15 Best Adventure Games of ALL TIME You Should Play at Least ONCE

Summary

This video script discusses the best adventure games of 2023, highlighting titles like Grim Fandango, LA Noire, and What Remains of Edith Finch for their storytelling and gameplay. It also covers cooperative games like A Way Out and impactful narratives in The Last of Us. Each game is praised for its unique art style, engaging characters, and immersive worlds, making them must-plays for adventure game enthusiasts.

Takeaways

• 🎮 Grim Fandango is praised for its artful world-building and film noir influences, offering a rich narrative experience.
• 🕵️‍♂️ L.A. Noire focuses on a police detective's journey through various departments, emphasizing case investigation and interrogation.
• 👹 Unavowed is a modern point-and-click adventure with urban fantasy elements and engaging puzzles.
• 🌿 What Remains of Edith Finch is a unique walking simulator that explores the stories of a family through creative mechanics.
• 👥 A Way Out is a cooperative game set in a 1970s prison, requiring players to work together for a successful escape.
• 📺 Stories Untold combines sci-fi horror with old hardware, offering a nostalgic and eerie adventure.
• 🏰 A Plague Tale: Innocence is a stealth-adventure set during the Hundred Years War, featuring a heart-wrenching narrative.
• 🚢 Return of the Obra Dinn is a unique adventure game where players investigate the fates of passengers on a ship.
• 🦇 Batman: Arkham City is celebrated for its dynamic combat, iconic characters, and the voice acting of Mark Hamill as the Joker.
• 🌧️ Life is Strange stands out with its time-rewinding mechanic and a coming-of-age story filled with emotional choices.

Q & A

What is Grim Fandango known for?

Grim Fandango is known for its artfully realized world with film Noir influences, crime and corruption, and some of the best characters ever written, including protagonist Manuel Calavera.

What is the setting of Grim Fandango?

Grim Fandango is set in the Mexican Land of the Dead, where everyone is a demon or a skeleton.

What is the main focus of L.A. Noire?

L.A. Noire focuses on case investigation and interrogation of witnesses and suspects, with the player taking on the role of Cole Phelps, who works his way up from Patrol cop to homicide detective.

What makes Unavowed unique among point-and-click adventure games?

Unavowed is unique due to its modern urban fantasy setting, impressive writing, and point-and-click puzzles that are typically based on logic and rewarding for players to solve.

What is the gameplay of What Remains of Edith Finch about?

What Remains of Edith Finch is a walking simulator where the player explores the old house of Edith Finch, learning about each family member's story through creative storytelling mechanics.

How does A Way Out differ from traditional single-player adventure games?

A Way Out is a split-screen cooperative game where two players must work together effectively to plan a prison break, requiring intelligent teamwork to progress.

What is the central theme of Stories Untold?

Stories Untold features four episodes of sci-fi horror centered around old hardware, with each episode having its own twist involving the setting and old electronics.

What historical period is A Plague Tale: Innocence set in?

A Plague Tale: Innocence is set during the Hundred Years War between England and France.

What is unique about Return of the Obra Dinn's gameplay?

Return of the Obra Dinn is unique in that it revolves around an inspector examining a ship's dead bodies to determine their identities and causes of death, using a device to return to the moment each passenger died.

How does Batman: Arkham City stand out in the Batman Arkham series?

Batman: Arkham City stands out with its dynamic focus on hand-to-hand combat, a host of classic Batman villains, and excellent voice acting, particularly by Mark Hamill as the Joker.

What is the central premise of Life is Strange?

Life is Strange is an episodic game where the protagonist, a nervous girl, discovers she can rewind time and must make difficult choices that affect the story, with a focus on character relationships and a coming-of-age narrative.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Top Adventure Games of 2023

The paragraph introduces a list of the best adventure games in 2023, highlighting their technical excellence and captivating narratives. Grim Fandango is praised for its artful world-building and characters, including the protagonist, Manuel Calavera. L.A. Noire is mentioned for its realistic setting and case investigation gameplay. The paragraph also covers Unavowed, a modern point-and-click adventure with urban fantasy elements, and What Remains of Edith Finch, a walking simulator with unique storytelling mechanics. A Way Out is noted for its split-screen cooperative gameplay in a prison break scenario. Lastly, Stories Untold is recognized for its sci-fi horror narrative centered around old hardware, and A Plague Tale: Innocence is highlighted for its historical setting during the Hundred Years War.

05:01

🏆 Award-Winning Adventure Games

This paragraph discusses several critically acclaimed adventure games. A Plague Tale: Requiem continues the story of Amisha and Hugo, focusing on survival. Return of the Obra Dinn offers a unique gameplay mechanic allowing players to revisit the moments of passengers' deaths to solve mysteries. The Batman Arkham series is lauded for its dynamic combat and storytelling, with a special mention of Mark Hamill's voice acting. Life is Strange is noted for its time-rewinding mechanic and emotional narrative. Shadow of Mordor is praised for its innovative Nemesis system, which tracks player interactions with enemies. The Wolf Among Us is recognized for its reimagining of fairy tale characters in a murder mystery setting. Red Dead Redemption 2 is highlighted for its prequel story and expansive open world. Lastly, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is mentioned for its action-packed adventure and The Last of Us is celebrated for its poignant human story and survival elements.

10:01

📢 Engage with the Channel

The final paragraph serves as a call to action for viewers, encouraging them to share the video with friends, subscribe to the channel for more content, and leave comments if they have additional suggestions for the best adventure games.

Keywords

💡Adventure Games

Adventure games are a genre of video games where the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story-driven experience. These games often emphasize narrative, exploration, and puzzle-solving. In the video, adventure games are the central theme, with various examples provided such as 'Grim Fandango' and 'L.A. Noire', showcasing how these games captivate players through their rich narratives and immersive worlds.

💡Graphical Accuracy

Graphical accuracy refers to the level of detail and realism in a video game's visual presentation. It includes the quality of textures, lighting, and character models. The video mentions that some adventure games are noted for their 'graphical accuracy', highlighting the technical excellence of their visual design, which contributes to the immersive experience.

💡Case Investigation

Case investigation in the context of adventure games involves players taking on the role of detectives or investigators, solving crimes by collecting evidence, interrogating suspects, and piecing together clues. The video uses 'L.A. Noire' as an example, where players assume the role of Cole Phelps, navigating through various cases and the complexities of the law enforcement system in 1947 Los Angeles.

💡Urban Fantasy

Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy that takes place in a contemporary urban setting, often incorporating supernatural elements. The video mentions 'Unavowed', a modern point-and-click adventure game inspired by urban fantasy, where players interact with magical creatures and warlocks in a world closely tied to reality, demonstrating how adventure games can blend genres.

💡Walking Simulators

Walking simulators are a type of adventure game that focuses on exploration and narrative rather than traditional gameplay mechanics. The video references 'What Remains of Edith Finch' as a unique example of a walking simulator, where players uncover the stories of a family through creative storytelling mechanics, emphasizing the emotional impact of narrative in adventure games.

💡Split-Screen Games

Split-screen games are video games that allow multiple players to play simultaneously on the same screen, with the screen divided into sections for each player. 'A Way Out', mentioned in the video, is a cooperative adventure game that uses split-screen to facilitate teamwork and coordination between players, offering a unique take on adventure gaming.

💡Historical Periods

Historical periods in video games refer to settings that are placed in specific times of the past, often incorporating real historical events or eras. 'A Plague Tale: Innocence' is highlighted in the video as a game set during the Hundred Years War, where players navigate through a historical context filled with conflict and survival challenges.

💡Narrative

Narrative in video games refers to the story that unfolds as the player progresses through the game. It is a key element in adventure games, driving the player's engagement and emotional connection. The video underscores the importance of narrative by discussing how games like 'The Last of Us' use poignant storytelling to create memorable gaming experiences.

💡Puzzle-Solving

Puzzle-solving is a common gameplay mechanic in adventure games where players must solve logical or abstract problems to progress in the game. The video touches on this concept by mentioning that 'Grim Fandango' features puzzles that, despite their occasional obtuseness, contribute to the overall enjoyment of the game.

💡Cooperative Play

Cooperative play refers to gameplay that involves multiple players working together towards a common goal. 'A Way Out' exemplifies cooperative play in adventure games, as mentioned in the video, where players must collaborate and communicate effectively to solve problems and advance through the game's narrative.

Highlights

Grim Fandango is an adventure game set in the Mexican Land of the Dead with unique characters and a film Noir influence.

Manuel Calavera, the protagonist of Grim Fandango, must save Mercedes Colona, whom he believes he has wronged.

Glottis, a car-obsessed demon, is one of the best-written characters in adventure games.

Grim Fandango's puzzles can be obtuse, but the world exploration compensates for the challenge.

L.A. Noire is an open-world game where players take on the role of a police officer investigating various cases.

Unavowed is a modern point-and-click adventure game with urban fantasy elements and logical puzzles.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a walking simulator that explores the stories of a family through creative mechanics.

A Way Out is a split-screen cooperative game where players must plan a prison escape together.

Stories Untold combines sci-fi horror with old hardware interactions in a unique episodic format.

A Plague Tale: Innocence is set during the Hundred Years War and focuses on stealth and narrative.

Return of the Obra Dinn is a mystery adventure game where players determine the fate of a ship's crew.

The Batman Arkham series offers a new approach to Batman's story with dynamic combat and classic villains.

Life is Strange is an episodic game with a time-rewinding mechanic and a coming-of-age story.

Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis system allows players to track and interact with enemies in a unique way.

The Wolf Among Us is a murder mystery game set in a world of fairy tale characters.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel with a vast open world and the story of Arthur Morgan.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy offers an action-packed adventure with iconic characters.

The Last of Us is a survival game with a poignant human story and emotional narrative.

Transcripts

foreign

video games have truly transcended the

boundaries of creativity and Artistry

there are many games that can safely be

called technical Excellence when it

comes to their graphical accuracy

because the adventure game genre

includes many legendary games from

various sub genders I'll tell you about

the most popular and best games that

will undoubtedly Captivate you in 2023

the characters dialogue and World make

Grim Fandango one of the best adventure

games in the Mexican Land of the Dead

where everyone is a demon or a skeleton

the recently deceased must work off all

the crimes they could have committed

before embarking on a treacherous

four-year journey to reach the ninth

underworld it's an artfully realized

world with film Noir influences and a

lot of crime and Corruption the game

features some of the best characters

ever written including protagonist

Manuel Calavera who must try to save

Mercedes columnar a woman he believes he

has wronged the car obsessed and

friendly demon glottis would fit in the

best Disney or Pixar movies and Manny is

one of the coolest and cutest playable

characters in an adventure game the

often obtuse puzzles can slow down the

pace but simply exploring and

interacting with this world makes up for

these inconveniences and makes Grim

Fandango one of the best games for PC

Rockstar Games has created Many

Adventures about breaking the law but

what about a game where the players

themselves are the law the game takes

place in Los Angeles in 1947. the player

takes on the role of Cole Phelps who

works his way up from Patrol cop to

homicide detective and other divisions

of the department the open world setting

allows players to take on various cases

off the street the main focus of Eleanor

is on case investigation and

interrogation of witnesses and suspects

in addition the story unfolds in such a

way that Phelps realizes that there is

more going on in the city than he

thought

is a modern point-and-click Adventure

inspired by the urban fantasy gender as

well as hits like the secret of Monkey

Island you take on the role of a

character who has been possessed by a

demon and is now forced to deal with the

chaos he has created when you go on a

pilgrimage to find out what exactly led

to this Obsession you meet a cast of

warlocks and magical creatures that

exist in a strange pseudo-reality that

is closely connected to the real world

the writing in unavaw it is impressive

as are its point-and-click puzzles while

some of them are dumb they are typically

based on logic and extremely rewarding

for players to work through one magical

Locale at a time it's hard to find the

right balance between difficulty and

cleverness but unavond sets the perfect

tone for an enjoyable and Brilliant

Adventure this is not to mention the art

of the game which is great in every way

wadjet eye games has made great strides

in this genre and unavound is no

exception

walking simulators have become a unique

sub-gender of adventure games with many

big hits coming out over the last decade

however no walking simulator has been as

original and unique as what remains of

Edith Finch what remains of ADA Finch

developed by giant Sparrow begins with

Edith revisiting the old house she once

lived in the house looks really strange

but it gives the player an insight into

each of the family members who are no

longer alive due to strange

circumstances the player learns about

each of these stories through creative

storytelling mechanics

if single player Adventures aren't for

you don't worry a way out ensures that

those who prefer split screen games

still get to take part in the high

stakes campaigns that solo players often

dive into a way out is set in a 1970s

prison the player and his partner must

work effectively together to plan a

prison break it's an inventive setup

where players have to work intelligently

with each other if they want to make any

progress at some point one player will

have to divert attention so that the

other can pick up an item that will help

them in their Escape Plan by the end of

the game the two players who help

protagonists Leo and Vincent go on the

run will become as close as the

characters they control and maybe even

shed a tear or two as the story nears

its conclusion

for those who love old Hardware the

magnetic hum and Buzz of a CRT the

pleasant clicks of mechanical keyboards

the hot breadth of a stranger standing

right behind you in an empty house

stories Untold is a must it features

four episodes of sci-fi horror that

Center your main interactions around a

set of old Hardware in the first episode

you sit at a desk and play an old horror

text Adventure but it soon becomes clear

why you can see the room around you and

how the text Adventure ties into it each

successive level has its own twist or

two on the setting and old electronics

making stories Untold one of the most

unique and spooky adventure games out

there

while many games take place in

unrealistic environments such as outer

space or Ultimate Reality some games

take us back to historical periods in

the past a plank tail innocence is set

in the midst of the Hundred Years War

between England and France taking on the

role of 15 year old emission to roon

players must stealthily avoid enemies

while Amisha and her sick brother Hugo

try to escape from French soldiers and

plague infected rats released in 2019 on

all major platforms a planktail

innocence received overwhelmingly

positive reviews and also won the game

awards for best narrative in the same

year released in 2022 a plank tail

Requiem continues the heartbreaking

story of Amisha and Hugo and their hopes

of survival against the order

it's strange to call something an

adventure game when everything happens

in one place but Return of the obradin

takes players on a different kind of

Journey the game revolves around an

inspector who has been given the task of

examining a ship that came to shore

after it was previously lost at sea the

inspector's job is to examine the dead

bodies on board determine who they were

on the ship's roster and give them the

official cause of death Return of the

obradin gives players a device that

allows them to return to the moment each

passenger died to help them make

decisions

the Batman Arkham series is considered

one of the best superhero games because

it managed to bring together many iconic

characters from Batman's history as a

result we got a new approach to the

Bruce Wayne story where there was no

unnecessary attempt to give the Caped

Crusader a new origin tale Batman Arkham

City has a dynamic focus on hand-to-hand

combat and a host of classic Batman

villains the protagonist sincerely

justifies the name of Gotham's greatest

detective and hides in the shadow of an

impressive super prison Arkham City not

only features superbly realized Graphics

but also excellent voice acting

especially thanks to Mark Hamill who

once again brought the Joker and all of

his instability to life have fun Betsy

life is strange has been one of the

biggest surprises of the last few years

it's a Telltale style episodic game that

stands apart with a clever gimmick

backed by a huge heart this is the story

of a nervous girl who discovers that she

has the ability to rewind time right on

the brink of a disaster that is about to

hit her City however the drama actually

comes from her relationships from the

really difficult choices she has to make

and from a clumsily written but still

effective Coming of Age story at its

core

you take on the role of talion the

captain of Gondor who seeks to avenge

the death of his family Shadow of Mordor

received huge praise especially for the

Nemesis system this game mechanic

focused on keeping track of the uroks

you encountered throughout the game

those who killed you will be promoted

and you can hunt them down for Revenge

as well as weaken Soren's forces in the

process but the enemies that kill you

get stronger themselves so the Nemesis

system will essentially act as an

evolving feature in the game although

this feature was only used in Shadow of

Mordor in Shadow Of War many players

insisted on adapting this mechanic for

other games

Telltale Incorporated took classic fairy

tale characters reimagined them in

Hidden 1980s New York City and then

threw them all into a player-led murder

investigation in the role of a reformed

big bad wolf you will lead the search

for the killer like the grumpy detective

seen on the TV show of the early 2000s

only in this case the suspects and

helpers are all familiar fairy tale

residents it's up to you to unravel The

Mystery of the murders taking place in

fabletown and soon the walls of this

strange Community will begin to crumble

The Wolf Among Us is an oddity you won't

soon forget so go to fabletown and revel

in the strangeness of what's going on

Rockstar Games began developing the next

game in the series right after the

resounding success of Red Dead

Redemption after eight years of

development Red Dead Redemption 2 was

launched and the game was immediately

praised despite the number two in the

title Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel

to the events of its predecessor the

game tells us the story of Arthur Morgan

a longtime member of the Vander Lind

gang you will eventually run into John

Marston the protagonist of Red Dead

Redemption the game features a stunning

open world with tons of activities to

make your dreams of wandering the wild

west come true

this game offers us the standard linear

experience found in most single-player

games and is more critically claimed

than Marvel's Avengers controlling

Star-Lord the Guardians of the Galaxy

investigate a mysterious cult calling

itself The Universal Church of Truth

their leader the grand unifier raker

tries to justify his motives but in

reality he just wants to gain complete

dominance Marvel's Guardians of the

Galaxy is an action-packed adventure

that will take you to many interesting

locations and meet many iconic

characters

The Last of Us combines a poignant human

history a classic tragedy and a

terrifying test of survival the story of

Joel and Ellie and their journey through

an abandoned America is one of the most

touching moments in the history of video

games and certainly one of the greatest

Adventures although they are not looking

for Treasure but a life away from the

infected Joel and Ellie are no less

adventurous than other famous Naughty

Dog Heroes like Nathan Drake consisting

of a gameplay where you frequently count

bullets hide from the notorious clickers

and roam the ruins of former American

states The Last of Us is an incredibly

well developed and structured project

just don't be afraid to cry from time to

time

this is my list of the best adventure

games of all time if you have something

to add feel free to leave any comments

here if you liked this video share it

with your friends and subscribe to my

channel