We round up the very best point and click adventure games and story-driven titles for Nvidia’s Shield TV and Shield Tablet devices.
The Nvidia Shield TV is host to a huge number of great games and adventure fans are in for a treat. In 2017 you can already play a massive collection of classic point and click titles, fresh new adventures and games where puzzles and plots are the priority.
Here’s our pick of the best adventure games you can play on the Nvidia Shield TV, via Android TV or the GeForce Now service. Don’t forget to check out our round-up of the greatest Nvidia Shield TV games for more inspiration, as well as our selection of the best adventure games for iOS and Android phones.
Best games for Shield TV and Shield Tablet: Guardians of the Galaxy (TellTale)
This series spin-off title takes everyone’s favourite misfit space family on a standalone adventure, presented in episodic format like previous TellTale titles.
Gameplay is pretty much identical to The Wolf Among Us, Walking Dead and those other TellTale games, which also come highly recommended by our good selves. That may be a downer to anyone who’s growing tired of the format, of course. And sure, the adventure elements might be rather light compared to many on this list. However, the occasional puzzles are a welcome break from the exploration and Quick time events, while that Guardians of the Galaxy wit shines throughout.
Best games for Shield TV and Shield Tablet: The Witness
In many ways, The Witness is a spiritual successor to the likes of Myst (see later in this best adventure games round-up for more on that one). For one you’re immediately stuck on a strange island filled with mysterious puzzles, with no choice but to explore your surroundings and solve the multitude of brain-teasers in order to escape.
Factor in the gorgeous presentation and you have a classy and immersive experience. We’d recommend grabbing a copy for anyone with even a casual interest in adventure titles.
Best games for Shield TV and Shield Tablet: Day of the Tentacle
A list our all-time favourite point and click adventure games would sport Day of the Tentacle right at the very summit. This time-travelling escapade (which is now well over two decades old) sees you taking control of three chums, who find themselves zapped to different time periods by a nefarious purple tentacle with schemes for world domination. As you do.
Day of the Tentacle is madder than a box of spider monkeys and all the better for it, with some of the best one-liners ever crammed into a videogame. This remastered version for Shield TV and Shield tablets boasts shiny new graphics and retains all of the charm of the original.
Best games for Shield TV and Shield Tablet: RealMyst
Myst needs no introduction for long-standing adventure game fans. This famous first-person title made a lasting impression when it hit our home computers in the 90s, mostly thanks to those stunning graphics. Not to mention the fact that you needed a super beefy PC at the time to run it.
RealMyst is a fresh new, souped-up deluxe version of the original adventure classic, with a whole new Age to explore plus updated controls. The game has already been released on Android phones and tablets, while Nvidia Shield TV owners can now also enjoy those fiendish puzzles (complete with much-welcome built-in hints).
Best games for Shield TV and Shield Tablet: Broken Age
Day of the Tentacle was co-created by the brilliant Tim Schafer, who later went on to craft the excellent Broken Age under Double Fine Games. Broken Age retained that silly sense of humour, colourful characters and interesting design work, not to mention the multiple protagonist structure.
This time the two main characters appear to be living very different existences and are completely unaware of each other. Spunky sacrificee Vella is set to be offered to the mighty monsters known as the Mogs, in an attempt to appease them and save her village. Meanwhile, the well-pampered Shay is zipping around space in a massive craft, filling his time and breaking the tedium with childish, pointless missions.
Solid storytelling, brain-aching puzzles and the gorgeous, fantasy-like visuals make for a truly memorable and enjoyable adventuring experience.
Best games for Shield TV and Shield Tablet: The Room 3
We’ve already reviewed The Room 3 on iOS, where we absolutely enjoyed every second of this complex puzzle game. Like the first two titles in the series, you must hack your way through multi-layered mechanisms in order to progress. The difficulty level is spot on, providing a solid challenge without frustrating. We also love the moody atmosphere and attractive graphics.
Definitely check out The Room 3 on Shield TV if you haven’t already completed it on your phone or tablet.
Best games for Shield TV and Shield Tablet: Grim Fandango
Going back to the classics for a moment, you can’t have a best adventure games list without the mighty Grim Fandango appearing somewhere within. We weren’t big fans of the swap to full 3D when the game first emerged in the 90s, but LucasArts kept the qualities that we loved from previous titles intact. Namely, an epic, sprawling story, brilliant and complex characters and well-thought-out puzzles.
Kudos to Tim Schafer by the way, as this is the third point and click title on this list that he was directly involved with. Talk about a master of his craft.
Best games for Shield TV and Shield Tablet: The Uncertain
The Uncertain is an episodic adventure game that hit the Shield TV just a few months back, and it’s a more than worthy entry in this round up of the very best titles.
You’re cast as a mechanical protagonist, RT-217NP, who’s living free in a post-apocalyptic world. All of the humans are believed to be extinct, but you discover quite early on that this isn’t the case. In fact, some sort of global conspiracy is at play and it’s up to you and a band of fellow robots to figure out what the Jeffrey is going on.
The 3D design is well suited to the Shield TV’s controller, making this a solid adventure to play on the couch.
Best games for Shield TV and Shield Tablet: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Although The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is more of an exploration title than a full-on adventure game, this atmospheric and gripping effort is still worthy of a place here. You play as a spiritual detective in search of a missing boy, the Ethan Carter of the title. You’ll need to carefully search Ethan’s home town and solve some puzzles in order to figure out what’s going on.
Got any favourite adventure games of your own that you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments section below.
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