Contrary to popular misconception, Mac gamers have no shortage of new games these days. On the contrary, there are so many things coming out that it's hard to choose what to play. Today we decided to tell you about 10 interesting macOS games of the Adventure genre.
For your convenience, we have divided this article into parts by genre and added links to games in content stores – mostly Steam and Mac App Store.
Navigation
Part 1. Adventure
Part 2. Action, stealth, shooters
The banner saga
Developer: Stoic
Where to buy: Steam
System requirements: OS X 10.7.5 or newer; 2 GB of RAM; 3 GB hard disk space
Price: 419rub.
This is a great example of how a team of only three can create one of the most beautiful indie games ever. Who needs modern 3D graphics when you can hand-draw illustrations? The Stoic team has proven that you don't need super powerful computers and the best modelers to keep your graphics breathtaking.
If we leave aside the visual component, then no less thoughtful and fun gameplay comes to the fore. The influence of the Oregon Trail is obvious here (although instead of zombies in The Banner Saga, Vikings and monsters): you lead a squad of warriors on a journey through a dying world in search of a safe place and resources to survive. The gameplay consists of moving around the map, making key decisions and battles – everything is perfectly balanced, and the mechanics complement each other.
The battles here are turn-based and quite difficult. The player can independently assemble a squad of different characters, based on their characteristics and special skills. But you shouldn't do this thoughtlessly: one wrong decision can deprive you of an important character or valuable warrior. The music deserves a special mention here – exciting and epic, adding even more atmosphere to the battles.
The plot is quite interesting, and the writers managed to reveal a large number of characters well. Well-written witty dialogues come in handy, diluting a rather dark setting. The final battle and its outcome left intrigue for the second part, which fans are looking forward to. If 8-10 hours of gameplay seemed insufficient for you, you can start over, changing decisions and choosing other paths. This leads to different results and endings, so replaying in The Banner Saga is not boring.
J.U.L.I.A. Among the stars
Developer: CBE Software
Where to buy: Steam
System requirements: OS X 10.7 and higher, 2-core processor Intel, 4 GB hard disk space
Price: 419rub.
Originally J.U.L.I.A. Among The Stars was a relatively simple puzzle game that came out on iOS. Now that version is no longer available – CBE had serious disagreements with this publisher – and the version for MAC and PC has been significantly redesigned and redesigned and is already a more serious and complex adventure game.
You play as Rachel Manners, an astrobiologist who has joined a team of scientists on their way to a new solar system, where signs of intelligent life have been discovered. When the ship reaches its destination, you wake up in a cryogenic capsule to find that the ship is damaged and all the rest of the crew are dead. Therefore, you will have to single-handedly repair the ship and reveal the secrets of this solar system.
Although the genre J.U.L.I.A. refers to adventure, it offers the player much more than the usual adventure games. Instead of walking from room to room and clicking on the screen to interact with objects, the game allows you to interact with J.U.L.I.A. – this is the name of the ship's artificial intelligence system – and control a droid named Mobot. You can send him to survey the planets and use your computer to improve the robot, explore the solar system and create parts needed to repair the ship. Of course, the search for an alien lifeform is also an important driving part of the plot. As you progress, you will be faced with a choice that will determine whether you can return back to Earth.
Layers of Fear
Developer: Aspyr Media
Where to buy: Steam
System Requirements: OS X 10.10 or higher, Intel Core i5 2.3 GHz processor, Intel HD6100 or discrete graphics card with 1 GB VRAM
Price: 419rub.
Aspyr has played a big role in popularizing games on Mac for several years – it was thanks to this company that the Civilization and Call Of Duty series were ported from Mac to OS X. Layers Of Fear was the first game that Aspyr released on both Mac and to Windows already as a developer. To do this, they have teamed up with the Polish studio Bloober Team, which specializes in psychological horror games.
This game takes a lot from the usual adventure games. You play as an artist as he moves through his huge, intimidating mansion, trying to complete his masterpiece. And, as in most games of this genre, you start playing without understanding what is happening and what you need to do. All that remains for you is to move from one room to another, study all sorts of subjects and collect the story piece by piece.
The frightening thing here is that the environment is extremely unstable. The doors here not only slam like in ordinary horror movies – they can simply disappear behind your back, because of which you find yourself locked in four walls with no way out. It's extremely difficult to talk about the plot without spoilers, but in short, it quickly becomes clear that something is absolutely definitely wrong – either with the estate, or with the mind of the artist. The atmosphere and emphasis on psychology makes Layers of Fear worth playing even in 2018, if you didn't get the chance to play it on exit.
Life is Strange
Developer: Square Enix
Where to buy: Steam
System requirements: OS X 10.11 and up, 2-core processor Intel 2.0GHz, 4GB RAM, 512MB VRAM, 15GB hard disk space
Price: 419rub. for all 5 episodes (the first one can be played for free via Steam)
At first glance, Life Is Strange looks like a regular adventure game. You play a teenage girl named Max Caulfield, an art college student. You are sitting in a lesson and can interact with objects to learn more about them. However, when Max goes to the bathroom to rest in the middle of class, she witnesses the murder of her childhood friend Chloe – and discovers that she can go back in time.
After saving Chloe, you find yourself embroiled in a much deeper mystery about the missing student Rachel Amber. The plot is straightforward enough, but the ability to go back in time adds a completely new feeling to the gameplay. Very soon you will realize that a change in events that have already occurred can lead to completely unexpected and serious consequences.
The story is divided into 5 episodes, but you don't have to pay for everything at once. You can download the first episode on Steam for free, and after it's complete, decide if you want to know the sequel.
Mad max
Developer: Feral Interactive
Where to buy: Feral Interactive
System Requirements: OS X 10.11.6 and up, Intel Core i5 3.2GHz processor, discrete graphics card with 2GB VRAM
Price: € 19.99
There is still debate over whether Mad Max is a sequel or a prequel to the 2015 movie, but it looks like the game stands alone and has nothing to do with Fury Road at all.
One way or another, you play as Max Rokatansky, who first runs out of gas, and then he completely loses his Interceptor car. As a result, Max has to build a new car from scratch, survive and try to avenge the theft of the Interceptor.
The game focuses on car races and action scenes, so most of the time you'll be in the driver's seat of the Masterpiece (the new car that Tinsmith helped Max build). In addition to the main storyline, there are many additional quests that allow you to better know the world in which the events of the game take place, as well as get additional bonuses – including for improving the “Masterpiece”. For the sake of variety, the game will periodically force you to get out of the car and prove your case with your fists. The plot here is quite simple and linear, but, as in the case of the film, this is completely offset by the insane rhythm and atmosphere.
TellTale Games: The Walking Dead
Developer: Telltale Games
Where to buy: Steam
System requirements: OS X 10.6 or higher, processor Intel with a frequency of 2.3 GHz, 4 GB of RAM, a video card from NVidia or ATI with 512 MB VRAM, 2 GB hard disk space
Price: 449rub.
We've included this game in the adventure section, but it's more like an interactive movie: The Walking Dead invites you to make difficult decisions and shows the consequences – often dire. You will need to decide in a few seconds which side to take in an argument or whom to save when the undead inevitably break through the barricade. The time constraint and strong effect of each action masks how simple the plot is. Graphics not only adds atmosphere to what is happening, but is also the hallmark of both this series and the developer's projects in general.
Such a game could easily be turned into a mess of rapidly changing events with non-obvious abstract puzzles, but the developers managed to turn it into a coherent and logical story about making difficult decisions on the verge of the end of the world.
This war of mine
Developer: 11 Bit Studios
Where to buy: Mac App Store
System requirements: OS X 10.6 or higher, 2 GB RAM, 512 MB VRAM, 1 GB hard disk space
Price: 1,450 rubles.
In This War of Mine, the focus has shifted away from the combat that is typically seen in war games. Instead, Polish developers at 11 bit studios decided to create a dark, atmospheric survival game. You have to control a group of residents trying to stay alive in a besieged city. During the day, it is impossible to get out on the street because of the snipers, so the player has enough time to craft, exchange items, improve the shelter, heal and cook food for his group. At night, sorties are coming in search of food, medicine, weapons and other useful things.
The action of the game correlates with real events that took place in Sarajevo in the 90s. The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina was under siege for four years, so the inhabitants had to learn to survive in the stone jungle. It is noteworthy that one of the developers, Emir Tserimovich, was a participant in the described events. This game is definitely not funny and not entertaining in the traditional sense, but if you are tired of the same type of “aim and kill”, This War of Mine is a must for passing.
The Wolf Among Us
Developer: Telltale Games
Where to buy: Steam
System requirements: OS X 10.6 or higher, processor Intel with a frequency of 2.3 GHz, 4 GB of RAM, video card from NVidia or ATI with 512 MB VRAM, 2 GB hard disk space
Price: 449rub.
The plot is based on a crazy cool idea: hundreds of heroes from old fairy tales actually exist and live in New York in the guise of people. One of them – Bigby (Wolf from the fairy tale about Little Red Riding Hood) – is responsible for maintaining order. But then someone started killing fairy-tale characters. And the game is literally as interesting and unusual as its seed. The five-episode series is based on the popular Fables comic by Vertigo and is a prequel to it.
As you progress, you will learn more about not only the life of famous heroes like Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and Rapunzel in New York in the 80s, but also who actually controls it and why the characters die one after another . The solution will not fall on you like a bucket of cold water – everything is logical and measured – but battles and chases, interesting characters and the need to make decisions in a few seconds make the gameplay rhythmic and rich. The visual style here is distinctive and impressive, neon lovers will definitely be delighted.
Overall, The Wolf Among Us is another Telltale game that can be recommended to almost anyone. The game is beautiful, with an interesting setting and a well-developed scenario, and, in addition, the developer promised to release a sequel in 2018 – it's time to get acquainted with the first part.
Firewatch
Developer: Campo Santo
Where to buy: Steam or Mac App Store
System Requirements: OS X 10.8 or later, processor Intel Core i5 2011 or newer, 6GB RAM, NVidia or ATI graphics card with 1GB VRAM, 4GB hard disk space
Price: 419rub. (Steam) or1,490 rubles. (Mac App Store)
The setting in video games is rarely significantly different. Typically, the emphasis is on fighting and rivalry, causing people to clash with each other in multiplayer or get angry while trying to defeat a boss. The Campo Santo developers got tired of this and created Firewatch. The action here takes place in the outback of Wyoming in the late 80s. Henry, the main character, came here to become an observer on a fire tower, and I am sure that the work will be boring and monotonous, but that was not the case.
Firewatch is distinguished from other games where the gameplay is based on endless walking and conversation. The realism with which the character is depicted is combined with a stylized environment of bright colors. This definitely makes Firewatch recognizable among other games, and even if Campo Santo decides to release something completely different, hopefully they will keep that style of graphics.
Tomb raider
Developer: Square Enix
Where to buy: Steam
System requirements: OS X 10.9.1 and higher, processor Intel with a frequency of 2.0 GHz, 4 GB of RAM, video card from NVidia or AMD with 512 MB VRAM or Intel HD4000, 14 GB hard disk space
Price: 399rub.
You probably know Lara Croft from the very first Tomb Raider games, which were great for their time, then hopelessly outdated. Luckily, we have a new Tomb Raider that brings back the iconic treasure hunter and offers a range of mechanics from Uncharted.
The game turned out great – Tomb Raider is an epic cinematic adventure with dangerous wild locations, a combination of hand-to-hand combat with weapons, stealth missions and puzzles. This is not only a great adventure, but also one of the best action games for Mac to date. Considering that 5 years have passed since the release, it is inexpensive and often at sales – an additional incentive to complete it in 2018.