10 Video Games That Only Exist Because Of Nostalgia

A series which began back in 1989, Tex Murphy was relatively prolific throughout much of the 1990s, producing four unique titles in just under a decade. In 2008, the original creators regained the rights to the series from Microsoft, and encouraged by the efforts of similarly crowdfunded projects, set about funding the sixth entry in the series, Tesla Effect.

Much like previous installments, Tesla Effect requires players to navigate their way through 3D environments, solving puzzles, interacting with characters, and making decisions that affect the larger narrative. The majority of the game takes place in first person, and features investigatory sequences in which the player must explore a given location, and search for clues. The story is told largely through live-action cutscenes, and utilises logic puzzles in order to test the player’s investigative abilities, as well as their attention to detail.

Tesla Effect successfully raised over $600,000 on Kickstarter, promising to revive the long dormant franchise for an all new generation of players. Two years later, the game was finally released, and received a mixed critical reception. It was celebrated for its scope and for its unique style of storytelling, but criticised for its lack of innovation, and for its strict adherence to the conventions of the genre, some of which were considered to be outdated.

In fairness, while critics demanded something new and original, longtime fans wanted nothing more than a quintessential Tex Murphy adventure, and that’s exactly what they got. The game sold itself almost entirely on nostalgia, meaning it couldn’t evolve the formula too extensively without risking the disappointment of thousands of Kickstarter backers, all of which had pledged their hard earned cash towards the completion of the project.