10 WORST Things About Popular Video Game Genres

6. Truly Obtuse Puzzle Solutions - Adventure Games

until dawn
Virgin Interactive

If woven together well, an adventure game can provide the perfect platform for a truly great narrative to unfold.

From The Walking Dead to Pillars Of The Earth, the mechanic of pointing and clicking is as simple as it gets, and allows for the narrative to take centre stage with the somewhat limited gameplay serving to move the story forward. It's a design philosophy that simply works wonders, and fans of the genre love it, but that great story squeals to a halt when an infuriatingly complex puzzle presents itself.

Titles like Broken Sword or, if we're honest, the entirety of 2021's Twelve Minutes, are significant blemishes on games that wield thoroughly entertaining and engrossing stories elsewhere.

In extreme cases -- like Broken Sword -- the tales presented are hindered by the game's insistence on making you angry. The inquisitive romp through Paris, Ireland and the like in Revolution Software's crowning achievement has distinct phases through its ~10 hour adventure: The charming first act, the infuriatingly annoying goat puzzle that makes you tear your hair out, and the concluding chapters that you don't remember as you were still calming down.

In any great adventure game, the mechanics should serve the story first and foremost.

In this post: 
Until Dawn
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Fan of ducks, ice tea and escapism. Spends much of his time persistently saying 'I have so much studying to do' before watching Zoey 101 for the millionth time. Thinks Uncharted 3 is the best one.