With the vault door having been well and truly slammed shut on 2011, and time taken to survey the upcoming release landscape, it would appear that 2012 has an equal, if not greater bag of adventure pic ‘n’ mix to offer than last year.  For those who still enjoying poking around the shelves of the oft maligned point and click adventure genre, this curiosity shop, with its frosted glass and seemingly quaint ways, making it an obsolescence to some and an irrelevance to others, would appear to have some interesting trinkets hiding away.

Taking last year’s offerings and raising them, we have sequels, threequels, realistic 2.5D adventures, cartoony creations, hand-drawn stylised releases, and smart 3D titles spanning casual to horror, through layers of surrealism, realism, and dark humour.  That’s before we get to the number of refugees who slipped through the cracks of 2011 and snuck onto the 2012 release calendar – some for the second year running.  So, to attempt to catalogue just some, before the shelves sag and a deluge of releases begins to overwhelm us, it’s time for The Great GL 2012 Adventure Roundup.

Deponia
The first of 2011’s refugees to have slipped onto this year’s list is the gorgeous looking Deponia, from Daedalic Entertainment.  We previewed the game not too long ago and have to say that it is easily one of our most anticipated adventures so far.  It focuses on workshy slacker, Rufus, who is determined to escape the trash planet of Deponia and make an even lazier life for himself in the clouds, in one of the cities floating far above the surface.  While his ego may be larger than Frasier Crane’s on a bad day, his abilities as an inventor, while ambitious, are somewhat flawed and his plan ends up with him causing a girl called Goal to fall from one of the passing cruisers.  So begins his quest to return her to her rightful home and to tag along for the ride and ensure his meandering fantasies become reality.

Deponia boasts not only a healthy dose of humour, but a stunning art style that makes every scene something to be savoured, with a high level of inventive detail making it a stand out title in this year’s list.  It wouldn’t be the same without a kooky release from Daedalic and this year’s looks to be every bit as successful as Edna and Harvey: The Breakout.  Expect Deponia to see a Q2 release.

Lucius
Lucius may be arriving more than fashionably late – almost a year, in fact – but given that he is the son of the devil, we’re pretty sure no one will openly object.  This intriguing Omen-esque adventure, sets the player in the tiny black shoes of six year old Lucius, whose grandfather (a member of a satanic cult – no, not the BNP) made a deal with the devil, offering the soul of his first grandchild in exchange for great wealth.  Well, he got his riches, and the family rose to power, but the price was still to be paid.  When the child was eventually born, the devil claimed what was his, replacing the child’s soul with that of his own offspring’s and that is where the player comes in, as Lucius starts to exercise his powers and pick off the members of the household, one by one.

The game’s linear story is punctuated by puzzles as the player finds the right way to bump off members of family and staff without arousing suspicion.  The concept is a great one and, as you can tell from our preview, we’ve had our eyes on it for a long time now.  While the delay may have been frustrating, the developers – the aptly named Shiver Games – have utilised their time well, essentially rebuilding it from the ground up and applying no small measure of polish.  Hopefully it won’t be long before we get to exercise our evil sides as the mini prince of darkness, as Lucius is on course for a Q1 release.

Bracken Tor
If Lucius is late, then Bracken Tor is, presumably, arriving strapped to the back of a dead tortoise.  Announced nearly three years ago, and the subject of repeated delays, the British adventure has slipped from one release date to the next, and has now emerged onto the 2012 list with still no word on a firm shelf date.  Lurking in the ‘things that go bump, bang, or BOO in the night’ category, we follow a foolhardy journalist onto the bleak moors in search of answers after the mutilated body of a hiker is found at the outcrop of Bracken Tor.  Of course, rather than going for the ‘just get the fuck out of there’ award, he begins to delve into the supernatural reports surrounding the mysterious moors and the Bronze Age origins of some of Bracken Tor’s worst nightmares… all while trying to stay alive.

This being a product of Shadow Tor studios, the game’s horror pedigree is a sound one, with the UK developer responsible for fear-shrivelling the genitalia and scaring the tits of gamers with genre classics such as Barrow Hill and The Lost Crown (in association with Darkling Rooms).   Boasting a ‘complex and unusual story’ along with ‘virtual archaeology’ and a suitably gruesome murder investigation, it sounds like a well-rounded adventure. The reasons for Bracken Tor’s extensive delays are unknown, but with fans chomping at the bit, this sinister looking horror title can’t come soon enough, especially as Shadow Tor have already announced their next adventure.

Haunted
Having been released (as most decent adventures are) in Germany for what seems like an age, Haunted finally looks set to glide into a UK release, courtesy of Lace Mamba Global, looking more colourful than the pavement outside an ectoplasm kebab shop.  The story focuses on Mary, who, on the hunt for her lost sister, runs into a murderous doctor and her assistant in a sinister mansion (it’s never a run-down semi in a dreary seaside town – we’d pay good money to see that).  In making her escape, she discovers that she can see and talk to ghosts and quickly becomes embroiled in a wild quest, taking her though locations from 19th century London, to far flung Transylvania, with the fate of the spirit world at stake.

The game, from Deck 13 (the developers responsible for Jack Keane), promises a heady dose of dark humour to compliment the suitably spooky, yet gloriously colourful, visuals and features the main character’s ability to interact with ghosts and utilise their unique skills to solve puzzles.  All in, it looks like a sumptuous adventure, offering a welcome dose of humour amid some of 2012’s more sombre or unsettling titles.  It also features a ghost pirate (and no, his name doesn’t begin with ‘Le’).

Haunted will be released on 24th May, 2012

Memento Mori 2
What would the 2012 adventure list be without at least one sequel and this one is the follow on to the successful Memento Mori.  Making a return from the first game are Lara and Max, and we join them on their honeymoon in South Africa.  Before they can get too jiggy with it, however, Lara and Max are set on the trail of an art thief and become embroiled in a chase which leads to a fatal car crash.  However, while the thief’s body is recovered, Max remains missing, leaving a devastated Lara to pursue a mysterious trail, convinced from various clues, that he is still alive.

Having created a new 3D engine for the game, developer Centauri Production are laying out a visual buffet of over 50 locations for the player, along with three playable characters over the course of the story, which spans an impressive eight chapters, taking in locations from Cape Town to San Francisco.  We’re loving the screens so far and it looks like it is shaping up to be a meaty adventure (and not the only one to feature a missing leading man named Max…).

J.U.L.I.A
In space, no one can apparently set up some sort of decent on-board security system to protect NPC crews from ‘mysterious disappearance syndrome’, or install a ‘sorry you called to enslave our crew, but we can’t come to the door right now’ plaque on the airlock.  Pity, and don’t say we didn’t warn you.  Yes, when we join J.U.L.I.A, stepping into the moon boots of astrobiologist Rachel Manners, the alarms are sounding as she wakes from cryosleep to find that the rest of the crew have vanished.  Before you can scream ‘theywereprobablyallmurderedbyathingwithtentacles’, she decides to investigate, amid taking some time out to explore a few strange new worlds while she is at it.  We’d be powering off to the nearest space marine base by the time the gas had finished venting from our cryopod.

Also on the ‘games formerly known as 2011 releases’ list, J.U.L.I.A boasts an interesting, if comfortable concept, and since the indie devs, Cardboard Box Entertainment, found a publisher, a release was swiftly forthcoming, with the game having hit the shelves within the last few weeks.  It may not be the horror space title we had originally hoped for over a year ago, but nonetheless, it looks interesting.  Check out our review, which went live a few short days ago.

Yesterday
No, Yesterday doesn’t focus on four mop-haired Liverpudlians fighting the forces of evil, armed only with a psychedelic lollipop or something suitably mellow and ‘Noel Fielding’ but, rather, is the latest incoming adventure from Spanish developer, Pendulo Studios.  Set on the ‘friendly’ streets of New York City, the story strikes a sinister note, with beggars vanishing before turning up burnt to a crisp, and odd ‘Y’ shaped scars appearing on people’s palms.  In the face of Police apathy (where would games be with a bright, trusting, and active Police force) Henry White and his friend Cooper begin an investigation of their own, soon meeting up with the mysterious John Yesterday whose memory has been wiped.

We previewed this one some time ago and were suitably impressed by not only the puzzling, but the humour which runs like a rich seam throughout.  Of course, the game is made all the more appealing by its unique graphic style, demonstrating once again the level of quality we’ve come to expect from the devs who brought us the equally impressive visual feast of The Next Big Thing.  Expect a review within the next few days.

The Lost Chronicles of Zerzura
Cranberry’s first outing since the conclusion of the beautifully atmospheric Black Mirror trilogy looks set to continue in the same high quality vein, and from the look of their latest adventure it would appear that fans of all things dark need not worry about them departing from their immersive style.  The Lost Chronicles of Zerzura is set in 16th Century Spain during the Inquisition (so, no fluffy themes here), with players taking on the role of a young Spanish inventor, Feodor, who is working with his brother, Ramon, to create a flying machine.  However, their bid to best Da Vinci is cut cruelly short when Ramon is kidnapped by the Inquisition (no one expects the Inquisition).  Of course, Feodor sets out to find his brother and, along the way, discover the mysteries of the legendary city of Zerzura.

With Cranberry’s 2.5D adventures typically riding at the forefront of the genre, we expect a great deal from Zerzura.  Although Barcelona is a marked departure from the rainy, haunted town of Willow Creek and its evocative surrounds, what we’ve seen thus far from Zerzura, in the shape of some stunning demo footage, promises to more than make up for it.  With locations spread across numerous countries and the overriding dark presence of the Inquisition hanging over the narrative, darkness, tension and an absorbing story are (hopefully) a given – it certainly looks the part.  Expect the Inquisition to be calling for a Q1 release date.

Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle
Pirates and point and clicks are always a good combination, and every now and again a developer will dive into the pirate theme, often with mixed results.  Of course, no one can say ‘pirate point and click’ without everyone within a ten mile radius thinking of the Monkey Island series, evoking a great deal of sock-moistening reminiscing from those whose last foray into adventures was just that very series.  The theme is such a strong one, however, that devs continue to return to plunder it, and Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle is the latest to throw her hand in and step up beside Mr Threepwood and company.

The story focuses on sexy looking female pirate, Morgane Castillo, daughter of a renowned pirate who, on her 17th birthday, takes on her own ship and crew and heads off for adventure in the dangerous waters of the Caribbean.  It isn’t long before a quest lands in her lap (yes, we know, but what were you expecting, an Anno rip off? You know how these things work) and off she sails in search of not only her long lost uncle, but the legendary treasure of Turtle Island

Boasting 40 fully fleshed out characters, 50 locations, and a whopping 20 hours of gameplay, along with BAFTA nominated genre veteran Steve Ince (of Beneath a Steel Sky and Broken Sword fame) on writing duty, we have high expectations for this release.  While the advent of a Wii and DS release, alongside that of the PC may have us worried about possible dumbing down for the casual market, the screens and presence of an experienced adventure writer go a long way to rubbing our bellies and making us feel fluffy, yet confident.

Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle will be docking on 30th March, 2012.

Secret Files 3
While last year’s list saw the third Black Mirror title making an appearance, this year’s threequel duty falls to Secret Files 3, the continuation of the highly popular adventure series featuring protagonists Max and Nina.  This time out, however, the action appears to focus solely around Nina after Max is mysteriously kidnapped from their apartment by a commando team (he should have returned that library book on time).  His mysterious last words to her and who has taken him and why are the driving force of the action, and she swiftly sets off after him.

The talents of a professional writing team promise tension and drama, and Nina’s dramatic mission to track down her partner and find the truth of whatever he is caught up in will see her travelling around the world.  In addition to some quality cinematics, the game will be parading numerous locations, both present day and as far back in time as 11,000 BC, along with the usual puzzles and mental challenges that series fans have come to expect.  The sexy concept art had us sighing over the luscious red head – move over Gillian Anderson, there’s new tottie in town.  Max, whether he is a corpse or not (likely not – that would be a pretty disappointing conclusion to an eight chapter story), is one lucky man.

From the sound of Secret Files 3, although an awareness of the characters would help it deliver more of an emotional impact, it isn’t perhaps necessary to have played the first two titles, so newcomers to the series need not feel excluded.  Secret Files 3 will be opening later this year, courtesy of Deep Silver.

Shadow of A Soul
One of the few balls-out horror titles on this year’s list, Shadow of A Soul takes the tame-by-comparison atmosphere of some releases and throws them into a pit of tormented souls (or Twilight fans, for extra torturous effect).  Shadow of A Soul Part 1 is the first piece of a survival horror trilogy from indie developer, Vivec Entertainment.  Playing as a thief named Jack, you make your way into an office complex to nick a set of blueprints, only to discover that all is not what it seems.  No, you didn’t just stumble into a Dunder Mifflin office party, this is far more terrifying, and Jack finds himself the target of a malevolent presence as he is plagued by terrifying visions and horrific manifestations.

Just the teaser trailer alone was enough to unsettle us, and we found it to be well edited to produce a tense, sinister looking game.  The site itself boasts extensive developer diaries, and if the game is half as well produced and detailed as both the trailer and site, we’d say that Shadow of A Soul could be a neat horror sleeper.  It is on course for a Halloween 2012 release and pre-ordering not only gets the game 20% cheaper, but helps fund the development and snags a Producer title.  Frankly, we like to support indie devs and games in this genre so, in our humble opinion, pre-ordering is worth that alone. Check out the official site for more details and the latest trailers and info.

MacGuffin’s Curse
Award for most bizarre billing of 2012 has to go to MacGuffin’s Curse, which has been labelled a ‘werewolf comedy puzzle adventure’ by Aussie devs, Brawsome.  From the team that brought us the quirky canine pirate point and click, Jolly Rover, comes a story that proves the adage of ‘crime doesn’t pay’ (unless you are the HMRC, in which case being thieving, loathsome bastards is expected). The Museum of Myths and Mysteries may sound like a nice place to visit, but Lucas MacGuffin gets more than he bargained for when he pinches a valuable amulet.  It turns him into a werewolf in the moonlight and while Gillette may well indeed be the ‘best a man can get’, the adverts say nothing about werewolves, so he sets off on a quest to find a way to remove it.

Not content with delivering a vast cast of characters and a large story, along with the ability to switch between human and wolf form in order to puzzle solve, the game comes packed with almost 100 sidequests, meaning that we fully expect this one to devour our time.  Additionally, it is easily one of the most eye-catching games to make this year’s list, with stylised artwork and a sumptuously colourful, retrotastic top down view that has the oldies among us rubbing our groins in anticipation.

MacGuffin’s Curse is set for release on 19th April, 2012.

Botanicula
With 2012 seeing some classic horror, old skool styled treats, sequels, and 2.5D staples, it is good to see a truly bizarre and unique title creeping onto the list in the shape of Botanicula.  Developed by Amanita Design (responsible for the beautiful Machinarium), and billed as a point and click exploration game, Botanicula features five little tree creatures whose delightfully innocent quest involves a journey to save the last remaining seed from their home tree, which has been infested by pesky evil parasites.

As odd as the game sounds, the trailers and screens are spellbinding, featuring beautiful music and a cute but elegant design that is simple yet utterly absorbing, with a gentle colour palette and a feel that is something like Pikmin on Valium.  Amongst the horrors, dramas, and dark delights of the 2012 list, Botanicula offers a chink of charming light to bring some much needed gentle relief and is expected to see a Q1 release.

The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav
Taking place in a more traditional fantasy setting, The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav (yes, we keep reading it as SatNav, too) is another release from successful adventure developers, Daedalic Entertainment.  Chains of Satinav casts the player in the role of Geron, who becomes embroiled in a quest to track down the source of a mysterious, evil crow plague that threatens the peace between his land of Andergast and that of neighbouring Nostria.

The game offers the usual point and click gameplay alongside an absorbing story and characters in a rich fantasy setting, but for us it is the graphics that are the real show-stopper.  The hand-drawn screens that we’ve had the pleasure of pouring over so far have been breathtaking, each one delivering a stunning piece of individual artwork in its own right.  If all goes well, Daedalic will have another first class game on their hands, even if this one is a little more on the traditional side, with nary a talking rabbit in sight.  Expect a release within the next few months.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller
Before Kickstarter campaigns became the new black, thanks to Tim Schafer’s recent funding bid, other adventures were plugging away, raising cash to aid development, and Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is one such title.  The titular heroine is an FBI agent, based in Boston, who has the ability to see into the past (if only we had that at GLHQ, the mystery  of who ate the last Jaffa Cake and who burned the office carpet with a laptop power pack would finally be solved – it wasn’t me – Ed.).

She finds herself on the trail of four serial killers but all is not as it seems, as she comes across a series of clues left specifically for someone with her unique abilities.  Who has left them and why?  How did they know her secret?

The indie adventure features the unique (and beautifully striking) graphic-novel style artwork of Romano Molenaar (Tomb Raider, X-Men, Witchblade) and looks reminiscent in some ways of the hand-drawn cut-scenes in last year’s excellent adventure, Gray Matter.  Speaking of which, the writer of Gray Matter, the adventure veteran Jane Jensen (of Gabriel Knight fame) is working with the developers, Phoenix Online Studios and Khaeon Gamestudio, as a story consultant, so expect great things when the game finally hits the shelves.

Asylum
You can be pretty fucking sure that any game whose site is called facethehorror.com is not going to be about pressing flowers and crocheting mittens, and from the unapologetically unnerving teaser video, smack dab on the home page, we reckon that that Asylum could well be shaping up to be one of the year’s sleeper horror hits.

In development at Senscape studios, from the designer of horror adventure Scratches, the game is set in the decaying Hanwell Mental Institute.  Yes, it may well be a cliché location for a horror adventure, but it looks to be a damned effective one from what we’ve seen.

The devs are keeping extraordinarily tight lipped on the story, only revealing that “an ex-patient returns to a mental hospital to understand why he is suffering bizarre hallucinations…”, but the curious can glean more with a little digging. Indeed, the disturbing ‘session videos’ on the main site speak of more than the usual patient torture and sadistic abuse that we would expect from this sort of setting and theme.  In the sessions with a patient known only as Bertrand, we learn of a dark nameless presence that has been awakened by work in tunnels, presumably beneath the Asylum.  Worse, this something is now aware of the presence of the inmates, who are plagued by voices and nightmares.  What do the doctors know, what is their role in all this, and what is the truth behind our protagonist’s hallucinations?

The game looks suitably nightmarish, with pitted walls, blood-stained cells, and deranged inmates conjuring a spine-chilling atmosphere of dread. Throw in some realistic lighting and sounds and a lingering, haunting piano score and the teaser alone is enough to both sell the game and put off the faint-hearted.  The whole project appears well produced and put together, from the trailers and videos, to the site itself.  Not only is there a regular development blog (diary of a madman ) at the awesomely named slightly-deranged.com, but the Hanwell Mental Institute itself even has a corporate site.

There is no word on who is picking up the publishing duty yet, although from our digging Iceberg Interactive appear to have shown an interest, but it would seem to be early days yet.  Here’s hoping that it makes a 2012 release.

Mage’s Initiation: Reign of the Elements
In a departure from the usual fantasy scenario, where lazy townsfolk, suffering from ‘fuck you mentality’, palm off a perilous quest to slay a whopping great demon and bring its pension back on to a young child/teenager/androgynous spiky haired character, Mage’s Initiation: Reign of the Elements takes a slightly more positive approach.  The player joins D’Arc, a sixteen year old student, who sets off across the land of Igninor on a journey to complete three tests as part of his initiation to become a Mage.

Of course, it is never as easy as strolling down to the local Kentucky Fried Orc for a Family Sized bucket for a lazy Arch Mage or something… no, our lad has to brave the dangers of Goblin filled forests, deserts, and vast mountains in order to prove himself.  Let’s hope he doesn’t leave his coin-purse behind back there or he’ll be more than kicking himself.  Whatever happened to a good frat house style spanking as an initiation?  Mages are bastards is our conclusion.

Anyway, the vibrant old skool visuals caught our eye and practically ripped it out of the socket and we’ve decided that we can’t wait to see if the 2.5D adventure from Himalaya Studios lives up to its looks.

Of course, there are more games set to bound over the horizon this year, but we’ve tried to focus on those that we think may have a realistic chance of a 2012 release.  Again, there are also several excellent imports with the potential to cross the channel from Europe, but all we can do is cross our fingers in what could be an unending wait. Dark Sails, Harvey’s New Eyes, and The Critter Chronicles may just be wishful thinking, sadly.

The climate for adventures in the UK is a tough one, with many high street chains worrying more about big-hitters and scratchy pre-owned coasters to stock them, and a largely uninterested press affecting awareness.  We like to support the genre here at GLHQ, however, and enjoy drawing attention to this still-vibrant niche that is chock full of great stories, invention, atmosphere, and exceptional talent.  It may be the forgotten child of gaming, having been largely abandoned when Sierra and LucasArts moved on and took gamers with them, but take a peek through the glass sometime and you may well be surprised at the gems waiting to be discovered.

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