The Secret of Monkey Island‘s insult sword fighting. The Walking Dead‘s zombie apocalypse. Myst‘s linking books. All are simple concepts at the center of great adventure games. 1954: Alcatraz adds “escape from Alcatraz” to that list. It manages to draw the player in, not only because a prison escape is impressive, but because escaping from Alcatraz is especially daunting. It’s not all cinderblock walls, corrections officers and time in solitary confinement, though. While Joe is working to break out, his wife Christine is doing her part around San Francisco to unravel the mystery of Joe’s armored truck heist and aid his escape in any way possible. READ MORE
Card City Nights is exactly what I never knew I wanted: Pokemon crossed with Triple Triad from Final Fantasy VIII, wrapped up in a cute, hand-drawn visual style. You start out as the new kid in town, taking part in card battles until you get the eight legendary cards and challenge the Card King for a huge cash prize. READ MORE
Echo Prime is what I’m going to call a good “installation game.” On the iPhone it would be a good “toilet game,” but I very seldom take my PC to the bathroom. I do, however, install things on it regularly, and while I’m doing that, running a few missions in Echo Prime is a fun experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome. READ MORE
Daedalic is great at telling a story. Its impressive adventure game catalog contains entries like Deponia and Edna & Harvey, so you should come into Blackguards expecting a well-written tale. What you might not expect is challenging tactical combat, deep character creation and customization, and and a 40-hour campaign in which player choice changes quest completion and narrative flow. READ MORE
The Banner Saga is astoundingly beautiful. The art evokes classic animation like Don Bluth’s An American Tail and Disney’s Sleeping Beauty in a way that I’ve never seen in a game. The battlegrounds look amazing, and characters look alive in a way that can only be attained through hand-drawn animation. Final Fantasy Tactics looks nice, but The Banner Saga is simply breathtaking. READ MORE
