The Resurgence of Adventure Games in the Indie Scene
Introduction
In the early years of personal computers, adventure games were a popular genre. These games emphasized storytelling and story-based puzzles that allowed players to move through them at their own speed, making it more like reading a book than playing an arcade game. Toronto-based artist Julia Minamata grew up playing this style of game and is now hard at work on The Crimson Diamond, inspired by Sierra’s 1989 murder mystery The Colonel’s Bequest.
Kurt Kalata loves adventure games so much that he wrote and edited The Guide to Classic Graphic Adventures, which details dozens of different classic titles from his childhood growing up in the ’90s. With tools such as Adventure Game Studio creating opportunities for indie developers to create these types of immersive experiences once again; we are seeing resurgence within this beloved gaming category.
A Flourishing Indie Scene with Tools Like Adventure Game Studio
Gone are days when only big studios could produce high-quality video-games due to budget constraints or lack thereof – thanks largely because there has been an explosion among independent creators who have taken advantage new technologies available today! One example being “Adventure Game Studios” (AGS), allowing solo-developers access powerful software without breaking bank accounts while still producing quality content comparable those produced larger companies.
As Kurt Kalata explains: “What caused me come back into [the] genre was when I started seeing some really great stuff coming out… Yahtzee Croshaw made Chzo Mythos series Francisco Gonzalez created Ben Jordan Series – all one person using AGS.” This tool provides simplified coding processes but does not offer shortcuts regarding artwork creation since good visuals require time investment regardless if you are a solo developer or part of an established studio.
The Importance of Great Artwork in Adventure Games
Creating great artwork is essential to the success and appeal adventure games. Kalata spent months making his Monkey Island-inspired game called Christopher Columbus Is An Idiot, but hit a wall when it came time to polish the visuals. “Everything there was scribbled in MS Paint,” he says, adding that eventually it became clear that if he wanted this project become commercialized then good art would be necessary for its development process.
Julia Minamata agrees: “I think what makes [adventure] games stand out from other genres are their unique aesthetics… The graphics have always been really important because they help create atmosphere.”
Interview Highlights with Julia Minamata and Kurt Kalat:
- Kurt on point-and-click vs text parser games;
- Juila on meeting her inspirations at Pax West event;
- Juila discussing how artists were given creative freedom during production of ‘The Colonels Bequest’;
- Kurt on the future of Monkey Island;
“[With a point-and-click game], you only have so many tools interact world; try enough things will solve puzzle – comfortable blanket feeling me… Sierra’s parsers weren’t particularly good compared Infocom which had better vocabulary.”
“Before current situation we’re now I did go Pax West where met Lori Corey Cole amazing got Douglas Herring artist Colonel’s Bequest main inspiration my Al Lowe also cool.”
“What was great about ‘The Colonel’s Bequest’ is Roberta Williams didn’t sketch basic layout she just said ‘Go do thing,’ so [the artists] able ground up create this amazing atmosphere.””
“I was involved with Limited Run project, and I know they were hoping this whole project would generate some interest at Disney. The stars have to align somebody has care.”
Conclusion
The adventure game genre may not be as popular today compared its heyday in past decades but thanks indie developers like Julia Minamata who are keeping it alive through their passion for storytelling combined powerful tools such Adventure Game Studio which allows them create immersive experiences without breaking bank accounts or sacrificing quality content.
