AGS Highlights 2022 (2) – p.1 – User article

teasers

Horror and splatter film author meets glam metal teddy bears and must try to escape from an asteroid where scientists are working to revive ancient Egyptian mummies.

At least that’s what the content of a game that combines several of the point-and-click adventures presented here could sound like. But maybe it’s better that each of these games is only dedicated to a partial aspect of this absurd story idea.

And with that, welcome to what is now the fourth edition of the AGS Highlights. This article is about selected ones Adventure Game Studio-Games that made the biggest impression on me in the second quarter of this year. As usual, I present you my personal highlights of the last three months and then give you an overview of what to expect next.

Nightmare frames

My absolute favorite this quarter, and my top contender for my personal Adventure of the Year so far, is Nightmare frames (to the game check) by Postmodern Adventures. This is mainly due to the pleasant flow of puzzles that the indie adventure created for me in connection with the exciting story in the 1980s setting and the loving old-school presentation.

Nightmare Frames follows horror screenwriter Alan Goldberg on a quest to create the scariest horror film of all time. The film has long been considered lost and is said to have dire consequences if you watch it. But actually it’s also about a journey by Goldberg to find his way back to himself and get his life back under control. All nicely garnished with references to the 1980s, especially to films from that time.

Definitely a big recommendation from me, with the restriction that there is no German localization so far. However, if the English (or Spanish) texts are enough for you and you have a soft spot for the horror genre and classic point-and-click adventures with well-designed puzzles, then you can feel free to either Steam or itch.io access and look forward to a nostalgic journey into the 1980s. The regular price is 10.99 euros, but you get about six to eight hours of good entertainment, depending on the speed of the game. If you would like to take a look at the game in advance, you will also find a demo version for free download on both platforms.

Nightmare Frames: What a nice invitation!

Clotilde Soffritti in Never Double Park your Space Ship

In the comic adventure with the slightly unwieldy name Clotilde Soffritti in Never Double Park your Space Ship it is already the second game with the protagonist Clotilde Soffritti, who released 2019 in the hardly less bulky named Clotilde Soffritti in Never Buy a Used Spaceship made her debut. The Italian draftsman and developer Lorenzo Bonuses takes you in both games for half an hour into his lovingly designed science fiction universe, which is populated by all sorts of interesting characters.

In the latest installment of his series, you, as Clotilde Soffritti, are first stuck on a meteor and then hitchhiked to the planet Byroldo, where you have to deal with official robots and other interesting people.

Both games are free and available in English on itch.io and should keep you entertained for around a lunch break. The You can download the first part herethe des second part here.

Clotilde Soffritti in Never Double Park your Space Ship: Weird characters abound here.

sphonx

This short adventure was originally created within the AGS community event “MAGS”, where the participating developers create a finished game within a month, roughly following the theme given by the organizer. From time to time these small works are then further polished and re-released.

Such a revision also received sphonx from the AGS user Toxic tuba, who mixes ancient Egypt with science fiction in this game. You are in an Egyptian excavation site and control the young archaeologist Iggy Dias. He supports the experienced scientist Dr. Nowicz during his research work on a beam that should be able to bring preserved cells back to life. The wait-and-see attitude of Dr. But Nowicz soon tries your patience, so one night you sneak into the demumification ray to try it out for yourself…

You can plunge into the adventure for about three euros, and a free demo version is also available. Both downloads in English can be found on the itch.io page of the game.

Sphonx: In the dark is good… guessing.