During the golden age of point-and-click adventure classics in the 1980s and ’90s, we were blessed with decades of self-referential comedy, iconic puzzle settings, and satisfying inventory management. LucasArts (now Lucasfilm Games) is going strong, giving us family-friendly games like Monkey Island, Maniac, and Day of the Tentacle; Revolution Software takes a darker approach with its Broken Sword series , a sexier (but still silly) theme, and Cyan’s Mysterious Island Riven introduces a darker and more cerebral side to the genre.

Until the 2000s, we were dazzled by choices. The era of lengthy puzzle games fell into hibernation as players turned their attention to vast open worlds, immersive first-person action, and online multiplayer experiences. If a point-and-click game does come out during this time, you’ll almost certainly see lazy references to old classics, fanservice that often feels forced or repetitive, and self-imposed limitations that allow the game to remain No more just repetition. Myst, for example, appeared on nearly every console between 2000 and 2010 and made several attempts to shine, but it never captured the spirit in the same way. It’s not old enough to be “retro,” nor young enough to be “cool.”

That’s not to say we didn’t have some great games in the slower years. Since the launch of Gemini Rue in 2011, Wadjet Eye Games has been satisfying fans craving point-and-click puzzle games with a steady stream of high-quality games. During this time, games like Syberia, Dropsy, Quern, and Kentucky Route Zero appealed to the same sentiment. While all the games are very different, their charm and head-scratching quality are a balm for those nostalgic for the past and looking to make a big commitment.

In 2013, Revolution Software gained enough support to crowdfund Broken Sword 5, a gentle knock on the nostalgia door that quickly turned into a loud knock. In just a few years, this commemoration of the now “retro” genre has finally begun to create truly interesting new games that still intentionally reference the work of their predecessors and leave breadcrumbs for lapsed fans, all while Recognize the need for something new. Darkside Detective, Paradigm, and Thimbleweed Park are all standout examples from 2017, games that are charming in their own right but also filled with nostalgia and homage to the halcyon days when point-and-click games were dominant.

It was that initial rustle, the first few pages that were turned into what is now a completely rewritten point-and-click adventure book.

Those of us who love point-and-click games will always be here, but the emergence of newer, younger players over the past few years shows that this isn’t just a genre for your dad and his friends. These games can be sexy, scary, mysterious, modern… they can incorporate key elements from other genres to make themselves standout hits. They can and will have as much of an impact on you emotionally and psychologically as any other game.

When Disco Elysium launched in 2019, it was positioned firmly as an RPG, but it also left me hungry for a proper point-and-click experience. I used items to solve puzzles, talked to people to learn how to progress, clicked to get where I wanted to go, and observed the mostly static world as I went. I’ve referenced this game many times, but I mention it here for good reason. It proved to a new generation two things: lengthy, brain-bending, and clever games could attract large audiences; and independent studios were best positioned to pull it off.

Point-and-click gaming doesn’t have to tax your SSD or drain your graphics card, and it doesn’t require a huge team or a AAA budget. They are often small in scale and humble in appearance, but their potential impact and story are huge. Due to their nature, they are more affordable and easy to use for both developers and consumers, and they translate seamlessly to almost any device. It’s one of the only genres that an independent studio can create that is indistinguishable from a studio with huge financial backing.

In the years following the story- and narrative-focused success of Disco Elysium, this beloved old genre has been reinvigorated in an unexpected way. Suddenly, developers dropped references to older games that once seemed like necessary additions, and instead considered new ways to present inventory management, novel art styles, and backgrounds. This is no longer just a remnant of a bygone retro era; This is the 2020s, and point-and-click games can be anything you want.

This transformation happens quickly. While 2019’s Hypnospace Outlaw’s simulated ’90s tabletop feel was nostalgic but not from the LucasArts era, Paradise Killer subverts the genre by treating it as a detective game first and a puzzle second game. The gameplay is completely different from any point-and-click game before it – there’s no pre-drawn flat backgrounds to walk on, a pixelated protagonist, or weak voice acting to endure. There’s no mention of Monkey Island or a wink at the infamous goat puzzle – it’s fresh, exciting, timeless game design that showcases the creativity of the genre.

2022’s Who’s Lila was a horror-tinged point-and-click game that you played entirely through manual control of facial expressions, while 2024’s Phoenix Springs eschewed traditional checklists entirely in favor of Psychological mind maps that allow you to draw conclusions from context clues. In 2022’s The Golden Idol Incident, you can zoom in on items to see them properly and use lateral logic to figure out what happened just a few minutes ago. Peniment, also released in 2022, doesn’t give you a checklist at all, but lets you shape the world through your comments and actions, remembering the message, twisting it, and combining it for effect. None of these are traditional point-and-click games, but they all carry the banner proudly. This is what we can expect now, this is the future of the genre, and it’s only going to get bigger.

The renaissance of the modern point-and-click adventure game is partly due to the rise of comfort games, which is a topic worthy of study in itself. Games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing teach us that the virtues of patience and thoughtfulness can enrich the video game experience. Games like A Little To The Left, The Room, and most recently Thank Goodness You’re Here have eased a new generation of gamers into the concept of puzzles, having to put them down and return to a new solution each time plan.

Beyond that, the freedom from repetitive nostalgia actually allows more traditional point-and-click games to flourish. These vibrant, edgy and creative games now serve as a gateway to more old-school gaming and provide a gentle appreciation for the past. Now, when we get a game that references classics from the ’80s and ’90s, it feels like a rare treat rather than oversaturation or a chore. Digging Hob’s Barrow, Black Tail, NORCO, and To Golgotha ​​are all wonderful examples of how simpler point-and-click interfaces are ready to be embraced by the modern crowd while the writing and direction still push boundaries. accept.

This has led to some incredible remasters, remakes, and reboots of old releases and franchises that now have a hungry new audience ready to try a game that puts story and exploration first . 2022’s “Return to Monkey Island” is the first entry in the series in 21 years, while “Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templar,” “Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse” and “Riven” have all been released in the past two years. has been remade to thunderous critical acclaim – both from ’90s fans and those born in the millennium.

There’s a new Broken Sword game set to release in 2025, the highly anticipated The Blue Prince, which once again seems to live up to the expected potential of these games, as well as hundreds of smaller games that are sure to Makes us happy in millions of different ways.

Clicker gaming is here to stay, its boundaries and definitions are constantly expanding. The past two years—and, ostensibly, the next few—have been an especially fertile time for the genre, as games’ mysterious charm and timeless quality seem to capture our hearts once again.