2. An action-adventure game can be defined as a game with
a mix of elements from an action game and an
adventure game, especially crucial elements like
puzzles. Action-adventures require many of the same
physical skills as action games, but also offer a
storyline, numerous characters, an inventory system,
dialogue, and other features of adventure games. They
are faster-paced than pure adventure games, because
they include both physical and conceptual challenges.
Action-adventure games normally include a
combination of complex story elements, which are
displayed for players using audio and video. The story is
heavily reliant upon the player character's movement,
which triggers story events and thus affects the flow of
the game. Some examples of action-adventure games
include The Legend of Zelda, God of War, and Tomb
Raider series.
3. Sub Genres
First Person Action Adventure:
An action adventure game which is played through the eyes of the character. These are
sometimes called Real-Time Adventure games or RTAs for short. A notable example of this
is Metroid Prime and System Shock.
Third Person Action Adventure:
Action adventure games that show the character you are playing as. The player can see the
character at all times. Notable examples include games like Tomb Raider series, The
Legend of Zelda series, Rune, Severance: Blade of Darkness, Grand Theft Auto series, and
Hitman series.
Isometric Platform Games:
Games which freely explorable environments with three-dimensional gameplay and two-
dimensional graphics using an isometric projection.
Sandbox/Open World:
Games which focus on nonlinear gameplay in an open world. Notable examples include
Assassin's Creed and the Grand Theft Auto series.
Platform-Adventure Games:
These games emphasize both exploration and puzzle solving, but also feature traditional
platform game conventions. Examples of games of this type are Tomb Raider series, Banjo-
Kazooie, and the Metroid and Castlevania games; the term "Metroidvania" is derived from
these latter two and used describe games in this genre.
Stealth Games:
emphasize avoiding detection by enemies rather than engaging them in direct combat, leading
to a greater emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving than other types of action games.
