I considered starting a "Syberia Remastered" thread, but maybe one thread about the whole series is also fine, to discuss and compare.

Have you played the Syberia Series?

I haven't played the games when they were released. The covers didn't really catch my curiosity back then, maybe I didn't really like that winter setting shown on the cover. But when the 4th game was released in 2022, I wanted to play that. And before playing it, I wanted to play the original games (1 and 2) to get to know the character and background story. 

I liked both games, the characters, the story, the pacing and the setting. I felt sad that I didn't give them a chance earlier. But the games worked for me, after all the time since their release, without any nostalgia effect.

I skipped the third one (just watching a let's play) because of bad reviews about controls etc. And while watching the videos, I didn't feel like I missed anything by not playing it myself. 

Syberia: The World before was really impressive. The story felt very emotional, personal and serious somehow. Grown. For me it was a very good development of the existing story. I definitely have seen worse in other game series. It was a worthy (open) conclusion of the whole story for me.


Now the remaster of the first one has been released. Are you planning to play it? 

I am interested in it and I think I'll give it a try. But I am a bit worried about the mixed quality of the remaster. The videos are still the original ones as far as I've read, and while they were totally fine for me in the original game, they might break the immersion while playing and switching between the modern graphics and the old videos? Not sure if the players mentioning it are more critical than me about it.

Unravel an ancient mystery and search for an old treasure along England's mist-shrouded coastline, famous for its legends of smugglers, pirates, and ghosts. Join ghost hunters Nigel Danvers and Lucy Reubans as they investigate a story of horror and haunting. https://store.steampowered.com/app/29171...ost_Crown/

     
One of my winter traditions is playing “The Lost Crown.”
And this time, I viewed the game critically for the first time: It started with a vague feeling that I didn't really understand the beginning because I lacked prior knowledge. Unfortunately, “Dark Fall – The Journal” was so bad that I couldn't even bear to watch it on YouTube, even though you get to know Nigel Danvers quite quickly. I didn't get past Hadden Industries and Mr. Hadden and Mr. Crow from other parts.


In “The Lost Crown,” I see a book with three crowns on it, and Danvers starts rambling about a connection to a legend he knew nothing about before. Once you get past this, the story picks up speed and we encounter numerous ghosts and supernatural phenomena. However, the only thing that proves to be truly horrifying is the ghost in the crypt; otherwise, it's all about cozy creepiness.

There are no combination puzzles; mainly, objects have to be found and used – on average, the tasks are very moderately difficult. However, it is advisable to note down the corresponding season for the discs, as you will need this knowledge in two places – unfairly, the second time towards the end of the game, when no one remembers it anymore. 


      However, there are also puzzles that I will never be able to solve in my lifetime: two music puzzles, adjusting the monoliths, combining the sentences in the beams, a sliding puzzle, and the pillars in the crypt. No chance. Otherwise, it's a game to enjoy the creepy atmosphere and story.

There is a bug in the German version where you can't get out of the conversation with Hardacre in the cave once you've spoken to him. A second one caught up with me on the coast after the bells rang.

The graphics are unique and fit perfectly.

All of the locations shown in the game really exist. The setting is the Welsh fishing village of Polperro, which is located in a hidden bay and serves as the backdrop for the story. 
https://www.darklingroom.co.uk/thelostcr...saxton.htm
https://www.visitcornwall.com/destinations/polperro

The game is based on the ghost story “A Warning to the Curious” by M.R. James, which is about an old crown buried on the coast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7xJSQY8Ssw Film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiBmtq0jkDI

The very short sequel is called “Midnight Horror,” and another short game in the series is scheduled for release in January/February, until hopefully the long-awaited main part continues.
    Operating system: Windows XP, Vista
Processor: 1.5 GHz
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics: 128 MB DX 9.0c compliant video card
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Storage space: 1200 MB available storage space
Sound card: DX 9.0c compliant sound card

    Recommended:
        Operating system *: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8
        Processor: 3.0 GHz
        Memory: 2 GB RAM
        Graphics: 256 MB DX 9.0c compliant video card
        DirectX: Version 9.0c
        Storage space: 1200 MB available storage space
        Sound card: DX 9.0c compliant sound card

* Starting January 1, 2024, the Steam client will support

Ignoring any official stances on what the Secret of Monkey Island supposedly is. I'm more interested in hearing your personal interpretation. I will get the ball initially rolling.

I reckon it's filled to the brim with treasure - primarily money. That's actually it's real name "Money Island". By adding the letter K, it keeps the island seem unassuming to help better fly under the radar.

Quick your turn, I will be on guard duty keeping a lookout for three-headed monkeys for you.

There is already a thread about adventure game puzzles we hated. I almost posted there about what I actually don't like in adventure games, but I think it doesn't really belong there: QTE and timed reaction "puzzles" (or minigames)!

While I like playing some casual (mini) game now and then, and it can be fun, I don't like certain types of minigames when they are implemented in classic point & click adventures.

For example "Pillars of the Earth" was a really beautifully crafted game. I would have loved that very much, and play it more than once. If there weren't those reaction mini games. I don't know what's the best term for describing those. For me those games felt totally disconnected to the story and gameplay, not needed at all. But you had to "play" them to continue with the story, as far as I remember. Have you played that? And what did you think about them?

It was the same with "Silence", the sequel to The Whispered World. As far as I remember, the gameplay was actually very similar to the ones from Pillars of the Earth.

Then there are games like Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy), where you have to be quick, hacking your keyboard all the time.
The game and story was exciting, I would have liked the game but stopped playing because of this kind of gameplay. I watched a walkthrough of the second half (?) of the game then, didn't like the twist with the a**** (spoiler ) anyway ...
Those QTEs annoyed me, because I wasn't able to properly follow the story when having to look at the bottom of the screen all the time to check what keys to press.

It is kind of weird, since I actually also play more action based games as well if I want to, that's fine for me (hack'n'slays like Diablo, or a rpg like Skyrim).
But when I decide to play a point & click adventure, I want to play a point & click adventure - cozy, in my own speed, thinking, exploring, reading ... not having to be "skillful" or "quick" with eyes and hands.

What's your opinion on that?

I completely avoid games with QTE since I know about them. I was happy that in Deponia, you could skip minigames, although those games weren't the worst I encountered.

We've all been there... staring at the screen, clicking on every hotspot, talking to every character again... and again... and again...

So the question is, what is the most frustrating Adventure Game puzzle you have encountered?

The frustration can come from any source. Moon logic, over pixelated graphics, control methods, glitches, goats or anything whatsoever!

For me it was Future Wars.

In the days of playing my Atari ST on the family TV there was one section where you had to place a cork board pin into the cork board at the exact right spot to open a secret door... however there was virtually no visual clue as to where the pin should go.
Literal hours were spent by my brother and I scouring every square inch of the screen to find the correct location for this naffing pin... then we would be unceremoniously kicked off the TV so the News (or whatever) could go on and the adults had control of the cathode ray tube until the next morning...

Eventually by shining my grandad's torch over the screen (in a rotation pattern) we managed to find the single pixel that we needed to advance the game...

The celebrations are legendary in my family. (Well, my brother and I remember it at least).

So what's yours?

Here I was, thinking I was playing a detective game, carefully examining everything I came across, wondering how it connects to all the other dots, trying to figure everything out..

I was doing this for 15 hours or so...... and I was enjoying it.

.......but then the game just randomly changes, and it tells me "Yeah, we're not doing that detective stuff anymore! In the face of the evidence that Chuck/Sheriff are behind the murders, we're just gonna make you frame an obviously innocent man! And none of the playable characters care about it! .....and now instead of closing the case properly, you have to go the factory to do some other dumb random stuff! And then once you start doing that the game is somehow going to become even more absurd as the meta stuff begins..............

*BLEEP* OFF!

.

Why couldn't the characters just simply acknowledge that Franklin vanished within hours of the murder of his business partner, and so it's 99.9999999% likely that the 2 events are connected!

And acknowledged that Chuck was a serious criminal (framing the manslaughter he's guilty of on the security guard victim) who certainly didn't like ideas about making toys in the factory! And that the sherif also clearly had something serious to hide!

And then they could have used these facts to refuse to frame Willy, and instead headed to the factory to investigate further!

And then in the factory, they find information that Chuck had hidden about an new android prototype that had recently escaped.... 

And then they learn of how Chuck tasked Sherif with making sure the news doesn't get out....

And then we learn that after it escaped the android heard of it's beloved creator's (= Chuck's) hatred for Franklin's ideas, and then it started to hate them too....

And then after a little bit more investigating we fully confirm that it's hatred of the ideas eventually led it to stalk Franklin, and then even kill him and Boris after it learnt of what they were doing......

And then; Case Closed!

And the credits roll without and meta crap!

(That would have been way better!)

Is there a word or phrase for those occasional times when you get stuck, and have (you think) tried every possible action, in every possible room, with every possible item or permutation or combination of items?  And you're just wandering around repeating things, looking for something else to try?

You are tempted to think that this must be a bug, but you know you're wrong; you're just pre-rationalizing the inevitable decision that's bubbling up to look at a walkthrough.  The shame of knowing that others (many others) have figured this out is beginning to loom on the horizon.

It's not a good feeling sometimes.  It's these times that I most wish point and click adventure games were not so constrained.  I guess good "smart" hint systems can help here, but that can be equally unsatisfying.

Anyway, I was wondering if there was an industry term for these... ditches?  Valleys?  Ruts?

Welcome To Oakhaven  - a hot and sultry land where bayous twist like secrets, cypress trees rise from still waters, and Spanish moss drapes the branches like whispers from long ago. Here, storytelling isn’t just tradition—it’s a way of life.

This is a lovingly remade version of the original 2006 game, now featuring professional voice acting, some enhanced graphics, and new animations. Step back into the golden age of point-and-click adventures.

You’ll follow the story of two cousins, Daphne and Dominic, summoned by a mysterious letter from their Grandmère. She calls them home to Oakhaven with an urgent message—and a challenge. Each must solve a series of puzzles scattered across the estate. As they unravel clues and confront the past, they’ll uncover a tragic family history long buried beneath the moss and memory.

Average playtime - 5 hours depending on how deeply you explore the environment, solve puzzles, and immerse yourself in the narrative
A Traditional Point and Click Adventure Game
Hand Painted Digital Graphics
Professional Voice Actors
Beautiful Southern Style Rooms to Explore
Southern Style Music
Solve Many Puzzles
Ride a Boat through the Swamp
Meet the Beautiful Animals that Live in the Swamp
Learn About Bayou Voodoo and Meet a Swamp Witch
Get a Tarot Card Reading
Discover Dark Secrets from the Past

https://store.steampowered.com/app/39934..._Oakhaven/

Is anyone else going this year- and what are you looking forward to most?

https://www.adventurexpo.org/

I think there are still a handful of tickets left, and it looks like it'll be good. The Dark Room live action video game has me particularly intrigued...

I'm curious how people experience adventure games. 
I'll break the question down in three forms of appreciation, but feel free to take any approach that works for you.

1. Adventures work on your senses and imagination. What is pleasing? Can a puzzle be pleasant? 

2. Role immersion. How does a game make you want to engage with its world - and how does it fullfill that desire? What makes you feel content playing a game?

3. Gratification. What makes you feel like your actions pay off? Is a good puzzle difficult - and what makes it so? Are all forms of difficulty equally gratifying? Does it matter how a puzzle is embedded in the game? And are there other gameplay elements in AGs that can give you this feeling of accomplishment and reward?