The passion to travel and explore the unknown is one of the deepest instincts that people have. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, fictional and non-fiction novels about travels in some lost worlds were extremely popular.
Soon after the beginning of the computer age, exploration games became popular, where people could realize their age-old dream of distant wanderings in a virtual format. Exploration games or more simply travel games usually include other related genres, which is why it can sometimes be quite difficult to determine which category a certain game belongs to.
There are hundreds of different variations where exploration games are combined with quests or shooters, platformers or horrors. Since exploration games first appeared in the early 1980s, there has been a long list of time-tested games that anyone can occasionally play to pass the time.
Classics of the Genre
All projects in this category stand out in three parameters: user sympathy, high sales, and positive reviews from experts. As a rule, the plots of such games are devoted to traveling with some good purpose. It can either be freeing a beautiful princess from the clutches of a villain, wandering around an unknown planet with the sole purpose of not starving to death, or performing some mystical tasks.
There are many cases where exploration games based on the plot of a famous book or a Hollywood blockbuster quickly gained great popularity:
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The game offers users to choose a character from among the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is a cooperative game that allows users to have a good time both in the company of friends and acquaintances and with their families. Players have to explore the offices and halls of the mysterious school of magic, learn the subtleties of the magical art, and put their new skills into practice. The game takes place during the third year of school, so all the characters are already quite advanced wizards.
- The Talos Principle. The game has an unusual plot for entertainment projects. The main character is an android with no name and no past, who has to go on an exciting and dangerous journey along the path of spiritual development. The robot suddenly wakes up in a strange world and hears the voice of a disembodied entity, which calls it to embark on the path of spiritual enlightenment. During the journey, the android has to go through difficult quests, collect magical sigils and seals, and discover the secrets of life. The aim of the game is to reach the top of a special tower where a curious traveler can find out the truth.
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The plot of the game uses a popular movie theme about a character who has lost his memory and is trying to remember the past. The main character wanders through the dark medieval world. Sinister castles and deadly dangers hide behind every turn. The character can get more information through his diaries in which he described bleak predictions for his future. This exploration game also contains elements of horror and quests.
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a project that stands out for its unusual gameplay. Players have to simultaneously control two brothers who set off on a journey to find the Water of Life, which should save their beloved father from a serious illness. Players should solve the problems that arise during the game by using both hands and both sides of the brain in a coordinated manner as if performing a polyphonic melody.
Depending on their preferences, users can choose to travel both real places and historical epochs, as well as fantastic worlds. Besides, in the process, they can solve puzzles and complete quests or try to escape from monsters from the underworld.
