AdventureX 2023

First weekend in November, 2023 and AdventureX rolled round again. For the second year in a row, the convention took place at the Stockwell Street Building of the University of Greenwich. A global crowd of adventure gamers gathered to experience two days of talks by various luminaries of the genre. The fun even went beyond the venue, with some joining a karaoke night on the Friday, where I performed a summary of the Ben Jordan series to the tune of “Paint It, Black”.

There were also a wide range of games to play and discuss. With the list of adventures below being an indication, the death of adventure games as a genre still seems a long way off.

 

Cabernet

In Eastern Europe in the late 19th Century, Elizaveta Morozova’s promising career as a doctor has been cut tragically short. As she is laid to rest, her family recalls the young woman she once was, and the promise she showed for the future. It is therefore somewhat surprising for Elizaveta (Liza for short) to later wake up in a dark dungeon. Making her way out of this dingy place, she finds herself in a magnificent manor house, home of the strange Countess. There she learns that she is no longer human, but has become a vampire. Faced with this new existence, and the requirement to drink blood that comes with it, what path will Liza take?

Having exhibited the small game, Thing-in-Itself, at a previous AdventureX, Party for Introverts are promoting something exponentially larger. The presentation is mostly 2D, though some larger areas allow for movement in more than just a flat plane using the keyboard controls. The characters are all well-designed, giving them distinct personalities, from the initially timid Liza to the brash Hussar. The hand-drawn backgrounds evoke a similar variety, from the poorly lit drabness of the dungeons to the magnificently opulent ballroom. RPG elements have been introduced, initially as background knowledge of the lead character. The eulogy at her funeral provides baseline numbers in art, literature, science and history. Quests and other activities earn more points, allowing you to grow your character as you wish. These and other stats, such as relationship status, will determine what options are open to you for dialogue and examining your surroundings, allowing for different playthroughs. This is all topped off with high quality voice acting and music ranging from the melancholy piano of the funeral to the cheerful record album at the ball.

More information on Cabernet can be found on the Party for Introverts website – The game is also available for wishlist on Steam, with a hoped-for release in the new year. 

Cabernet – Arseniy Klishin and Laura Gray

Heir of the Dog

Cummerbund Bandersnatch should know better than to mess with things in his mad uncle’s laboratory. The formula he found on his uncle’s desk promised that it would give him the ability to enjoy a good time at great length. What it actually proved to do was turn him into a half-man, half-dog creature during the hours of darkness. Fortunately the lab also contained a formula that might reverse the effects of the potion. Gathering the ingredients should be a simple task, shouldn’t it?

Tall Story Games have taken a game they made for a 2020 Game Jam, and are turning it into a magnificently silly full-blown adventure. The graphics are a retro pixel style, with Cummerbund’s hunched and hairy physique a stark contrast to the upright gentleman he really is. As this cursed form only prevails at night, between 8pm and 8am, he can use his pocket watch to switch between forms. The interactions available as a human in daytime London are different from those offered at night in your dog-like framework. The latter includes a sniff action, which resulted in “it smells like ascent” when I used it on a staircase. This is just the surface of the genteel humour on offer as you seek a solution to your problem. You will also early on encounter a louse (part of a louse circus) that joins you as a companion and assistant in your quest. In dog-form you can speak to this and other animals, with all characters being fully voiced to an excellent standard. A jaunty tune also backs up the proceedings.

You can follow developments on the game at the game website – The original Game Jam version is available for free on Steam and other places –  You can wishlist the full game for its anticipated 2025 release on Steam as well. 

Heir of the Dog – Tom Hardwidge

Foolish Mortals

Murphy McCallan is obsessed with finding the lost treasure of Bellemore Manor. But this Caribbean mansion hides its treasure well. The local witch doctor believes he can raise up the spirits of the manor itself. They are sure to know the location of the treasure. All you have to do is bring him the ingredients he needs to create the spell to summon the spirits. With such a prize at stake, hunting up a few ingredients shouldn’t be a problem.

Inklingwood Studios have created an adventure that carries on in the spirit of both the Monkey Island and Broken Sword games. It uses a standard point-and-click interface, with the default cursor resembling a Ouija board planchette. The cursor changes to another voodoo-related shape over a hotspot, such as a skull for talking or a the lined palm of a hand for useage. Initially, the locations on the map appear as question marks, with names filled in as you visit them. The main setting for the demo was the town of Deadnettle. Here I encountered a fisherman with wild tales of spectacular catches and a no-nonsense lady newspaper editor hoping I had interesting scoops. The graphics are a detailed cartoon style reminiscent of the later entries in the original Monkey Island and Broken Sword series. The game is voiced to a worthy standard, with the contempt of the Maitre D’ turning me away from the Captain’s Club a particular highlight for me. It’s chapter-based, with the collection of ingredients intended to be just the first chapter.

More information and the planned 2024 release can be found on the game website – You can also wishlist it and play the demo on Steam. 

Foolish Mortals – Sophie and David Younger