SYBERIA SERIES

While many of the best graphic adventures were popular for their satirical and/or absurd humor, a few passed the muster on strong storylines. Syberia was one such title, developed by Microïds, and released on January 9th, 2002.

The game features a quaint, old-world aesthetic filled with mechanical clockwork machines that factor heavily into the puzzle-solving gameplay. A young Kate Walker journeys through this countryside to find the owner of the clockwork company, the sale of which being her main goal.

Not only are the puzzles inventive and fun, but Kate's problematic family life and romantic issues are expertly explored along the way. The emotional impact of Kate's personal growth makes this title a fan favorite of the genre.

THE TEX MURPHY SERIES Sometimes, being so incredibly self-involved that you create an entire series of games starring yourself as the hero actually pans out! Such is the case with Chris Jones, a game developer who starred in the titular Tex Murphy (At least when computer technology evolved to the point of handling live action video) series of adventure games. Tex is a P.I. (of course) in a post-apocalyptic (of course) San Francisco, which is both bombed out and incredibly futuristic. We're talking flying cars and neon signs! Despite the egotistical casting and the incredibly obvious tropes, these games actually have really interesting storylines and great gameplay, including puzzles that leave other graphic adventures in the dust.There has been six titles in the Tex Murphy series, each as good, if not better, than the last. It grew from the humble beginnings of pixel-heavy Mean Streets, to the all live action and special effects crunchiness of The Tesla Effect. The games are humorous, challenging, and well-told. So maybe there's a reason Chris Jones should be proud.

FIREWATCH

Firewatch is one of the newer brands of graphic adventures, dubbed a “walking simulator.” As such, the actual interaction is more minimal, consisting of exploring, climbing up, and rappelling down beautifully rendered rock formations, and basically just enjoying the rich story as it unfolds before you.

In Firewatch, you play as a new park ranger, Henry, trying to escape the troubles of his home life. Strange things begin to occur around the gorgeous forest you are tasked with protecting, and an ongoing flirtation develops between Henry and his supervisor, Delilah. As the game progresses, the stakes rise, and it's up to you to uncover the mysteries of the park.

While embodying Henry, you must deal with his emotional problems, his psychological wavering, and his fears. This is what good characterization is all about, and why the game belongs on this list. And f didn't sell you, Firewatch has won several awards, including Best Indie Game at the 2016 Golden Joystick Awards, Best Narrative at the 2017 Game Developers Choice Awards, and Debut Game at the 2017 British Academy Games Awards.

THE LONGEST JOURNEY SERIES

The Longest Journey is a cult game beloved by its fans. It has so many fans, in fact, that it spawned a much-demanded sequel, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, and an episodic third entry, Dreamfall Chapters.

The story revolves around protagonist, April Ryan, a young art student dealing with the discovery of a parallel universe called Arcadia, wherein magic exists. The only problem is that someone must take the place as Guardian of these realms, sacrificing his or her old life in the process.

THE LEGEND OF KYRANDIA SERIES The Legend of Kyrandia series was a great introduction to graphic adventures for many new players back in the early 90's, due to its simple point-and-click interface. Compared to the verb-usage gameplay of other titles at the time, players' ability to click on anything on the screen to interact with objects and people was a breath of fresh air. But this didn't mean that the story was simple or boring.The tale tells of a young prince on a mission to stop Malcolm, an evil court jester that has murdered his royal parents and plummeted the lands into chaos. Making liberal use of magic and the theme of the hero's quest, Prince Brandon journeys through his birthlands, meeting fantastical people and creatures, and facing down dangers that could spell his death.This first game met critical and fan praise, spawning two sequels: The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate, and The Legend of Kyrandia: Malcolm's Revenge. Both are worthy successors to the original, and well worth playing.

The sequels deal with the fallout of this transformation, and others discovering the existence of the dual universes. The Longest Journey series is extremely well-written and focuses on themes of destiny, faith, purpose, and acceptance of one's responsibilities. It's also a whole lot of fun to play.

The sequels deal with the fallout of this transformation, and others discovering the existence of the dual universes. The Longest Journey series is extremely well-written and focuses on themes of destiny, faith, purpose, and acceptance of one's responsibilities. It's also a whole lot of fun to play.

THE TEX MURPHY SERIES

Sometimes, being so incredibly self-involved that you create an entire series of games starring yourself as the hero actually pans out! Such is the case with Chris Jones, a game developer who starred in the titular Tex Murphy series of adventure games. Tex is a P.I. (of course) in a post-apocalyptic (of course) San Francisco, which is both bombed out and incredibly futuristic.

We're talking flying cars and neon signs! Despite the egotistical casting and the incredibly obvious tropes, these games actually have really interesting storylines and great gameplay, including puzzles that leave other graphic adventures in the dust. There have been six titles in the Tex Murphy series, each as good, if not better, than the last.

It grew from the humble beginnings of pixel-heavy Mean Streets to all live-action and special effects crunchiness of The Tesla Effect. The games are humorous, challenging, and well-told. So maybe there's a reason Chris Jones should be proud.

THE KING'S QUEST SERIES

Right behind LucasArts, Sierra was considered the greatest creator of graphic adventure games back in the eighties and nineties. One of their most popular franchises was the King's Quest series. King's Quest told the story of the royal family of the fictional fantasy kingdom of Daventry. The entirety of the tale, across all games, chronicles several royal generations adventuring through diverse lands, struggling to defend Daventry against the forces of evil.

The primary theme across the franchise is family. It begins with the trials of King Graham and then stretches out to tell the tales of his wife Queen Valanice, and his son and daughter, Prince Alexander and Princess Rosella. King's Quest often employed advanced technological features, including one of the first usages of drawn 3D, showcasing the illusion of objects or characters existing, or moving, in front of others.

FULL THROTTLE One of the prime feathers in LucasArts' cap, Full Throttle is a badass biker adventure, set on the open highway, that still makes room for plenty of laughs. It tells the tale of Ben, leader of The Polecats biker gang, who embarks on a journey to overthrow the evil Adrian Ripburger (voiced by THE Mark Hamill), who murdered the owner of Corley Motors in an attempt to take over the motorcycle manufacturer and turn it into a maker of minivans. That's just not something Ben is going to allow to happen. I mean, come on. Minivans.Full Throttle is a great story led by a great protagonist, and also makes use of LucasArts' INSANE animation engine, first used in Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire to implement full motion video and action sequences. It also traded in the traditional verb interface of LucasArts' previous titles for a simpler pie menu. Finally, it licensed music from the Gone Jackals, a hard rock band that really made the motorcycle aesthetic crunch.

In 2015, an episodic update to King's Quest was developed by The Odd Gentlemen and published by Activision under the Sierra Entertainment brand. It is a new re-imagining of the long-running King's Quest series. While it is an adventure game like the previous games in the series, the interface is not fully point-and-click and relies on a simpler interface than its predecessor. Whichever version you choose to try out, you're unlikely to be disappointed in King's Quest.

WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH

What Remains of Edith Finch is a 2017 "walking simulator" adventure game developed by Giant Sparrow and published by Annapurna Interactive. It centers on the Finch family estate, which is a giant house built up and out by the distinct personalities of the familial residents that have occupied it.

SAM & MAX HIT THE ROAD Sam & Max are much bigger than this one game. Occupying a number of media outlets, the anthropomorphic dog and rabbit detective team got their start as a 1987 comic book series created by Steve Purcell. It wasn't until 1993 that the "Freelance Police" were ported over to the realm of graphic adventure games by LucasArts.The game's plot revolves around a case assigned to the duo, in which they must track down a missing sasquatch and his giraffe-necked girlfriend when they go missing from a carnival. Their investigation takes them from their shabby New York City office to all of the worst tourist attractions across the United States. We're talking The World's Largest Ball of Twine, the Gator Golf Emporium, and the Celebrity Vegetable Museum. Places you didn't even know you never wanted to see!The resulting adventure is a whole lot of fun, with brain-stumping puzzles, big laughs, and plenty of gratuitous violence thrown into the mix.

The only problem is that each and every one of them has died. Edith Finch, the protagonist, afflicted by the supposed curse that causes all but one member of each generation to die in unusual ways, leads the proceedings. The player embodies Edith as she returns to her familial home and learns about its intricate history and the deaths of each of her precursors.

Exploring each of their quarters and exactly what made each of them tick is a dramatic and thrilling experience in its own right, and discovering how they died is the icing on the cake. What Remains of Edith Finch won the British Academy Games Award for Best Game 2017, and the Best Narrative category at both the 2018 Game Developers Choice Awards and The Game Awards 2017.

THE LEGEND OF KYRANDIA SERIES

The Legend of Kyrandia series was a great introduction to graphic adventures for many new players back in the early '90s, due to its simple point-and-click interface. Compared to the verb-usage gameplay of other titles at the time, players' ability to click on anything on the screen to interact with objects and people was a breath of fresh air. But this didn't mean that the story was simple or boring.

The tale tells of a young prince on a mission to stop Malcolm, an evil court jester that has murdered his royal parents and plummeted the lands into chaos. Making liberal use of magic and the theme of the hero's quest, Prince Brandon journeys through his birthlands, meeting fantastical people and creatures, and facing down dangers that could spell his death. This first game met critical and fan praise, spawning two sequels: The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate, and The Legend of Kyrandia: Malcolm's Revenge. Both are worthy successors to the original, and well worth playing.

THE LEISURE SUIT LARRY SERIES

Now here is a series that was a little more risque than the other entries on this list. But that doesn't mean it should be avoided (unless you're squeamish around humorous R-rated sexual material). LSL is actually a terrifically written, hilarious game series, created by the infamous Al Lowe, of the unassailable Sierra Entertainment, Inc.

The star of the series is Larry Laffer, a balding man in his 40s, who invariably wears a white leisure suit. His mission is simple: Try to score with attractive, young women. Obviously, this isn't the most heroic, or admirable of pursuits, especially in today's climate. The thing is, the joke is just about always on Larry. He fails in his mission almost without exception, and always meets a hysterical, humiliating end.

The entertainment evoked from the games, combined with truly brain-taxing puzzles, has kept the series running all the way from its modest beginnings in 1987 to this very day! It must be noted, though, that the newer games have been produced by another company named Codemasters, so their quality could be questionable.

TELLTALE'S THE WALKING DEAD SERIES

Out of the ashes of the former King of graphic adventures, Lucasarts, rose a new company, Telltale Games, founded in July 2004 by former LucasArts developers Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors, and Troy Molander. The model was simple: Pick up the graphic adventure business where Lucasarts left off, but using licensed intellectual properties with established fan bases, and an episodic release schedule. It worked! For a while.

The biggest jewel in Telltale's crown was the Walking Dead series, based on the comic book and fueled by the intense popularity of the TV show. However, the games started with a completely original story set in the Walking Dead universe - that of convict Lee Everett, and his care of a small girl, Clementine, in the midst of the worldwide zombie outbreak.

The first season was a big hit and spawned several more, including one starring TV character favorite, Michonne. The games are known for their thrilling action, big emotional punches, and player decisions that affect the rest of the series. Many say the games are better than the show.

THE MANIAC MANSION SERIES

Maniac Mansion was the first game self-published by Lucasfilm Games (Later, LucasArts), making it a truly historic product in the pantheon of graphic adventures. Not only that, but it was the first of their titles to use a point-and-click interface instead of command lines. This interface was dubbed the SCUMM game engine and was used in nearly all Lucas adventures to follow, not to mention copied and implemented by many competitors in the graphic adventures biz.

The game itself, created by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, was styled after horror B-movies of the time, using tropes and cliches as jokes within the humorous story. The player takes on the role of a teenager, who along with his band of friends (You get to choose 2 to help you out), sets off to rescue his girlfriend from a mad scientist in a crazy (maniacal, one might even say) mansion.

The game was a huge success and spawned a sequel, Day of the Tentacle, which took advantage of the updated technology and graphics of 1990 to create a truly zany, cartoony tale, involving heavy science fiction and time travel. It, also, was a big hit.

TELLTALE'S TALES FROM THE BORDERLANDS

Although not as popular as Telltale's The Walking Dead series, many of those who have played Tales from the Borderlands feel it is the company's best game. While Borderlands, the video game franchise on which the title is based, isn't as profitable a license as TWD, its humorous roots and wild characters made for a great offshoot as a graphic adventure.

For those who haven't played any of the Borderlands games, the premise is simple: Vault Hunters, who are super-powered and pack crazy heat, adventure in a post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of Vaults, full of rich, chewy treasure.

The Telltale title tells an original tale set in this universe, centering around a corporate flunky named Rhys, who teams up with a con-woman named Fiona, to find one of the legendary Vaults. A rich cast, including Rhys's deceivingly ripped best buddy and Fiona's headstrong sister, join the proceedings to create an epic adventure of hilarious proportions.

FULL THROTTLE

One of the prime feathers in LucasArts' cap, Full Throttle is a badass biker adventure, set on the open highway, that still makes room for plenty of laughs. It tells the tale of Ben, leader of The Polecats biker gang, who embarks on a journey to overthrow the evil Adrian Ripburger (voiced by THE Mark Hamill), who murdered the owner of Corley Motors in an attempt to take over the motorcycle manufacturer and turn it into a maker of minivans.

That's just not something Ben is going to allow to happen. I mean, come on. Minivans. Full Throttle is a great story led by a great protagonist, and also makes use of LucasArts' INSANE animation engine, first used in Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire to implement full-motion video and action sequences.

It also traded in the traditional verb interface of LucasArts' previous titles for a simpler pie menu. Finally, it licensed music from the Gone Jackals, a hard rock band that really made the motorcycle aesthetic crunch.

SAM & MAX HIT THE ROAD

Sam & Max are much bigger than this one game. Occupying a number of media outlets, the anthropomorphic dog and rabbit detective team got their start as a 1987 comic book series created by Steve Purcell.

It wasn't until 1993 that the "Freelance Police" was ported over to the realm of graphic adventure games by LucasArts.The game's plot revolves around a case assigned to the duo, in which they must track down a missing sasquatch and his giraffe-necked girlfriend when they go missing from a carnival. Their investigation takes them from their shabby New York City office to all of the worst tourist attractions across the United States.

We're talking The World's Largest Ball of Twine, the Gator Golf Emporium, and the Celebrity Vegetable Museum. Places you didn't even know you never wanted to see! The resulting adventure is a whole lot of fun, with brain-stumping puzzles, big laughs, and plenty of gratuitous violence thrown into the mix.

THE GABRIEL KNIGHT SERIES

Arguably Sierra's best graphic adventure series, Gabriel Knight, created by the incredibly talented Jane Jensen, tells the story of the titular man-child bachelor and rare book store owner, as he follows fate to become the next in a familial line of Schattenjägers (basically, monster hunters).

The first game opened in New Orleans and made fantastic use of the city's otherworldly ambiance and world-famous locales. New Orleans's penchant for voodoo was used more than a little in the game's supernatural plot. The following two entries featured werewolves and vampires, respectively.

They also featured full-motion live video and 3D graphics, respectively. Unfortunately, the third game's 3D was pretty janky, as was its gameplay. However, the first two Gabriel Knight games stand as two of the best adventures that Sierra has ever produced. And that's saying a lot.

THE MONKEY ISLAND SERIES

Wow, there's so much praise to be piled upon the Monkey Island games, it's difficult to know where to start. It's one of the earliest graphic adventures and still the best. It's super-funny and super-piratey. It has everything you could want in a great adventure: Guybrush Threepwood, perhaps the greatest self-deprecating, underdog protagonist ever created, an evil ghost/zombie/demon villain, and a beautiful love interest sought after by both parties.

Combine that with gorgeous island locations to explore, fun and interesting puzzles to solves, and even a little bit of sword/insult/ship combat, and you've got a formula that has withstood the years to attract fans young and old to the graphic adventure genre like no other title has been able to.

This is LucasArts' finest work, and very likely the best the genre has to offer. And don't forget the Telltale follow-up episodic series. It may not have that LucasArts perfection, but it serves the franchise very well.