It’s finally happening: AdventureX is returning to The British Library this November, and you better believe the exhibitor lineup is overflowing with goodness! Oh, and in case you didn’t get a ticket, more will be available from the British Library closer to the event (just like last time). Better believe I’m more than a little excited about it all, so… let’s take a look at those that made the cut.
Oh, right: AdventureX 2022 will be taking place on November 5th and 6th at The British Library. Hmm… I believe that’s all? Yeah, that’s all. Onto the games!
Rosewater
A point-and-click western set in an alternate reality where an experimental new fuel has led to both riches and tragedy for its creator. Rosewater’s Harley Leger is supposed to be reporting on the daring exploits of frontier legend Gentleman Jake, when he draws her into a perilous adventure.
Loco Motive
Pleasingly nostalgic, with a memorable cast of characters and beautiful animation, Loco Motive evokes an atmosphere of luxury, danger and mystery. Explore the train and try to get to the bottom of a terrible murder.
BACKFIREWALL_
BACKFIREWALL_ is a quirky, tragicomic adventure set inside your smartphone. Solve puzzles, meet the doomed denizens of the phone and save operating system OS9 from deletion by preventing an update from being installed.
Cryptmaster
Cryptmaster is a gloriously over-the-top dungeon adventure full of playful and well-executed ideas. Defeat enemies by typing your attacks, solve word games to gain new powers, and even bluff your way around a floating eyeball.
Homunculus Hotel
Enter a hotel with a unique twist: each room is capable of showing the dreams of the guest within. Hard-hitting stories about the residents’ struggles, about life and how we survive it, are presented in the form of a beautifully realised visual novel.
Card Shark
Evocative animation and music transport you to 18th century France in Card Shark. Join the Comte de Saint Germain on a mission to become rich by cheating in card games. Learn card magic techniques and get one over on historical figures like Voltaire.
Albert Wilde: Quantum P.I.
In this delightfully absurd point-and-click adventure, play as a down on his luck private investigator and anthropomorphic feline Albert Wilde. With strong characterisation and a distinctive aesthetic, Quantum P.I. offers a grainy monochrome world you will want to explore.
Arctic Awakening
You have survived the plane crash, and now you must explore a harsh, frozen landscape with your AI drone companion “Alfie”. Arctic Awakening boasts impressive voice acting and a near-future setting that feels very real.
Devotionalia
Pay obeisance to a distant, possibly dead god. As the priest of a cult, prepare for the ritual and shape the world around you through your choices. Devotionalia is an interactive fiction that offers evocative writing and remarkable worldbuilding.
Sonority
Esther travels to a lost land where humans and animals lived in harmony, seeking the melody that can save her bear friend Batama. Sonority takes the player to a world of crumbling ruins, where challenging puzzles must be solved using musical notes.
Mothmen 1966
Mothmen 1966 is a “Pixel Pulp” visual novel, with an unmistakable and eerie EGA colour palette. Cryptic and cryptozoological, this Lynchian mystery tells an intriguing and original tale of North America’s legendary mothmen.
The Forest Quartet
You are Nina, the ghost of a jazz musician, exploring the psyches of her former band members. Use your voice to right what is wrong in these strange forests. Drive away the fog and fill your friends with hope in this immersive puzzler.
The Wreck
Junon is a writer faced with an impossible choice after her mother has an aneurysm. Avoiding the decision, she retreats into her memories, stylishly presented with richly saturated visuals, witty dialogue choices and a neat “rewind” feature for exploring the protagonist’s past.
Westmark Legacy
Westmark Legacy is a deceptively simple Lovecraftian card-battler. This text-driven, turn-taking RPG offers funny and engaging writing, challenging gameplay and an appealingly grisly, Gothic atmosphere.
Arcadia Fallen
Create your own character and define your personality in this quick-to-learn potion-mixing visual novel. As an apprentice alchemist, fight a war between humanity and magic and make choices that will impact on your relationships with a broad cast of characters in the fantasy world of Arcadia Fallen.
PRIM
PRIM is a charming point-and-click adventure game about Death’s daughter, who dreams that a boy from the Land of the Living is calling to her for help. Prim’s story features polished Burton-esque animation, funny characters, great voice acting and inventive puzzles.
Casebook 1899 – The Leipzig Murders
The historical setting of Casebook 1899 feels particularly authentic, and will appeal to fans of classic whodunits. Interview witnesses, gather clues and make connections in your casebook as you investigate The Leipzig Murders.
We’ll always have Paris
We’ll always have Paris is a short, moving narrative about dementia. With its minimalist art style, the game invites you to piece together information about the lives and history of a married couple. Strong writing leads the player through a powerful series of realisations.
Midnight Girl
Midnight Girl is an extremely stylish heist game set in Paris. The gorgeous vector artwork creates a charming, relaxing atmosphere and the gameplay is a smooth blend of puzzles and highly accessible stealth challenges.
Chronique des Silencieux
Chronique des Silencieux is an isometric, comic-book style detective adventure set in 1970s France. With a focus on Holmesian puzzle-solving, the interface allows the player to recap dialogue, gather documents and evidence, and challenges them to find connections – or contradictions.
Ghost on the Shore
An intriguing exploration of an abandoned island, accompanied by a headstrong ghost. Ghost on the Shore is compelling, with superb music and interesting locations – but the heart of the game is your developing relationship with your invisible companion.
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