Best Adventure Game of 2023 - Article
by Chinh Tran , posted on 11 January 2024 / 4,888 Views
Once a hugely popular genre in the 80s and 90s, adventure games have somewhat taken a backseat in favor of other types of games. However, as proven in recent years, no other type of game can quite replace a great adventure title. Whether you wanted to explore a tropical island in an open world adventure, unravel a mystery as a fishing boat captain, make choices that matter in a 1980s-inspired narrative adventure, or uncover the murder of one of gaming's most beloved characters, the finalists for Best Adventure Game in 2023 had you covered.
Indie studio Awaceb sought to share the beauty of New Caledonia to the world through its game Tchia. The New Zealand based indie team of Black Salt Games released their debut title Dredge, a fishing simulator that proves to be so much more underneath the surface. Night School Studio released a sequel to its 2016 hit, in the form of Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, and again allowed players to make choices that really shaped the narrative. Finally, Sega shifted Sonic's gears through the surprise free release of The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog in time for April Fool's.
The Shortlist:
Tchia
Dredge
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
The Runner-Up:
Oxenfree II: The Lost Signals
The original Oxenfree was a surprise hit back in 2016. With Oxenfree II, Night School Studios decided to double down on what worked so well with the original: believable and well-developed characters, a strong central story with branching narratives, and meaningful, impactful decisions. The result is a game that expands on the original in key ways while retaining the essence of what made it so special.
The Winner:
Dredge
Very few games this year offered more beneath the surface than Black Salt Games' Dredge. At its core, Dredge tasks players with catching and selling fish in order to upgrade their fishing boat to then catch different types of fish. However, play further and you uncover a psychological and mysterious tale of loss and what lurks in the dark depths of the seas. With addictive and rewarding gameplay, effective Lovecraftian aesthetics, and a deep mystery to discover, Dredge is the Best Adventure Game of 2023.
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Huzzah! Well done to Black Salt Games.
I'll admit I haven't gotten around to Oxenfree II yet, so maybe that could surmount DREDGE as top pick. Then again, I wasn't heavily engaged with Afterparty either. Maybe that was just a low point.
Dredge is fantastic. Played through the entire game and DLC, only negative is the length.
Dredge really sounds like an interesting game might wanna pick it up one of these days!
