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Gaming 101:
Adventure Games

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List

In this series, we are learning how different aspects of video games work by playing games that offer an easy introduction to this one concept. This is designed for people new to gaming and aims to identify games with the least barriers. In this entry, we are looking at Adventure games.

Adventure video games invite you to attempt dangerous or mountainous experiences. This is the hero's journey where you play a protagonist who must take on daring deeds to reclaim a precious item, get to the top of the mountain or go there and back again and survive the ordeal.

While Shooting games offer exuberance and adrenaline, they focus on the mechanics of the fight rather than the narrative of the journey. Some combine the two with a campaign mode adventure and online pure shooting modes. Some adventure games also include Fighting, Role Playing and Strategy. But to stay in the Adventure genre, the arc of the quest needs to be the main focus rather than play in arenas or rounds.

Adventure games that double down on the Narrative of the characters and world expand the experience to include wider reflection, consequences and tensions as you would find in a novel.

This list includes 24 games from the last 12 years, with 1,219 likes. They come from a range of different genres and play-styles and are all good games if you want to play your first adventure game.

List Details

PEGI Ratings: PEGI 3 to PEGI 12
ESRB Ratings: ESRB EVERYONE to ESRB TEEN
Australian Ratings: G to M
Genres: Action, Adventure, Battle, Collecting, Communication, Creative, Fighting, Narrative, Platform, Point-and-Click, Puzzle, Role-Play, Sequencing, Shooting, Simulation, Stealth, Strategy and Traversal
Total Likes: 1,219

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild

Release Date: 03/03/2017

Out Now: Switch and Wii U

Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon, Day and Night, Open World and Weather

The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild departs from the previous Zelda formula with the scale and depth of its world. You walk, fly, ride and climb your way through a landscape that varies in climate, terrain, inhabitants and vegetation. Weather and...

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Release Date: 11/12/2020

Out Now: Apple TV, Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and iOS

Skill Rating: 5+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is an adventure game where you play as a young girl who starts a wildlife conservation club. Play involves exploring the island, using the bird song you hear to find and photograph all manner of real-world birds. It stands out...

Journey

Release Date: 14/03/2012, updated in 2019

Out Now: PC, PS3, PS4 and iOS

Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Open World

Journey is an adventure game set in a desert. Exploring the eerie sandscape, you discover a world abandoned by the race that created it. The sense of space and scale evokes feelings of aloneness and being lost. But then the game pairs you with other...

Abzu

Release Date: 02/11/2016, updated in 2018

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person

Abzu is an adventure in a lush underwater world. You descend into the heart of the ocean to find ancient secrets and encounter majestic creatures. This combines the beautiful weightlessness of diving with an ancient story of finding meaning and your...

Chicory: A Colorful Tale

Release Date: 10/06/2021, updated in 2021

Out Now: Mac, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox X|S

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Hand-Made

Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an adventure where you play an everyday dog thrust into the role of wielding a magic brush. The world starts black and white but you colour it in with your paintbrush to solve puzzles and help your animal friends. It looks...

Knights And Bikes!

Release Date: 26/08/2019, updated in 2020

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Hand-Made

Knights And Bikes! is a hand-painted adventure in a fictional late-eighties British Isles. You work together as Nessa and Demelza who explore its coast on bikes to find treasure, mystery and trouble. There’s fighting with frisbees, water balloons,...

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Release Date: 17/11/2011, updated in 2022

Out Now: DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox X|S

Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a role-play game and an expanded version of the DS game Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn. In it, you play a young boy who travels between worlds and battles enemies in an attempt to save his mother. It...

Tearaway Unfolded

Release Date: 22/11/2013, updated in 2015

Out Now: PS Vita and PS4

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Hand-Made

Tearaway Unfolded is an adventure game where you explore a folklore-filled fantasy world that's made entirely of paper. You play by moving around the world, running, jumping and collecting items to unlock doors and fight enemies. It stands out for how...

Lil Gator Game

Release Date: 14/12/2022, updated in 2023

Out Now: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox X|S

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon and Open World

Lil Gator Game is an action-adventure set on an island playground where a young brother invents exciting games to try and get his older sister to play like they used to. You guide your waddling gator to explore the world as you bop cardboard baddies,...

Sword of the Sea

Release Date: Coming soon

Coming Soon: PC and PS5

Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon

Sword of the Sea is a traversal game where you are a Wraith resurrected to restore life to a desolate world. Play involves exploring submerged ruins to discover the cultures that built them. It stands out for the flowing movement and beautiful vistas...

Dragon Quest Treasures

Release Date: 09/12/2022, updated in 2023

Out Now: PC and Switch

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon, Day and Night and Open World

Dragon Quest Treasures is a lighthearted and more approachable version of the popular Dragon Quest role-play games. Along with the exploration, light battles and resource collection is a central monster-hunting hide-and-seek challenge where you get...

Luigi's Mansion 2

Release Date: 20/03/2013, updated in 2024

Out Now: 3DS and 2DS and Switch

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On and Cartoon

Luigi's Mansion 2, or Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon in the US, is an adventure game about investigating five haunted houses in a community overrun by ghosts. As Luigi, you use your flashlight and ghost trap in the mansions, capturing ghosts and collecting...

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Release Date: 11/06/2021, updated in 2023

Out Now: PC and PS5

Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a running, jumping and shooting game that lets the heroic duo jump between parallel worlds. Play is similar to other Ratchet & Clank games, retaining the dodging, gunplay, bold collection and upgrading weapons. Here...

Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Release Date: 12/11/2020

Out Now: PC, PS4 and PS5

Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Hand-Made

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a running and jumping game. It's a spinoff of the LittleBigPlanet series and follows Sackboy and three friends as they explore, collect and battle their way through a fantasy world. It stands out for the simple exuberant...

Knack

Release Date: 15/09/2013

Out Now: PS4

Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon

Knack is a platform action series where you control a shape-shifting robot called Knack. Through beautiful arcade-style battles and worlds, you collect Relics that enable you to grow bigger and gain more powers.

Penko Park

Release Date: 23/10/2020

Out Now: PC

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person, Cartoon and Hand-Made

Penko Park is an adventure about exploring an abandoned wildlife park, taking photos of the weird and creepy creatures which you find. Like exploring a children's story book world, you collect these snapshots along with fur samples and fossils to add to...

Like No Other: The Legend Of The Twin Books

Release Date: 25/08/2022

Out Now: PC, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead and Cartoon

Like No Other: The Legend Of The Twin Books is a light point-and-click game about a bumbling adventurer who (in spite of his advanced years) sets out to solve the legend of the twin books by exploring the abandoned town of Red Pines. It stands out for...

Headland

Release Date: 06/11/2020, updated in 2022

Out Now: Android, PC, Switch and iOS

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Blocks

Headland is an action adventure game in a vibrant fantasy world. You help Nor and his robot friends find the imagination fragments and save the world.

Knack 2

Release Date: 05/09/2017

Out Now: PS4

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon

Knack 2 is an action-adventure where you control a shape-shifting robot called Knack. Following the original game, you battle your way through Pixar-style enemies and solve simple puzzles using your size-shifting abilities. It's familiar territory but...

Miitopia

Release Date: 08/12/2016, updated in 2021

Out Now: 3DS and 2DS and Switch

Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead and Cartoon

Miitopia is a role-playing adventure game where you embark on a quest to save your friends and thwart a Dark Lord's evil plans. You do this by recruiting various cartoon-looking characters to join your party in turn-based battles with the Dark Lord's...

Roundguard

Release Date: 13/03/2020

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and iPhone, iPad

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On and Hand-Made

Roundguard is a dungeon adventure where your character is a pinball rather than a normal person. You work your way through different castle levels by flinging yourself around, bouncing off enemies to defeat them and into pots of gold to gain currency...

Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm

Release Date: 19/09/2019, updated in 2023

Out Now: Apple TV, Mac, PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox X|S, iOS and iPhone, iPad

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person

Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm (called simply Oceanhorn 2 on Apple Arcade) is an adventure game that recreates the 3D Zelda experience on non-Nintendo platforms...

The Pinball Wizard

Release Date: 27/10/2022

Out Now: Apple TV, Mac, PC, Switch and iOS

Skill Rating: 4+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead

The Pinball Wizard is an action adventure game where you hit an adventurer around a dungeon to score points, kill enemies and collect treasure. Play involves classic pinball action, flinging your character at enemies, along with a dash to give them a...

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom

Release Date: 23/03/2018, updated in 2023

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox X|S

Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is a role-play game and sequel to Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, where you play a young king rebuilding his kingdom and uniting his people. You travel the world,...

Curated lists:
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In-game purchases:
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Released:
Accessibility features:	Yes

How many players:
How long to learn:
How long to play:
User-generated content:	No

Controls
Gamepad:
Mouse And Keyboard:
Touchscreen:
Motion:	Motion Aiming Motion Pointing Motion Tilting Motion Gesture Motion Camera
Remap Controls:
Button Combinations:	Holding Down Buttons Optional Rapid Repeated Pressing Optional No Simultaneous Buttons
Controller Vibration:
Sensitivity:

Getting Started
Onboarding Before Play:
Assistance Getting Starting:	Tutorials Practice Area View Control Mapping Assistance With Controls Reaction-Time Not Critical Low Pressure Adjust Speed No Jump Scares
Assistance For Progressing:	Guaranteed Progress With God Mode Bank Progress With Frequent Checkpoints Assisted Progress With Boosts Assisted Progress With Hints Assisted Recall for Characters Assisted Recall for Narrative and Dialogue Save Progress Anytime

Reading
Reading Level:
Text Visibility:	Large Clear Text High Contrast Text
Subtitles:
Captions:
Voice Acted:

Navigation
Clarity:
Head-Up Display:
Menu Navigation:

Visual
Contrast:
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Audio Cues for Visual Events:
Narration for Visual Elements:
	Motion Sickness Friendly
Colour Options:
Play Without Sight:
Violence:

Audio
	Balance Audio Levels
Audio Events:
	Play Without Hearing

Communication
Player-to-Player Online Communication:
Online Communication Assistance:

Difficulty
Difficulty Options:	Simple and Full Version No Memorisation Advantage No Hidden Information No Deceit Advantage No Colour Advantage No Mathematics Advantage No Weighing Decisions

Getting Started
Assistance Getting Started:	Clear Manual Electronic Version of Manual Electronic Version of Manual for Screen Readers Getting Started Video Digital Version Reference Aid
Assistance Progressing:	Play Order Tokens (Or play order doesn’t change) Reaction-Time Not Critical Low Pressure Low Impact Catch Up Rule

Reading
Reading Level:
Necessary Text Visibility:	Large Clear Text on Board (Or no text required) Large Clear Text on Cards (Or no text required) High Contrast Text (Or no text required) QR Code For Text (Or no text required) Primary and Secondary Text Distinguishable (Or no text required) Information Orientation Clear Icons

Physical
Pieces:	Components are Distinguishable by Touch Components are Replaceable No Non-Standard Dice (Or No Dice) No Tiny Pieces No Paper Money No Sprawl
Cards:	Large Card Size Standard Card Shape Limited Hand Management No Excessive Card Shuffling No Right-Handed Advantage
Placement:	No Unbound Placement Player Components Not Shared No Fiddly Placement Easily Verbalised Actions

Visual
Printed Visibility:	Colour Blind Friendly Design Double-Coding Colour High Contrast Colours
Component Identifiability:	Outline Key Elements No Busy Backgrounds Easily Verbalised Game State No Close Inspection Disadvantage Playable Without Sight

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Include compatible platforms:	Yes

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Audio
Communication:	Audio Cues Mirrored Visually (Or no critical audio signals) No Pressured Reveals No Pressured Communication Playable Without Hearing

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Gender and Sexuality Choices:
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Gaming 101:Adventure Games

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Gaming 101:
Adventure Games