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Action-adventure game

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"Action-adventure" redirects here. For other uses, see Action-adventure (disambiguation).

Action-adventure is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres.

Definition

An action-adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action game and an adventure game,[1] especially crucial elements like puzzles.[2] Action-adventures require many of the same physical skills as action games, but also offer a storyline, numerous characters, an inventory system, dialogue, and other features of adventure games.[3] They are faster-paced than pure adventure games, because they include both physical and conceptual challenges.[3] Action-adventure games normally include a combination of complex story elements, which are displayed for players using audio and video. The story is heavily reliant upon the player character's movement, which triggers story events and thus affects the flow of the game.[4] Some examples of action-adventure games include The Legend of Zelda, God of War,[3] and Tomb Raider series.[5]

Gameplay

See also: Adventure game § Common objectives and gameplay, and Action game § Defining elements

Action-adventure games are faster paced than pure adventure games, and include physical as well as conceptual challenges[6] where the story is enacted rather than narrated.[7] While motion-based, often reflexive, actions are required,[4] the gameplay still follows a number of adventure game genre tropes (gathering items, exploration of and interaction with one's environment, often including an overworld connecting areas of importance, and puzzle-solving).[2] While the controls are arcade-style (character movement, few action commands) there is an ultimate goal beyond a high score.[2] In most action-adventure games, the player controls a single avatar as the protagonist.[3] This type of game is often quite similar to role-playing video games.[8]

They are distinct from graphic adventures, which sometimes have free-moving central characters, but also wider variety of commands and fewer or no action game elements and are distinct too from text adventures, characterized by many different commands introduced by the user via a complex text parser and no free-moving character. While they share general gameplay dynamics, action-adventures vary widely in the design of their viewpoints, including bird's eye, side scrolling, first-person, third-person, over-the-shoulder, or even a 3/4 isometric view.

Some action-adventure games simulate a conversation through a conversation tree. When the player encounters a non-player character, they are allowed to select a choice of what to say. The NPC gives a scripted response to the player, and the game offers the player several new ways to respond.

History

Brett Weiss cites Superman (1979) as an action-adventure game,[9] with Retro Gamer crediting it as the "first to utilize multiple screens as playing area".[10] Mark J.P. Wolf credits Adventure (1980) as the earliest-known action-adventure game,[11] was an adaptation of text-based adventure game Colossal Cave Adventure for the Atari 2600, with the player having the ability to fight in combat like in an action game. Castle Wolfenstein (1981) was another early action-adventure game.[12] Allgame also claimed the following titles released prior to 1982 were action-adventure games: Rescue at Rigel (1980),[13] Quest for the Rings (1981),[14] and Venture (1981).[15]

According to Wizardry developer Roe R. Adams, early action-adventure games "were basically arcade games done in a fantasy setting," citing Castlevania (1986), Trojan (1986) and Wizards & Warriors (1987) as examples.[16]

Although noting some similarity to Adventure, IGN UK argues that The Legend of Zelda (1986) "helped to establish a new subgenre of action-adventure", becoming a success due to how it combined elements from different genres to create a compelling hybrid, including exploration, adventure-style inventory puzzles, an action component, a monetary system, and simplified RPG-style level building without the experience points.[17] The Legend of Zelda was the most prolific action-adventure game series through to the 2000s.[18]

Games like Brain Breaker (1985), Xanadu (1985), Metroid (1986) and Vampire Killer (1986) combined a side-scrolling platformer format with adventure exploration, creating the Metroidvania platform-adventure subgenre. Similarly, games like 005, Castle Wolfenstein and Metal Gear (1987) combined action-adventure exploration with stealth mechanics, laying the foundations for the stealth games, which would later be popularized in 1998 by Metal Gear Solid, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, and Thief: The Dark Project.

The cinematic platformer Prince of Persia (1989) featured action-adventure elements, inspiring games such as Another World (1991) and Flashback (1992). Alone in the Dark (1992) featured the use of 3D graphics, which would later be popularized by Resident Evil (1996) and Tomb Raider (1996). Resident Evil in particular helped to establish survival horror as a genre, inspiring titles such as Silent Hill (1999) and Fatal Frame (2001).

See also

References

  1. ^ Rollins, A.; Morris, D. (2000). Game Architecture and Design. Coriolis Ed.
  2. ^ a b c Luban, Pascal (2002-12-06). "Designing and Integrating Puzzles in Action-Adventure Games". Gamasutra. Think Services Game Group. p. 1. Archived from the original on 21 December 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  3. ^ a b c d Rollings, Andrew; Ernest Adams (2006). Fundamentals of Game Design. Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-168747-6.
  4. ^ a b Luban, Pascal (2002-12-06). "Designing and Integrating Puzzles in Action-Adventure Games". Gamasutra. Think Services Game Group. p. 2. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  5. ^ Gal, Viviane; Le Prado, Cécile; Natkin, Stéphane; Vega, Liliana (2002). Writing for Video Games (PDF). Proceedings Laval Ritual (IVRC).
  6. ^ Rollings, Andrew; Ernest Adams (2003). Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design. New Riders. p. 446. ISBN 1-59273-001-9.
  7. ^ Ryan, Marie-Laure (2002). "Beyond Myth and Metaphor – The Case of Narrative in Digital Media". Game Studies. 1 (1). The International Journal of Computer Game Research. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  8. ^ Bob Johnstone. "Video Games Industry Infographics". ESRB Infographics. ESRB. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  9. ^ Weiss, Brett. Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984: A Complete Reference Guide. McFarland & Co. p. 119.
  10. ^ LMozejko, Michal (April 16, 2009). "Superman". Retro Gamer. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  11. ^ Wolf, Mark J. P.; Perron, Bernard, eds. (2003). "Foreword". Video Game Theory Reader. Routledge. p. x. ISBN 0-415-96578-0.
  12. ^ DeMaria, Rusel; Wilson, Johnny L. (2003). High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 224. ISBN 0-07-223172-6.
  13. ^ Template:Allgame
  14. ^ Template:Allgame
  15. ^ Template:Allgame
  16. ^ Adams, Roe R. (November 1990), "Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is): An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines", Computer Gaming World, no. 76, pp. 83–84 [83], Action adventures were basically arcade games done in a fantasy setting such as Castlevania, Trojan, and Wizards & Warriors.
  17. ^ Travis Fahs (2010-08-27). "IGN Presents the History of Zelda – Retro Feature at IGN". Uk.retro.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
  18. ^ "Most-prolific action-adventure video game series". Guinness World Records. 1 Jan 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
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