While there are many great action adventure games out there to enjoy, there are just as many imaginative adventures which lead you on epic quests without requiring you to swing a sword.
There’s something for everyone, whether you want a psychological thriller that will make you question reality, or a chance to bend the fabric of reality itself.
15. Broken Age
Broken Age Gameplay
Broken Age is a fresh take on the adventure genre from the creator of Grim Fandango. Dive into a story with two distinct storylines that feature two seemingly unconnected main characters, Vella and Shay.
Both are trapped in their own worlds and desperate to escape. Use clues and interact with those around you to unravel the mystery of the Badlands and save those you love.
Although Shay and Vella are trapped in different worlds, they have much in common, find out what unites them as you traverse their world.
Lush graphics and an intriguing story make Broken Age come to life. Join our heroes on their journey to save their home!
14. The Wolf Among Us
The Wolf Among Us Gameplay
An incredibly imaginative entry from Telltale Games, The Wolf Among Us plunges the player into the grim world of a fairy tale community in 1980’s New York. Bigby - formerly known as the big bad wolf - is now the mayor, tasked with solving a vicious murder. The tale unfolds in episode format, and the mystery grows deeper with each new revelation. Get ready to question everything you knew about fairy tales as conspiracy theories swirl in this graphic novel inspired game.
Bigby has some… things to work out as he investigates the murder of a prostitute. Play as he struggled to control his violent tendencies and work through his infamous past.
Expect many familiar faces as you delve into the tangled underworld of Fabletown - but probably best to forget the stories you’ve heard. Everyone has secrets here.
13. Full Throttle
Full Throttle Gameplay
A high octane classic, Full Throttle introduced players to a new generation of story based adventure gaming. Ben, is the leader of the Polecats, a biker gang that gets framed for the murder of Malcolm Corley - the CEO of the last motorcycle company in the US. Join Ben as he goes on the run to clear his name and bring the real villain to justice.
Spot that actor! See if you can tell which famous actor voices the villainous Ripberger - hint - he has voiced many big bads throughout his career, including one known for his maniacal laugh.
Ben gets in a number of tight spots - use your wits and judgement to lead him or face the consequences of your bad decisions.
12. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream Gameplay
Based on the dystopian short story of the same name, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is not for faint of heart. In a post apocalyptic universe, five humans must overcome their greatest fears to defeat the AI known as AM. The game asks players to wrestle with multiple ethical dilemmas as they work to defeat their foe. The game can end in a number of ways, so make sure to choose carefully…
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream dives into the mind of five humans with vastly different backgrounds to judge humanity. Pick from a set of options to try to trick and outlast AM and save your people.
Face your worst fears as you are tortured by AM, a super intelligent computer that judges not only your fate, but the fate of the universe. Choose your character to go toe to toe with this faceless enemy.
11. The Curse of Monkey Island
The Curse of Monkey Island gameplay
Shipwrecks, zombies, and cursed rings, The Curse of Monkey Island has it all. Guybrush Threepwood wakes up on Plunder Island with no memory of how he got there. Lead Guybrush on his adventure as he searches for his lost love and defeats the villainous zombie pirate LeChuck. Great music, storytelling and graphics await in this fun and zany adventure.
An innocent gesture of love turns out create a whole host of problems when Guybrush gives his love an enchanted ring. Save her while running from a horde of zombie pirates who are out to get you!
Face your foe at last! The evil LeChuck is a master swordsman, so you’ll have to hone your skills if you wish to defeat him and finally head home.
10. Life is Strange
Life is Strange Walkthrough
There is quite a bit going on at Blackwood Academy, and none of it is good. Caught in a terrible situation, Max Caulfield discovers a devastating power. Use this new found ability to solve the mystery of a friends disappearance, and stave off the apocalypse, all while keeping up with the hip teens of Blackwood and trying not to lose your mind.
Discover Max’s strange new power as you explore Arcadia Bay. Every choice you make influences the outcome of the story, and people’s lives are in your hands.
Max’s partner in crime is her old friend Chloe, a Blackwood dropout who is searching for her missing friend. Deepen your friendship as things get more and more out of control, and decide if she is the one person you can trust.
9. The Walking Dead Season 1
Walking Dead Season 1 Walkthrough
A comic book, tv show, and a video game, The Walking Dead has it all. Another game from Telltale, this is an episodic survival game that takes place simultaneously to the other events in Walking Dead. The main story revolves around Lee Everett and Clementine as they desperately search for the girls parents while trying to avoid walkers. Use every tool at your disposal in a bid for survival that will test your will and humanity.
Clementine grows more confident as the game progresses, coming into her own as you teach her survival skills. Your choices help define her up until the very last moments of game.
Protect Clementine from danger in a zombie infested city. Decide who you can trust as you make your way to safety and face new horrors with every turn.
8. Machinarium
Machinarium Walkthrough
A real puzzler, machinarium is one of the only games on this list with a robotic protagonist. Josef, who discovers a plot to destroy the city. Help him thwart the evil Black Cap Brotherhood through a series of puzzles that grow increasingly harder to solve as you move through the game.
Solve puzzles to advance throughout the world, but use your hints sparingly. There are only limited clues, and the brain teasers get more complex as you go!
Joining Josef is Berta, another robot forced to work for the sinister Brotherhood. Follow their journey together and watch their relationship grow, all without dialogue.
7. Day of the Tentacle
Day of the Tentacle Walkthrough
One of the more humorous games on this list, Day of the Tentacle is a time travelling bonanza, with players sent to three different times after a hitch in their plan to defeat the powerful Purple Tentacle. Race against the clock to get back to your own time so you can stop Purple Tentacle from taking over the world!
The mutant lab assistant turned power hungry villain, Purple Tentacle drinks toxic sludge which makes him impenetrable and impossible to defeat! Travel back in time to prevent him from becoming unstoppable!
Due to a time machine mishap, spend some time with the founding fathers as they craft the Constitution of the U.S!
6. The Longest Journey
The Longest Journey Gameplay
A land of magic and monsters, The Longest Journey takes place in the parallel worlds of Arcadia and Stark. Navigate the world as April, a student who can shift to each world. Go on an epic quest with a host of characters, magic talismans and dragons as April tries to reunite the two worlds and restore balance.
Two different worlds: The land of Arcadia is one where magic reigns, while Stark has embraced industrialization. Work to unite the two to bring about balance and peace.
Discover many new friends on your journey, including powerful dragons which may help you uncover your own origins and family.
5. Fran Bow
Fran Bow Gameplay
A world that unravels as you try to unlock its secrets, Fran Bow follows Fran after a devastating accident befalls her parents. Committed to an asylum, Fran explores this eery world with only her cat, Mr. Midnight. As doctors prescribe her medicine the world falls further and further out of control until it’s impossible to tell between fiction and reality.
Fran is plagued by hallucinations and a variety of monsters on her journey, brought on by the psychiatrists misplaced diagnosis. Try to keep your head as the world around you falls away…
As you unlock the mystery surrounding Fran and her parents, you might find that our young heroine is not quite as innocent as she seems...
4. Grim Fandango
Grim Fandango Gameplay
Step into the world of Grim Fandango, a story that takes place on the Day of the Dead. A down on his luck travel agent for the Land of the Dead, Manny has to lead souls on the four year journey to the Land of Eternal Rest, encountering all kinds of obstacles on their journey as he tries to keep everyone together.
Undead crime bosses, wicked souls, and trains to hell, Grim Fandango has it all!
As with other LucasArts games, Grim Fandango is built around player choice. Lead Manny carefully as he helps the souls under his care on the four year journey to Land of Eternal Rest.
3. Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Gameplay
You are thrown neck deep into a vast plot when a bomb goes off outside of a Parisian cafe. As George, an American tourist and one of the only witnesses, you begin investigating only to find that things are quite a bit more complex than they might appear. Race against time and the Templars to stop them from gaining unlimited power in this classic action packed adventure where every minute counts.
Broken Sword is one of the few click and point adventure games where you can die, raising the stakes and forcing you to move quickly and carefully to foil the Templars plot.
Joining George on his adventure is Nicole, an up and coming journalist who has been investigating The Templars. The two grow closer during the course of the game, and a romance begins to bloom.
2. Syberia
Syberia Gameplay
Syberia is the tale of Kate Walker, a lawyer who is forced to chase Hans a man who has inherited an old toy factory so that her company can sell it. The game develops as a character study of Kate, who must complete puzzles and help people in order to find Hans.
Kate meets many people who are in need of her assistance on her search. Help them to find Hans and complete your journey.
Journey with Kate as she begins to question her life and job back home, and tries to decide on her ultimate path.
1. Kentucky Route Zero
Kentucky Route Zero gameplay
A masterpiece of twisting empty roads, in Kentucky Route Zero you play as Conway - a truck driver making an antique delivery in Kansas. Your journey begins as you drive down the road searching for the address, but have to ask for help at an old gas station. As the game develops the line between fiction and reality is blurred. Ghostly images and hallucinations make it almost impossible to discern the truth, and Conway must use his instincts to try and navigate this warped and distorted road.
Your journey begins here, at Equus Oils where you stop for directions. Nothing is as it seems, though, and the mystery only deepens when you get back on the road.
You and your hound: Your only constant companion on your winding adventure is your faithful dog, who stays with you as you try and make your delivery and delve deeper into this mysterious world.
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