Excerpt: "The End of the Sun deserves to be played at a leisurely pace to fully take in the amazing surroundings. The slow walking speed is remedied by the run button, but it’s a shame to hurry through this magnificent world. The scenic valley quickly feels a real place, especially when you experience it through the various seasons and observe its inhabitants in different periods of their lives. The majority of fetch quests and puzzles might be a tad too easy for experienced adventurers, but each puzzle is unique and very much rooted in the legends, folklore and rituals of these Slavic people. The drama of human relationships and the mystery of the firebird Rarog and its regular apparitions are sure to ward off any boredom that might otherwise occur because of all the backtracking between locations. Dramatic events are leavened by humorous episodes in a narrative coated with a layer of love and romance while displaying a deep respect for traditions and one’s ancestral roots. Clearly nothing was done half-heartedly in the development of this game, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. It definitely sparked my own wanderlust, and is sure to kindle the interest of anyone who appreciates exploring other historical cultures."
I'm 3 hours into Conquests of the Longbow and breaking my head over some riddles...
Lots has happened since my first playing session. First I finally found a disguise to venture inside Nottingham. The local cobbler gave me a silver comb, which I had to show to Marian to pledge my allegiance to the cause of gathering King Richard's ransom. Apparently there's a treasure passing through Watling Street, so I'll have to prepare to take possession of it. But the cobbler is going on a reconnaissance mission first, and will inform me about it later.
Really hope this isn't the river Styx...
Then Marian sent me undercover into an evil monastery to
retrieve a stolen scroll. This was actually a pretty fun part, and the
map of the building reminded me a lot of the map of Camelot in Conquests of Camelot, only more graphically advanced. This felt as a first real mission in the game. But
the Sheriff had also arrested three peasant brothers, and I had to get
them out of jail before they were hanged. I had to choose what I would do first, so luckily I still had time the next day to go rescue the brothers.
I really wanted to snoop through all bedrooms for some reason...
I
was able to procure myself a monk's habit, so I could enter the castle
and see the brothers, but the guards were keeping a close eye on me so I
couldn't really do anything. I also met the evil abbot, who sent me on an ale-fetching quest to the local pub. Then he invited me to drink with
him, after which I had a game-over screen since they recognized who I
was when I had passed out drunk. So after a reload, I refused his
invitation, but this angered him and he threw me out. So had to reload several times and finally I found the correct order of doing things, which all had to do with winning a game of Nine Men's Morris first - which took me several attempts before I learned a good strategy.
Quite a fun game once you get the hang of it...
At the moment I'm stuck answering a couple of riddles by the Great Green Oak Man, Guardian of Sherwood Forest. I kinda liked the riddles in Conquests of Camelot, I didn't get all of them but at least there was more chance of getting some right. But here I have absolutely no idea what the answer to any of them might be. I'll have to stew on them for a while...
I've started playing Christie Marx's Conquests of the Longbow and I'm 1 hour into it! I've never played this classic before, so it's a maiden voyage for me. During my life, I've seen four different iterations of the Robin Hood story, and now this is the first one I'll experience in game form. I doubt the character needs much introduction from me.
Robin has pretty basic living arrangements...
From the start the look and feel of the game are very familiar. The graphic design, the music, the interface, it's all classic 90s Sierra adventure. But there are some extra elements that immediately come to the fore. At the top of the playing field, you'll see statistics for the current "Ransom" money you have gathered. You can keep track of the number of your"Outlaws" that are still alive. Other than that, there are many arcade sequences and decisions you will have to make. If you fail those, you either die (it's a Sierra game, after all) or you'll get a bad ending; so save often, I'd say!
What a merry bunch... If two people can be called a bunch...
The game starts with an (optional) prologue where you see King Richard of England taken prisoner by Leopold of Austria when the former travels back from the crusades in Jerusalem. It's your job as Robin Hood to rob the rich and give to the poor, or in this case gather the necessary ransom of one hundred thousands mark.
Already killed a guy within the first hour...
After I did some target practice, I wandered Sherwood Forest a bit, unsure what I was supposed to be doing. Then I remembered Friar Tuck at the campsite telling me to go see Little John at the overlook point. But I had no idea where that was, so I had to search for it. Once there, I witnessed a peasant woman being chased by one of the Sheriff's men. So I quickly dispatched him and set the woman free.
Already killed two guys within the first hour...
That ended the day, apparently! A short scene at the campsite later, Robin fell asleep and dreamt about Marian dancing in the willow grove. The next morning, I got the message I needed to visit the cobbler in town, but Robin doesn't dare go there without a disguise of some sort. And also, he needs a woman's slipper to prove to the cobbler he's Robin Hood. Without much else to do, I explored the forest until I came upon Marian attacked by a monk. So I quickly dispatched him, and lo and behold! Marian rewarded me with a slipper!
Exploring Sherwood Forest is pretty slow going...
That ended another day, apparently! The next morning I figured I had to go look around for that disguise, so I'm currently exploring the forest again, hoping to come upon something useful, since none of the locations on my map seem to hold anything interesting.
Excerpt: "In development for nearly a decade, NoseBound attracted my attention as a classic detective noir mystery with a distinct graphical style, but its limitations make it feel more like a carnival funhouse ride where you’re stuck on rails most of the time. While I largely enjoyed the setting, the main character, the easy user interface, and even the trial-and-error save-your-own-life parts, there was no real challenge, the flaws kept piling up, and the story just wasn’t engrossing enough to allow me to look past them. What’s worse is that the ending made me feel as if I was watching a convoluted David Lynch movie. The game was originally announced as episodic, but with no sign of a cliffhanger or more to come, it seems this will be the first and last Ray Hammond story – but perhaps not quite the end, as I sincerely hope the developers are able to patch most of the technical issues and let the better parts of this currently rough-edged mystery shine through."
Excerpt: "For all my criticisms, Ramas’ Call: Twisted Timing isn't a bad game per se. It's not brilliant, obviously, and it lacks a decent payoff, but it’s presented in a charming art style and takes you through a collection of inventory puzzles and NPC questioning in a story filled to the brim with unique responses. That makes for a solid bit of adventuring, if disappointingly unintuitive at times, with the added clever premise of having multiple personas available. It’s very slow paced as a result, but I do believe there's an audience among those who love to take their time exploring and trying out everything instead of rushing through to the end – which is just as well, as all you’ll get is the setup for a sequel here instead. There are certainly much better games of its kind, but if you find yourself in that mellow mood for a traditional and mildly amusing point-and-click adventure, there are some fun stretches to be found, and you may just pick up some Spanish while you’re at it."
It's a new year, and there are many adventure game titles scheduled for release. Some already have concrete publication dates, others are more vague on when we will be able to play them. Each one of us probably has their favorites wishlisted for a long time already, but here are a couple of games I'm especially looking forward to.
Whirlight: No Time To Trip is a realistic looking yet still cartoony time-travel adventure by Italian developers imaginarylab, the creators of Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town. That one was a lovely game, waaay too short, but the type of game I like best: no fantasy, no sci-fi, but a modern day setting and environment yet with its own peculiar identity with some history thrown in, clear goals to achieve, no overwhelming amount of possibilities, very structured. So I'm expecting something similar, and hopefully longer, from Whirlight.
Foolish Mortals has been in development for quite a while, but UK-based Inklingwood Studios just confirmed a 2025 release for their debut adventure! It's a traditionally styled mystery point 'n click with a supernatural edge. The game already has the look of an instant classic, so I hope it will also play as one! I for one can't wait to go treasure hunting in 1930's Louisiana!
Old Skies by Wadjet Eye Games shouldn't need an introduction. It's the new game by the creators of the renowned Blackwell series. It doesn't have the developer's signature pixel art style, but it's still a very beautiful game with an amazing soundtrack, excellent voiceovers, and a time-travel story that pulls you in and makes you forget your own timezone! And I know, because I'm a beta tester with 30+ hours on the clock already!
Rosewater by Grundislav Games is a western adventure I've tried to remain spoiler-free of, which is hard because Francisco González is one of the most transparent developers out there, so there are many screenshots and videos to avoid! This game takes place in the same universe as Lamplight City. What interests me most is how you will be playing as part of a team of characters, and the way you play - the choices you make - will affect the relationships and ultimately the story. Many games promise such a thing, however, but I'm confident that if anyone can truly pull that off, it's Francisco Gonzáles!
I really enjoyed the last adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, so I'm looking very much forward to their obligatory - though perhaps not quite original - next title in this franchise: Death on the Nile. After all, how can I not love another opportunity to play as the most famous Belgian detective! It'll once again be developed by Microids Studio Lyon, so I have high hopes for the title, plus it's great incentive to finally go and read the book.
And if you can't get enough of globetrotting, classic 2D point 'n click adventures, be on the lookout for The Adventures of Bryan Scott, the first game by German developer Radio Silence Studios. To be honest, I haven't heard all that much from this game for a while, so I do hope it will see the light of day by their projected release month, December '25! And that they'll go easy on the adventure game references and retain their own identity, since such tactics are wearing a bit thin lately...
Of course there are many more games coming out this year. Off the top of my head I'm thinking of Elroy and the Aliens, Legends of Castile, Sleepytime Village and Slender Threads, just to name a few. I sincerely hope to play them all someday and write some cool playthrough posts about them!
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