I think modern Adventure gaming is composed of multiple sub-genres at this point:
- "Classic" Point n' Click / Parser Based - Most games coming out of Amanita Design, Daedalic, Wadjet Eye (and the AGS community at large) currently. Sierra and LucasArts games of old fall in here. Also Telltale prior to Jurassic Park / Walking Dead.
- "Walking Simulators" for lack of a better term - 3D exploration games that are more focused on storytelling / environment than puzzles. Gone Home, Dear Esther, Firewatch, Editch Finch, etc. are prime examples. Basically, realMyst minus puzzles.
- "Telltale-likes" - Anything resembling Telltale's Walking Dead (and later games) model.
- Interactive Fiction - Twine games, Visual Novels, CYA books, Infocom/Legend style games. Could probably be considered it's own thing but it's a core part of the history of the Adventure genre it'd be a shame to exclude them.
I've never played a PnC before. Maybe some Monkey Island with a friend like fifteen years ago. What's my best bet for classics and new releases?
I haven't played a ton of adventures myself but when I think of "Classics" these are usually the recommendations I've seen...
Sierra: King's Quest VI, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, Space Quest IV, Leisure Suit Larry 7, Conquests of the Longbow, Quest for Glory series (which are an Adventure/RPG hybrid)
LucasArts: Monkey Island 1 + 2, Sam & Max, Day of the Tentacle, Indiana Jones & The Fate of Atlantis, Grim Fandango
Revolution: Broken Sword, Beneath a Steel Sky
For more modern recommendations I would highly recommend the games published by
Wadjet Eye Games, especially since you don't have a lot of exposure to the genre. They're very focused on telling good stories without a lot of hard puzzles so they're a great way to ease yourself into the genre. Their big series is called "Blackwell" which is 5 games long and focuses on a woman in New York City coming to grips with her recent discovery that she's a medium for the recently departed. The Blackwell series gained a spiritual successor this year called "Unavowed" which weaves in some systems like team banter and moral choices that were heavily inspired by BioWare's RPGs. Wadjet Eye has also published critically acclaimed titles like Gemini Rue, Resonance, and Technobabylon which are fairly popular.
