AP forums] Helpful community of Adventure game enthusiasts. Reviews. Previews.
* [https://espacioapks.com/category/adventure/ "Adventure Games on Your Aundriod"]
{{Authority control}}
Line 331 ⟶ 332:
[[Category:Adventure games| ]]
[[Category:Video game genres]]
| |||