Alright, back to our regular completely unscheduled programming. I've been having a hard time getting myself to post anything around here. Since PopPunkParty already mentioned two of the games I had on my list, I'll mention the other three and add one more.
ZS Dead Detective - Back From The Dead
About fifteen to twenty minutes of investigation, with multiple endings based on your conclusion. Impressive cartoon pixel graphics, decent comedy.
Alice Through the Looking-Mirror | Adventure Game Studio
It's pretty short, but the puzzles are quite difficult! A fun, puzzle box type of game.
Detention Room Rampage by matdogpig
The graphics are rudimental, but stylistically consistent and actually rather charming, in that old-school AGS way. There's a lot here: investigation, puzzles, characters of varying reliability! Several hours of gameplay, some campy horror, good sound design.. this game has it in spades.
Moribund Gold: A pirate Adventure. | Adventure Game Studio
This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. One joke made me smile, the rest just made me roll my eyes. It's a little clunky at times. And your milage may vary on this, but the depiction of the natives is a weird combination of racial tropes. For what it's worth, it's mostly lighthearted, with a couple of clever puzzles.
ZS Dead Detective - Back From The Dead
About fifteen to twenty minutes of investigation, with multiple endings based on your conclusion. Impressive cartoon pixel graphics, decent comedy.
Alice Through the Looking-Mirror | Adventure Game Studio
It's pretty short, but the puzzles are quite difficult! A fun, puzzle box type of game.
Detention Room Rampage by matdogpig
The graphics are rudimental, but stylistically consistent and actually rather charming, in that old-school AGS way. There's a lot here: investigation, puzzles, characters of varying reliability! Several hours of gameplay, some campy horror, good sound design.. this game has it in spades.
Moribund Gold: A pirate Adventure. | Adventure Game Studio
This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. One joke made me smile, the rest just made me roll my eyes. It's a little clunky at times. And your milage may vary on this, but the depiction of the natives is a weird combination of racial tropes. For what it's worth, it's mostly lighthearted, with a couple of clever puzzles.
hey Bob thx for the list!!!! Keep them coming!
(04-22-2026, 07:16 AM)BobVP Wrote: Alright, back to our regular completely unscheduled programming. I've been having a hard time getting myself to post anything around here. Since PopPunkParty already mentioned two of the games I had on my list, I'll mention the other three and add one more.Annelie's Alternativ was a bit too experimental for my tastes. I didn't really get what was happening. The Dissident on the other hand was another top-notch release from Wavey Games. Impeccable soundtrack. Did you see they are making a prequel to Melon Head? That's now pretty high up on my list.
It's not a completed game, but the latest chapter of AngelGaze released this week too. I have that up next to play so I'll report back with impressions.
I love Wavey games . And I'm glad you mention the soundtrack.. it has some of the grimiest crime jazz I've heard in my life.
Thanks for the heads up on Gregor! It might be a little early to post about it in Trailers and New Adventure game Announcements, since it only has a thread on the AGS forum as of yet. I've put it on my list as well and I'll notify this forum as soon as a demo is available.
Thanks for the heads up on Gregor! It might be a little early to post about it in Trailers and New Adventure game Announcements, since it only has a thread on the AGS forum as of yet. I've put it on my list as well and I'll notify this forum as soon as a demo is available.
I'm playing a bunch of visual novels and Interactive Fiction for the next batch. It's taking longer than I intended, so I'm checking out some older games as well - I intend to do a classic recommendation this weekend and I hope to have a new batch before the end of the month!
(07-15-2026, 07:45 PM)BobVP Wrote: I'm playing a bunch of visual novels and Interactive Fiction for the next batch. It's taking longer than I intended, so I'm checking out some older games as well - I intend to do a classic recommendation this weekend and I hope to have a new batch before the end of the month!
Looking forward to seeing your next post. One cool game I played is the latest walking simulator from Nathalie Lawhead / alienmelon called Meanderverse which is a kind of ode to the old internet with traversing the digital world taking you to external links of interesting websites.
I absolutely love these types of sites. Giving developers and consumers more options is a wonderful move.
I absolutely love these types of sites. Giving developers and consumers more options is a wonderful move.
I absolutely love these types of sites. Giving developers and consumers more options is a wonderful move.
AGH Co-founder, Owner, Business Management, Pop Tart lover
Black Sect Remake
A remake of a remake. This version is pretty close to the DOS release. The graphics have gotten a varnish coating; easier on the eyes, at the expense of some little details: The village of Issegeac in Black Sect (DOS, 1993) vs the Remake (Windows, 2012)
A more substantial change is the interface, replacing sixteen verb icons with a simple point and click system where you can inspect or interact. The cursor turns yellow over hotspots and when you hover over an exit, the cursor turns into a directional arrow. As much as I love the use of verbs, this update makes the game a lot easier to navigate.
Another great improvement: the removal of the time limit and dead ends. The puzzles have been fine-tuned to be more sensible as well. Nothing too demanding. Graphics and sound are very good. I'd say both go for serviceable over remarkable every time - to the player's benefit. Everything is appropriately quaint or spooky, in varying degrees, easy to register, never overwhelming. It's great discovering a new location and almost immediately getting a feel for the lay-out and the atmosphere of the scene. It's a pleasant experience that allows you to stay in the zone.
The ending is hilarious and/or horrifying; I was amused by The Cult's foundational beliefs - could've been a lot worse.
Quick shoutout to a remake of the game's sequel. I haven't played it yet. From what I can tell, you need a strong affinity for retro presentation and puzzle design!
Black Sect 2: The Cursed Crypt (Remake) by BrocantyGames
Two more shoutouts to classic freeware adventures I remembed while replaying Black Sect!
INFESTED by GrahfMetal
I recommended Spectacle in another thread, so I'm going with INFESTED for this one. But if you haven't played Spectacle, please consider checking that one out as well. INFESTED is very close to the NES ports of the ICOM adventures ( Déjà Vu and Shadowgate). It has some of the same design philosophy as the Black Sect remake - a very classic adventure experience with some modern sensiblities.
Deep Sleep (Play on Armor Games)
An attempt at lucid dreaming pulls you into the depths of your psyche. Can you wake up, or will your effort just draw you into the nightmare?
A remake of a remake. This version is pretty close to the DOS release. The graphics have gotten a varnish coating; easier on the eyes, at the expense of some little details: The village of Issegeac in Black Sect (DOS, 1993) vs the Remake (Windows, 2012)
A more substantial change is the interface, replacing sixteen verb icons with a simple point and click system where you can inspect or interact. The cursor turns yellow over hotspots and when you hover over an exit, the cursor turns into a directional arrow. As much as I love the use of verbs, this update makes the game a lot easier to navigate.
Another great improvement: the removal of the time limit and dead ends. The puzzles have been fine-tuned to be more sensible as well. Nothing too demanding. Graphics and sound are very good. I'd say both go for serviceable over remarkable every time - to the player's benefit. Everything is appropriately quaint or spooky, in varying degrees, easy to register, never overwhelming. It's great discovering a new location and almost immediately getting a feel for the lay-out and the atmosphere of the scene. It's a pleasant experience that allows you to stay in the zone.
The ending is hilarious and/or horrifying; I was amused by The Cult's foundational beliefs - could've been a lot worse.
Quick shoutout to a remake of the game's sequel. I haven't played it yet. From what I can tell, you need a strong affinity for retro presentation and puzzle design!
Black Sect 2: The Cursed Crypt (Remake) by BrocantyGames
Two more shoutouts to classic freeware adventures I remembed while replaying Black Sect!
INFESTED by GrahfMetal
I recommended Spectacle in another thread, so I'm going with INFESTED for this one. But if you haven't played Spectacle, please consider checking that one out as well. INFESTED is very close to the NES ports of the ICOM adventures ( Déjà Vu and Shadowgate). It has some of the same design philosophy as the Black Sect remake - a very classic adventure experience with some modern sensiblities.
Deep Sleep (Play on Armor Games)
An attempt at lucid dreaming pulls you into the depths of your psyche. Can you wake up, or will your effort just draw you into the nightmare?
This post was last modified: 07-20-2026, 08:20 PM by BobVP.
(07-20-2026, 01:24 PM)BobVP Wrote: Black Sect Remake
A remake of a remake. This version is pretty close to the DOS release. The graphics have gotten a varnish coating; easier on the eyes, at the expense of some little details: The village of Issegeac in Black Sect (DOS, 1993) vs the Remake (Windows, 2012)
A more substantial change is the interface, replacing sixteen verb icons with a simple point and click system where you can inspect or interact. The cursor turns yellow over hotspots and when you hover over an exit, the cursor turns into a directional arrow. As much as I love the use of verbs, this update makes the game a lot easier to navigate.
Another great improvement: the removal of the time limit and dead ends. The puzzles have been fine-tuned to be more sensible as well. Nothing too demanding. Graphics and sound are very good. I'd say both go for serviceable over remarkable every time - to the player's benefit. Everything is appropriately quaint or spooky, in varying degrees, easy to register, never overwhelming. It's great discovering a new location and almost immediately getting a feel for the lay-out and the atmosphere of the scene. It's a pleasant experience that allows you to stay in the zone.
The ending is hilarious and/or horrifying; I was amused by The Cult's foundational beliefs - could've been a lot worse.
Quick shoutout to a remake of the game's sequel. I haven't played it yet. From what I can tell, you need a strong affinity for for retro presentation and puzzle design!
Black Sect 2: The Cursed Crypt (Remake) by BrocantyGames
Two more shoutouts to classic freeware adventures I remembed while replaying Black Sect!
INFESTED by GrahfMetal
I recommended Spectacle in another thread, so I'm going with INFESTED for this one. But if you haven't played Spectacle, please consider checking that one out as well. INFESTED is very close to the NES ports of the ICOM adventures ( Déjà Vu and Shadowgate). It has some of the same design philosophy as the Black Sect remake - a very classic adventure experience with some modern sensiblities.
Deep Sleep (Play on Armor Games)
An attempt at lucid dreaming pulls you into the depths of your psyche. Can you wake up, or will your effort just draw you into the nightmare?
I played all of these and Spectacle and Infested are my favorite. Spectacle in particular I learned from your top 10 months back Bob and it is spectaculal (I cant believe it is free) with an open map and really well made challenging puzzles. Infested i believe is from the same people and I played it after Spectacle, it has a scifi-horror vibe, it is shorter but sweet. I couldnt finish the original Black sect but the remake was fair game and I really liked it. I agree the remake of the second one is a bit of an acquired taste sticking to its CPC roots. Deep Sleep is also cool, I played the trilogy edition years back