When innovative games are brought up, point-and-click titles aren't typically the first to come to mind, but the genre has consistently grown substantially over the years to the point where its popularity has grown tenfold.
Recent hits like Needy Streamer Overload, Unpacking, and Children of Silentown prove that the genre is thriving now more than ever, and it's the element of mystery within each narrative throughout the games that make them some of the most captivating experiences within the medium, but the genre wouldn't be where it is now without some innovative stepping stones.
Simulacra
Point-and-click titles have come a long way since the genre was first introduced, but one of the most innovative takes has been the experiences that have players go through a smartphone device no different from their own as a narrative begins to uncover through text messaging and other applications.
Simulacra remains one of the defining games to take the smartphone approach of presenting a mystery and horror narrative through a phone that's been found on your doorstep one day. From there, it spirals into rarely predictable territory, and it's one of the most memorable experiences for a point-and-click game that utilizes a smartphone interface for its gameplay.
Machinarium
Though the game was originally released in 2009, it's still one of the most talked about games within the puzzle, point-and-click, and mystery genres. Following a tin robot who was sent to the scraps to be disposed of, the robot eventually escapes and aims to recover the city from ruin from an evil entity and corporation.
Machinarium is incredibly clever in just about every facet of its game design and is consistently fun throughout. Talking with plenty of townsfolk, figuring out puzzles, and more all while aiming to uncover and take down an evil organization makes Machinarium a must-play within its genre. Its art style is striking, and its gameplay is some of the most engaging and thought-provoking in the medium.
The Excavation Of Hob's Barrow
Digging below the Earth's surface has caused humans to find a tremendous amount of history that has been buried for centuries, but within that territory of archaeological discovery is a big risk and danger that can come in a multitude of forms. The Excavation of Hob's Barrow follows a young woman who gets invited to a remote place in England but somehow begins to uncover secrets of her own past all while attending to the mysteries of Hob's Barrow.
The Excavation of Hob's Barrow sports a wonderful pixel art style accompanied by stellar voice acting that accentuates the atmosphere and tones the game is aiming for. With a world that is small yet filled with depth and wonder, The Excavation of Hob's Barrow is a fantastic narrative all wrapped up in a phenomenal point-and-click mystery adventure.
Kathy Rain: Director's Cut
Kathy Rain falls along the same cut of cloth as other journalist or detective-focused protagonists that lead a particular series a la Nancy Drew or Professor Layton. In the Director's Cut of Kathy Rain, the game provides nearly 5000 lines of fully-voiced dialogue, new areas to explore, an expanded soundtrack, and remastered environments that widescreen devices.
Following a journalist in the '90s, Kathy mysteriously loses her grandfather and aims to investigate what could have happened and the course of mysterious events surrounding her hometown. With tons of locations to see and characters to meet, Kathy Rain is an incredibly deep and believable experience that puts players against genuine detective work across a polished and well-made experience.
Her Story
What may be arguably the pinnacle of FMV and point-and-click artistry combined to perfection, Her Story encapsulates a genuine feeling of wonder and awe where the immersion is so strong it's easy to forget that one is playing a game after a point. As players go through a police database to uncover what happened to a woman that's being interrogated, it's up to them to be able to piece together the story as the player sifts through myriad clips and searching through keywords.
Her Story has won numerous awards and is seen as a revolutionary take on both FMV titles and point-and-click games, providing a unique and compelling story where the database is the interface and progress is limited by the player and the player alone. It's an experience that is unparalleled seven years after release, and will likely be for quite some time.
Fran Bow
Portrayals of mental disorders are never easy within any medium, whether it be films, games, or books, however, there are various interpretations of it that can be done in such artistic ways that it blends into whatever genre it's utilizing in order to tell its narrative. Fran Bow is a perfect example of a portrayal done in an excellent way, further proved by its Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam.
Playing as a young girl who recently lost her parents, she awakes in a mental asylum without her cat Mr. Midnight. Wanting to reunite with him and escape the terrifying hospital, players follow Fran on her journey to a more hopeful future, leaving an experience that is equal parts terrifying and gory as it is uplifting and enthralling. It's a nerve-wracking story-driven horror game that is still able to appease fans of point-and-click and mystery with ease.
Syberia
Point-and-click titles have come a long way and have become a household genre for fantastic storytelling and mysteries, but few come close to being the poster child of the genre much like Syberia. With its famous protagonist, Kate Walker, in tow, Syberia has provided a wonderful mystery adventure since 2002 and continues to be a talking point for the genre today.
Syberia has always perfectly blended elements of sci-fi and supernatural elements into an almost steampunk-esque aesthetic, melded into an industrial age. Its unique direction and story has consistently helped it stand out within the genre, also standing the test of time as a household name that is an essential starting point for those interested in point-and-click titles with a mystery flavor.
Trace Memory
The Nintendo DS was a revolutionary step into gaming that brought some of the most unique and innovative experiences the medium has ever seen thanks to its dual-screen focus. Because of this, point-and-click titles were a natural fit for the device, and one such game, Trace Memory, stood out as one of the best and must-plays on the Nintendo DS for a great mystery narrative.
Trace Memory follows a young girl named Ashley who's told that her father had been deceased for the better part of a decade. The day before her birthday, however, she's been suddenly invited to a mysterious island where not only is it revealed that he is, in fact, not dead, but that she can now meet him. The game boasted a wonderful art direction and sense of adventure that really made the mystery involving her father captivating and difficult to put down. Unfortunately, the game still remains exclusive on the hardware, lost to time.
Crowns And Pawns: Kingdoms Of Deceit
Despite point-and-click titles constantly innovating, few tend to give off the feeling of being "modern." Crowns and Pawns: Kingdoms of Deceit, however, wonderfully blends in modern-day functions with the narrative structure and progression of gameplay that would come from a traditional point-and-click experience, creating an identity of its own and one of the biggest standout titles within the genre in years.
After receiving an inheritance from her grandfather in Lithuania, the protagonist, Milda, goes to Europe, but not long before she lands she begins to receive threats regarding her inheritance from persons unknown. From there, the rest of the game centers around the mysteries of her grandfather's life, all leading down a past of history she could never have imagined.
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
The Nintendo DS was home to many new IPs that all had cult followings for being as intriguing as they were refreshing and fun. Among the likes of 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, Trace Memory, and Professor Layton was Hotel Dusk, a noir mystery adventure visual novel and point-and-click title that made exceptional use of the DS's two-screen experience.
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 in a lot of ways felt like The Silver Case meets the best visual novel games as well.