The last few years have seen the rise of crowdsharing platforms like Kickstarter, Indiegogo & fig, as well as the rising influence of digital distribution, which combined has led to a resurgence in both the number and quality of P&C games, as it's now easier to fund, and cheaper to distribute in a niche market where targeting fans of the genre is very important. Additionally, 2016 saw a substantial amount of work done to the very popular Adventure Game Studio engine which will hopefully see this trend continue.
If there's games you think look cool that I've missed, please post below and quote me (so I don't miss the message) or PM me, and I'll add it to the upcoming games list. Just give me the name of the game and dev, and I'll find the art/description etc.
Anything in italic is my own opinion.
Thimbleweed Park
In a town like Thimbleweed Park a dead body is the least of your problems.
Lost along a dusty stretch of highway, this proud town once boasted an opulent hotel, a vibrant business district, and the state's largest pillow factory, but now stinks of a desperate longing to be what it once was.
A body has been found in the river, bloated and pixelated from the decay of a death come too soon. Agents Ray and Reyes arrive and are immediately suspicious of each other's intentions, then a couple of pigeons show up and start talking about the signals and it only gets weirder from there.
A cursed clown, a bitter heiress, and the ghost of pillow salesmen join the story and add their own complications.
Play and switch between all five characters as you explore the vast, strange, and manipulative world of Thimbleweed Park while unraveling a dark and humorous neo-noir mystery.
Solve puzzles dreamed up by the brains of Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, creators of the original point & click adventure game, Maniac Mansion.
Released in early 2017 to Windows, Mac, Xbox One, and Linux. Was later released to iOS, Android, Switch & PS4.
In what is probably the most anticipated P&C game of the year, Ron Gilbert, David Fox, Gary Winnick & Mark Ferrari reunite to make a classic lucasfilm style P&C game in a Twin Peaks vein. Was supposed to be released last year, but ended up being delayed to early 2017.
Syberia 3
After abandoning the island, Kate Walker finds herself adrift on a makeshift boat, rescued by the Youkol people. Determined to escape their common enemies, she decides to help the nomads fulfill their odd ancestral tradition, as they accompany their snow ostriches on their seasonal migration.
The St. Christopher's School Lockdown
The prestigious St. Christopher's private school has been seized by its student body. Roughly two hundred teenagers (and even a few primary schoolers), led by the charismatic and headstrong Roger Spencer, have taken their own campus by storm, staging a lock-in protest against severe new financial rulings. Barricaded within the building and facing pressure from the police, the government and the media, the young St. Christopher's crusaders are going to find out how quickly things can go from bad to worse…
Full Throttle Remastered
One minute you're on the road, riding. Then some guy in a suit comes along, says he's got a deal for you and your gang. But when you come to, you've got a lump on your head, the law on your back, and a feeling in your gut that the road you're on is about to get a lot rougher… Beat up, busted, mad. Ben's been double-crossed before. But this time they messed with his gang, they trashed his bike, and they're about to come back for more. What they're all gonna get is up to you.
A remake of Tim Schafer's short but sweet '95 classic by the man himself.
Milkmaid of the Milky Way
Milkmaid of the Milky Way is a classic puzzle adventure game where you play Ruth, a young woman living alone on a remote farm in a faraway fjord in 1920's Norway.
Life is hard, work is tough, and Ruth wonders; Is this the life I want?
Then one day a huge spaceship arrives, turning her world upside-down.
Milkmaid is a game with a heartfelt story of a young woman breaking free and finding her own place in the universe, all wrapped up in lovely 90s style handcrafted graphics.
CAYNE
CAYNE is an isometric, point-and-click adventure video game in development by THE BROTHERHOOD. Mom-to-be, Hadley, has woken up to the horrors of a medical facility. Taking control, the player explores and interacts with the environment, uses and combines items that are found to progress deeper into the world. CAYNE is set in the STASIS universe and sets out to tell an original story in the STASIS series.
The Wardrobe
The Wardrobe is a visually-rich 2D point and click adventure game inspired by the great '90s classics such as 'Monkey Island', 'Day of the Tentacle', 'Sam & Max: Hit the Road' and 'Tony Tough'. The game has a strong sense of humour, but isn't shy about dealing with mature and non-politically correct themes.
- More than 40 hand-illustrated and digitally colored locations, enriched by dozens of nerd quotes.
- Tons of clever puzzles and inventory objects to collect!
- Play as Skinny, a teen-skeleton with an impertinent attitude and a sparkling wit, willing to do anything to save his best friend's soul from eternal damnation!
Paradigm
Paradigm is a surreal point-and-click adventure game set in the strange and post apocalyptic world of Krusz; a land inspired by a mix of Eastern Europe and the 70's and 80's.
You play as the unattractive yet over-confident mutated Paradigm; who must prevail through inconvenient trials to overcome the insecure yet tyrannical sloth antagonist, Olof!
Herald - Book 1 & 2
Herald is a choice-driven adventure game set during an alternate 19th century in which the West is united as a colonial superpower: the Protectorate.
Help tell the story of Devan Rensburg, a man of mixed heritage who became steward on board of the HLV Herald, a merchant ship set for his country of birth.
As Devan it is your job to keep the peace among the crew and passengers by resolving their daily squabbles. Set during a time of widespread inequality and injustice, you are challenged to uncover a great mystery that surrounds the Herald's perilous voyage.
Herald will be released in four 'books'. The base game, consisting of Book I & II will have around 4 hours of gameplay and is scheduled to release Q1 2017, and this was acheived. Book III & IV are already in pre-production and will be released as purchasable DLC for the base game at a later date. Together, the four books tell the entire story of Devan's journey on board the Herald.
Tokyo Dark
Detective Itō`s partner is missing, but what starts as a straightforward case soon spirals into a twisted nightmare that causes Itō to confront her past and question her own sanity.
Tokyo Dark is a sidescrolling point and click mystery adventure game for Windows and Mac.
As Detective Itō you'll explore Tokyo - following leads, collecting clues, and making difficult decisions with far-reaching consequences.
Tokyo Dark features a huge number of dialogue choices and interactions that affect character attributes and change the outcome of the story. Unlike a visual novel, you'll control Detective Itō directly as you explore Tokyo, trying to balance your professional duty, personal life, and sanity.
Legend of Hand
A quirky point and click adventure game with RPG elements set in a Far-East inspired world! Influenced by adventure classics and martial arts beat 'em up games of the 80's and 90's.
Memoranda
Memoranda is a 2D point & click adventure game for PC, Mac and Linux. It has more than 40 scenes, 30 characters and lots of puzzles like all famous classic point and click adventure games. The game script is inspired by Haruki Murakami's short stories and elements of about 30 stories are used to make the storyline more interesting. If someone is familiar with Murakami's world he can guess that the game has a magical realism theme and he'd face some strange incidents. For example you'll meet a dead but moving soldier from WWII or an elephant hiding in a cottage and looking forward to turning into a human being. Most of the characters have something in common and that's about Losing! Someone lost his mind and someone has just lost a sack of magical tobacco!
Agatha Knife
Agatha suffers from insomnia, enjoys eating meat, loves animals, and works in the abattoir of her mother's butcher. Having to kill the animals you love in order to eat their meat is somewhat complicated, right? Agatha thinks so as she faces this dilemma every day. She needs to find a solution so she can make her animals happy while they surrender with no fear to the adorable little butcher and her sharp knives and saws. And religion is the answer.
The Inner World - The Last Wind Monk
Solve mind-bending puzzles in a world full of mystery and save the family of the flute-noses!
The flute nose dynasty has been watching over Asposia for centuries on end. In secret, they fill the roly-poly world with light and life. Emil, a trader for odds and ends, has led all the Asposians astray, making them believe that the dynasty is in cahoots with dark forces. Seriously, who knows what this weird family is doing day in, day out? The only one who could stop evil Emil is the heir to the flute nose throne: Robert. He has been petrified for three years, though. With a huge dose of enthusiasm, but little to no idea what he's actually doing, he embarks on an adventure to find the legendary last wind monk. Of course, he has some great company: Peck, as loyal as he is flightless, and Laura, a rebel who certainly does fly, but only off the handle and who is Robert's love with a capital L, by the way. A final ray of hope is provided by the mysterious Mama Dola, who seems to know more about Robert's destiny than Robert himself…
Detention
Greenwood high school, located in a remote mountainous area, two students found themselves trapped and vulnerable. The place they once knew has changed in unsettling ways, haunted by evil creatures. To escape, they must explore the mysterious campus filled with ominous objects and puzzles. How will they survive in this ever threatening environment? Could they return to safety in one piece?
Set in a fictitious world in the 1960s Taiwan under martial law, Detention, the story-driven atmospheric horror incorporated East Asian elements rarely used in games. Taoism, Buddhism, Chinese mythology, the game draws on local Taiwanese cultural references to tell an unique and terrifying story.
In this 2D atmospheric horror side-scroller, players navigate the main characters in a classic point and click fashion to explore a high school where evil encroaches. While hiding from the rampaging monsters, you are to find items to interact with in the otherworldly rooms. And as more mysteries unveiled, the dark past of a cursed school will finally surface.
Anything in italic is my own opinion.
Unavowed
For six months, you were possessed by a demon. For six months, you unwillingly tore a trail of bloodshed through New York City. Now, finally, you are rescued by the Unavowed – an ancient society dedicated to stopping evil.
You are free, but your world is in tatters. You have no home, no friends, and you are wanted by the police. You can not return to your old life, but perhaps you can start a new one. Join the Unavowed, and learn to fight against the oncoming darkness.
Features:
Choose a male or female protagonist
Choose one of three playable origin stories
Branching storyline
A total of five companion characters to choose from. Each with their own talents and abilities.
Double the resolution of a typical Wadjet Eye Game!
All the usual guff – voice acting, commentary, original music, etc
By Dave Gilbert of Blackwell fame. This will be one he develops totally himself(he also publishes others P&C games via Wadjeteye). Seems to be going for maniac mansion meets bioware (the former in terms of teams with different puzzles, the latter in terms of dialogue - and character gender choice), which should be interesting - there will be romance options if he is able to write them well. Looking like 2018 at this point. He has an interesting talk on the game here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvU3Lk9WE5I
Tex Murphy : The Poisoned Pawn
This was originally meant to be a fan-made, dev-aided update of Overseer, but there have now been big changes:
-The Poisoned Pawn is the official sequel / successor to Tesla Effect.
-The Poisoned Pawn is Act 1 of the final chapter in the Tex Murphy Adventure series.
There's talk of flashbacks to overseer, so I assume none of their early work will be wasted. Engine is looking nice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLwljxGF1yU
The blurb is now:
In this cyberpunk, film noir, dystopian sci-fi adventure, you play as Tex Murphy, a typical 1940's gumshoe detective. Except, it's the 2050's. A post apocalyptic world has risen from the ashes of World War III and stands divided. New San Francisco sits atop the rubble of the old city. It's a city of glitz and glamour hiding a sinister undertone: a population segregated between those immune to the nuclear fallout (Norms) and those less fortunate (Mutants). Just outside the new city lies Old San Francisco, a vastly ignored reminder of a dark past, and home to the mutant population, and Tex himself.
In this latest adventure, the year is 2050. Shortly after the events of Tesla Effect (the 2014 adventure title) Tex Murphy (Chris Jones), with the guidance of St. Germaine (Jason Tatom), must revisit some of his most gripping cases in order to decipher his true past, and prepare him for an uncertain future.
A Night at Camp Ravenwood
Camp Ravenwood is a dangerous, dirty camp for delinquents, owned by vampires, and run by Switchblade and his cruel and unusual biker gang. By day, the campers are left to activities such as fishing, football, and swimming, but by night, the camp becomes a place where death is around every corner. A headless maniac with an axe stalks the camp, there are aliens and monsters lurking in the woods, and jocks and bikers riding around waiting for any chance they can get to beat you to a pulp. Enter Smoky Bumblerose, Germy Bumblerose, Benny Berkybile, Clancy Swindler, and Franky Flynnigan, five ex-scouts accused of starting forest fires. They must use all of their wits to survive A Night at Camp Ravenwood, but just when things become too dire, help comes in the form of a mysterious witch named Barbara and a troupe of Girl Scouts led by one pissed-off mother.
A P&C with a pretty recognisable style. The developer has captured the Monkey Island Purcell/Ferarri look & vibe pretty well. This is some years late now, so hopefully 2017 will finally be the year it releases.
Kinky Island
Joey Cormack is having trouble meeting the right girl, but one strange night will leave him on a beautiful tropical island filled to the brim with hot chicks! Help him discover the secret of Kinky Island and put all he's learned to good use. That is, if he can stop getting distracted and quit daydreaming for any length of time… (probably not!)
Bolt Riley: A Reggae Adventure
You play as Bolt Riley, a poor boy from Trenchtown, Jamaica, who is struggling to survive and has to deal with a gang of Rude Boys. Through a journey of self discovery, of love, friendship, and inspiration, you are introduced to Reggae music, form your band, get inspiration, write and produce your songs and even perform them. The story consists of different chapters each focusing on a different aspect of Bolt Riley's passage into becoming a Reggae legend. This is the true story of the underdog who breaks out and becomes a worldwide sensation.
Part one is already available on steam early access, but there hasn't been any news on the rest in a while.
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