Point and click games [split topic]

[druss]

I wonder if the original Blade Runner game from the late 90s is still playable/any good.

[Mister Six]

Playable through the newest version of the SCUMM emulator, apparently. It was also rereleased on GOG in 2019, and then rerereleased in an update edition that was worse than the original by all accounts.

Been meaning to go back to it. I remember being disappointed that the NPCs disappeared from various locations late in the game because I guess they just couldn't be bothered recording more dialogue for them - really emphasised the artificiality of the world, and not in a good way.

[bgmnts]

I'm playing Persona 4 as well as the minute and definitely agree that it feels extremely socially conservative— I imagine all the characters in the universe of the game are fulfilled with how their stories resolve, but I don't think their clear analogues in real life would be

Yeah to say it's a bit shallow is an understatement so far. But it's a Japanese high school visual novel so I don't know what I was expecting going in to be fair. I feel weirdly grubby playing this as a grown man though.

[Waking Life]

I wonder if the original Blade Runner game from the late 90s is still playable/any good.

It probably depends on patience with point and clickers more generally (bearing in mind, it's not got a LucasArts feel). I got the original (not remake) on Steam Deck and I really like it. The atmosphere and 'vibe' particularly, but haven't yet played all the way through.

On point and click, I hadn't appreciated how many contemporary games there were (mainly on PC), many with 90s aesthetics. Currently working through The Excavation of Hob's Barrow (almost one for folk horror film thread), which is part visual novel / part point and click (there are few 'puzzles' to speak of). Really enjoying the story and atmosphere, even if familiar.

[Poobum]

Coincidentally saw Blade Runner (a remaster but I think original graphics can be toggled on and off) is available on Xbox yesterday. Did have it on PC long long ago and remembered being surprised how good it was.

[jimboslice]

On point and click, I hadn't appreciated how many contemporary games there were (mainly on PC), many with 90s aesthetics. Currently working through The Excavation of Hob's Barrow (almost one for folk horror film thread), which is part visual novel / part point and click (there are few 'puzzles' to speak of). Really enjoying the story and atmosphere, even if familiar.

It gets more puzzly at the end. I enjoyed it, bit daft. Most of Wadjet Eyes games are worth a go, really looking forward to Old Skies.

Would love any recommendations for point & click adventures as I generally go hunting for new ones a few times a year and have often settled for some absolute rubbish. I appreciate it's difficult to write a "funny" point and click game, but there is some utter dross out there.

[Glebe]

I enjoyed the first Batman Telltale game. Not played the second.

[Alberon]

Not been able to play this one for almost two years now.

[druss]

This looks like I'm a point and click fetishist, don't think I've played one for over 20 years.

[Critcho]

Machinarium and Gemini Rue were probably the best recent(ish) ones I've played. Probably helps that they're not trying to be funny.

Blade Runner is a bit wonky but I always thought it shook up the point and click formula quite well, with the branching paths and being more about dialogue and figuring out who to talk to next, instead of walking around rubbing inventory objects on everything you see.

The writing does suffer a bit from 90's edginess, with your character occasionally saying snarky twattish things for no clear reason.

[Pink Gregory]

Really enjoyed the Inner World recently.  Some of the puzzles can be a bit obscure but there's a really good hint system that starts with vague clues and then gets really specific so you don't feel too bad about it.

It's got that germans speaking english voice acting but it's gently funny without trying too hard, the world is interesting and the character design is striking. 

[MojoJojo]

Been meaning to go back to it. I remember being disappointed that the NPCs disappeared from various locations late in the game because I guess they just couldn't be bothered recording more dialogue for them - really emphasised the artificiality of the world, and not in a good way.

I played the thing in a day, then couldn't get to sleep as it filled my brain so never touched it again. I got a bad ending.

It did really tail off at the end. As well as disappearing characters, I remember you had to fight giant rats in a sewer, like some a cliché of an rpg first level. Definite feel that the publishers wanted out the door as soon as the first 8 hours wee done.

[Critcho]

The sewer sections were a load of wank, though it was sort of cool seeing all the disparate locations linking up after spending most of the game flying between them.

It's one of those games where you can see hints of ideas you can tell were originally going to be more important, but got scaled back or cut entirely. Like being able to choose different moods for different dialogue options, which didn't quite work. And there were a lot of things you could do or find that felt like they should have some impact on the story, but in the end didn't at all.

I remember a bit where you had to break into the Tyrell building to get some data disc, and you literally just walk in the front door, pick it up off a table right in front of you, and then walk out again. Smacked very much of them running out of time and going "fuck it, this'll do".

It's still about 2/3rds really good though.

[Waking Life]

Wadjet Eye Games, which basically just does 90s throwback point n click games, have a big sale on Steam. I have actually only played Hob's Barrow (which I enjoyed more as a narrative, than a point n click) but I imagine the Blackwell games must have some appeal if they managed to release five.

I've got back into this genre due to the ease of playing on the Steam Deck, as having to travel a lot. They work well as palate cleansers between 'bigger' games too. I had no idea there were so many contemporary games of this ilk being made until I got into Steam, although presumably relatively cheap to produce.

[jimboslice]

Wadjet Eye Games, which basically just does 90s throwback point n click games, have a big sale on Steam. I have actually only played Hob's Barrow (which I enjoyed more as a narrative, than a point n click) but I imagine the Blackwell games must have some appeal if they managed to release five.

I've got back into this genre due to the ease of playing on the Steam Deck, as having to travel a lot. They work well as palate cleansers between 'bigger' games too. I had no idea there were so many contemporary games of this ilk being made until I got into Steam, although presumably relatively cheap to produce.

Unavowed is great. The Blackwell stuff is really good too (Although the older ones are naturally a little clunkier). I've played through most of the others too, and they're all decent enough but I'd definitely start with Unavowed.

[Critcho]

I went through the Blackwell games a few years back. Generally really quite good, though the very ending of the series didn't really work for me.

Even through there are five of them, most of them are quite short, can often be finished in one sitting. It's only the last one that you could really call full sized.

[Pink Gregory]

Resonance is the only one I've played and that's really, really good.  It's got this really interesting mechanic in which you can store things you've seen as inventory items which you use in conversations.

[Gurke and Hare]

Resonance is the only one I've played and that's really, really good.  It's got this really interesting mechanic in which you can store things you've seen as inventory items which you use in conversations.

There are two games on Steam with that name - is this the one where a physicist has died and "the race is on to secure his terrible new technology"? If so, it's only £3.83 at the moment, so I'll grab it.

[bgmnts]

Finally got round to finishing Dreamfall:Chapters, which is Telltale style adventure game than a proper point and click.

Still, it was not bad and was almost sort of emotional playing, as it culminated the story and I enjoyed being in that fantasy world after first diving into it almost 20 years ago!

Artifex Mundi used to shit loads of point and clicks out, and I'm unsure if any of them are any good, but they've been quiet for a while.

[ros vulgaris]

I can barely remember a bunch of the ones I played in the 90s but in my head they're still more impressive than GTA V.

[Pink Gregory]

There are two games on Steam with that name - is this the one where a physicist has died and "the race is on to secure his terrible new technology"? If so, it's only £3.83 at the moment, so I'll grab it.

Should be, check that Wadjet Eye comes up somewhere as the developer or publisher (don't rememember which)

[Waking Life]

I've been playing Monkey Island 2 recently (the remaster for my sins) and while I've enjoyed it, it's greater than the sum of its parts. The structure / pacing is pretty poor (the Largo section is a great, grimy intro, but the map hunting goes on far too long, ending with two rushed, almost epilogue, sections on Dinky and the Fortress), the puzzles move more towards moon logic as the game goes on, and some characters underused (Marley noticeably, Largo after part one, and then an overreliance on throwaway cameos, without bringing back Meathook). The stakes of Big Whoop also feel - deliberately given the name - very low.

Still had a great time though. The islands are well designed / differentiated and it still feels very immersive. Tried to avoid using the hint system as a big part of these games is the satisfaction (or eye rolling) that comes from solving a weeks-long obscure puzzle, but...I just don't have the time for it anymore. The ending is great in a way I didn't appreciate when younger, although does suggest they (Ron Gilbert?) had lost interest in the world. Which is a shame, as the setting always had loads of potential.

Comparing it to the first game, Day of the Tentacle, and Indy Atlantis, it's not in the same tier. Which is why I'm surprised it's often seen as peak (although sometimes it's Grim Fandango) LucasArts.

[Waking Life]

(Read the Wikipedia entry for the game after writing the above and my assumptions about losing interest are definitely wrong. Also hadn't appreciated from 2024 how much of a step forward it must have been at the time)

[Mister Six]

I can still remember the infuriating monkey wrench and "pick up dog" bullshit, so I'm hoping the rest of MI2 will be solvable if I ever replay it.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Monkey Island II was my favourite game for a long time (might still be), but my overriding memory was it coming on ELEVEN floppy disks (on Amiga). There's one bit in the game where someone (Largo?) spits and you have to swap disks to see the animation of the spit flying through the air.

Willy Beamish was another favourite. Maybe not the greatest game but just enjoyed wandering around the nice environments

[jimboslice]

The ending is great in a way I didn't appreciate when younger, although does suggest they (Ron Gilbert?) had lost interest in the world. Which is a shame, as the setting always had loads of potential.

I think it was always intended that way. It's definitely worth playing the recent (Ron Gilbert) Return to Monkey Island, which I think did a good job at bringing all the Monkey Island games together and adding to that ending a bit.

[Waking Life]

I can still remember the infuriating monkey wrench and "pick up dog" bullshit, so I'm hoping the rest of MI2 will be solvable if I ever replay it.

That dog one annoyed me. They have since apologised for the monkey wrench, but I solved those back in the day by trying everything. I can see the logic but there were still too many moments like that in the latter stages of the map hunting.

[Waking Life]

I think it was always intended that way. It's definitely worth playing the recent (Ron Gilbert) Return to Monkey Island, which I think did a good job at bringing all the Monkey Island games together and adding to that ending a bit.

Yep, that's next and will go through the other sequels after too (even the tourist one).

Reading the Wiki article (which is a very detailed one), he seemed to struggle to come up with an ending. But seemed really happy with it when he did. I can see why I didn't like it aged 12 though, as it upended a world I'd become absorbed in. Not quite Dallas territory of course.

[Mister Six]

That dog one annoyed me. They have since apologised for the monkey wrench, but I solved those back in the day by trying everything. I can see the logic but there were still too many moments like that in the latter stages of the map hunting.

The monkey wrench puzzle was even harder in the UK because we call it a spanner.

[Dr M1nx PhD]

I've just finished Kathy Rain - The Director's Cut, a 90s style point and click game set in the 90s. I enjoyed it a lot. There's an achievement for smoking.