Summary
Sometimes, instead of pointing and clicking, you need to scroll and press. While the PS5 may not be the first system that comes to mind when you think of point-and-click games – what, with it’s less-than-ideal lack of a computer mouse to best interact with these kinds of games – that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great offerings from this storied genre available on the console.
The point-and-click ecosystem has only gone from strength to strength in recent years, especially as independent developers have taken this genre to heights it hasn’t enjoyed since the 90s. Many of these excellent modern titles – as well as a handful of remasters of the classics – have made their way over to the PS5, ensuring that fans of Sony’s system don’t miss out on all the gloriously weird and wonderful games that lean heavily on the verbs of pointing and clicking.
If you’ve ever taken a long road trip on a fairly sparse rural highway, then you may be able to relate to some of the wonderfully esoteric encounters you experience in Kentucky Route Zero. In this open road point-and-click game, you play as a truck driver who gets lost while making a delivery and must traverse the mysterious Route Zero to arrive at his destination.
As you can probably guess, things don’t exactly go as planned from there. They say it’s not about the destination but the journey and Kentucky Route Zero certainly leans into this mindset. With a cast of highly memorable characters and a striking art style, Kentucky Route Zero is equal parts beautiful and bizarre.
6Norco
Exploring A Dystopian Louisiana
Often the best science-fiction stories are those that take real-life influences and issues and recontextualise them within a speculative context. Norco benefits from this approach by basing its post-apocalyptic Louisiana setting on the very real Hurricane Katrina tragedy as well as the catastrophic impact that the petroleum industry has wreaked on the state.
The result is a game that treats its themes with the weight and respect they deserve, while still telling a gripping tale about a mother and daughter in two different timelines. The captivating visuals and razor-sharp writing only add to Norco’s overall quality.
5Röki
Step Into The World Of Monsters
Like anygreat fairy tale, the story of Röki effortlessly glides between feeling whimsical and heartwarming at one moment, only to take a darker turn the next. Telling the story of siblings Tove and Lars navigating a spooky world of monsters that they thought only existed inside the pages of a picture book, Röki is a wildly imaginative journey that has a strong message about family at its core.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a worthy point-and-click adventure game without some good puzzles, and thankfully, Röki has them in spades. Developers Polygon Treehouse crafted a truly memorable adventure that would charm any PS5 gamer out there.
Broken Age was the triumphant return of Tim Schafer to the point-and-click genre after practically mastering this type of game back in the 90s. And what a homecoming it was. Broken Age picks up right where Schafer left off – at least, in terms of its witty writing and engaging puzzles – while still finding room to innovate and bring the genre into modern times.
The game splits its narrative between two characters living separate lives in (seemingly) entirely separate worlds. As the player, you get to switch between either character whenever you want which opens up plenty of interesting story and puzzle design opportunities.Tim Schafer and Double Finereally brought the point-and-click genre back in a big way with Broken Age.
As far as adventure games go, Grim Fandango is pure royalty. Released near the end of the genre’s golden age, the game is as iconic as they come – taking you on a wild ride that riffs off well-known film tropes, Aztec mythology, and Tim Schafer’s signature brand of humour.
And with Grim Fandango: Remastered on the PS5, you get to enjoy this classic game with some, honestly pretty welcome, quality-of-life features. Also, this re-release finally lets you actually play the game in a point-and-click style.
Perhaps the most iconic point-and-click series of all time was finally revived in 2022 with Return to Monkey Island. Crucially, this new instalment featured the return of series creator, Ron Gilbert, who could finally finish the story he started over three decades prior.
Return to Monkey Island brings back the excellent humour andswashbuckling pirate shenanigansthat made the original games so endearing, while still embracing modern design trends. The puzzles are well designed, the voice acting is sublime, and yes, even the art style grows on you.
There’s nothing quite like solving a good mystery or, in The Case of the Golden Idol, several mysteries. This indie sleeper hit intrigued gamers with its time-jumping narrative that depicts half a century of characters, concepts, and, yes, mysteries, all surrounding the titular Golden Idol.
The way the plot slowly reveals itself is nothing short of genius and is an excellent example of narrative composition on behalf of the game’s designers. The unique visual style and satisfying detective gameplay also serve to elevate one of the absolute best point-and-click games you can currently get for the PS5.
