The Road to AdventureX 2026 - Part Two

And here it is: after the announcement of speakers and panels, the official selection of the games exhibited at AdventureX 2026 in London on November 7 and 8 has been released as well! There are thirty-two games in total. I'm not going to go over them all, but I will highlight six games I have a personal interest in, in simple, alphabetical order.

Crime or Punishment by Scale Issue has a very old school look, which reminds me of The Colonel's Bequest and Cruise for a Corpse, combined with the idea behind Overboard! This time, you are the cleanup crew and you need to cover up the murderers' crimes. There's still an investigative aspect to it as if you were the detective, but instead of collecting evidence, you need to tamper with it. This game seems like a fine example of how much fun it can be playing the bad guy.

Deduction games galore these days, and Death at Fleming Manor by Superthumb puts another spin on the detective genre by having you fill out the death certificates. Who are these corpses, and how did they die? In stylish comic book art, you investigate scenes, question suspects, and fill in the details in Golden Idol fashion. Not sure if this is the game to play in a bustling exhibition hall, but I'll definitely give it a try!

I simply can't omit Less Miserables by College Fun Games in this overview. I played the demo a while back and while that version was still a little rough around the edges, it certainly has the potential to win over adventure gamers' hearts. It's fun to play, has great artwork, and features an adorable sidekick. This satirical take on the novel/musical/film probably won't revolutionize the genre, but should get everything right when it comes to being a traditional point 'n click adventure game.

I love myself a library game! The Restricted Index by Ursa Minus therefore looks right up my aisle. Not only do you have to give people the books they want, there's also a deeper mystery involving the disappearance of the previous librarian, leading to codes to crack and secrets to find, all under a strict government regime you can help topple over. The first part sounds fun, the second part sounds hard, and I'm a bit wary of the violent themes of terrorism and capital punishment, but since I'm married to a librarian, I just have to check out this game.

Stop the Press! by Nebuchadnezzar Games has a Papers, Please vibe, but in a 1930s South-American setting. People walk up to you with stories, you decide what to print and which headline to use. You can earn money trying to sell papers, you can choose a political faction and only write good stuff about them, or become a free press and release dirt on all of them. There’s a business aspect as well: how many copies to print, how many deliveries to make, how many journalists to hire… There’s a lot going on here, many stories, many characters. There’s a lot of strategy involved, but I don’t think it’s necessary to be very good at that aspect to still enjoy the narrative to unfold depending on your choices.

Two Realms - Whispers from the Rift by MOD42 Studio was already on my wishlist. Point 'n click, pixel art, a horror drama in a medieval world; this is a no nonsense, traditional style adventure game with an easy user interface. I'm definitely playing the full game when it comes out, so I didn't bother with the demo before, but AdventureX is the place to finally sit down and check it out!


Other games I might try out if time allows are As Long As You're Here, Dance Dance Detective and From Ruins. 

Check out the complete selection on the AdventureX website. Tickets go on sale on August 12th!

The Road to AdventureX 2026 - Part One

Which famous adventure game community members will I meet this year?

The news is out! We already knew that AdventureX, THE narrative games convention, will be taking place on November 7 & 8 in the same venue as last year, the LSBU Hub building in the Elephant & Castle part of London. But this week, the speakers and panels have been announced as well. Time to put together my personal schedule for those two days!

It's Dave Gilbert, people! Waaaa!!!

First up is adventure game legend Dave Gilbert. And yes, you can call someone a legend when they get to celebrated the 20th anniversary of their development and publishing house, Wadjet Eye Games. And that's exactly what Dave will be talking about: 20 years of Wadjet Eye, from The Shivah to the upcoming Nighthawks (and perhaps even some sneak peeks on Ben Chandler's Gilt?) I haven't played all their games yet (for shame!) but this will definitely be a good incentive to fill that gaming cultural gap!

Matt Aukamp, one half of the Save Your Game podcast!

I certainly don't know every speaker or panel member, but there are still two key note speakers left to be announced. Last year the big surprise was Dominic Armato, so I'm very curious to find out which big names will show up this year. But I'll definitely end the first day listening to a live Save Your Game podcast by Matt Aukamp and Sarah Wilson (better known as PushingUpRoses). I have to make a confession, though: I'm very bad when it comes to listening to podcasts or watching online videos, so this will probably be the first episode I listen to...

Voice actor extraordinaire Sally Beaumont

On Sunday, I can't miss the talks of BAFTA Breakthrough Sally Beaumont, one of my favorite voice actors talking about her art, and Francisco González, giving a talk about remakes, reboots and remasters. I'm always surprised (in a good way!) to hear Sally in a new game I'm playing, and I try to keep up on Francisco's new Project Lion game after his amazing Rosewater last year.

Amazing storyteller Francisco González

There will be loads of other speakers at AdventureX this year: Märten Rattasepp, Aoife Gleeson, James Bore, Holly Nielsen, Jon Ingold, Jess Haskin, just to name a few. You can find the entire speaker list on the AdventureX website. But I'm definitely looking forward to the final panel on Sunday about detective/deduction games, hosted by Laura Cress and featuring developers Will Ackermann, Treasa McCabe, Robin Ward and Tim Sheinman, since I love playing those games (I have just finished Robin Ward's The Incident at Galley House) and I'm really curious to find out how they go about putting their games together.

You can find the entire schedule on the AdventureX website.

Of course there's more to AdventureX than speakers and panels. There will be loads of games to play as well! We don't know yet which titles made the selection, but once they're announced I'll be back with a list of my favorites as well!

AdventureX 2025 - Episode Three: Demos Galore!

James Lightfoot with Sleeptime Village!

After meeting all those game developers and voice actors, finally we reach what AdventureX is all about: both aspiring and seasoned devs showing off their latest creation to the public. There were thirty of them and I'm sorry to say I never got close to playing them all. Decisions, decisions, you know... With so much to do and see and so many people to talk to, so many presentations to attend, these games quickly (and sadly) moved to the background. So I tried my best to reserve all Sunday morning for them.

First I played The Midnight Barber by Omaet Games. A great dev who looked happy someone had found his stand hiding behind the huge white pillar blocking his view, patiently explaining what his game was about and how it worked. So I sat down an enjoyed slowly unfolding a story in a fantasy version of Barcelona in the 1970s by Guitar Heroeing my way with a pair of scissors and a spray bottle. The dev assured me the rhythm game would get more challenging as you progress, so I'm looking forward to jam on those controller buttons, even though I had a bit of a hard time taking in what was going on in the conversation while focussing on my dexterity.

Next I moved on to Ashwood Conspiracy by Yawning Dog Studios, which reminded me of the style and atmosphere of some Cosmic Void games. You play as Marcus, whose uncle has died and you inherit what's left in his storage unit. There are inventory puzzles but also codes to break, which seems to turn this game into a huge escape room. It was a bit too crowded around the demo chair for me to fully concentrate on solving the code puzzles, so I had to cut my session short but not without promising I would continue the demo in the serenity of my own home.

The Tragedy at Deer Creek by Sparrowland fully impressed me. These two brothers have crafted an intriguing story about a photographer travelling to the Alaskan frontier to document an abandoned settlement. It was a bit frustrated at first when the main character refused to pick up anything, which a normal point 'n click adventure protagonist wouldn't have any problem with. It's only after you stumble upon some obstacle and she actually has reason to gather helpful items will she do so. The character animations were a bit slow in my opinion, and I didn't like how you couldn't use the right mouse button to examine hotspots but instead had to use the left one to choose whether to examine or use. The dev was very happy with my feedback, though, and who knows, they might even "fix" some of these issues.

While I was looking for the next demo to play, Duck Made Of Wood almost literally grabbed me and put me in his chair to play D3AD HAND, a comedic point 'n click about a Russian guard at a missile base. I must admit I hadn't played it earlier because the game's militaristic cover didn't really appeal to me. But the game quite surprised me with funny writing and cool puzzles: a gear puzzle, some code breaking, and discovering a password. Here as well I cut the game short after I puzzled my way inside the missile base, where I was left on my own devices with only a cat named Stalin as companion, to continue at a later time at home.

I had already played some demos before coming to AdventureX, like Sleepytime Village by Lightfoot Bros Games and Your Crown Is Mine by Lyyycaena. I even reviewed The Beekeeper's Picnic several times. There were also lots of games of which I already knew I would be playing the full game eventually; they no longer needed to convince me with their demos, so I felt comfortable skipping them for now: City of Voices, The Séance at Blake Manor, Shadows of the Afterland, Ghost Haunting, Legends of Castile and Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror Reforged (even though I haven't played the first Reforged yet...) I did want to play We Stay Behind by Backwoods Entertainment, but it was always occupied and I didn't get a chance.

And that concluded my first visit at AdventureX! I had a blast of a time these two days. The organisation made sure of that, but also all the people I talked to, not only the game developers and voice actors, but also complete strangers who came up to me and told me how much they liked my reviews and playthrough posts. I definitely wasn't expecting that!

And now I return to my latest review job, and I also hope I can play a couple more games before the end of the year so I can compile a decent top ten and have a good discussion with my fellow podcasters, bloggers and reviewers about which game will deserve the title of Adventure Game Of The Year!

Thanks for reading my blog!

AdventureX 2025 - Episode Two: Listen to those voice actors (and also some extra devs)

Dominic Armato!

Highlight of AdventureX 2025, responsible for a full auditorium, was a presentation given by none other than Dominic Armato, voice actor of Monkey Island's Guybrush Threepwood. He talked about impostor syndrome, a heavy case of self-doubt that makes people think they aren't skilled or talented at all, making them constantly fear exposure as a fraud. It even got emotional at one point. After his talk, Dominic was so kind to see his fans, take pictures and sign stuff. He signed my boxes of Curse Of Monkey Island and Escape From Monkey Island! At the Sunday afterparty, we saw him again and had a nice chat, where it became very obvious he would love to return to voice work for adventure games. So if any developers are interested in hiring him: you know where to find him!

I knew Ivy Dupler would be coming to AdventureX, since she posted that on her socials. For two days I'd been keeping an eye out for her. I spotted her once, but she was having lunch and you don't disturb people when they're eating. Finally on Sunday afternoon I saw her again, but she was already talking to one dev or other. Then I saw my chance when she was standing with a dev team I was already familiar with and had grown to love deeply over the course of this weekend: David and Sophie Younger of Inklingwood Studios! So I grabbed my chance, joined the conversation and was able to get my much anticipated selfie with one of my most favorite voice actors, who played the lead in Midnight Margo and had roles in many, many other games, including Twilight Oracle, Kathy Rain 2, Rosewater, Lamplight City, Monorail Stories, and the upcoming Nighthawks!

Ivy Dupler!

 

Most special was meeting recent BAFTA Breakthrough Sally Beaumont near the end of the Sunday afterparty! As with Julia Minamata, she seemed to be all over the place during AdventureX - though she did always wave at me as she was hurrying down some hallway - and she was also part of the comedy writing panel. And suddenly there she was, and we could have our photo moment. There are so many games she has a part in - PRIM, Hob's Barrow, Loco Motive, Harold Halibut, Lucy Dreaming, Blake Manor, and many more - but of course now she's most famous for not only voicing Fia Quinn in Old Skies but also writing for the game alongside Dave Gilbert!

Sally Beaumont!

And while I don't have a photo with her, I also had a short chat with Brogan Farr during the Saturday afterparty! I don't know her very well, but somehow we connected on the socials a little while ago. She has a role in Duck Made of Wood's D3AD HAND, which I played a little of at AdventureX (but more on all those demos in my next blog post!)

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Of course it's only after you hit the publish button and share your blog post about meeting a bunch of adventure game devs on the socials, that you start to think: "Wait a minute, I've met several more people! I just didn't take a picture with them..."

Indeed, I also met the team of Tag of Joy, who made Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit, a game I very much enjoyed due its style similar to Broken Sword and Secret Files. This very hip developer team is currenty working with Bill Tiller on a sequel to A Vampyre Story! I better hurry up and finally start playing the original game!

I also met publisher Chris Tikkos of Dionous Games, which was a very hearty encounter. Dionous Games got me into game testing, when they posted an ad looking for testers for Not Another Weekend, which led me to test Lucy Dreaming by Tom Hardwidge, who then suggested I'd become reviewer for the Adventure Game Hotspot! And of course with him being part of the organisation, I met Tom on several occasions during the weekend!

Tom Hardwidge!

A very special meeting was with Kevin Wickenden of Polytely Games who developed Last Christmas, and with whom I once made the jam game The Crete Escape (together with a bunch of other people).

I'm probably still forgetting some others I met, so lets hope my memory will come back when I'm writing my third blog post when I talk about the demos I played!

AdventureX 2025 - Episode One: Game Devs on Parade

Adventure gaming paradise right up these stairs!

I won't lie to you. What I was looking forward to most, attending AdventureX in London for the very first time, was finally meeting all those people I've been writing about and sometimes even directly talking to online for the past two and a half years. When I got back home, I had a hard time explaining to my family and friends why it was such an amazing experience to me, and putting into words what exactly makes it so special. The only way I knew how to do that, was to compare it to a more wider form of popular media where people are revered for their creative output. And the best I could come up with, is this: “It’s the equivalent of going to the Cannes Film Festival, with the big stars accepting you in their midst so you can hang out with them, and they show you sneak previews of their next movies.”

Dave Gilbert of Wadjet Eye Games!

It already started the evening of our arrival in London. At a local bar where we knew a bunch of adventure game community people had gathered, we tried to work up the nerve to go talk to Dave Gilbert of Wadjet Eye Games, when the man himself actually walked up to us instead, apparently knowing fully well who I was! (Which might have something to do with the fact that I was one of the testers of his most recent game Old Skies...)

Adam Riches of Robust Games!

Later that night, a smaller group went to a karaoke room and we joined as well, invited by Laura Cress. Suddenly I found myself sitting next to Adam Riches of Robust Games, whose Loco Motive won the 2024 AGOTY Award, as well as Dave and Treasa McCabe of Spooky Doorway (attending AdventureX to promote their new game The Séance of Blake Manor), among many others (I think there were indeed more people present than were actually allowed in that room...)

David and Sophie Younger of Inklingwood Studios!

So yes, the first day of AdventureX I wasn't able to play any of the demos because I kept meeting people I wanted to talk to and get a selfie with. Pure fanboy style, and I won't apologize for that! Almost immediately I ran into David and Sophie Younger of Inklingwood Studios (as well as Adventure Game Geek!), who had kindly brought me the big box of their game Foolish Mortals which I had ordered from their website (having it delivered to Belgium from the UK would easily cost me the prize of another box at Customs... Thanks a lot, Brexit!)

Jake Prytherch of Beyond Booleans!

I bumped into Jake Prytherch of Beyond Booleans, who makes Lovecraftian horror games like Abscission and Carnival, an upcoming developer who not only still has lots of other stories to tell, but is also a great and very down to earth guy, a real pleasure to hang out with and lots of fun, especially when he's telling the story of how he once met David Hasselhoff! (He's got an amazingly cool picture with him!)

Francisco González of Grundislav Games!

It was great to meet a mix of game developers who only recently started, like Jake, and established names like Francisco González. I remember how nervous I was playing Rosewater this year, hoping to finish it and write the review in time for its release, thinking I wouldn't make the deadline and worried that my words would never do the game justice. But he was very happy with what I'd written! Phew!

Helen Greetham of The Wonder Room!

It took me until the second day before I found the nerve to introduce myself to Helen Greetham of The Wonder Room (previously known as Afoot Games) who made the Sherlockian adventure The Beekeeper's Picnic which I reviewed both for the Adventure Game Hotspot and the Adventure Games Podcast. Such a lovely young lady!

Charles Cecil of Revolution Software!

Revolution Software was at AdventureX as well, to show off Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror Reforged, but Charles Cecil was also giving a presentation. While I was making my rounds of the venue, I suddenly spotted him coming in from the street so I lurked a bit so I could introduce myself as well, namedropping my fellow Adventure Games Podcaster Laura Cress, who I knew had spoken to and interviewed him several times already, to break the ice. I'll never forgive myself that I had to get rid of the boxes of both Lure Of The Temptress and Beneath A Steel Sky when moving house several times... But how could I know back then what a treasure these boxes would turn out to become?

Julia Minamata!

As the weekend drew to a close, at the end of the Sunday evening afterparty, when I thought there would be no new encounters, who suddenly walks past other than Julia Minamata, whose Crimson Diamond was a revelation last year, a return to the text parser in a game inspired by The Colonel's Bequest. I had spotted her around AdventureX before, but always seemingly in a hurry and I didn't dare bother her. But it was great to talk to her and discover she started work on a new game! (I hope that wasn't a secret...)

Look out for two more blog posts (hopefully) soon, one of course about the demos shown at AdventureX, and one about the famous voice actors I met!