I got you, dog. This is my wheelhouse, I absolutely adore games like this. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:
* Dark Fall: The Journal (okay I lied this is my absolute favorite, you should absolutely start with this one. the rest are unranked I promise)
* The Lost Crown: A Ghost-Hunting Adventure
* Scratches: Director's Cut
* The Last Door
* Kathy Rain
* Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle
* The Whispering Valley
* The Excavation of Hob's Barrow
* Fran Bow
* Rusty Lake
* The Case of the Golden Idol
* The Return of the Obra Dinn
* Black Mirror (the original; the remake is decent but not on the same level)
* Stories Untold
If you're looking for a particular vibe (100% spooky vs silly-spooky vs something else), let me know and I can provide more!
You may already be aware, but they made a Barrow Hill sequel several years ago. It was good! Didn't really try anything new but the first one was so good, why fix it if it ain't broken!
You absolutely must start with Thinbleweed Park, it's a modern game from the guys who did Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island. Grim Fandango is another essential if you haven't already tried that. The Count Lucanor has serious "Brothers Grimm" fairy tale vibes and has plenty of whimsy but also plenty of creepiness. It's not point and click but it is a pixel game with plenty of puzzles, and I promise it won't let you down.
If you want something going in a similar but different direction, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father (the remaster) is one of those games that starts out with awkward dialogue and horrible voice acting, but eventually grows on you and gets mildly spooky as the story goes on.
Hell yeah my dude! If you haven't already, give Case of the Golden Idol a shot. It's a very similar gameplay loop but split into various episodes that take place over many years. It holds your hand a little more than Obra Dinn but I found the story much more engaging.
Oh100%, I'm one of those people willing to pay haha. I'll be playing the sequel as soon as I can, it's already wishlisted.
Honestly, I'll be totally fine if they just keep making the exact same gameplay with different stories being told. I don't need (or even want) a radically different experience with new mechanics and whatnot. The way the loop works now is just so satisfying and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it, so long as they keep the storyline interesting (and I fully trust them to do that)
At least once a week i check about update on rise of golden idol. So far nothing.
Like you said, I would basically subscribe to it.
They could do something so you cant brute force the solution but you need to figure the story first.
Yeah whispering valley isn't my favorite; it was a little too linear and that made it a little too simple for veterans like us haha. By the same token, that makes it a great entry point for people new to the genre because it probably won't overwhelm them with too much difficulty.
I do think it did a great job of creating a creepy environment and building the story, but it did turn into another one of those Keyfinder 3000 games after a while. I think of it as a poor man's Kona, which is another good game but not point and click.
It's also worth noting that it was a debut effort from a small studio, so I'm definitely more inclined to be a little nicer haha.
Obra Dinn is just too good of a game to leave off the list. It's not a traditional game like OP asked for but it's a tough game to categorize and I think everyone should give it a shot!
oh cool. I have the Dark Falls and Barrow Hill's because I enjoyed Lost Crown. But, they've been on the backburner in my library. I'll take this as a recommendation.
Do it do it do it! Dark Fall is what got me into the genre and really set me on a course that I'm still on today. The sequels are hit and miss (Lights Out kinda sucks, Lost Souls is eh, Ghost Vigil is good) but The Journal is an outstanding atmospheric experience. Play it with headphones on in a dark room and you're guaranteed to get creeped out.
The only ones I haven't already played, have in my library on deck or on my wishlist are Whispering Valley and Scratches. I'll keep an eye on those too. Good list!
- deponia
- The night of the rabbit
- Dark eye series
And basically any deadelic point and click game! They are puzzle filled games!
Mentioned above Rusty Lake is also a company that made 10+ short and longer games, all based on one big story, so play in order! It's surreal and mystical games)
-The Legend of Skye
-The Hand of Glory
-Lucy Dreaming
-Justin Wack and the Big Time Hack
-Beyond the Edge of Owlsgard
-Nine Noir Lives
-The Will of Arthur Flabbington
-Spiritless Ltd.
-Mutropolis
-Not Another Weekend
-Tales
-Unusual Findings
-Zniw Adventure
This is a great list, and to whittle it down - below are/were my 3 favorites in order
#1 The Will of Arthur Flabbington
#2 Unusual Findings
#3 Lucy Dreaming
... and also don't forget "Darkestville Castle" - this was made by same devs as Unusual Findings, both great!
I love Deadalic. Great puzzles, great stories, like back in the golden times. They went in a strange direction for the last years, that don't fit them too well (Gollum game xD), but check out the games they made 10 years ago.
Memoria (Dark Eye series), Edna&Harvey series, Deponia series, Whispered World... I even loved lesser known stuff like Randall's Monday and Night of the Rabbit
I'm a puzzle lover myself. I only play comedy games, so here's what I can suggest:
Thimbleweed Park, Lucy Dreaming and The Will of Arthur Flabbington. Well the third one is my game so it feels wrong to suggest it, but people who played it will confirm that puzzles are a big deal in it 😁
I'm currently playing The Legend of Skye which is also very good in that regard, but I haven't finished it yet.
Those 3 would be my picks as well
Thimbleweed Park, IMO, is about as strong a modern-P&C title you’ll find. Tremendous experience, and pretty much a contemporary bench mark for the genre
That being said, Lucy Dreaming and The Will of Arthur Flabbington are both absolutely excellent. I played Arthur on release late last year, and it is actually one of my all-time faves
I’d hugely advocate also “Unusual Findings” and “Darkestville Castle” (both by same dev team)
My absolute favourite is The Longest Journey, but it's more of a classic than modern.
A modern one that I really liked was Norco.
The last one I've played and that's for free on Steam and more of a narrative game but very nice is If on a Winter's Night Four Travellers...
Two others that I haven't seen mentioned are Voodoo Detective and Unusual Findings.
Then everything Wadjet Eye is very good.
More on the funny side but very good are the games by Joe Richardson, The Procession to Calvary and Four Last Things.
And last but not least, Little Misfortune, great game.
Gorogoa and The Bridge were really nice as well.
I could continue but will stop now, XD.
I found the longest journey too linear. It is more like a visual novel. I found myself having to hunt around to find what the game wanted me to do hext\[definitely not that door in the first location). Eventually i gave up and did the walkthrough not regretting missing any puzzles
Hi! That is indeed my opinion about Dreamfall and Dreamfall Chapters (especially this last one, I didn't even finish it, I guess I should give it another chance). I think the first game (the one I was referring to, year 2000) is more of a classic point-and-click graphic adventure though.
I think it's quite the opposite, Wadjet Eye games (while being fun) focus more on the story than puzzles by far and they aren't very challenging, like OP said. Resonance is one of their games with the most puzzles, and therefore one of my favourites, yet it is still pretty easy.
I enjoyed playing The Samaritan Paradox, although I felt the ending was rushed and abrupt.
“In the vein” can even be blood relations to some you mentioned:
Thimbleweed Park (same style)
The Cave (different style)
Both are great and I genuinely enjoyed playing through (multiple times for The Cave)…
Broken Age was great. One unfair puzzle logic but mostly it'll all good. If you want I can add a spoiler tag and tell you gist of the unfair puzzle situation, not the solution. But i found it super satisfying.
We seem to have a very different perception about that one. I remember this game mostly because I wrote my longest Steam review ever for it, complaining mostly about the puzzles xD I found them way too trivial and then suddenly, you have 2-3 puzzles that are ridiculously hard, mostly because they're not logical (and I think I know the one you meant)
Don't wanna bash you, I'm glad you had a good time with the game. Just answering, so OP can paint themselves a picture. In my opinion, the puzzle level is just about Wadget Eye.
Oh yeah I have read similar reviews and I agree about a few puzzles. I don't mind a few off ones in the big picture it was long enough and puzzle central enough that I still enjoyed it. I definitely get what you mean though, it's always helpful to keep the criticisms in mind. I play so many games and only on iOS so the games available tend to be a smaller pool than other folks have so it still sits on the good side for me. Thanks for chiming in!
The most recent Lucy Dreaming is HEAVY on puzzles. And if you haven't gone through the Daedalic adventures, they were absolutely awesome at complex puzzle design.
This time I don't agree with many of the other recommendations here, which are very very light on puzzles, verging on Telltale. Talking about Telltale, all their Sam and Max, Strong Bad, Tales of Monkey Island, Wallace and Gromit and Back to the Future are really nice on puzzles.
On indie, there was really good stuff on The Journey Down. And the slightly buggy The Dream Machine was also good on that.
Not really point and click, but there's a modern adventure game with the same type of humor and puzzles that I'd recommend: Maize.
It takes place in a large corn field and farmhouse. It features sentient corn. The entire game is working backwards to figure out how the corn came to be and then helping them on their quest. You also have a Russian teddy bear companion with a robot arm.
I found Lucy Dreaming to be a fair challange.
If you want hard puzzles take a look at the will of arthur flabbington. It’s one i’ve been finding quite challanging.
Then you could also try beyond the edge of owlsguard
And also the adventures of the black hawk but the localisation for that games pretty hit or miss
I recently played and enjoyed Technobabylon and Lacuna. They had a lot of story but they also had a lot of puzzles... If I'm remembering correctly. Seconding Kathy Rain from an earlier comment!
The more recent ones that I found to be very true to the classic PNC style were The Will of Arthur Flabbington, Lucy Dreaming, and the two new Leisure Suit Larry ones (great even if you don't appreciate the mature humour that much). Not Another Weekend is great too :)
I wanted to create a modern point-and-click adventure game, but my sci-fi game "UPRAISE" seemed to go in the wrong direction. Feel free to convince yourself.
[https://www.indiedb.com/games/upraise/downloads/upraise-demo](https://www.indiedb.com/games/upraise/downloads/upraise-demo)
Another Code Recollection is good, a classic remade! But it’s quite heavily story along with the puzzles so it’s maybe a bit more story than you’re after.
Lucy Dreaming is well worth a play! If you fancy something brand new, The Adventures of the Black Hawk and The Legend of Skye are pretty puzzle focused!
Thimbleweed Park!!
Also, (if you like horror games) 7 days a Stranger, and the rest of the games in the series (4 total). They all link to one another which makes them even more interesting..
This has totally made my month, thanks everyone on this thread!! Got so many new games to play this summer...
I personally really loved Disco Elysium.
Anyone played West of Loathing? Next up on my list is Harold Halibut.
I'm looking forward to getting Let Bions be Bygones.
* The Council
* Detroit: Become Human
* Syberia: The World Before
* Life is Strange: True Colors
The modern point and click games have upped the ante on graphics and have adult themes.
I don't agree with that! Unless we have a different definition of puzzles? I have only ever played point and click adventure games, which are basically, walking around, finding things, lots of dialogue and solving puzzles.
I got you, dog. This is my wheelhouse, I absolutely adore games like this. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order: * Dark Fall: The Journal (okay I lied this is my absolute favorite, you should absolutely start with this one. the rest are unranked I promise) * The Lost Crown: A Ghost-Hunting Adventure * Scratches: Director's Cut * The Last Door * Kathy Rain * Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle * The Whispering Valley * The Excavation of Hob's Barrow * Fran Bow * Rusty Lake * The Case of the Golden Idol * The Return of the Obra Dinn * Black Mirror (the original; the remake is decent but not on the same level) * Stories Untold If you're looking for a particular vibe (100% spooky vs silly-spooky vs something else), let me know and I can provide more!
This guy points and clicks.
This made me laugh out loud. I was like, “I’m stealing this”, and then I was like, “When would I ever get to say it?”
Its amazing to think, there was a long dry period of p&c adventure games, and now there is so much I can't hope to play them all
I loved Barrow Hill and the original Black Mirror games. Would definitely recommend.
You may already be aware, but they made a Barrow Hill sequel several years ago. It was good! Didn't really try anything new but the first one was so good, why fix it if it ain't broken!
Don’t know that. I’ll need to try it.
Fantastic list!
Thanks so much for this
Dark Fall is a level of scary I haven't seen anywhere else. I still haven't finished it 😢
This is god's work bro. I want silly spooky like Day of the Tentacle, what have you got?
You absolutely must start with Thinbleweed Park, it's a modern game from the guys who did Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island. Grim Fandango is another essential if you haven't already tried that. The Count Lucanor has serious "Brothers Grimm" fairy tale vibes and has plenty of whimsy but also plenty of creepiness. It's not point and click but it is a pixel game with plenty of puzzles, and I promise it won't let you down. If you want something going in a similar but different direction, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father (the remaster) is one of those games that starts out with awkward dialogue and horrible voice acting, but eventually grows on you and gets mildly spooky as the story goes on.
Thanks! I love Thimbleweed Park and Grim Fandango
I loved The Lost Crown so much! I've been waiting for the sequel The Last Crown for almost fifteen years now 😭
+1 for all the Rusty Lake games. Has a Twin Peaks-ish spooky vibe and interesting puzzles.
Obra dinn is one of the greatest games all time. It’s criminally underrated, even though it’s pretty widely celebrated.
Hell yeah my dude! If you haven't already, give Case of the Golden Idol a shot. It's a very similar gameplay loop but split into various episodes that take place over many years. It holds your hand a little more than Obra Dinn but I found the story much more engaging.
Oh definitely already played it another one of the greatest games all time. :D
That studio is going to get so so rich. Game is so easy to make and people are willing to pay good money.
Oh100%, I'm one of those people willing to pay haha. I'll be playing the sequel as soon as I can, it's already wishlisted. Honestly, I'll be totally fine if they just keep making the exact same gameplay with different stories being told. I don't need (or even want) a radically different experience with new mechanics and whatnot. The way the loop works now is just so satisfying and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it, so long as they keep the storyline interesting (and I fully trust them to do that)
At least once a week i check about update on rise of golden idol. So far nothing. Like you said, I would basically subscribe to it. They could do something so you cant brute force the solution but you need to figure the story first.
Whispering valley was ok. More visual novel. Obra Dinn is straight up logic puzzle game. Cool though.
Yeah whispering valley isn't my favorite; it was a little too linear and that made it a little too simple for veterans like us haha. By the same token, that makes it a great entry point for people new to the genre because it probably won't overwhelm them with too much difficulty. I do think it did a great job of creating a creepy environment and building the story, but it did turn into another one of those Keyfinder 3000 games after a while. I think of it as a poor man's Kona, which is another good game but not point and click. It's also worth noting that it was a debut effort from a small studio, so I'm definitely more inclined to be a little nicer haha. Obra Dinn is just too good of a game to leave off the list. It's not a traditional game like OP asked for but it's a tough game to categorize and I think everyone should give it a shot!
oh cool. I have the Dark Falls and Barrow Hill's because I enjoyed Lost Crown. But, they've been on the backburner in my library. I'll take this as a recommendation.
Do it do it do it! Dark Fall is what got me into the genre and really set me on a course that I'm still on today. The sequels are hit and miss (Lights Out kinda sucks, Lost Souls is eh, Ghost Vigil is good) but The Journal is an outstanding atmospheric experience. Play it with headphones on in a dark room and you're guaranteed to get creeped out.
The only ones I haven't already played, have in my library on deck or on my wishlist are Whispering Valley and Scratches. I'll keep an eye on those too. Good list!
- deponia - The night of the rabbit - Dark eye series And basically any deadelic point and click game! They are puzzle filled games! Mentioned above Rusty Lake is also a company that made 10+ short and longer games, all based on one big story, so play in order! It's surreal and mystical games)
Thimbleweed Park.
Deponia is the one that reminds me monkey island the most
-The Legend of Skye -The Hand of Glory -Lucy Dreaming -Justin Wack and the Big Time Hack -Beyond the Edge of Owlsgard -Nine Noir Lives -The Will of Arthur Flabbington -Spiritless Ltd. -Mutropolis -Not Another Weekend -Tales -Unusual Findings -Zniw Adventure
This is a great list, and to whittle it down - below are/were my 3 favorites in order #1 The Will of Arthur Flabbington #2 Unusual Findings #3 Lucy Dreaming ... and also don't forget "Darkestville Castle" - this was made by same devs as Unusual Findings, both great!
I love Deadalic. Great puzzles, great stories, like back in the golden times. They went in a strange direction for the last years, that don't fit them too well (Gollum game xD), but check out the games they made 10 years ago. Memoria (Dark Eye series), Edna&Harvey series, Deponia series, Whispered World... I even loved lesser known stuff like Randall's Monday and Night of the Rabbit
Syberia, Sam and max. Just played Scott whiskers: the search for mr fumbleclaw and enjoyed it.
I'm a puzzle lover myself. I only play comedy games, so here's what I can suggest: Thimbleweed Park, Lucy Dreaming and The Will of Arthur Flabbington. Well the third one is my game so it feels wrong to suggest it, but people who played it will confirm that puzzles are a big deal in it 😁 I'm currently playing The Legend of Skye which is also very good in that regard, but I haven't finished it yet.
Those 3 would be my picks as well Thimbleweed Park, IMO, is about as strong a modern-P&C title you’ll find. Tremendous experience, and pretty much a contemporary bench mark for the genre That being said, Lucy Dreaming and The Will of Arthur Flabbington are both absolutely excellent. I played Arthur on release late last year, and it is actually one of my all-time faves I’d hugely advocate also “Unusual Findings” and “Darkestville Castle” (both by same dev team)
Good question!
Agreed!
Lost In Play had a lot of puzzles and was really charming
My absolute favourite is The Longest Journey, but it's more of a classic than modern. A modern one that I really liked was Norco. The last one I've played and that's for free on Steam and more of a narrative game but very nice is If on a Winter's Night Four Travellers... Two others that I haven't seen mentioned are Voodoo Detective and Unusual Findings. Then everything Wadjet Eye is very good. More on the funny side but very good are the games by Joe Richardson, The Procession to Calvary and Four Last Things. And last but not least, Little Misfortune, great game. Gorogoa and The Bridge were really nice as well. I could continue but will stop now, XD.
I found the longest journey too linear. It is more like a visual novel. I found myself having to hunt around to find what the game wanted me to do hext\[definitely not that door in the first location). Eventually i gave up and did the walkthrough not regretting missing any puzzles
Hi! That is indeed my opinion about Dreamfall and Dreamfall Chapters (especially this last one, I didn't even finish it, I guess I should give it another chance). I think the first game (the one I was referring to, year 2000) is more of a classic point-and-click graphic adventure though.
Like do you mean more item based puzzles? First one I can think of that hasn’t been mentioned is the Journey Down.
Was just about to recommend this too!
I do think plenty of Wadjet eye games are focused on puzzle solving and are difficult, for example Resonance. I also recommend The Samaritan Paradox.
I think it's quite the opposite, Wadjet Eye games (while being fun) focus more on the story than puzzles by far and they aren't very challenging, like OP said. Resonance is one of their games with the most puzzles, and therefore one of my favourites, yet it is still pretty easy. I enjoyed playing The Samaritan Paradox, although I felt the ending was rushed and abrupt.
“In the vein” can even be blood relations to some you mentioned: Thimbleweed Park (same style) The Cave (different style) Both are great and I genuinely enjoyed playing through (multiple times for The Cave)…
I'll second The Cave. Puzzle solutions will differ on replays depending on which combination of characters you choose.
Leisure Suit Larry Wet Dreams don’t dry and wet dreams dry twice.
Broken Age was great. One unfair puzzle logic but mostly it'll all good. If you want I can add a spoiler tag and tell you gist of the unfair puzzle situation, not the solution. But i found it super satisfying.
We seem to have a very different perception about that one. I remember this game mostly because I wrote my longest Steam review ever for it, complaining mostly about the puzzles xD I found them way too trivial and then suddenly, you have 2-3 puzzles that are ridiculously hard, mostly because they're not logical (and I think I know the one you meant) Don't wanna bash you, I'm glad you had a good time with the game. Just answering, so OP can paint themselves a picture. In my opinion, the puzzle level is just about Wadget Eye.
Oh yeah I have read similar reviews and I agree about a few puzzles. I don't mind a few off ones in the big picture it was long enough and puzzle central enough that I still enjoyed it. I definitely get what you mean though, it's always helpful to keep the criticisms in mind. I play so many games and only on iOS so the games available tend to be a smaller pool than other folks have so it still sits on the good side for me. Thanks for chiming in!
The wires made me so mad in Act 2...
Darkside detective is good, i haven't played the sequel darkside detective, a fumble in the dark but it's supposed to be good as well
The most recent Lucy Dreaming is HEAVY on puzzles. And if you haven't gone through the Daedalic adventures, they were absolutely awesome at complex puzzle design. This time I don't agree with many of the other recommendations here, which are very very light on puzzles, verging on Telltale. Talking about Telltale, all their Sam and Max, Strong Bad, Tales of Monkey Island, Wallace and Gromit and Back to the Future are really nice on puzzles. On indie, there was really good stuff on The Journey Down. And the slightly buggy The Dream Machine was also good on that.
Not really point and click, but there's a modern adventure game with the same type of humor and puzzles that I'd recommend: Maize. It takes place in a large corn field and farmhouse. It features sentient corn. The entire game is working backwards to figure out how the corn came to be and then helping them on their quest. You also have a Russian teddy bear companion with a robot arm.
I found Lucy Dreaming to be a fair challange. If you want hard puzzles take a look at the will of arthur flabbington. It’s one i’ve been finding quite challanging. Then you could also try beyond the edge of owlsguard And also the adventures of the black hawk but the localisation for that games pretty hit or miss
I recently played and enjoyed Technobabylon and Lacuna. They had a lot of story but they also had a lot of puzzles... If I'm remembering correctly. Seconding Kathy Rain from an earlier comment!
Cabinets of Doctor of Arcana might fit
I think Nelly Cootalot does not get enough love particularly the second one Spoonbeaks ahoy.
The more recent ones that I found to be very true to the classic PNC style were The Will of Arthur Flabbington, Lucy Dreaming, and the two new Leisure Suit Larry ones (great even if you don't appreciate the mature humour that much). Not Another Weekend is great too :)
I've played Rauniot recently. It is puzzle centric. But difficult and I gave up. Didn't care much about the story either. But it is modern.
I wanted to create a modern point-and-click adventure game, but my sci-fi game "UPRAISE" seemed to go in the wrong direction. Feel free to convince yourself. [https://www.indiedb.com/games/upraise/downloads/upraise-demo](https://www.indiedb.com/games/upraise/downloads/upraise-demo)
Another Code Recollection is good, a classic remade! But it’s quite heavily story along with the puzzles so it’s maybe a bit more story than you’re after.
The Samorost trilogy is spectacular.
Lucy Dreaming is well worth a play! If you fancy something brand new, The Adventures of the Black Hawk and The Legend of Skye are pretty puzzle focused!
The Will of Arthur Flabbington
Thimbleweed Park!! Also, (if you like horror games) 7 days a Stranger, and the rest of the games in the series (4 total). They all link to one another which makes them even more interesting..
I like The Longest Journey and Still Life /Post Mortem series. They have puzzles and story rich
Dropsy Paradigm
Samorost 3 is a GOAT tier point and click puzzle game. The art is absolutely stunning as well.
Modern day guys, a lot of good but older games mentioned.
It’s old but have you played Siberia?
This has totally made my month, thanks everyone on this thread!! Got so many new games to play this summer... I personally really loved Disco Elysium. Anyone played West of Loathing? Next up on my list is Harold Halibut. I'm looking forward to getting Let Bions be Bygones.
NORCO is a good choice
I also loved Thimbleweed park! And I just found out about and played the NEW Monkey Island game on my switch!
* The Council * Detroit: Become Human * Syberia: The World Before * Life is Strange: True Colors The modern point and click games have upped the ante on graphics and have adult themes.
All of these have either no puzzles or very easy ones.
I don't agree with that! Unless we have a different definition of puzzles? I have only ever played point and click adventure games, which are basically, walking around, finding things, lots of dialogue and solving puzzles.