What is an adventure title? Well, it’s one that, instead of focusing on the action experience, wants to give players an exciting time, largely using the environment around them and the tools their character has. This may involve action, but instead of action being the solution to every problem, here we get a little creative. Is this a definition I pulled out of my head on a Monday morning? Yes, but let’s ignore that as we dive into the list.
5. Outcast: a new beginning
Twenty-five years after Cutter Slade graced our screens, we’re back with an open-world adventure that feels both time capsule and modern title. Exploring the world of Adelpha was a real treat, with plenty of unique flair in the world and abilities that made Outcast: A New Beginning a seriously fun and underrated entry this year. If you missed this one and want a sci-fi Just Cause experience, you’ll want to give it a try.
4. Rise of the Ronin
Okay, this may fall more into the action/adventure category, but I’m really struggling to find a place to talk about this game. Rise of the Ronin, swept under the rug by Dragon’s Dogma 2, is essentially a very strong Assassin’s Creed Shadows experience, released a year before Ubisoft got their handles on feudal Japan. It is set in a different era, but exploring the regions of Team Ninja’s first foray into the open world was promising, mixed with some great combat.
3. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
A latecomer to the party, but a seriously welcome one. There is perhaps no game that encompasses the idea of adventure more purely than Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in 2024. Whip-cracking, fedora-wearing fun is everywhere, and Machine Games can safely take pride in the work it has done to bring the beloved character Indy to our gaming screens.
2. Astro Bot
Here he is, the little bot that could. While Astro Bot has and will continue to feature in much of our Game of the Year coverage, sometimes there is just a game that stands out like this. Astro Bot may be more of a 3D platform game for you, but in many ways it sums up the idea of adventure perfectly. Running around different worlds, rescuing bots, it’s the kind of adventure you remember most from your childhood gaming experience.
1. The Legend of Zelda: echoes of wisdom
Speaking of childhood memories, few franchises bring you back to nostalgic days like Zelda. And to end our list of the best adventure games of 2024, we have The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Echoes of Wisdom softens the epic scale of Tears of the Kingdom and still packs a delightful adventure with charming visuals and gameplay into a title we didn’t think we’d get this late in the Switch’s life cycle.