Action-adventure game
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An action-adventure game is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres.
Typically, classical adventure games have situational problems for the player to explore and solve to complete a storyline, involving very little to no
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] inspired by older adventure games.[3] 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.[4] They are faster-paced than pure adventure games, because they include both physical and conceptual challenges.[4] 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.[5] Popular examples of action-adventure games include The Legend of Zelda, God of War,[4] and Tomb Raider series.[6]
Relationship to other genres
When a game stops being an adventure game and becomes an action game is a matter of interpretation.[7] There are quite a few disagreements in the community and in the media over what actually constitutes an action-adventure game. One definition of the term "action-adventure" may be '"An action/adventure game is a game that has enough action in it not to be called an adventure game, but not enough action to be called an action game."[8] In some cases an action game with puzzles will be classified as an action-adventure game, but if these puzzles are quite simple they might be classified as an action game.[4][9] Others see action games as a pure genre, while an action-adventure is an action game that includes situational problem-solving.[8][9] Adventure gamers may also be purists, rejecting any game that makes use of physical challenges or time pressure.[4] Regardless, the action-adventure label is prominent in articles over the internet and media. The term "action-adventure" is usually substituted for a particular subgenre due to its wide scope.
Subgenres
This article possibly contains original research. (August 2020) |
Although action-adventure games are diverse and difficult to classify, there are some distinct subgenres. Many games with gameplay[10] similar to those in The Legend of Zelda series are called Zelda clones[11] or Zelda like games.[12][13][14] Popular subgenres include:
Grand Theft Auto clone
A
Metroidvania
Metroidvania is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania; such games are sometimes referred to as "search action",[20] and are generally based on two-dimensional platformers. They emphasize both exploration and puzzle-solving with traditional platform gameplay.[21]
Survival horror
Survival horror games emphasize "inventory management" and making sure the player has enough ammunition and recovery items to "survive" the horror setting. This is a thematic genre with diverse gameplay, so not all survival horror games share all the features.[22][23][24][25] The Resident Evil franchise popularized this subgenre.
Gameplay
Action-adventure games are faster-paced than pure adventure games, and include physical as well as conceptual challenges
They are distinct from
Many action-adventure games simulate a conversation through a
Due to the action-adventure subgenre's broad and inclusive nature, it causes some players to have difficulty finishing a particular game. Companies have devised ways to give the player help, such as offering clues or allowing the player to skip puzzles to compensate for this lack of ability.[29]
History
1970s and early 1980s
Brett Weiss cites
According to
While noting some similarities to Adventure,
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 (1981), Castle Wolfenstein and Metal Gear (1987) combined action-adventure exploration with stealth mechanics, laying the foundations for the stealth game subgenre, which would later be popularized in 1998 with the releases of Metal Gear Solid, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, and Thief: The Dark Project.
1990s to present
The
Action-adventure games have gone on to become more popular than the pure
References
- ^ Rollins, A.; Morris, D. (2000). Game Architecture and Design. Coriolis Ed.
- ^ Luban, Pascal (6 December 2002). "Designing and Integrating Puzzles in Action-Adventure Games". Game Developer. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ "Chap. 1 — Game Genres" (PDF). University of Beira Interior. 2014. p. 8.
- ^ ISBN 0-13-168747-6.
- ^ a b Luban, Pascal (6 December 2002). "Designing and Integrating Puzzles in Action-Adventure Games". Gamasutra. Think Services Game Group. p. 2. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
- ^ Gal, Viviane; Le Prado, Cécile; Natkin, Stéphane; Vega, Liliana (2002). Writing for Video Games (PDF). Proceedings Laval Ritual (IVRC). Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2003.
- ^ ISBN 1-59273-001-9.
- ^ a b c d Aya (2 August 2005). "A Brief – But Comprehensive – History of the Action/Adventure Genre". Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
- ^ Imagine Media. March 1996. pp. 28–42.
Action-adventure – A game which is nearly all action (see action game), but that also includes a good deal of strategy and more advanced problem solving.
- ^ a b Travis Fahs (27 August 2010). "IGN Presents the History of Zelda – Retro Feature at IGN". IGN. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
- ^ Fontes, Renan (29 December 2019). "5 Zelda Clones Better Than The Real Thing (& 5 That Are So Much Worse)". TheGamer. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ Robson, Daniel (12 March 2020). "Genshin Impact: Hands-on With the Zelda Clone That's not Really a Zelda Clone". IGN. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ Commerce, Stack (9 September 2020). "This Online Course Teaches You How to Create a Game Like The Legend of Zelda". IGN. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ "16 Games Zelda Fans Should Try". GameSpot. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ "25+ Games Like GTA (Grand Theft Auto)". Find Me Similar. 12 April 2013.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom (27 March 2007). "Crackdown Community Q&A". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
- . 21 October 2004. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
- CANOE. Archived from the original on 23 June 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2008.on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
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iii. Bishop, Sam (16 May 2003). "E3 2003: True Crime: Streets of L.A. Update". IGN. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
iv. Will Tuttle (30 August 2006). "GameSpy Review – Saints Row". GameSpy. Retrieved 25 July 2008.;
v. Snow, Blake (30 January 2008). "Just Cause 2 announced for Xbox 360, PS3, PC". GamePro. Archived from the original - ^ Navarro, Alex (2004-11-11). "Scrapland Review". Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2009. Scrapland Review], GameSpot, Retrieved on 2009-6-17
- ^ Romano, Sal (26 February 2019). "Touhou Luna Nights leaves Steam Early Access, version 1.0 now available". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- Gamasutra. Archivedfrom the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ "Survival Horror vs. Action Horror". gamerevolution.com. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ^ "The Evil Within preview – 'real survival horror'". metro.co.uk. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ^ "Horror Show – Survival Horror vs. Action Horror". zero1gaming.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ^ "6 Upcoming Horror Games That Look Absolutely Terrifying". blooody-disgusting.org. 21 April 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ^ 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 5 February 2009.
- ^ a b Luban, Pascal (6 December 2002). "Designing and Integrating Puzzles in Action-Adventure Games". Gamasutra. Think Services Game Group. p. 1. Archived from the original on 21 December 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
- ^ Bob Johnstone. "Video Games Industry Infographics". ESRB Infographics. ESRB. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ Luban, Pascal (6 December 2002). "Designing and Integrating Puzzles in Action-Adventure Games". Gamasutra. Think Services Game Group. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
- ^ McFarland & Co.pp. 119, 126.
- ^ LMozejko, Michal (16 April 2009). "Superman". Retro Gamer. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ISBN 0-415-96578-0.
- ISBN 0-07-223172-6.
- ISBN 978-1-136-77805-6.
- ^ Boardman, Krist; Bernstein, Harvey (June 1982). "Inside Gaming". Computer Gaming World. Vol. 1, no. 4. Ziff Davis. pp. 22–3.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "Overseas Readers Column – Konami And Stern Pact On "Tutankham" Video" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 194. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 August 1982. p. 26. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Minority Report: Tutankham". Retro Gamer. No. 127. January 2014. p. 51.
- ^ a b "Fine Time in Tombs of Tut! Tutankham". Computer and Video Games. No. 26 (December 1983). 16 November 1983. p. 31.
- (PDF) from the original on 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Harry Lafnear Interview". Atari Legend. 5 September 2003.
- ^ Anderson, John J. (May 1982). "Atari Arcade". Computer Gaming World. Vol. 2, no. 3. p. 18.
- ISBN 9780916688349.
- ^ "Most-prolific action-adventure video game series". Guinness World Records. 1 January 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ Adams, Ernest (9 July 2009). "The Designer's Notebook: Sorting Out the Genre Muddle". Game Developer. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
External links
- Media related to Action-adventure games at Wikimedia Commons