My List of Games That You Should Probably Check Out

I've officially completed an obscene amount of games in my all-too-long 28 years on this planet. Because of this prestigious accomplishment, I thought I would compile a very click-baity list of games that I adore that may not be the most readily recognized--though, some will inevitably prove to be more popular than I expected, and I'm sure you fucks will remind me that 'X Games' are actually 'X-level of popularity'. But anyway, I'll keep the list descriptions short and sweet so you'll actually look through it, and considering that there's a sale on Steam and GoG, you ought to seek these babies out now if your interest is piqued.

Please feel free to contribute your own game recommendations if you want, and let me know if my list sucks! I promise I'll listen. Also, most of these will probably be adventure games.

Gameplay links accompanying.

The Lost Crown: A Ghost-Hunting Adventure - https://youtu.be/AF9Tu8YOXjI?t=1223

This one's an adventure game, like really an adventure game. But if you're a patient veteran or just like to chill, this game does a great job of implanting you in a relaxing village environment filled with plenty of colourful characters to interact with. It has a striking black-and-white colour scheme and a little spookiness here and there, but through-and-through it's an adventure game, and my adventure game bros should give it a go.

The X-Files Game (1998) - https://youtu.be/jx4rHdtE9RI?t=343

It's an FMV game with a good sense of humour, an intriguing mystery, and isn't balls-to-the-wall difficult like many adventure games. This one you can't buy, so seek it out on abandonware and give it a go.

Thief II: The Metal Age - https://youtu.be/fAfeoX_5AH8?t=6316

An oldie but a classic, and in my opinion the best stealth game to date, Thief II stars a perfectly sardonic fuck in the form of Geralt, large and nuanced levels, and an interesting world that makes you want to explore the levels thoroughly. It's super cheap and on GoG and Steam. Don't let the (metal) age discourage you.

Zork: Grand Inquisitor - https://youtu.be/eoxJWJaA1gc?t=1347

Another FMV classic with plenty of wacky and endearing characters, vibrant environments, and top notch comedy writing. Maybe requires a walkthrough here and there. Or maybe you're better than me at adventure games. Almost certainly.

The Last Express - https://youtu.be/hyAlQX9uID8?t=320

Smoking Car made one game: this game. It is actually visually unique and is filled with intrigue and mystery. It all runs in an active time frame, but the game features a rewind ability if you don't do X-thing by X-time, so don't let that discourage you from playing a game of the likes you probably haven't played before.

The Cat Lady - https://youtu.be/j12kTX09wyw?t=3536

Perahps a little too edgy at times, but the Cat Lady is a visually striking 2-D, bleak-arse adventure game. In my opinion, this game does a great job of tackling the issue of depression, but it may be a little to miserable for some.

The Curse of Monkey Island - https://youtu.be/zfAo3O2qZR0?t=943

It's gorgeous and very witty. It's the best Monkey Island. Fight me.

Scratches - https://youtu.be/F5FGKVG6UMM?t=1515

Another adventure game that you have to seek alternative means to access, but it's worth it. Scratches is the best game to capture the innate dread of exploring a large, unfamiliar and seemingly-empty creepy mansion. The delicate nature in which things slowly unravel as you delve deeper and deeper into this game's story is a wonderful experience and not one I can readily identify in another game.

Beneath a Steel Sky - https://youtu.be/9p1Dna5yhwQ?t=1371

A classic adventure game. Great environments, music, art, characters, and the best robot companion in video game history. Seriously, this game is a masterful classic adventure game, and if you've somehow slept on it for 26 years, please give it a go.

Stasis - https://youtu.be/D4rKtCuAdJc?t=242

I can't stress enough how much I love this game. It's depressingly, miserably, and soul-crushingly bleak. But there's plenty of pleasure to be found in this particular gem of adventure game: a great story, thrilling and intricate artwork and environments, and an actually interesting lore suffusing the game's journey.

Goetia - https://youtu.be/NJCeb7D7kyE?t=219

Probably the only game I've mentioned that is actually not well-known, but Goetia is a great puzzle game that you can pick up super cheap.

Odallus: The Dark Call - https://youtu.be/ofgBKRA6668?t=377

Finally, an action game. It's a Castlevania-like game with 8-bit stylised graphics and chunky, satisfying combat. And hey, I beat it, so it's not crushingly difficult so don't feel too intimated.

Miasmata - https://youtu.be/4svXGmHRX38?t=279

Okay. This game is rough. It's nearly all rough edges. But it's the best exploration game that I've played. Making your way through the game using your own wits is a thrilling experience.

Fran Bow - https://youtu.be/53xcFUW9qxs?t=3409

Don't let the apparent grim edginess of the cover art fool you, there's a lot of depth and goodness to be found within this game. I was expecting it be a short, and probably tasteless affair, but I was thankfully wrong. It's a fully fledged and substantial adventure game.

Little Inferno - https://youtu.be/VV4Z9SXWtqA?t=967

An addictive puzzle game that let's you play out your pyromaniac fantasies.

The Black Watchmen (on Steam) - https://youtu.be/h29p6UOGqYQ?t=334 (Commentary. Sorry.)

Oh man, how do I explain this game. it's an ARG(?) in which you play an agent for a shadowy organisation, solving missions that usually involve creepy and supernatural elements. There's a great community around the game, the lore is impeccable, and the sheer number of resources built for the game is staggering. This is another game that I would HIGHLY recommend if you like puzzle/investigation games. It's a real trip and it's some awesome secret agent shit.

Torment: Tides of Numenera - https://youtu.be/p-1rO6ioYf8?t=1354

Okay, probably not in the spirit of the topic, but this game is unfairly forgotten. It's a great turn-based RPG, with an riveting main narrative, and a great and substantial lore. It's not Torment, but it's a still a great RPG game that doesn't deserve to be cast to the Shadow Realm.

Silence - https://youtu.be/EACN9HcdtR0?t=779

Beautiful, vibrant, and short. One of the better modern adventure games, and one that knows that short and sweet is better than the typical adventure game bloat.

The Painscreek Killings - https://youtu.be/JM1q47u5lbw?t=103

This one suffers a little from prefab asset-itis, but nonetheless, a believable environment, characters, and an intriguing core mystery hold this admirable detective/puzzle game together. You're gonna be reading journals for passwords, solving puzzles for keys to get more keys, and seeking out hidden caches for the next story tidbit. My jam--and maybe yours.

The House of Da Vinci - https://youtu.be/ahuRo7lU4uw?t=941

If you like The Room games, then this one is cast from the same mould, but more fleshed out and intricate.

Mission Critical (GoG) - https://youtu.be/5793ZG7Y9ho?t=1013

Legend Entertainment don't get the respect they deserve. They made amazing, but not the most accessible, adventure games through the 90's, but never get mentioned in the same breath as LucasArts and Sierra. Mission Critical is perhaps their most accessible game, ditching the typical text input parser, and favouring a more traditional adventure game approach. The story is crazy and develops in ways you won't be expecting. please give it a go.

Anachronox - https://youtu.be/x_xnbyrlDnU?t=355

A little long in the tooth, and the gameplay isn't the most fun, but Anachronox features the best cast of teammates in a game, amazing and diverse music, and an overall zany and interesting game world. The battle systems sucks, and that fucking beetle-building shit makes no sense, but the game is mostly easy and you can just cheat at the end to see it through. It's a game worth cheating on.

Dandara - https://youtu.be/WFZcSH55iNw?t=326

An exciting action-exploration game with a unique control method. It's a fun action game.

ALL WAJDET EYE GAMES!

Okay I wanted to include more, but it would be too long. Let me know if any of these pique your interest, and feel free to say that I'm wrong for whatever reason.

I'm playing the Cat Lady right now, it's really bleak but I'm engrossed in it. Dialogue and soundtrack are especially well done.

Might check out some of the other stuff on this list too, I've played some but there's a whole bunch I haven't. Thanks for sharing :)

Curse of Monkey Island is my favorite of the series too! I love the 2D art! It may have been the first game I played that really looked like a cartoon. Just as funny and well voice acted too. That was the dream, back in the mid-90s. For better, and worse, 3D took over. Even today I relish the rare well made game with cartoon aspirations.

@drachmalius:No probs, man! Thanks for checking out the list, and I'm glad you're enjoying the Cat Lady. It has its rough edges, but I think it's all the more endearing for it.

It really is a gorgeous game. It was the first MI game I played, so that probably biased my opinion on the others. And, yeah, Escape From Monkey Island and 3D adventure games, man. I've played plenty and I like plenty of them, but it's hard to beat the amount of attention to detail you can put into a simply 2D game. Daedalic have made a bunch of beautiful 2D-art adventure games, but their writing is lacklustre a lot of the time.

@mylifeforaiur: Yeah, Deponia, is very much cut from the same cloth as Curse of Monkey Island. I liked it, but don't think I got around to the sequels. I bought a bundle of their games, I should give them another shot.

Something was definitely lost with Escape from MI, but I have nothing against 3D games. Grim Fandango was my first, and still my favorite, of the genre. It was the reason I discovered MI. The imagination, world building, atmosphere and characters in that game still blow me away.

Another Stasis fan! I would describe it as having the atmosphere of Dead Space (1) but the gameplay of a classic adventure game. I'm eagerly awaiting their next game, Beautiful Desolation.

Goetia. To me this one of those underrated games most adventure gamers or horror-gamers look past, but I think of it as a hidden gem. I really liked the atmosphere of it and the visual design.

The Painscreek Killings. I liked this one as well. I was drawn to it because it reminded me of Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, but with puzzles. It's a bit rough in some places, but the experience was quite deep.

I believe that Beautiful Desolation has Mick Gordon composing the soundtrack, too. So, that should be dope! As for Painscreek Killings, for as rough as it very much is, how did you feel about the execution of the ending...event? You know what I mean.

Quite a cool list here as someone that's always down for some adventuring. Especially The Black Watchmen seems like something i should get into..

Sometimes it feels like i had the perfect way to get into Monkey Island. I had heard of the series before, but the first game i actually played was Escape from Monkey Island. Sure, that game had annoying tank controls, rudimentary 3D, an awful lava traversal puzzle & i think you needed to use the page up & down keys to select text? But as an introduction, i was immediatly smitten with the characters, the silly humor and the vibe of the game. Also, seeing that map with all these islands but not seeing them all represented in the game was that extra nudge to make me check out the other games. And now i realize that i would probably be quite annoyed with Escape from.. if i played the other ones beforehand, but because it was my first one i still have fond memories for that one as well.

@mylifeforaiur: Yeah I know what you are referring to. I did not like it. I agree with those who think it doesn't fit with the rest of the game. I had the same issue with Observer and Conarium. I don't think it's a good match with those who are drawn towards games like these, it fits in an Amnesia or Outlast game for sure, but not in a "detective game". I feel like they inserted these things just to remind players that "hey, this is actually supposed to be a horror game" ... for the remaining 5% of the game.

Interesting list. I've played a couple of them; Fran Bow, Stasis, Little Inferno and some of the Wadjet Eye games (all of the Blackwell series) and liked all of those a lot.

I recognize a couple of titles there that are already sitting in my Steam library so I should probably check those out.

As for recommending something myself I'm gonna drop Nevermind here. I've heard absolutely nobody talk about this game, which is a damn shame. From a gameplay-perspective it's mostly a walking sim with the occasional puzzle-solving, but the bizarre environments and atmosphere feel really fresh and well-made. Everything makes sense from a narrative perspective too, but I can't really go into that without spoiling the experience.