Adventure Games


Tutorial Home >Gaming >PC Gaming >PC Gaming >Role-Playing/Adventure Games >Adventure Games

  Step 1:  Comparison to RPGs

Open a Report
Adventure games are similar to Role Playing games. After all, both are story driven. However, RPGs emphasize the growth and development of the player's character(s), yet this development takes a lesser role in Adventure games. Adventure games focus on story development and plot line. Sound and graphics provide the atmosphere that is important to adventure games, and quality of story is paramount.
  Step 2:  Myst and Static Worlds

Open a Report
The most commercially popular adventure game is Myst. A beautifully crafted world, the story line is driven by the successful exploration of the world and solving puzzles. Myst has become a paradigm for what is the "pure" Adventure game, elements from other genres are minimal. Static-world (i.e. still screen) Adventure games allow for players to dictate the pace of the story development. Thorough inspection of the player's surroundings generally provides clues needed to proceed in the story.
  Step 3:  Graphic Novels

Open a Report
The Graphic Novel is another popular type of Adventure game. Similar in execution to static adventure games, the Graphic Novel traces its roots to text-based adventure games such as "Zork." Graphic Novels are often licensed from literary or other media sources, and may even contain input directly from the creator of the story. Raymond Feist and Larry Niven, for example, have taken an active role in products based on their writings. Often static, Graphic Novels may take on action or RPG elements as well.
  Step 4:  Action/adventure games

Open a Report
Conceived probably as an evolution of action games, the Action/Adventure game focuses as much on action or arcade skills as it does on story line. Unlike level-based action games, the Action/Adventure game is advanced by inclusion of a story line and plot. A prime example is Inforgram's Outcast, a science fiction game with a very strong Adventure game element where the player's character must also engage in action-oriented combat sequences. Games such as Revenant also add an RPG element for good measure.