ADVENTURE GENRE PROGRESSION STRUCTURE
(4/8/2020)
Welcome to my research page for Adventure genre. Here you will find all the tools and guides I used as a study reference.
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First and foremost, we must understand what Adventure genre means in games medium. According to https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AdventureGame, adventure games are characterised as having elements such as puzzle-solving, exploration, narrative or even sometimes action or combat.
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A big misconception about Adventure games is that they contain action or combat, this is mostly due to the fact that adventure genre in movies are action focused and have some form of combat in them.
Adventure games are slow paced games that emphasis on story, exploration, suspense, dialogue and puzzle-solving, leading to some criticism of the use of the word "adventure".
EXAMPLE 1: GRIM FANDAGO
One of the most beloved spanish culture inspired adventure game.
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In Grim Fandago, you play as Manny Calavera the main protagonist of the game. Stuck in an 'afterlife insurance' job with low sales, you figure out what is happening around you as you walk round interacting with other characters.
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A basic gameplay loop would look something like this:
1. Something happened.
2. You walk around figuring out what it is.
3. You interact with other characters and objects to see if they could be used to solve a problem.
4. After solving a 'puzzle', progress to next scene.
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The very first scene of the game lets the players know that the game is slow paced and heavily story driven. Player are immediately brought to the game without any instructions or guides. The game emphasises on the players exploration as well as the way they think.
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Players go through multiple parts of stories that explain the entire plot. Plot twists are common in this game.
Puzzle solving is a huge part of the core gameplay
EXAMPLE 2: THE WOLF AMONG US
An award winning crime/adventure game made by Telltale Games.
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In The Wolf Among Us, you play as Bigby Wolf the main protagonist of the game. The player goes through the story while making tough choices throughout the game. In most cases the choices made can highly affect the outcome of the game.
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A basic gameplay loop would look something like this:
1. Interaction with other characters.
2. Cutscenes.
3. Make choices.
4. Get result based on choices made.
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The very first scene of the game lets the players know that the game is decision based and heavily story driven. Every decision matters and the outcome of the story is entirely up to the player.
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Plot twists are common in this game.
The core mechanic of the game is decision making.
Players solve crime scenes by exploring the surrounding and interacting with objects and other characters.
CONCLUSION
Although both games fall under the same genre (Adventure). They both play differently but the end game result is the same. Both games require players to go through the story and understand the narrative. Both games share similar elements such as plot-twists, mystery and relationships.