Talking about video games that change our understanding of interactive media, or perhaps even life itself, is one of my favorite aspects of writing, because you always discover new horizons.

By researching, playing, and reflecting on these groundbreaking titles, I feel my ability to understand the industry and myself grow, because they are the kind of products that allow this art form to move forward.

After more than two decades of playing, and half of that time writing about them, I know exactly which ones have marked a turning point in my relationship with video games, so much so that I can even categorize them by genre.

Therefore, in order to put these years of accumulated experience to good use and invite others to experience them as well, I recommend you read this list of the ten most revolutionary adventure games every fan needs to experience.

10

Alan Wake

Tense Adventures Are Still Adventures

Although it would probably be more appropriate for a list of horror games, I chose to include Alan Wake in this article because it does something horror games don’t usually do: feel like an adventure.

A terrifying one, yes, but wandering through Bright Falls collecting the remains of the manuscript of the story that is actively unfolding generates far more intrigue and curiosity than fear, especially due to its ability to integrate diverse narrative forms.

Alan Wake set a precedent for how to make a modern psychological horror game on par with others like Amnesia: The Dark Descent, prioritizing the feeling of vulnerability and, even more importantly, giving profound relevance to the reasons behind events, their symbolism, and meanings.

In the process, the game isn’t just about surviving or escaping, but also about discovering and understanding, redefining the horror genre’s tradition and, therefore, in my opinion, making it a great adventure as well.

However, recognizing which genre it primarily belongs to and admitting it has regular action mechanics, I will place it last so as not to steal the spotlight from purer adventure games, though you have to know Alan Wake is a must-play in any case.

9

Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk

A Quick but Permanent Ache

Visual novels have historically been part of a fairly specific niche of gamers, which has led to unforgettable works like Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk being overlooked.

Despite lasting only a third of an hour and mechanically not doing anything that hasn’t been done before in the genre, its transcendent nature lies in the power of its message, which resonates deeply despite its brevity.

This mastery in not wasting a single second of the story to convey its message about mental health is unparalleled, demonstrating how simply introducing us to the story by clicking on dialogue options is enough to engage us more than any other medium.

Furthermore, its aesthetic is unmistakable, its audio design is unsettling, and its metanarrative is groundbreaking, so Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk achieves so much with so little, which is truly commendable.

8

Cocoon

The Successor to Portal

The manipulation of dimensions in video games has been a constant, especially in the puzzle genre, with recent examples like Viewfinder, but Cocoon takes the cake.

In said regard, it’s the only adventure game that has made me feel genuinely amazed at how its existence is even possible (alongside Portal), given how it manages to combine a series of mechanics and technical capabilities that, honestly, seem like dark magic.

The fluidity of the transitions between orbs (equivalent of dimensions) is commendably immersive, with a power only matched by the creativity with which Geometric Interactive designed the levels, cognitive challenges, and even the bosses.

Descending this spiral of dimensions without any loading screens or pauses is breathtaking in the word’s purest sense, and I don’t know how long it will be before another game, in terms of technical prowess and imagination, can leave me as speechless as Cocoon.

7

Gone Home

A New Subgenre Is Born

Although the creation of the walking simulator genre can be attributed to Dear Esther, which could easily be on this list as well, I want to give credit to its more refined counterpart: Gone Home.

While it isn’t the origin, I believe Fullbright’s work laid the modern foundation for the form these kinds of productions would eventually take, facilitating the introduction of hundreds of games into the interactive world to create narratively fascinating adventures.

Although one might criticize the limited control players have over these experiences, often seen as ‘interactive movies’ or similar pseudonyms, it enabled the existence of amazing titles like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Firewatch, and What Remains of Edith Finch.

For said influence alone, both Dear Esther and Gone Home deserve a place in a museum, so this position is, technically, shared between them. Perhaps they aren’t individually the best in the genre, but the impact they had on assembling it is unmatched.

6

Return of the Obra Dinn

The Plot as a Puzzle

Tracing the timeline back to discover which game gave birth to the concept of being composed of a single, gigantic puzzle has been an impossible task, but I will arbitrarily award the title to Return of the Obra Dinn.

Firstly, because it is a masterpiece of colossal proportions whose ability to make you feel like a competent detective in a fascinating world is sensational, combining both magical and earthly mechanics that work together perfectly.

However, and perhaps more importantly, because my research has led me to conclude it’s among the pioneers in presenting a story composed entirely of a dilemma that will take you dozens of hours to decipher, for which you will have to solve it step by step.

I’m sure it wasn’t the first, but if we consider its 1-bit dithering art style (which makes it a benchmark of ‘ditherpunk’ in video games) and its fluid symbiosis between gameplay, story, and atmosphere, Return of the Obra Dinn is unrivaled.

5

The Stanley Parable

More of a Reflection than a Game

The Stanley Parable is among those indie games that everyone who tries it falls completely in love with, and that’s no coincidence.

Despite essentially just walking around, the experience is a masterclass in subverting player expectations in both quantity and quality, offering so many narrative options for every decision you make with your steps that you genuinely question whether it has a real ending.

However, the main reason for its revolutionary nature isn’t just the sheer number of possibilities it presents, but the reflection it makes on its status as a video game and what the concept of freedom truly means within a medium where you have limits, even when they don’t seem to exist.

You can dedicate two hours to it, or you can dedicate dozens, because The Stanley Parable stops when you want it to. It’s one of those titles that won’t leave you indifferent, even if you don’t like it, which is something that can’t be said of practically any other video game.

4

Papers, Please

A New Form of Point-and-Click

For quite some time, point-and-click adventures were completely forgotten, both due to the decline of Flash games and the lack of market demand for traditional adventures like Monkey Island.

However, Papers, Please arrived to reshape the genre’s traditional approach, allowing it to take place within a claustrophobic customs booth where all you do is shuffle papers, stamp passports, and watch your family starve if you don’t accept bribes.

Lucas Pope’s debut work is revolutionary not only for redefining point-and-click adventures and leaving behind a trail of ‘Papers, Please-like’ games that have emerged over the years, but also for its diegetic and stark symbolism.

You might not see sprites dying of starvation, but only a screen telling you that you didn’t have enough money for lunch at the end of your workday. However, when a game knows how to make you use your imagination to fill in the blanks, it packs a powerful punch.

Therefore, when you have to choose between letting the vulnerable immigrant through or turning a blind eye to a terrorist, Papers, Please meditates on authoritarian governments and tests your morality simultaneously, which is amazing.

3

Grim Fandango

Breaking the Genre’s Norms

Speaking of point-and-click adventures, Grim Fandango was one of the biggest revolutions in the genre during the last decade of the 20th century by doing, among other things, the unthinkable: assigning tank controls to a genre accustomed to the mouse.

Besides making the leap to 3D, which is revolutionary enough in itself for its art style and animation, the game established itself as the predecessor of the vast majority of story-driven games we enjoy today.

With its cinematic shots, dynamic camera angles, and mature themes, Grim Fandango was and felt like a game for adults, which was extremely unusual for an era when the medium was still seen as a toy store.

The title is extraordinary in itself, both for its story and characters, soundtrack, and aesthetics, but considering it brought about a series of unprecedented transformations for the genre, it’s an essential entry on this list.

2

Journey

Putting the Spotlight on Indies

thatgamecompany, largely thanks to its collaboration with Sony, is among the main reasons why independent video games have achieved the prominence they do today, not only for its early projects but especially for Journey.

As one of the first titles to arrive on consoles, and with the distinction of having received direct support from PlayStation, it shone a spotlight on the independent game development scene, demonstrating its economic viability and artistic appeal.

Even if it were a bad product, that alone would be enough to warrant its inclusion in this article, though it turns out to be a masterpiece that achieved such prominence precisely because it elevates what indie developers do best: being unique.

The game features a dialogue-free but deeply emotional story, mechanics without tutorials or interfaces but highly intuitive and fluid, and an unrealistic but gorgeous art style, exhibiting how minimalism can convey more than a thousand elements on screen.

Journey is a modest masterpiece that surpasses most modern AAA games almost without lifting a finger, and the fact that we continue to talk about it with such passion is the greatest demonstration of its timelessness.

1

Outer Wilds

The Most Unforgettable Adventure

Progression in video games is the fundamental force that allows them to endure, and I believe that’s where Outer Wilds’ greatest achievement lies in becoming the beloved and acclaimed game it is.

Placing character growth and story progression on the player’s shoulders is, to say the least, unusual, because most games tend to focus on nominal progression: more stats, new weapons, fewer limitations… that sort of thing.

However, Outer Wilds never changes or offers more than what it originally provides: a vast galaxy with its own universal rules that invites you to become just another inhabitant so you can fulfill your journey.

That capacity for immersion, for giving you the tools to willingly connect with the game and its circumstances, from the characters’ situations to the workings of gravity, is something I’ve never experienced in my more than 20 years of experience.

It’s a magnificent title for many reasons, such as its message, its soundtrack, its exploration, or its story, though its secret lies in how it makes you feel the adventure is real, and the only difference between you and the protagonist is that you’re sitting in front of a television screen and not a spaceship.