2015 was one of the strongest years in memory for adventure games. It was a year filled with quality titles that ran the gamut from surprisingly effective horror to moving portraits of the struggles of adolescence. With our general 2015 Games of the Year awards now live, we're now going to take time to recognize the best of this year's adventure games.
Best Story: Life is Strange
It's true that Life is Strange's story sags in some places, notably toward the middle, but taken as a whole there's never been a game quite like it. Its strange, wondrous combination of sci-fi and young adult drama could have easily been a disaster. Instead, the story of Max and Chloe and the rest of Arcadia Bay is a powerful testament to the potential of interactive stories and is not easily forgotten.
Best Setting: SOMA
Frictional Games surprised everyone by focusing on a different kind of horror in SOMA than Amnesia's genre-defining brand of terrifying hide & seek. Make no mistake: Monsters are still hunting you at the bottom of the ocean, but the true terror of SOMA is the questions it poses about humanity and the futility of existence. A large part of why those themes worked so well is the creepy and oppressive ocean floor research base the game takes place in, forcing you to come face to face with the mortality of the humans who lived, loved, and died in PATHOS-II, an underwater hell that gives Rapture a run for its money.
Best Graphics: Until Dawn
This was hardly a contest. The facial animations in Until Dawn are downright amazing and the sight of snow softly descending upon the mountains and cabins as you creep through the woods, trying to outwit and outmaneuver a killer, is eerie and beautiful. Easily one of the best looking games of this console generation.
Best Soundtrack: Life is Strange
Life is Strange's blend of soft acoustic tunes and electronic music fits perfectly within Max's journey, granting key story moments even more emotional weight. Divorced from the game, it's also a lovely mix of music to listen to so that doesn't hurt. You can listen to the soundtrack on Spotify here.
Best Character: Max from Life is Strange
Maxine Caulfield is a good person but her innate goodness can't stop her from making mistakes that have dire consequences for those around her. Despite the fact she has the power to rewind time, Max is that rare video game character that actually comes off as a real person, juggling anxieties, relationships, and ambitions as she tries to weather the never-ending series of storms she finds herself in.
Funniest Game: Tales From The Borderlands
A lot of people were understandably skeptical when Telltale and Gearbox announced they were working together to develop an episodic adventure set in the same universe as Borderlands, a first-person shooter light on story. However, the creation born out of that partnership is a wickedly comedic sci-fi adventure worthy of attention.
The quirks and quips of Tales' memorable cast of characters are funny enough on their own, but the addition of amusing physical comedy sequences and the occasional but well-struck pop culture reference makes Tales From The Borderlands one of the funniest games to come around in a long time.
Continue reading on the next page to find out which games shocked us and broke our hearts.