WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ADVENTURE GAMES?

[Presence]

Roberta Williams claimed it was because computers became cheap enough for riff-raff to buy. I'm paraphrasing a little.

 

I think the real question should simply be what you want out of a game. If you want to click around pretty environments, there's still games being made. Anything by Amanita Design is usually good looking and sounding, if lacking in substance. There's others too, with more or less pixel hunting depending on the developer.

 

If you want story but don't care about looks or gameplay, there's always IF games. The development cost on them is essentially zero, so you can find some fantastic writing and truly branching stories. Or so I hear. I keep meaning to play some, but all these Steam sales hinder me. Anyway, the interactive fiction community might not be hip with the young crowd, but it's definitely enjoying a vigorous retirement with lots of softball and daily walks.

 

If you want a great looking linear story, that's a comic book. Or Homestuck. God I love Homestuck.

 

If you want great writing, looks, AND great gameplay...that's not a point and click and rub soap on the doorknob game you're asking for.

[optimusjamie]

There's this free game on Steam called 'Heroine's Quest: The Herald of Ragnarok', which also has some pretty cool RPG elements.