My Adventure Game Top Ten of 2025

My top 10 of 2025!

Here are my top ten adventure games of 2025. This list is based on my personal enjoyment of all 28 games I've played this year - not all point 'n clicks, but one and all great narrative experiences! We had a crazy year and it's actually impossible to make a ranking like this, because all these games are SO good in their own field, it really just comes down to how much fun I had playing them. So even the lower ones are still top notch!

10. Slender Threads

The nightmarish journey in Slender Threads isn’t for the faint of heart, but those with a morbid sense of humor will love the fun of unraveling the delightfully quirky goings-on in the strange town of Villa Ventana. 

9. Rosewater

Its obstacles may not put up much of a fight, but Rosewater’s sharpshooting lies with its wonderful production value and freedom of choice in this character-driven Western, earning itself a big “Yeehaw!” for fun and replayability.

8. The End of The Sun

Exploring the magnificent mythological world of The End of the Sun rivals any vacation you could ever take deep into Central Europe yourself, especially when travelling through time to uncover the Slavic valley dwellers’ intimate personal stories.

7. Blue Prince

The immense puzzle game that is Blue Prince is so multi-layered, it keeps you busy for well over 100 hours as almost every detail matters in one way or another. You're in the position to inherit a huge mansion, but its rooms change daily and puzzling your way to the grand prize is no easy feat! I still haven't "really" finished it, and I'll probably never will...

6. Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer

Our hopes for a wonderful sequel have come true, as Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer balances a great dialogue-based serial killer mystery with entertaining puzzles in another sublime point-and-click pixel art adventure game. 

5. The Drifter

The Drifter is an action thriller with supernatural elements, and the game does an excellent job to translate that into an interactive experience, where we put in a sense of urgency which makes the game feel extremely fast-paced. 

4. Dispatch

Dispatch is an interactive animated superhero series filled with dialogue choices and mission management. You play as Robert Robertson, former superhero Mecha Man, who gets recruited by the Superhero Dispatch Network, where he becomes the man in the chair.

3. The Séance Of Blake Manor

The Séance of Blake Manor is one big investigation game where you have to make deductions and decisions and choose how to spend your time. The initial nervousness quickly made place for elation and the accompanying adrenaline rush, causing the search for a missing young woman in supernatural circumstances to become quite addictive.

2. Foolish Mortals

Foolish Mortals  is going to be right up there with old classics. It features beautiful artwork filled with small animations, excellent voice-overs and straightforward inventory puzzles. The story is very engaging, with lots of characters and great dialogue combining background information with clues to the puzzles.

1. Old Skies 

If you are a fan of Wadjet Eye Games, your zeal will be transformed into divine adoration after playing Old Skies. This is just instant classic to me, and it should be instant buy for anyone who's serious about playing adventure games. It doesn't feel like a game; it feels like a work of art. It's entertainment of a whole other level.

I finished "Old Skies" and yes... this is instant classic to me!

Sadly I had a different view when I visited Washington Square Park...

If you are a fan of Wadjet Eye Games, your zeal will be transformed into divine adoration after playing Old Skies. I reached the end in 15 hours!

Since last time, I finished chapter 4, which was basically an example of the proverb while two dogs fight over a bone, a third runs away with it. It was a very fun chapter, almost to the silly side.

"Old Skies" took me on a rollercoaster ride, alright!

Next came chapter 5. Oh man, this one brings back memories. Real life memories. It takes place right before (and after) an event a couple of decades ago of which I still remember where I was at the time (and always will; it was Disneyland in Paris). This case is a corporate conspiracy story. I felt some John Grisham vibes there. And just like with chapter 1, I had to make a very difficult decision. Which doesn't really affect the outcome, but it's more of a moral decision you carry with you. That's a very strange feeling, especially for people used to more straightforward games with obvious causes and consequences.

Chilling on the beach...

Then finally it was onto chapter 6, the last chapter. For some reason this chapter makes me think of Stephen King. Both him as a person, as well as his novel 11.22.63. And yet again Dave Gilbert succeeds in introducing a new gameplay aspect: yes, even in a time-travel story, you have to race against time once in a while.

Credit where credit is due! These people are artists indeed!

Wow. What an experience. There are many games from the 80s and 90s I've replayed often. I never really felt that urge with modern titles, moreso because there are way many more games to play these days, there's always a backlog, new titles coming out. But Old Skies? I have a feeling that's one I'll return to as well. This is just instant classic to me, and it should be instant buy for anyone who's serious about playing adventure games.

You can find Old Skies here.

I'm 10 hours into "Old Skies" and the game isn't afraid to mix drama with comedy!

This subject definitely has a peacock attitude

Chapter three of Old Skies brought me to August 18, 1923. A museum curator wanted to verify whether a favorite painting of hers was indeed painted by this famous painter. Color me impressed with the artwork that went into creating these in-game canvases!

Ah, young love...

Of course some more things went wrong, I got caught up in a type of Bonnie & Clyde scenario, and witnessed a twist in the story I definitely didn't see coming! Let's just say Old Skies isn't just a series of standalone time-travel missions... There's an overarching story as well, because... you know, butterfly effect and all that...

From the distant past to the... not so distant past...

I'm currently into chapter 4, in which two people are vying for control of a company. There's a change in tone in this chapter, and it seems to aim to tickle your funny bone after a more dramatic halfway-point event. It's another take on the time-loop gameplay, but at least here you're not repeating the same tasks over and over again. Instead, you take on more of a stealth role...

The further I get in this game, the harder it becomes to remain spoiler-free. Hence the shorter post this time! Rest assured, this is a story you really want to discover for yourself!

You can find Old Skies here!

I'm 5 hours into "Old Skies" and time is getting loopy!

Back to the Future taught me this headline will probably change...

I'm five hours into Old Skies by Wadjet Eye Games and I've just finished chapter 2!

You won't collect many inventory items in Old Skies!

After catching up with the guy that went awol in chapter 1, I returned to the present to prepare myself for the next assignment. This time, a famous boxer wants to travel back in time to the guy who inspired her, to ask him a question. That sounded simple enough, but it turned out to be anything but.

A cozy night to prepare for the big fight!

So we traveled to the year 1871. First of all we had to track him down, then he turned out to be a completely different person than we'd anticipated. Very different. So different, in fact, we had to activate an emergency protocol, rewinding time for a short period so I could try something again. But rest assured, these are short scenes and not as annoying as other time-looping games where they have you replay entire sections over and over again. I really don't like playing those, and I can honestly say I never once felt like I wasn't having fun with Old Skies!

These close-up scenes are really gorgeous!

These scenes are actually part of the fun. They are very well written, and Fia's personality really comes to the fore in these extreme situations. They are also part of the puzzles, and usually come down to discovering the right information, which you can then use in the correct dialogue options. It takes some figuring out, and even some time-hopping between two different dates, but it all happens with the right amount of humor and doing so gives a great feeling of accomplishment.

New York museums have always astounded me...

So after a lot of unexpected stuff went down in 1871, I returned back to the present, where I was put on a third assignment which took me to the art gallery. The curator wants to find out if an anonymous painting truly belongs to this famous painter in the 1920's. Yet another era to visit, no doubt with its own challenges!

You can find Old Skies here!

New Game: "Old Skies" playthrough!

New game!

I've started playing the new Wadjet Eye game, Old Skies, and I'm one hour into it!

Got any Belgian beers in this place?

My name is Fia Quinn. I work for a company called Chronozen, which works as a kind of travel agency, only across time instead of across the geographical world. It's my job to accompany travelers and keep them (and the time they're traveling to) safe. Think of me as some kind of Time Police. Of course, this wouldn't be much of an adventure game if things didn't go wrong!

Weeeeeeee!!!!!

After one hour of gameplay, I'm still on my first mission. This dying man - a pretty famous inventor, as well - wanted to go eat at the burger joint of his college days one last time, but then tricks everyone and vamooses for some kind of covert, personal mission he didn't tell us about. So I need to track him down, the slippery git...

A real restaurant would cram THREE tables in that spot...

Old Skies doesn't feel like a game; it feels like a work of art. It's entertainment of a whole other level. Its graphical style doesn't look anything like other Wadjet Eye games. There's a constant jazzy, bluesy soundtrack that's just waiting for the game equivalent of an Oscar nomination. Fia is voiced by the incomparable Sally Beaumont, who also worked as a writer on this story.

Always love search engines in games!

The puzzles feel very much like those in the Blackwell series. It's mostly figuring things out and progressing the story than actually "solving" puzzles, combining items, etc. You talk to people, you look up things in Chronozen's archive system and even on a regular computer if they happen to exist in the time you've traveled to. The first real puzzle in the game is figuring out the combination of a door lock. The story progresses at a natural pace through dialogue and cutscenes, and I'm basically loving this type of gameplay. I'm playing, but it doesn't feel like I'm playing. I'm experiencing, and so far I haven't cursed getting stuck on some obtuse puzzle obstacle or other. Simply put, I'm enjoying the heck out of this game, and I'm having a great time with it!

The map or travel screen, always era-appropriate.

And no, I'm not just saying that because Dave Gilbert honored me with the chance to test it before release. I gave him plenty of feedback of things I thought could be better ;)

You can find Old Skies here!

2025 Adventure Game Anticipation!

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!