2025 was, and still is, one of the best, if not the best, p'n'c year of this decade century millennium.

Many popular and long-awaited games were released this year. However, that means other great games with less publicity were left in the dust.

So here it is, my favorite hidden gem of the year.


The Brilliant Coup - 8/10. Difficulty level: 7/10.

~12h heist game about a British bloke who wants to get rich by robbing a bank.

A little game that could.

I enjoyed it very much, which is strange since it should be a game I wouldn't like. Let's start with the UI. It has old school SCUMM-like verb-based controls, which is fine on its own. But here it feels very clunky, in other similar games you left click on something, the game assumes what action you want to use, e.g. if you click on door you automatically use "open", if you click on NPC it's "talk", item - "pick up" etc. But not here, left-clicking doesn't do anything on its own and you always have to select a verb first, so first click "open" then "door". Same with items, if you want to combine them, first "use", then item, then another item. Luckily, the right-click is always "look at".

Another thing is no VO. Personally I don't mind it. I would rather play a long game without VO than a short one with it. But I guess reading is going out of fashion, so some people might see it as a deal breaker for them.

There is almost no QoL. Pixel hunting is a thing, no map, no fast travel. There are some items that you literaly can throw away in the trash, but there are some that will stay with you for the entire game, cluttering up your inventory. There is no hint system (but the dev has made a walkthrough on the official website).

Despite all this, the game is great. It has the unique promise of planning the heist, gathering information and preparing for the big day. I wish there were more p'n'c games about thieves (especially since almost all p'n'c MCs are kleptomaniacs), there is even a subplot to make sure you have a way out if things go wrong, and the game has 3 different endings.
The puzzles are hard but logical and very satisfying to solve. Some of them have multiple solutions, which is nice, but it means you end up with a few useless items in your inventory.

So for anyone who wants that old school, challenging p'n'c feel, I highly recommend giving it a try.

Yes. GK3 has the luggage of 90's 3D. It looks hideous, the backgrounds are hilariously low-res and the character sprites has like 5 polygons? The 3D nature do let you play the game in widescreen with high resolution, but the textures and sprites still bogs it down. There is a fan-made patch to improve the texture resolution, but yes. It looks bad.

But design-wise, I find GK3 really innovative. Controlling the camera rather than the characters themselves is a brilliant idea. You can look under a desk, into a small corner or whatever without waiting for your avatar to lug over there. You can pan, tilt or turn as you want, and really immerse yourself in the game-world.

And the story is Jane Jensen at her *peak*. She told the story of "The DaVincy Code" six years before Dan Brown crashed the party, and the game really let's you take in and breathe the atmosphere of Rennes-le-Château (As far as 90's tech could allow) in a way a novel couldn't. Legacy characters like Mosely and Grace effortlessly pushes the narrative forward, and the supporting cast is both diverse and interesting. You can gather finger prints and license plates, overhear conversation using a drinking glass, etc to access additional story elements.

The puzzles are mostly interesting. Yes. The cat-hair mustache is really dumb, but not worse than other Sierra or even LucasArt games at the time. And this is a weird anomaly even in this game. Grace's arcs has information-based logic puzzles, and Gabriel's arcs has down-to-earth practical puzzles. I find them both to be very enjoyable, far superior to the second game which made you cry in agony whenever you entered a Grace segment which was inevitably another information dump.

So why is this game so hated? I think this game is up there with GK1.

Recommend or talk about what TV or Movies you have been watching.

Last movie I watched was 



Loved it. Acting was great esp Sean Penn was weird and chilling. Great soundtrack and story

It's so nice in here. I love the red naugahyde benches. They remind me of...something.

Just for fun, I thought I'd do an AMA on Sierra topics. There's a lot I'm not in a position to answer, but I'm happy to make stuff up when necessary, so it seems like my breadth of knowledge is much greater than it really is. That's a win/win!

So ask away. Thank you!

Josh

I was so happy to see this forum open ❤️ that I had to sign up to say so. This is the only type of social media I even like (cranky old bitch that I am). My heart belongs to Mystery Manor, but I will be happy to move into my new vacation home here. Provided there’s maid service, which is something that is sorely lacking from MM. 

Congratulations and wishing you all the best. (I had a “cheers” emoji here from my iPad, but it didn’t take. So you’ll have to imagine it.)

October is coming and I need some spooky adventure game suggestions that I haven't played yet. I have probably played the most well known ones but hey maybe I haven't gotten to it yet. Please post a game and I will let you know if I have played it.

Hi everyone! I just pre-released Intrigue At Oakhaven on Steam with a go-live date of November 3.  Please add it to your wishlist!
I have spent the last year and 1/2 remaking the game and my hope is that everyone will enjoy it.


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

I am very happy to see your forums are back. You've been missed by the community!

Can we have a dedicated subforum for discussions about one specific game?
Like:
Games Discussion > Adventure Games > Specific Titles

Or

Games Discussion >
- Adventure Games General
- Adventure Games Specific
- Other Games
- Collector's Corner

Anyone playing this? I just fixed the elevator. So far, I am impressed by the detail—beautiful graphics and mildly interesting puzzles. I've been waiting for this game for almost two years and am delighted to finally be able to play it.