Hey Duders,

Yesterday I finally was able to sink some time into Tormentum. Despite the game's unsettling atmosphere, it was pretty laid back and I could finish without being hunched over a keyboard. I was wondering if anyone else knew of some other point-and-click adventure games that have a similar gameplay, but maybe have some more challenging puzzles.

Thanks!

@digitalsecurity: Is that the only one adventure game you have played? All of the lucas arts are about what youre looking. Definitely laid back and some of the puzzles can definitely be challenging in that there isnt a whole lot of apparent logic to some of them. I would particularly recommend The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition. It is probably my favorite out of all the lucas arts adventure games (grim fandango is pretty good as well though) and its the only one of the remasters to include a hint system.

The Secret of Monkey Island is the greatest game of all time.

You might want to try Thimbleweed Park for something newer. It's pretty easy going.

Machinarium is a really cool game.

Check out all of the games from Amanita Design; Machinarium, Botanicula, the Samarost series.

Samorost is so good!

The Raven -Not the best adventure game out there but it has a really charming vibe. Old-englishy travel mystery.

The Book of Unwritten Tales - Pretty good fantasy adventure games. Vinny was raving about the 2nd game, but i haven't played that yet.

Other than that i can recommend most of the Wadget Eye games if you're into mature retro adventure games (Gemini Rue is one of their best ones i think) or The Dark Eye games if you're more into fantasy european settings. (Chains of Satinav & Memoria)

If you don't feel above having to use a walkthrough every now and then, Gabriel Knight 3 (aka the game that killed adventure games) has a really nice laidback vacation vibe as well. I remember playing that as a kid with walkthrough and it was a really enjoyable experience. I can see how the puzzles are impenetrable if you want to play it by the rules though.

I would recommend Grim Fandango and The Longest Journey or if you want something shorter, the remaster of Full Throttle was recently released. The puzzles could be a bit tough in some parts but I would suggest using a guide if you get stumped.

Can someone suggest one for me that's really funny?

I'll throw my hat in for both Puzzle Agents, really enjoyed.

@vegetashonor: also The Secret of Monkey Island

Thimbleweed Park is a pretty great evolution of the old LucasArts style. It's like an old-school adventure game with a bunch of modern bells and whistles thrown in. Do recommend!

@cannedstingray: Turns out I already owned Puzzle Agent, so I'm playing Puzzle Agent 1. Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for the tip!

Kentucky Route Zero, while it isn't finished yet, is an incredible adventure game. It doesn't have much in the way of puzzles, but the story, atmosphere tone and music is striking beyond words. I played through the first 4 acts back in January and at least once a week since then parts of it come creeping back into my mind. It's a game that has stuck with me in ways I haven't had a game do before. Cardboard Computer also made 3 interstitial games that go along with it which are available for free on the games site and are brief interludes that will give you an idea of what the game is about. They vary in length and scope but it's a good starting point if your not sure if it will be your kind of adventure game.

scroll down to the "SEE ALSO:" section for the interstitial games.

http://kentuckyroutezero.com/

The Sexy Brutale. Not that challenging but this might be the most overlooked hidden gem of this year.

Ancient suggestion but my favorite adventure gaming series was Quest for Glory. What made those so fun for me was that you could play as either a fighter, mage, thief, or paladin (QFG 2 and onward).

The way you would solve each puzzle would typically vary based on your skills (ex: a fighter might fight his way through a situation, a thief might climb or sneak his way around it, a mage might cleverly combine spells to get past the hurdle, and a paladin would seek the most honorable way onward).

That also meant that each puzzle had multiple ways of solving it. For example, even though you might be able to fight your way through a situation, you might have a fighter who, through practice, is good at climbing and therefore climb your way past the battle.