Pumpkin's Top Adventure Games!

:save:So turns out I accidentally deleted one of the games from my list, so the numbers have been readjusted accordingly. 15 games instead of 14, yaaay!:save:

#12 - Life is Strange
http://i.imgur.com/LIPmtI3.jpg

Platform I played on: PlayStation 3
Available platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Steam
Developer: DONTNOD Entertainment
Publisher: Square Enix
Length: 15-16 hours, 3ish hours per episode (5 episodes)

Story:
Life is Strange has you assume the role of Max Caulfield, a photography student. One day, as Max goes about business of being artistic and hating the rich girl, she witnesses a girl being shot in the bathroom. Fortunately, she discovers she has the ability to rewind time! What do with these amazing powers? Use them to rewind time to get information out of others and snoop around their rooms! Also reconnect with your old bestie you'd fallen out of touch with, try to find her missing friend, and solve the weird happenings around Arcadia Bay. Including that strange tornado heading for town in a few days.

Gameplay:
In this game you walk around as Max, talking to people and selecting dialogue options, examining odds and ends around the environments, taking pictures when you get the opportunity in a collect them all, photography edition style sidequest. ALSO you get to rewind time. You don't get to rewind it too far though so make sure you're on the ball and know when to react or you might miss things. You also get a journal to look over, text messages to read and reply to, but most of it is based on choices, examining the environment, and using your magical time powers.

http://i.imgur.com/eaPbaQG.jpg

Environment:
The game takes place in Arcadia Bay and mostly has you exploring the school, the dorm, and a few places here and there around town. You aren't able to freely go and explore but instead will be set in certain areas for certain sections of the game. Despite that, it rarely feels limiting and there's usually a good bit for you to do and explore wherever you're placed. You will be returning to previously visited areas but it doesn't feel repetitive and there will be new stuff offered when you do return so you'll have more to see.

Ambiance:
The main character suits the artsy-fartsy environment rather well. Everything from the styles of the characters and areas to the dialogue options on screen suit the artistic vibe the game has going for it. The music fits well with the not-so-cool Max and small nowhere town and it overall conveys the tone it's trying to set. The game features a lot of orange colouring which gives it a good, toned down vibe as well which allows for slowing down and appreciating the small moments, which Life is Strange seems to encourage.

http://i.imgur.com/f0ALAqi.jpg

Choices:
One of the main mechanics of the game, this is definitely one of those "your choices matter" experiences that are popular in a lot of this style of adventure game. Some choices you make will have no impact or have a small one, whereas others will carry over to the next episodes and affect how other characters feel about you and react to you. In some cases, your choices will have major impacts and you won't always be able to rewind them once their consequences become apparent. You'll also be shown stats of choices other players have made at certain major events throughout the episode once the episode is complete.

Puzzles:
There are some puzzles here and there, mostly related to using your time powers to trigger certain events. You'll also have some detectiving to do here and there, but the puzzles are not the most challenging and don't require a ton of mental work.

http://i.imgur.com/daIQGQ4.jpg

Cons:
-Some plot points feel very contrived
-A lot of unlikeable characters
-The slang they use feels forced and outdated a lot of the time
-Fluctuates between really good moments and really dull and uninteresting moments

Pros:
-Some interesting side characters
-Some very powerful and emotional moments
-Fun and interesting to explore
-Fun picture taking mini sidequest
-Call backs to choices previously made, even some of the less important ones

Overall:
I did enjoy Life is Strange. It felt almost like playing one of those old coming of age books or movies and there was just something surreal yet nostalgic about it. There were some very powerful emotions and episode 5 was personally my favourite section of the game. The choice system was fun and overall well implemented and the visual and musical style of the game really fit the story and characters. On the other hand, I found the main two characters very unlikeable, which made it harder to relate to them and get the full impact of some later plot points and decisions. It could also be rather cringeworthy at times and some plot points felt very much like ass-pulls that came out of nowhere. Overall though, it's cheap like most of the games on this list and I would recommend checking it out if it seems like your type of game.

Verdict:
Shake it like a Polaroid picture

http://i.imgur.com/vqQy3po.jpg

#11 - Flower
http://i.imgur.com/BJqlpBt.jpg

Platform I played on: PlayStation 3
Available platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita
Developer: Thatgamecompany
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Length: 4 hours

Story:
Flower's story is pretty minimalist, leaving a lot up to your imagination. You control a gust of wind/single flower petal at the start of each "level" as you move around the area collecting yet more flower petals. A bigger plot comes in to play later on as you try and restore the natural beauty of the world with your flower petals and gust of wind, but even there a lot of it is left up to you to interpret.

Gamplay:
As stated, you start each level with one flower petal and you control the wind via controller tilting. You can also speed up your wind by pressing pretty much any button and your goal is to collect flower petals throughout the level before advancing to the next. The difficulty slowly ramps up as you go from areas where nothing can harm you to areas where stuff very much can, but even so you'll never "die" or see a game over screen.

http://i.imgur.com/Pq7h5XN.jpg

Environment:
Flower has beautiful levels that naturally evolve as you progress through the game. There's also a good deal of variance between the levels, going from wide open daytime fields to nighttime to a more residential area. You'll also find some different flowers in each level. Flower does a good job at not letting things feel dull and repetitive despite the fact that your goal is almost the same in most levels.

Ambiance:
Flower is great at this. There's a sense of progression and wonder throughout the game, and later levels instill reluctance and fear, as well as achievement and purpose. Everything from the sounds to the visuals work together to tell a narrative without use of dialogues or text. The fact that Flower can convey everything it tries to and possibly even more without using a single word is very impressive.

http://i.imgur.com/mybJ0pV.jpg

Choices:
There are no in-game choices other than how you explore the level and which flower petals to collect. The most choice comes from the little was in which you'll personally interpret the story.

Puzzles:
Again, not much to speak of here. The closest is trying to get all of the petals and the special petals if you so choose.

http://i.imgur.com/zz4ypUz.jpg

Cons:
-Minimalist which could turn some people off
-Controls can sometimes be finicky
-Not a ton of replay value if you don't want to just play a game to relax to
-Flowers are really the reproductive organs of some plants so if you think about it, these flowers are MOLESTING your innocent gust of wind

Pros:
-Relaxing
-Beautiful
-Emotional without a single word uttered
-Use your ~imagination~
-Fox News called it liberal environmentalist propaganda that is brainwashing our children. That has to count for something

Overall:
Jokes aside, Flower is a beautiful game, not just visually but through the story it tells. To me it really conveyed a message of overcoming fear and difficulties and coming out even better at the end of it, which really resonated with me. It's very relaxing if you just want to decompress with some plant reproductive units. Also if you don't care about environmentalist brainwashing, it's great for children!

Verdict:
Pink roses are best Flowers

http://i.imgur.com/mQPnQY9.jpg

#10 - Firewatch
http://i.imgur.com/EG753br.jpg

Platform I played on: PlayStation 4
Available platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam, gog
Developer: Campo Santo
Publisher: Campo Santo, Panic
Length: 5 hours

Story:
Firewatch has you playing as a man named Henry who has taken a job in the woods to get away from his life back home. His task is to watch out for fires, as expected. There, he is introduced to his coworker Delilah whom he communicates with via walkie-talkie. As the days go by, Henry gets to know Delilah more as he goes about his fire watching business, but soon the two of them discover that something strange is going on.

Gameplay:
The gameplay of Firewatch consists mostly of two core mechanics: exploring the forest and talking with Delilah. You'll be given tasks to complete which will require you to get to specific points on the map. This is done with your map and compass. You'll also find some things like map markers and letters and such to read over and examine. Later on you can also take pictures. The second aspect of the game is talking to Delilah. At times you'll be prompted to tell her something, or she'll talk to you and you'll be given a few choices as to how you respond, which will affect your relationship with Delilah.

http://i.imgur.com/tNUWKeR.png

Environment:
You'll get to know the forest and surrounding area throughout the few hours of gameplay as the map begins to make more sense to you from a firsthand perspective. There are some gorgeous locations and the game is pretty good about letting you go and explore if you want to. I got to know the paths more as I played which allowed me to get to my destinations without needing the map as much towards the end, so it helps the area feel like a second home for Henry and there are a lot of nooks and crannies for you to uncover.

Ambiance:
The game conveys its tone pretty well. Some parts feel more relaxing, some feel more sad, and some even feel a bit scary or worrisome when you learn that something strange is going on. There's also some good environmental storytelling to help put the player in the correct mindset of what's happening and what it means. Also having Delilah be your primary source of interaction helps build the relationship between the two characters.

http://i.imgur.com/L2pEzpj.jpg

Choices:
The choices in the game are mainly about how you interact with Delilah. Do you call her when you find something? Are you nice to her? Do you joke along with her? Your choices affect the flow of conversation, the relationship between Henry and Delilah, and how Delilah views you. There are a lot of conversation options as you go through the game.

Puzzles:
Really nothing major to speak of unless you count trying to find everything and not getting lost because, like me, you suck at using maps.

http://i.imgur.com/QUw3oiH.jpg

Cons:
-Too short to have the full effect
-Ending was kind of a letdown
-A bit repetitious
-Never got to go fishing

Pros:
-Excellent opening
-Gorgeous areas
-Intriguing story
-Focus on the interpersonal relationship between two people

Overall:
My cons kind of relate to each other. The game had a lot of potential to be excellent for me, but it wasn't long enough for everything to take the full effect. The bonding could have been longer, there could have been more work related tasks to do, and I could have been more immersed in the experience and felt the full effects of the length of time Henry was there. The ending was a letdown for me also because of the length of the game. The red herrings didn't have time to sink in and really make me think about things before the game reached its conclusion. But with that said, I quite enjoyed the game. The characters felt real, the environments were fun to explore and gorgeous, and it really felt isolating, driving home that feeling of running away. It was great interacting with Delilah and having there be such a focus on the relationship between her and Henry.

Verdict:
Good amount of fires but not enough fishing

http://i.imgur.com/aUbWPYO.jpg

#9 - The Wolf Among Us
http://i.imgur.com/O0bfJvU.jpg

Platform I played on: PlayStation 4
Available platforms: Steam, gog, Android, iOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Developer/Publisher: Telltale Games
Length: 9 hours, 1 1/2-2 hours per episode (5 episodes)

Story:
The Wolf Among Us is based on the comic book series Fables, which features some of our favourite fairytale characters living the gritty life in New York. They must keep their identities hidden from the regular folk (called mundies) and those who cannot are sent to live on a farm. Not all is well in Fabletown. Our protagonist, the Big Bad Wolf, called Bigby Wolf, finds a decapitated head in front of his apartment building. It is his job and yours, along with the help of Snow White and some other Fable characters, to find the murderer and solve the case before more fables suffer the same fate.

Gameplay:
For those unfamiliar with the Telltale style of gameplay, it basically consists of interacting with the environment, dialogue choices, and some quick time events. You control Bigby Wolf and you'll be able to examine our environment, finding clues or just listening to commentary. There will also be quick time events in the more action oriented scenes of the game, where you'll have to press the right button at the right time, or mash a button when indicated. The major element of the game is dialogue choices, When speaking to a character, you'll be given a number of responses, which will decide how Bigby approaches the case and how others feel about him and interact with him. You'll also have choices to make which will slightly alter the story and at the end of each episode you'll be shown how many players took the same approaches as you for key moments.

http://i.imgur.com/xpuUg6g.jpg

Environment:
This is not a free to explore game, you'll be set in specific locations for specific sections of the game. Occasionally, you'll have the choice of where to go first/in what order. When in an area, you're usually free to walk around and examine your surroundings, which might give you valuable clues or information. The locations themselves are usually small, but they do feel pertinent to the game and they're pretty interesting. You will return to certain locations which will usually have new things for you to examine and explore.

Ambiance:
The Wolf Among Us is very gritty, although less so then the comic books, I'm told. Everything has that grit to it. The lighting, the characters, the music. This is not the fairytales you tell to kids, this is a much more grown up and jaded version. Of course the whole murder mystery thing tends to put a damper on everything, but even with the generally serious and dark tone, The Wolf Among Us still manages some genuinely humourous moments which help keep the game from becoming too dark and depressing.

http://i.imgur.com/OUdOzeZ.jpg

Choices:
This is where the game really puts its focus. While the overarching plot will stay the same no matter what you choose, your choices will affect certain things like how characters react to you, Book of Fables entries unlocked, and what evidence you find to help you in your case. It also just indicates what kind of guy Bigby Wolf is going to be and how you're going to approach the case. Are you going to be the no-nonsense sort? Are you going to play the "good cop"? Are you going to help the Big Bad Wolf turn over a new leaf? There are a number of ways you can approach a situation to make the experience more tailored to you.

Puzzles:
The main puzzle is, obviously, finding the murderer. While the case will be solved by the end of the game, regardless of your choices, you'll be able to make decisions that will allow you to build a stronger case and find evidence to solve it yourself before the game tells you who did it and why. There are times when you'll need to find the correct evidence in an area and put it together to get the full picture of what's going on. Additionally, there are Book of Fables entries to be unlocked, some of which you might miss if you pick incorrect options (these aren't necessary to anything, more of just collectables).

http://i.imgur.com/ImG671q.jpg

Cons:
-2gritty4me
-My fav Disney Princess kinda sucks in this :/
-So much swearing
-Would have liked to see some more well-known Fables at least make a small appearance

Pros:
-Bigby's voice acting is excellent
-Interesting seeing what I'm used to seeing as kids characters in a more grown up setting
-The ending is super interesting
-Good amount of choices
-Good character development based on your choices

Overall:
I just want to preface but saying that this is very much a game for adults. If you have kids who like Snow White and you think they may like playing a game with her in it or something, just be aware that there's a lot of adult content. Or heck, if you're an adult and just don't enjoy that stuff. The game was a bit too gritty for me, I'm not big on that style personally, but I overall enjoyed the game much more than I expected to. I was invested in the story and characters and the ending, although confusing, was excellent. If you like murder mysteries, don't mind the grit, and want to see some fairytales, this might be a game worth checking out!

Verdict:
These lips are sealed

http://i.imgur.com/EuvPVse.jpg

Adventure is a very difficult genre to define, for me. Like, I can see all the games you've listed so far and agree "that is Adventure," but I would be hard pressed to actually define it. For instance, at what point does the puzzle element of a game start to become too heavy for it to still be considered an adventure game?

It is difficult to define, I agree. I have a separate puzzle genre, but it's hard to pinpoint exactly when it changes genres. I mostly just go by how it feels to me, personally.

Very interesting that all your games so far are within the last 10 years. When I think of the prime of adventure games I think of the Sierra/Lucasarts days of the 1990s. You must be very young or I am very old.

Do you think Portal is an Adventure Game, for instance? I don't know. Those are the kinds of games that I can't decide on.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Del Murder

Very interesting that all your games so far are within the last 10 years. When I think of the prime of adventure games I think of the Sierra/Lucasarts days of the 1990s. You must be very young or I am very old.

---

I've played older games in other genres but I'm fairly new to the adventure genre so I've started out with newer stuff. I'm actually playing Quest for Glory now though!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spuuky

Do you think Portal is an Adventure Game, for instance? I don't know. Those are the kinds of games that I can't decide on.

---

I haven't played Portal so I'm not sure. I want to say puzzle?

Quest for Glory is awesome. Portal is also awesome, but it's a puzzle/platformer.

#8 - Beyond Eyes
http://i.imgur.com/WswdFOx.jpg

Platform I played on: PlayStation 4
Available platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Steam
Developer: Tiger & Squid
Publisher: Team17
Length: 3 hours

Story:
Beyond Eyes is the story of a little girl named Rae who was blinded one day by a firework accident. Since then she had become increasingly isolated, until a cat wandered in to her yard. She named this cat Nani and he would often come and visit her. One day, however, Nani stopped visiting. Wanting to see her friend, Rae must venture in to the unknown in search of her kitty companion.

Gameplay:
In Beyond Eyes, you play as a blind girl imagining and discovering the world around her. As you walk forward, more and more of the blank white scenery will be filled in based on what she can hear and feel. In some cases, she'll imagine things in the distance based off of sound or smell. Sometimes, as you get closer, you'll discover that what she imagines to be there is not always what's there. You'll venture out, watching the world go from pure white to being much more full and filled out as you walk along and discover things in search of Nani.

http://i.imgur.com/bAPli37.jpg

Environment:
When you enter a new area, the screen will be almost pure white, and it will be up to you to fill it out by exploring. You aren't required to fill it out completely, you can just try and beeline it for the next area if you want, but the environments depend entirely on you experiencing them to exist. There's a decent amount of variance, from fields to a farm to a park to a small town and then a port, but they all have a similar feel and aesthetic. There will also be a few "danger zones" blocked off by Rae's fears.

Ambiance:
Beyond Eyes' ambiance is it's biggest strength, I feel. You're playing as a blind girl so you can't just SEE your environment right off the bat, you have to discover it. When you're surrounded by white in a new area, you can feel the uncertainty. I felt lost and overwhelmed. I couldn't just see my destination and how to get there, I had to feel my way around, uncovering the map slowly. But then when I would get to the end of an area and see the beautiful watercolours representing everything I'd discovered, it was a great feeling of overcoming obstacles and demonstrating strength. Then I'd move to the next stage and do it all again. It's also interesting to see the colours change based on Rae's feelings, such as fear. Later on, you explore an area while it's raining heavily and you'll see what an effect it has on Rae's senses, which I feel is used to great effect.

http://i.imgur.com/AlGRHw8.jpg

Choices:
Really the only choice is how much you want to explore and fill out the area. Do you try and explore everything or are you just trying to get to your destination?

Puzzles:
Again, not much in the way of puzzles. Trying to find your way around when originally surrounded by whiteness is the biggest puzzle of all and is pretty much the entire point of the game. With that being said, it's relatively straight forward and you certainly won't be wracking your brain trying to solve it.

http://i.imgur.com/GJTksVm.jpg

Cons:
-The walking is REALLY SLOW with no option to speed up, so exploring can take a lot of time and can get especially frustrating when backtracking
-Weird save points, but as short as it is, that isn't a major issue
-Not a lot of variance in gameplay or new things to discover except for a few odds and ends here and there

Pros:
-Beautiful watercoulours
-Great ambiance
-An overall relaxing experience
-An emotional ending

Overall:
Beyond Eyes isn't perfect by any means and could have been improved upon, but it's still a great way to spend a few hours. Watching the world fill in around you and overcoming the anxiety at not being able to see what's in front of you are just great feelings. The game also helps you appreciate the beauty in real life but showing how beautiful things are all around us if we just stop and take the time to notice and appreciate them. The ending packed a punch for me and Beyond Eyes was just an overall memorable and enjoyable experience.

Verdict:
NANI COME BACK!!!

http://i.imgur.com/3pga4cy.jpg

#7 - Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
http://i.imgur.com/G7gUhbG.png

Platform I played on: PlayStation 4
Available platforms: PlayStation 4, Steam
Developers: The Chinese Room, SCE Santa Monica Studio
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Length: 7 hours

Story:
In Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, you'll find yourself exploring some small English town devoid of any people. Instead, you'll see little light orbs floating around which will guide you and sometimes play out scenes for you about the missing inhabitants. What happened to them? What's going on? These are the narratoive driving questions as you explore and uncover the story.

Gameplay:
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is an extremely simple game to play. You walk around. By doing so, you'll slowly unravel the narrative of the game. There are optional scenes you can see by exploring thoroughly and you can look at the areas for clues to try and unravel the mystery before the reveal, but that is pretty much the gameplay. It is separated in to distinct "chapters" or sections which lead you off in to the next area and orbs of light will usually guide you towards the next major scene.

http://i.imgur.com/rCho9km.jpg

Environment:
This game is gorgeous. It's very detailed and allows a decent amount of exploration. The game is divided in sections with each new section offering a bit of a change in scenery, from the woods to a farm to camp grounds and a few others. You're free to explore a lot of these areas, and while it does have limitations as to how far you can venture and what you can see, there's enough there that it rarely feels limiting. You're also free to go back to any previous areas when/if you want to.

Ambiance:
This game has very good ambiance. It does a lot of its storytelling through environment, so even if you catch all of the scenes, you'll gain more from the story by observing and exploring. The orbs of light really stand out, as they're intended to, which helps show the impact they have on the game. The music is pretty good and suits the mood overall well. And it really does give you the sense of mystery and wonder with a slight bit of fear, which is what Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is trying to convey.

http://i.imgur.com/bmPyU41.jpg

Choices:
Really the only choices are how much you explore and at what pace. Also how you interpret the events that are happening.

Puzzles:
Not much here either. You are basically trying to figure out what happened, but there's nothing you really need to do in-game other than find the appropriate scenes.

http://i.imgur.com/dDe2QBl.jpg

Cons:
-Not much variance in playthroughs or aspects to make your experience "unique"
-The walking can be too slow, especially for when you want to backtrack
-The light orbs that guide you can kind of bug out at times, which made it drustrating to find my destination in one section

Pros:
-Good cast of characters
-Some of the story is left open to interpretation
-Beautiful
-Relaxing
-A lot of environment to explore

Overall:
I really enjoyed this game. It had just the right amount of ambiguity to the story so that it felt resolved but allowed for theorizing and discussion. The characters were well written and really came across as "real" people. No one was without faults and the less-than-good people were not without redeeming qualities. It was gorgeous and relaxing but it also kept me wanting to uncover the narrative and learn more about these people. If you like the "walking sim" style of adventure game, this might be worth checking out!

Verdict:
Don't let your controlling mother interfere in your love life

http://i.imgur.com/ME2rNI5.jpg

#6 - Gone Home
http://i.imgur.com/yC6MGqA.jpg

Platform I played on: PlayStation 4
Available platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam
Developers/Publishers: The Fullbright Company, Majesco
Length: 3 hours

Story:
In Gone Home, you assume the role of Kaitlin who has returned home for a visit. Unfortunately, it seems no one else is around. On top of that, you find some vague, cryptic messages left by your little sister, Sam. Your goal is to find out what exactly has been going on since you went on your European adventure. Where is your sister? What happened to her?

Gameplay:
Another "walking sim" style of game. In Gone Home, you explore the home of Kaitlin's family, trying to piece together what happened. You'll also need to find specific clues in order to advance to other areas of the house. You can examine and interact with objects, and you'll also be able to find journal entries left by Sam, which you can listen to any time from the menu. You'll also get a map so that you won't get too lost in the giant house.

http://i.imgur.com/zEPk2fA.jpg

Environment:
The game takes place in a single house. A big house, sure, but one house nonetheless. Gone Home tries to spread it out by opening up more of the house to explore as you go along, but you will just be traveling from room to room. The biggest variance is the way the rooms are decorated differently and what you can find in them. It also takes place in a single night, so nothing really changes much within the environment, although minor changes do happen when you get the necessary information.

Ambiance:
The ambiance is pretty good. There's definitely that air of mystery to it and at times it even feels a bit scary. Being alone in a big house at night, wondering where everybody is. But it also does a good job of helping us see what Sam went through by providing key music to play and having her voice over her journal entries. I could kind of feel the sadness and the happiness associated with the different rooms while exploring.

http://i.imgur.com/aFdWb3X.jpg

Choices:
Again, not really much here. Just going along with the story and uncovering it at your own pace.

Puzzles:
Not many, but there is trying to collect everything and find combinations to locks and that kind of stuff. Nothing major here either.

http://i.imgur.com/HRfOr3S.png

Cons:
-Super short
-Not much variance
-Space feels limiting

Pros:
-An interesting and touching story
-Good ambiance
-Looks good
-Good voice acting

Overall:
Gone Home gets a lot of praise so I was a bit worried that it would be overrated and I would find myself disappointed. While I don't think it's AMAZING, BEST GAME OF THE YEAR, ALMOST PERFECT like some reviews seem to think, it was a really enjoyable experience that felt very grounded and down to earth. Even if you haven't personally faced the struggles presented in the game, it still feels relatable and the characters seem very real. While it's by no means a perfect game, and is probably quite boring for anyone who doesn't like the "walking sim" style of game, I had such a good time with it, I played it twice in two days.

Verdict:
It's okay to leave the lights on all over the house

http://i.imgur.com/WUi0hVG.jpg

I thought Gone Home was gonna be spooktastic, but then it was sad instead. :(

#5 - 2064: Read Only Memories
http://i.imgur.com/8Gj5EPj.jpg

Platform I played on: Steam
Available platforms: Steam, gog, Humble Store, itch.io, PlayStation 4, Xbox One soon
Developer/Publisher: MidBoss
Length: 12 hours

Story:
Taking place in Neo San Fransisco in 2064, you play as a writer who hasn't exactly made it to where they want to be yet. One day, you find a robot person in your house named Turing. Turing informs you that your mutual friend has gone missing and it is very important you find him. There are some people who may have kidnapped him for his skills with technology, including creating our new friend Turing. You'll have to investigate and find out what's happening and why. Outside of the investigation, you'll see that Neo San Fransisco is struggling with their technological singularity and the political and ethical issues that come with it.

Gameplay:
ROM (for short) is a point-and-click adventure style game. This means that you point at things and also click on them. You can interact with your surroundings by looking, touching, speaking to, or using an object on various things in your environment. You'll also have dialogue options and some logic puzzles here and there as you progress the game. You'll also get a map so you can move from place to place.

http://i.imgur.com/vr5ln6G.png

Environment:
The game takes place in Neo San Fransisco ~in the future~ with a good variety of places to visit. It can feel a bit limiting at times in that you're stuck to a few locations in a big city, but overall it's a decent amount of locations. Additionally, while you do revisit locations, it never feels annoying as there will be new things to do and examine. The environments are highly interactable and one of my favourite things is that you get a pair of headphones early in game which you can plug in to various things across the city and have a listen to. There's a lot of detail in the environment and that one small thing helps to demonstrate that.

Ambiance:
There game really does achieve the mood it sets out to convey, I think. One of the major elements is inclusivity and humanity and that shows in every aspect of the game from the characters to the dialogue to the world you explore. They don't just say they want to explore these topics, they actually show it in every way that they can. It's got a good sense of humour to it, but it can still get heavy and tense when it wants to and it conveys that sense of futuristic mystery really well through the sounds and visuals.

http://i.imgur.com/rA6XhCs.png

Choices:
These game is pretty choice heavy, with the major aspect being how you interact with Turing. This can and will affect the endings you receive. It will also affect what the other characters think of you. Most of the choices are related to character relationship building, but you'll also have some other choices to make throughout the game.

Puzzles:
Being a point-and-click you will have some puzzles, mostly in the form of knowing where to look and what to interact with in the correct way. There will be some logic puzzles as well, and also some puzzles having to do with how you interact with others to get information and clues from them.

http://i.imgur.com/GhTo6Zp.jpg

Cons:
-Makes its political views very known, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you disagree it might be annoying
-Could have done with a few more locations to explore
-The story was very focused on the specifics it set out to explore, which isn't bad, but it could have expanded its focus a bit more to make it even more immersive and interesting

Pros:
-Very inclusive
-Great themes
-Very realistic character development for Turing
-Memorable characters
-Good sense of humour

Overall:
I really enjoyed my time with Read Only Memories and it is my favourite point-and-click that I've played so far (not that that's many). I do believe they've updated it since I've played, so I'm not sure what the changes are. But I thought it explored really interesting themes about what it means to be human, both when it comes to sentient machines and when humans themselves start becoming more machine-like through the use of implants and surgery. Turing was an excellent character. He wasn't always likeable, although he usually was, but he was flawed and imperfect in a way that made him believable and relatable. At the end of the day, this game was very human, not necessarily in spite of all of the robots and human augmentation, but maybe because of it.

Verdict:
One Maple This Off and two Mo' Sugar Rushes

http://i.imgur.com/i1RJhJr.jpg