Top 10 adventure games that should be revived on DS

There's no doubt the DS has been a shot in the arm for the traditional adventure game, and with titles like Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars it looks like we're going to be pointing and clicking for a while yet.

Which got us to thinking: wouldn't it be great to mine some adventure gems from yesteryear, update them with a bit of modern DS magic and give those who weren't even born at the time a chance to appreciate some of the greatest narrative games of all time?

Sure sounds good on paper. So here's our pick of ten adventure classics, or their series, which we'd give our right hemisphere to experience again.

Top 10 adventure games that should be revived on DS

Kings Quest (series)
Sierra Entertainment, 1984-1998

King’s Quest is arguably where the animated adventure began, and it pioneered many of the techniques that went on to become staples of the point and click genre.

But it was the heart-warming atmosphere and writing that made these games so memorable, and although the early titles had a penchant for killing the player off a bit too easily the ability to save anywhere was something of a salve.

Sierra went on to produce eight in the series, though Kings Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow is the most glorious, combining beautiful backdrops and characters with near flawless puzzling.

This title alone on DS would be exciting. All eight would be orgasmic.

Day of the Tentacle
LucasArts, 1993

Considered by many to be the pinnacle of LucasArts's adventure game output, Day of the Tentacle is a masterclass in plot exposition, character development and puzzle logic.

It uses a time travel motif for many of the conundrums and the satisfying way objects can be used in separate periods mark it out from other titles in the stable. It also had humour in spades, with a trio of bizarre characters meddling with the affairs of historical characters in a manner that even put Bill and Ted to shame.

The fact the equally brilliant Maniac Mansion could be played by accessing a computer in the game was icing on the cake.

Beneath a Steel Sky
Revolution Software, 1994

This highly regarded dystopian adventure clearly drew inspiration from Orwell’s 1984, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Terry Gilliam’s Brazil.

Although a dark and oppressive tone pervades much of the game its much put-upon hero, Robert Foster, wisecracks his way through most situations and the warm cast of characters provide a welcome contrast to the bleak but beautiful visuals (created by the Watchman artist Dave Gibbons).

Like Revolution’s other titles, Beneath a Steel Sky is imminently winnable and practically every puzzle has a satisfyingly logical solution. A pleasure to play through from beginning to end, it also makes serious political points with subtlety and humour.

Loom
Lucasfilm Games, 1990

Loom is arguably the most controversial in this list, for it had many detractors, but those who connected with its new-age philosophising and brilliant music-based interface found something more warm and charming than the rest of these titles put together.

There was no inventory to speak of, and puzzles consisted of remembering and weaving sound patterns at the appropriate moment.

Loom was also the first LucasArts game to subscribe to the philosophy that the player should never die or have to type in synonyms from a thesaurus until he stumbled on the correct sequence of words. It would convert brilliantly to DS.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Infocom, 1984

Co-written by Douglas Adams and Steve Meretzky, this supreme adventure based on the books is the earliest but funniest title on the list. A bold claim, yes, but it was clever in a post-modern intellectual sense rather than a slap-stick fart gag sense (although toilet humour was not completely absent).

Puzzles included 'that thing your aunt gave you which you don't know what it is' providing near limitless capacity in your inventory for all the objects you need to find and non-specific mission objectives, making a mockery of the form itself.

The humour shone through at every new location and genuinely made progress utterly compulsive.

Grim Fandango
LucasArts, 1998

A film-noir adventure steeped in Mexican folklore doesn't sound like a recipe for fun, but when it comes from the mind of Tim Schafer you know you're in for a surreal and sumptuous ride.

Indeed, Grim Fandango won several awards for its stunning visuals, which matched gorgeous pre-rendered 2D backdrops with 3D foreground characters and features. But the puzzles were great, too, leading players deeper into the game's dark and brooding atmosphere.

Sadly, although Grim Fandango picked up a bucket load of awards and a cut following it was considered such a commercial flop that LucasArts practically pulled the plug on its adventure game production line.

Time to bring it back we think.

Gabriel Knight (series)
Sierra Entertainment, 1993-1999

A fusion of New Orleans voodoo mythology, historical fact and gumshoe detective novels, the Gabriel Knight titles drew upon Hollywood production values (with voice acting by Tim Curry and Mark Hamill) and the quality script-writing skills of Jen Jenson to deliver some of the finest adventure games ever made.

After suffering a series of disturbing nightmares, book store owner Gabriel Knight discovers his ancestral lineage traces back to a long line of shadow hunters tasked with ridding the world of demons.

This sets up a compelling series of set-pieces drawn in sumptuous comic-book style and set off by a great cast of characters that react to the twists and terrors in often amusing and dramatic fashion. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

Sam & Max Hit the Road
LucasArts, 1993

There's been quite a bit of Sam & Max activity of late, what with LucasArts cancelling a sequel and passing rights onto Telltale games back in 2005.

But what stood out in the original was the zany yet completely logical way objects and tools could be used to solve the game's many inventive puzzles - and they pretty much always had a hilarious payoff.

Our favourite: handing over an ice pick to a telepathic tool bender to turn it into a corkscrew so you can uncork a bottle. There were plenty of minigames, too, and we reckon the touchy feely nature of Whack-A-Mole and Battleships would convert brilliantly to the DS.

And if Telltale were feeling really generous it'd give us the original Sam & Max Hit the Road and every downloadable adventure made since on one bumper cartridge. We can but hope.

The Secret of Monkey Island (series)
LucasArts, 1990-2000

Although four games were produced by LucasArts, brutally honest adventure fans will attest that the first two, written by Dave Grossman, Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer, were the best, had the strongest puzzles and hit the funny bone more regularly.

The series centred on the hapless Guybrush Threepwood and his mission to become a notorious pirate, and much of the enjoyment came from the deconstruction of both the Robert Louis Stevenson oeuvre and the adventure game form itself.

Pressing CTRL + SHIFT + W during the original game, for instance, prompted the message, “Are you sure you want to win? (YN)” Hitting Y took you directly to a dull end win screen. A witty dig at those unable to appreciate a challenge.

The Longest Journey
Funcom, 1999

Something of an aberration, The Longest Journey was a sumptuous and complex adventure game produced in Norway during a period when the form was considered commercially dead by publishers.

It was set in the dual worlds of Arcadia (magical) and Stark (scientific), and the player controlled an 18 year-old ‘Shifter’ known as April Ryan while exploring her waking nightmares and fulfilling her destiny.

It was all very New Age, but the rich cast of characters and avoidance of most adventure clichés was a revelation. Despite some arcane and obscure puzzles, this would be tremendously well received on DS.