In the Windows 11 upgrade thread we had a divergence regarding Publisher/Affinity where I noted that you couldn't buy Affinity at the moment due to "Creative Freedom" coming and no-one was sure what this meant and whether Affinity would become subscription based. Well, not only is not subscription based the whole package is now free.
As an Affinity user (Photo) I registered to keep up to date with the developments and yesterday downloaded the new, complete, package. Haven't had any free time to check it out nor to view the released video announcement about this which you can watch here: Affinity Release Announcement

This may prove good news for very many creative people here. Time will tell of course 

Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader is my absolute favourite game definitively. Its greatest strength being how masterfully written the dialogue and story are. Small pockets of polished and refined elements exemplify this throughout the journey. Such as the word temerity being used instead of the common term audacity, and Joan of Arc’s protective spiritual guardians referring to her as their pious child. I tend to favour games that don’t talk down to their audience, instead imparting beautifully-expressed language like the above examples.

Medieval settings can sometimes seem a bit run-of-the-mill in PC games. It would’ve been so much cooler if the developers had decided to create an alternate history during the crusades, chucked in a few historical figures, then topped it off with original creatures like Feralkins, Sylvants and... wait a minute, they totally did that and pulled it off magnificently!

The game has this almost supernatural charm about it, which seems appropriate considering the player chooses one of three spirits to inhabit their body. They chime in with commentary and advice at pivotal moments in the plot. From both a historical standpoint and spiritual perspective the overarching narrative in this world is profound. You start off in the atmospheric and richly-detailed Barcelona, which is where your friend Leonardo Da Vinci has his workshop in this surreal alternate timeline.

The game features a robust custom character generator for the protagonist, stunning isometric 2D visuals converted from 3D models in real-time, excellent portrait artwork imbued with personality of the people you will meet, four intriguing factions to potentially join, branching dialogue options, choices & consequences that feel meaningful, an invisible karma meter, spells galore, multiple endings and numerous other fine merits.

Obligatory secrets are hidden throughout, the kind that CRPGs are renowned for. (Secrets in a CRPG, what is the world coming to? I’m as shocked as you are). 

Keeping spoilers minimal in my review, so that you can truly be immersed as much as I was when I first played Lionheart. It was a blind buy. The best blind buy of my life, which makes it a tad ironic that it enhanced my perception stats. You see, I played the Spiderweb Software games as my initiation into CRPGs. The first two in the Geneforge series still come highly recommended by me. They had vision but lacked production value, then I discovered a game that managed to combine both attributes and I was instantly hooked.

Compositional brilliance by Inon Zur gets showcased with an orchestral score blended harmoniously alongside acoustic guitar that brings the game vibrantly to life.

[-1 CHA for engaging in name-dropping of famous composers]

Erm... please ignore that momentary distraction, let’s get back on focus. 

I identify more with words than numbers, but maybe I can convince you to play the game by rolling a natural 20. The things is... this isn’t actually a Dungeons & Dragons game. Fun fact: It’s the only game outside of the Fallout series to use the SPECIAL system for skill points.

I’ve had a closer look at the game files, and it’s staggering how there are a total of 1573 voiced lines (some of which aren’t even used!) spread evenly across 32 immensely prominent voice actors. That accomplishment alone is worthy of praise for a CRPG originally released in 2003.

Overall, 159 dedicated professionals worked tirelessly on this game’s development, and I, for one, appreciate those efforts.

Flawed masterpiece is probably a fitting summary, as I am now delving into some even-handed criticism regarding Lionheart.

In my eyes, a computer role-playing game must provide an appropriate balance between finding different solutions in any given situation. Whether it be using charismatic diplomacy or resolving things with some good ol’ fist fighting! For the most part, Legacy of the Crusader gets this balance right, though not perfectly.

The mandatory combat sequences in this game are tedious even for CRPG veterans. Winning this game from start to finish, I’ve only ever achieved that twice. Don’t let this aspect alone deter you from playing the game, because you can still complete about 70% of the game without encountering hardcore difficulty, provided you have some prior CRPG experience. Using stealth, combat or a silver tongue, this game is flexible enough to allow varying tactics.

It’s available on both GOG and Steam for purchase. My personal recommendation would be to download it from GOG. Thank you so much for reading my review! I’m very passionate about this game, and I even own a big box edition, small box and digital version. Share in my enthusiasm, won’t you? Then you also can become a scion of Lionheart. 

https://www.gog.com/en/game/lionheart_le...e_crusader

https://store.steampowered.com/app/59506..._Crusader/

A new Simon the Sorcerer game has been released - "Simon the Sorcerer Origins". It is a prequel to the Simon the Sorcerer games.

Have you played the other Simon the Sorcerer games? What do you think about the series?
And do you plan to also play this new one?

There are a few things I can say about this series, but I want to have a simple and unbiased thread introduction, so let's begin.  

Simon the Sorcerer Origins on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/19398...r_Origins/

Ideally the games should be freeware, a balanced length, and above all else FUN!  

Also quickly mention in the post if you would volunteer to lead the playthrough. Perks include getting access to a walkthrough as well as a comfortable chair. Spoiler alert: The comfortable chair is a myth. I don't personally feel like volunteering. 

My preferred choice would be for us to play Out Of Order by Hungry Software. Comedy, science fiction, hand-drawn artwork, electronic music, fluffy dog slippers. Sold on it yet? Trust me, you should be. Tim Furnish almost single-handedly made this game by himself over the course of three years. 

I've started playing my absolute favorite adventure game, “The Lost Crown,” again, but I feel like I'm missing a lot of background knowledge. For example, the stolen files, Bones, and Hare. 
Which part of the Dark Fall series should you definitely play first in order to really understand everything? The series is quite extensive now, and the most interesting parts are, of course, the ones featuring Nigel. And Hadden Industries, do they appear in all parts?
)

In the third game of the series, the protagonist Malcolm is influenced by his metaphysical advisors, the stereotypical angel and devil on the shoulders. Stewart is a softly spoken goody two-shoes, whereas Gunther is the brash and obnoxious bully. All three of those characters have distinctive voices which sound nothing alike. Surprisingly, Eric Randall voiced Malcolm, Stewart and Gunther!

I feel that this ties in so nicely into the narrative, from both a spiritual perspective and a psychology angle. Stewart and Gunther don't actually exist, it's just simply Malcolm making life decisions for himself of his own accord.

Do you feel that this was done with intent and purpose by Westwood Studios? Or do you reckon it’s just a fun little coincidence?

Hello Everyone, 

My name is Josh -- I've been dabbling in adventure game design and stumbled on this forum today. For what it's worth, I and a couple of my  friends have been working on a 2D, pixel adventure game called Nick the Knight. Nick is a little boy who uses his imagination to become braver and overcome the hard challenges of being a person.  

Reasons you might be interested:

• Follow our development journey as we get closer to publishing in 2026
  
• Give input (which we will listen to)
  
• Get to know us (we're cool people! )
  

If you'd like to learn more:

• Nick the Knight game site
  
• sign up and try the game (we will never spam you)
  
• Join the Discord channel 
  

Yesterday, in the adventure game scene thread, I posted a couple of pictures which were substituted by alternative ones from my Imgur library. I straight away assumed this involved 'foul play' & completely apologise for any unfounded accusations. But, I really don't understand how posting a code from Imgur can result in an image with a completely different code?.......help!

Hello, and welcome to our next community playthrough! This time, we will be playing IMAGinE, a not-so-little game created during AdvJam2021. It's about a guy named Bob who is trapped in a painting by an artist, painter, magician and self-proclaimed genius, named Angelo .
Your task is to travel between various paintings, find your girlfriend (who is also trapped in one of the paintings) and escape.

To be honest, this game doesn't have the best or deepest plot ever. But it makes up for it with good music, great visuals, and puzzles.

Since we're talking about the puzzles, let's be clear. It's not an easy game. Some of them can be quite devilish and require a bit of imagination and out of the box thinking.

While the game lacks QoL features like show hotspot or a hint system, the community is here to help you with gentle hints, so you should be able to complete it without getting too frustrated.

That's why I welcome all of you, no matter your skill or experience with point and click games, to play this beautiful hidden gem of a game.

Things: to Do:
- share your thoughts on art and music.
- if you stuck, ask for hints. Try to avoid the walkthrough.
- be helpful to others by providing hints, not full, detailed, step-by-step solutions.
- if you want to comment on puzzles, use the spoiler warnings to not spoil the game for others.
- remamber to save manualy, the game doesn't have an autosave system.

The game is free, and you can download it, or play it in your browser, here:
https://the-argonauts.itch.io/imagine

I will now post my spoiler-free thoughts about the first four screens/paintings that you will encounter early in the game.
I will post more of them in the next few days.

---

The first screen is clearly inspired by 'The Last Supper', with a strong street art feel to it. It also looks like the supper was more of a wild party that apparently took place in a prison.
Unfortunately, the music is repetitive and gets annoying pretty quickly, so it's best to move on.





The audio is much better, with smooth aqua tunes. The equally good post impressionist style reminds me of Van Gogh's "The Starry Night"
But it looks like our eight-legged, sea-dwelling friend is less impressed by the scenery than I am. Everyone's an art critic, I guess.





Next, we have black-and-white scratchboard art. I must admit I'm out of my depth here, so I'll ask someone who knows more about art to say more about this piece.





And the last one for today: POOP TOGETHER! Nuff said, except that I really dig the funky music in this screen.

I know a lot of people have strong opinions about this, but the last time I heard this discussion was several remasters/remakes ago. So! What does everyone think the best version of Myst is? And PC or would any argue that it works better on a console?

-DC