I'm kind of perplexed that "adventure games" that consumed much of my childhood seem to have died as a genre.
Myst seemed like another in a long line of fantastic games where the goal was exploration and puzzle solving, like Maniac Mansion, Space Quest, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, etc.
I think Limbo was the most recent game I played that had that same feel.
Why aren't there games like this now? Is there no interest?
There are lots of these games (at least in Germany where they are rather successful, although in its niche). For example I can recommend most of the adventure games that Daedelic Entertainment (a studio from Hamburg/Germany) produced:
- The Whispered World
- Edna bricht aus (Edna & Harvey: The Breakout) (don't be put off by its graphics)
- Harveys neue Augen (Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes) - The sequel to Edna & Harvey: The Breakout
The Deponia series from Daedelic is also said to be very good (haven't played it, though).
I could list you lots of other very good adventure games from the last years, also from other studios.
OK, I'll list some older ones, that I can highly recommend (some are older - mainly for the reasons that I had much more time playing adventure games these days):
Games by Funcom (from Norway)
- The Longest Journey
Of all adventures that I've played I consider this as my absolute favorite. I won't spoil the story here. Unluckily it's rather difficult to get to run properly on modern computers. :-(
- Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
The sequel to The Longest Journey. I didn't like it so much, mainly because of the action elements. I'd like to mention that in November 2014 the sequel to Dreamfall called "Dreamfall Chapters" is to be released. This game was funded by a Kickstarter. The developers promised to drop the action elements.
Games by Future Games (from Czechia; now bankrupt)
- Black Mirror: Der dunkle Spiegel der Seele (this is the name under which it was published in Germany)
A rather serious, dark adventure. In Germany two sequels were published, about which I can't say anything, since I didn't play them.
- Nibiru: Der Bote der Götter (this is the name under which it was published in Germany)
Haven't played it, but it has its fans.
The next game that Future Games developed (Reprobates: Insel der Verdammten (for this game I also only know its German name)) was rather bad. I really don't recommend it (although the story wasn't as black as it is painted in many reviews).
Games by Péndulo Studios (from Spain)
- Runaway: A Road Adventure
This is probably the adventure game which brought back the renaissance of adventure games. This game is considered as rather hard (small, difficult to find hotspots) and even lead to the concept formation of "Runaway Syndrome" (meaning that you often have to return to "containers" to look whether you find an item in it, for which now a use could be found). Nevertheless: I consider it as a pretty good serious (despite its comic graphics) adventure.
This game has two sequels
- Runaway 2 – The Dream of the Turtle
Here the developers tried to make the game more funny and bright - which fans didn't like (it's still a good game). It is ending in a steep cliffhanger.
- Runaway: A Twist of Fate
In this game the trilogy ends. More dark and serious as the first part. If you play the game you'll notice that the developers wanted to make part 2 "forgotten" since the cliffhanger at the end of "Runaway 2" is resolved completely differently than you would have expected.
Games by House of Tales (from Germany)
- The Moment of Silence
A science fiction adventure that poses lots of questions about surveillance (which is especially interesting if you compare these to the leaks of Snowden).
- Overclocked: A History of Violence (English title)
A dark story about a former American military psychiatrist who has to treat five amnesic teens suddenly appearing with guns. For this he has to go deep into their subject minds. I highly recommend it.
Games by Deck 13 (from Germany)
- The Ankh Trilogy consisting of Ankh, Ankh: Heart of Osiris (Ankh: Herz des Osiris), Ankh: Battle of the Gods (Ankh: Kampf der Götter)
I only played the first two parts of it. The best way to describe these adventure games is: what Monkey Island is to pirate games are the Ankh games to the ancient egypt. The first part is good, but the second one is IMHO even much better.7
Games by Microïds (from France)
- Syberia & Syberia II
A melodrama about a female lawyer who must find the secret heir of an automaton factory who was a genius inventor.
Beyond what other people have mentioned, check out the Syberia games and The Longest Journey which are a bit older. Frogware put out a series of Sherlock Holmes-based adventures as well. And Gemini Rue, The Raven, Resonance and the Runaway series. Also Time Gentlemen, Please! and Ben There, Dan That! are too funny.
Adventure games didn't die, they just became niche and indie. They moved to Europe, the leading character is more likely to be female these days, and the games are made by smaller companies.
Try out the Special Editions of Monkey Island 1 and 2. Also Monkey Island 5. And the Sam and Max episodes. And, well, basically anything by Telltale Games http://www.telltalegames.com/games/
The "Horror Adventure" or "Survival Horror" genre has spawned off this style of game. They have similar aspects like puzzle solving, no focus on killing enemies.
They are actually quite scary though and that is the focus, so there's less puzzle solving.
Telltale Games has been carrying the torch for these kinds of games for the last decade. Beside resurrecting old LucasArt staples like Monkey Island and Sam & Max, they’ve launched other franchises to the format: Bone, Homestar Runner, and The Walking Dead come to mind. They also occasionally score a big license, like Back to the Future and Jurassic Park.
Personally, when I play a game like Scribblenauts, where I can solve a problem in a variety of ways, I can't help but wish that there were adventure games that allowed for the same amount of lateral thinking.
I'd recommend playing it on a tablet actually, or even a PC. I think for these kinda reasons it might be a good idea to have an iPad besides an Android smartphone, that way you get the best out of both worlds.
Myst seemed like another in a long line of fantastic games where the goal was exploration and puzzle solving, like Maniac Mansion, Space Quest, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, etc.
I think Limbo was the most recent game I played that had that same feel.
Why aren't there games like this now? Is there no interest?