After scouring several sub-genres of action games such as FPS or action-RPG, we had yet to explore the seas of the action-adventure genre. Particularly prolific and varied, this genre is a constant invitation to travel and wonder, offering us a fleeting moment of escape during these difficult times in more ways than one.
The first action-adventure game dates back to 1979 on the Atari 2600, aptly titled Adventure. It was a text game seen from above, putting us on a quest… adventures during which we discovered a vast world strewn with objects to collect and enemies to slay.
But before we tackle our selection of the best representatives of action-adventure games of recent years, honorable and timeless mentions are in order. We can notably cite the very first Legend of Zelda on the NES or N64 on the Japanese side, or the first Tomb Raider released on PS1 on the Western side.
Without further ado, here is our humble pick of the best recent games in this fantastic genre!
God of War: the divine paternal slap
10
View PriceView TestGod of War
- Technically dazzling
- The Kratos/Atreus cooperation
- The very rich combat system (and even a little demanding at times)
- Many side quests, and often fabulous
- A fun game that constantly surprises the player
- Staging
« BOY ! »
In 2005, Sony and Santa Monica Studio struck a blow with a truly daunting action franchise titled God of War, putting us in the shoes of the brutal antihero Kratos. In 2018, the same studio offered us exclusively on PS4 both a sequel and a reinvention of its cult license, which was going to rise to the rank of the best action-adventure game of recent years.
We therefore find an aged Kratos there, but who has not lost any of his superbness, accompanied by his son Atreus. Incidentally, Santa Monica Studio abandons Greek mythology to focus this time on the Scandinavian pantheon. A journey of epic proportions awaited us, one that offered the best the PS4 could offer.
God of War obliges, the revisited fights of this reboot were not left out and were as brutal as the original franchise, while being demanding, for a result of the most enjoyable. We now have only one hurry: to see Kratos again in Ragnarök, an opus that we are watching very closely.
The Last of Us Part II: Naughty Dog's heartbreaking masterpiece
10
See priceThe Last of Us Part II
- A sequel that spoils absolutely nothing
- The intelligence of his writing
- The most beautiful game on the PS4
- Improved gameplay just right
- The beauty of a successful bold bet
Between revenge and redemption
In 2013, Naughty Dog gave us an impressive lesson with a PS3 exclusive titled The Last of Us. We discovered Joel and Ellie, two very endearing characters confronted with a world ravaged by a fungus that is deadly in more ways than one. Seven years later, the studio put the cover back on PS4, with a slap from which we still have not recovered: The Last Of Us Part II.
Without divulging a story with a narration as intelligent as it is moving, this second opus successively puts us in the shoes of Ellie, who has grown up well, and Abby. Two sides of the same coin, one seeking revenge and the other seeking redemption in a spiral as suffocating as it is grandiose.
In addition to brilliant writing, the gameplay is not to be outdone and offers us as many magnificent exploration sequences as intense and visceral combat phases. For all these reasons, the latest title from Naughty Dog deserves for us without doubt to rise to the rank of masterpiece of the action-adventure genre.
Red Dead Redemption 2: a superb story in the Wild West
9
PriceRed Dead Redemption 2
- Rockstar's writing, still as engaging
- A real visual slap
- The rhythm, slow, which encourages you to take your time
- An impeccable sound score
- A coherent, lively and very immersive world
- Uh... did we tell you it was sumptuous?
May I ? Stand Unshaken
In 2010, Rockstar Games offered us an unforgettable journey into the Far West, a universe rarely explored in video games at the time. We play John Marston, a former outlaw seeking to redeem himself from his past sins to find his family. Eight years later, the studio would cause an earthquake in the video game landscape with a truly masterful sequel.
In reality a prequel to the story of John Marston, this time we embody Arthur Morgan and were going to discover the colorful band that the hero of the first opus was trying to eliminate, led by the charismatic Dutch. The wild west then opened up to us thanks to vast and magnificent settings, while discovering the heartbreaking story of a band of outcasts seeking to survive in a world that no longer wanted them.
The resolutely slower and “realistic” gameplay of this second opus thus offered us a perfectly credible and coherent adventure which could be discovered at its own pace. The gunfights were magnificently choreographed, for a very high level western experience. Quite simply one of the greatest adventures Rockstar has ever created.
Grand Theft Auto V: The banditry has never been greater
9
PriceGrand Theft Auto V
- Storyline and three engaging playable characters
- Grand Theft Auto formula perfected
- High-flying soundtrack
- Always on top despite his age
A true video game Trevor
We're not done yet with Rockstar, which has delivered another series of action-adventure games whose each installment has become truly legendary. The latest, Grand Theft Auto V, continues nine years after its release to be a veritable gaming steamroller, as it is one of the best-selling games of all time. Just that.
In this fifth episode, we return to Los Santos, theater of the exceptional San Andreas. We play a choice of three characters, including two former comrades in organized crime: Michael, Trevor and Franklin. Three protagonists with radically different objectives and motivations that fate would nevertheless bring together in a high-flying story.
A single watchword in this title: unparalleled freedom, even more exacerbated in GTA Online, which remains today one of the most popular multiplayer games in the world. A great mark of recognition for one of the greatest action-adventure games of all time, despite a release dating back to 2013! None other than Grand Theft Auto VI, still far away, will be able to dethrone the king of video game crime.
Control Ultimate Edition: an extraordinary day at the office
8
JVFR
See priceControl Ultimate Edition
- Even better graphics
- A really exciting story
- The unique atmosphere
- Short but intense DLCs
Genius Direction by Remedy
After making us tremble with Alan Wake, Remedy was going to captivate us with Control, a title parallel to the adventures of the famous writer. We embody Jesse Faden, in search of his brother following a paranormal event that separated them. Her investigation will lead her to the Bureau, an institution as obscure as it is fascinating, in which she will be catapulted to the rank of Director and into a truly extraordinary adventure.
In addition to a story that is as cryptic as it is captivating, it is also in its graphics that Control impresses by being one of the first titles to make wonderful use of ray tracing. Even without this technology, the Remedy title remains a constant wonder, even in the short and intense DLCs offered by the Ultimate Edition.
And that's without counting on masterfully choreographed action phases, giving pride of place to a simply impressive physics engine. While waiting for an Alan Wake II which will take the side of being a horror game, the adventures of Jesse Faden are undoubtedly among the absolute pearls of the action-adventure genre in recent years.
Horizon Forbidden West : le Focus de Guerrilla
10
JVFR
View PriceView TestHorizon Forbidden West
- A truly sumptuous universe
- Interesting storyline and characters
- Well-crafted side quests
- The fights against the machines still as exhilarating
- A masterful soundtrack
- PS4 versions up to snuff
A Good Aloy's Adventure
After a solid series of FPS called Killzone, Guerrilla Games returns to us in 2017 to offer us greener pastures, without departing from a fascinating story, with Horizon Zero Dawn. A rather convincing first attempt which will give birth to a sequel which is superior in all respects and freshly released: Forbidden West.
Gone is the young hunter of machines having to carry a heavy burden on her shoulders, Aloy is now a seasoned heroine, ready to face the trials that fall to her immeasurable task. Our favorite redhead must now head west, as strange phenomena endanger this unique post-apocalyptic world.
As a worthy self-respecting follow-up, Forbidden West takes up the codes of its elder and comes to perfect an already very solid formula, although a little conventional. The gameplay is fleshed out with more nervous melee combat, navigation in this vast and beautiful world mixing wilderness and futuristic technology is energized, and the story gains in depth. In a nutshell, Guerrilla Games offers us through Aloy a second adventure superb in all respects, which fully deserves to be included in this selection.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Insomniac Weaves in a Stunning Performance
8
JVFR
PriceMarvel's Spiderman
- The general technique, impressive
- Exhilarating trips between buildings
- Crazy animations, dynamic battles
- The VF, impeccable
A high-flying trip to New York
Another Sony exclusive, and not just any: the pure and simple reinvention of the adventures of our favorite Weaver, whose licensing rights belong precisely to the Japanese giant. At the helm are the veterans of Insomniac Games, giving us a truly epic gymnastics lesson here.
We embody the eternally young Peter Parker, who desperately tries to reconcile his life as a student with that of a New York superhero. And the result is quite simply one of the most brilliant portrayals of Spider-Man to date. It is with boundless pleasure that we weave between skyscrapers and with blissful admiration that we do aerobatics in front of groups of adversaries. All with the humor so characteristic of Spidey, for our greatest pleasure.
If the Miles Morales extension is particularly solid, it nevertheless relies very heavily on the brilliant base of the adventures of Peter Parker. In any case, we are watching with great excitement the release of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which is still a long way off. Insomniac will indeed also spoil us with its vision concerning another monument of the Marvel universe: Wolverine. Something to become insomniac for comic book fans!
Tomb Raider: Definitive Survivor Trilogy - an exceptional reboot
8
JVFR
Tomb Raider: Definitive Survivor Trilogy
- A masterful reboot of the adventures of Lara Croft
- Varied and well-balanced gameplay
- Visually stunning
- Survival twist that hits the mark
Rehabilitate Tomb Raider and Survive
We mentioned as one of the canons of the action-adventure genre the first tomb raider. And we could not decently omit in this selection the reboot trilogy initiated in 2013 by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal. Inspired by a certain Uncharted on the side of Naughty Dog, the new adventures of the beautiful Lara Croft have shown themselves to be exceptional in all respects.
We therefore found a young Lara Croft there before she became the Tomb Raider that we know. A strong, but fragile young woman, who was going to experience traumatic first adventures, learn to survive and earn her title of seasoned adventurer with the help of an ice ax.
In addition to an invitation to travel against the backdrop of archeology, it is above all in terms of the graphics, the spectacular staging and the gameplay that skilfully combines action, infiltration and survival that the formula works so well. Hoping that Lara Croft will soon make her return, as the video game icon celebrated her XNUMXth birthday last year.
A Plague Tale: Innocence - dark and beautiful at the same time
8
JVFR
A Plague Tale: Innocence
- Universe as fascinating as it is depressing
- Gameplay that gets better over time
- Very endearing characters
- Sublime and sad soundtrack at the same time
A Plague of Rats that will not leave anyone unscathed
To end this selection on a happy note, we offer you a trip to the Middle Ages during a plague epidemic, told in a heartbreaking way by the talented Bordeaux studio Asobo Studio, entitled A Plague Tale: Innocence.
We play Amicia, a young noblewoman whose comfortable life would be devastated by the massacre of her family at the hands of the Inquisition. The only survivor with Hugo, her terribly ill younger brother whom she will have to get to know, Amicia will have to leave behind her cloak of innocence so that she and her brother survive in a terrible climate of the Plague of Rats.
The stage is thus set for an intimate adventure as dark as it is magnificent. The gameplay, inspired by the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy, alternates between puzzle-based exploration involving horrific hordes of rats and crescendo fights, as well as a fantastic and captivating story. The upcoming sequel to the adventures of Amicia and Hugo, Requiem, promises to be even more beautiful and dark, for our greatest pleasure.
