9 Best On-Budget Obscure Adventure Games

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When there aren’t many big game releases, I enjoy a little challenge: I try to buy as many games as possible for the price of one new, expensive title. It’s surprisingly versatile, so I often add extra rules to keep it interesting – like focusing on certain types of games, games for specific ages, or games within a particular price range or level of popularity.

Let’s say we focus on adventure games, especially those that aren’t super popular. Trying to find a ‘challenging’ game in that genre isn’t very difficult, actually, because there are still tons of great, affordable adventure games available – you can often find one for the price of a quick lunch! It’s a good problem to have, though; it just means there are lots of hidden treasures waiting to be discovered, played, and enjoyed.

These games can all be bought on Steam, are categorized as “Adventure” games by users, and are priced at $20 or less, excluding any current sales or discounts.

9. Fight Knight

Put Up Those Dukes

When you imagine a classic fantasy knight, you probably think of swords and shields. But think about it: full metal armor is strong but also bulky and has rough edges. While a sword is useful, if you’re a skilled fighter like the ‘Fight Knight,’ armored knuckles can be just as effective.

Fight Knight puts you in the role of a knight who arrives in a town dominated by a massive, monster-filled tower. You bravely enter the tower and fight your way through using only your fists! It’s played from a first-person perspective, and while it’s similar to a dungeon crawler, the game emphasizes close-quarters combat. Instead of typical dungeon crawling, you’ll be blocking, parrying, and punching enemies with skillful timing – it feels a lot like a fighting game!

Fight Knight features puzzles that involve interacting with the environment, much like the dungeons in Etrian Odyssey. You navigate the game world by moving between tiles, so paying attention to your location and the map is important to avoid getting lost.

8. Dungeon Munchies

Nuclear Gastronomy

A great meal can revitalize a tired body and lift a weary spirit. That first bite of something truly delicious can make you feel invincible. In the game Dungeon Munchies, this feeling isn’t just a metaphor – eating the right food actually gives you superpowers, allowing you to conquer the world!

Dungeon Munchies is a fun platforming game where you play as an undead hero brought back to life by a chef who also practices necromancy. You’ll explore a huge underground world, battling living food to create powerful weapons and upgrades. The game’s premise is delightfully wacky, but beneath the silliness lies a surprisingly deep and complex story, making it a real treat for players who love unraveling lore.

While exploring, you can gather materials from the creatures you encounter and use them to create a wide variety of useful items, like food and weapons. For example, certain fish provide a watery shield, discarded crab claws can be turned into a large sickle, and computer parts can be combined to build a powerful assault rifle.

7. The Big Con

Pickpocketing 101

While I wouldn’t approve of stealing in real life, I can appreciate cleverness and resourcefulness. There’s something almost impressive about a well-executed con – it takes skill, deception, and a good ability to lie. Many games let you play as a thief, but The Big Con is unique because it sets all of this against the nostalgic backdrop of being a teenager in the mid-1990s.

The Big Con is a puzzle-adventure game where you play as Ali, a high school student who embarks on a summer road trip to make enough money to save her family’s video store from some dangerous lenders. The game is heavily inspired by the 1990s – think VHS tapes and Crystal Pepsi – and features a bright, cartoonish art style similar to classic Nickelodeon shows from that era.

As you play, you get to do all sorts of sneaky stuff as Ali – like pickpocketing people and picking locks. You can even pull off long cons that span across different cities! If you’re clever about who you swindle, you might unlock even bigger and better ways to make money later on. It’s really satisfying to see those opportunities open up if you play your cards right.

6. Bad Mojo

Hope You Don’t Mind Dead Things

Full-motion video (FMV) games are making a comeback, with recent hits like Her Story and Not For Broadcast proving the genre still has potential. But it’s also important to remember the classics – and some of the truly strange ones, like Bad Mojo, from years gone by.

Bad Mojo, first launched in 1996 and updated in 2004, tells the strange story of Roger, a down-on-his-luck guy who wakes up as a cockroach. He must navigate the sewers beneath his apartment and a nearby bar, avoiding dangers like bigger bugs and garbage disposals, all in an effort to return to his human body. It’s a truly unusual game, and one that’s worth trying at least once.

Bad Mojo is a unique adventure game where you solve puzzles and explore by thinking creatively and seeing the world from a very small perspective. Be warned: it’s filled with bugs and decaying matter! But beneath the grime, there’s a surprisingly touching story about how Roger ended up in this situation, and the history of the building’s owner, Eddie.

5. Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure

Like Your Favorite Childhood Anime

In the 90s and early 2000s, many popular anime and cartoons featured kids making friends with monsters – Digimon and Pokémon are prime examples. It’s a compelling idea that works well for stories, and it’s also the basis for games like Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure.

Gurumin tells the story of Parin, a girl who goes to live with her grandfather in a quiet mining town and discovers a secret village full of friendly monsters. Naturally curious, Parin decides to help both the townspeople and the monsters with their problems, using a special drill as her main tool. It’s a cheerful and fun adventure, similar to classic anime, with plenty of quirky characters and playful humor.

Gurumin is a straightforward and enjoyable action-platformer. You’ll explore different areas, meet characters, take on quests, and battle a wide range of bosses. It’s a simple, classic adventure – and sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.

4. Ruffy And The Riverside

Copy And Paste

It’s often surprising when you first notice that most things in video games aren’t actually detailed objects, but simple shapes covered in textures. Well-done textures are key to making a game world feel realistic and lively, and in Ruffy and the Riverside, these textures aren’t just for appearances – they’re also a core part of how the game works.

Ruffy and the Riverside is an adventurous platforming game set in an open world. It features charming, hand-drawn characters moving through 3D environments. You play as Ruffy, a classic hero on a quest to defeat a villain, but with a unique power: he can instantly copy the appearance of surfaces and apply them to other objects. This lets him turn things like waterfalls into climbable vines or oceans into solid ground, opening up new ways to explore and solve puzzles.

With the ability to change textures, you can explore expansive open worlds, find hidden items, finish optional quests, and enjoy fun mini-games. You can also solve puzzles and unlock new areas by altering objects and obstacles, creating surprising and clever gameplay experiences.

3. Meg’s Monster

No Crying Til The End

It’s natural to dislike the sound of crying children. Beyond just being annoying, it’s upsetting to feel helpless when a child nearby is distressed. And while it’s bad enough to witness a child’s unhappiness, the thought of a child’s cries bringing about something catastrophic, like in a story, would be even more distressing.

Meg’s Monster is an adventure game with RPG elements. It follows Roy, a large monster, who discovers Meg in his underground world. Roy senses that if Meg cries, everything will be destroyed, so he tries to make her happy and find a way to return her home.

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Meg’s Monster plays like a role-playing game with battles and interactions, but the core gameplay is different. Although the main character, Roy, can’t be harmed, seeing him take damage makes Meg upset and closer to breaking down. The battles aren’t about winning through strength, but solving a puzzle – you need to end them quickly while also comforting Meg to prevent her from crying.

2. Sam & Max Save The World

The Classic Duo Live On

Before Telltale Games gained fame for its story-driven “choices matter” games like The Walking Dead, they mostly created classic point-and-click adventure games. I really wish more people knew about this earlier part of their history, because one of their first big hits, Sam & Max Save the World, is still one of my favorite games.

I’m so glad Skunkape Games remastered Sam & Max Save the World back in 2020! It was Telltale’s very first episodic adventure game starring Sam and Max, and it’s a total blast. Sam’s this cool, clever dog who wears a trenchcoat, and Max is just… a ridiculously energetic rabbit. Together, they’re the Freelance Police, and they end up solving the strangest, silliest cases you can imagine, all while trying to stop a huge conspiracy from taking over the world.

This game plays like a classic point-and-click adventure, but what really stands out is its clever writing and memorable characters. I still find myself laughing at jokes from ‘Save the World’ years later! While some of the humor feels a bit dated, the developers thoughtfully removed the most problematic parts. If you prefer the original, unedited version, it’s available as a free download.

1. Arzette: The Jewel Of Faramore

Even Meme Games Can Be Reborn

If you’ve spent any time online, you’ve probably heard of the notoriously bad Legend of Zelda games released for the Phillips CD-I. They became a huge source of funny memes and videos in the 2000s. Despite how terrible those games were, they’ve gained a strange, ironic popularity, which likely inspired someone to try and create a better version inspired by them.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is an action-adventure game inspired by the classic Zelda games on the CD-i. It features charming, hand-drawn cutscenes, but with much more enjoyable and engaging gameplay. You play as Arzette, the princess of Faramore, who must travel across the land to defeat the forces of an ancient evil and encounter a cast of quirky characters along the way.

Arzette plays a lot like the games on the CD-i, featuring connected levels where you’ll jump between areas, revisit old places, and complete tasks to find hidden secrets. However, unlike those older games, everything in Arzette actually functions smoothly. The combat is enjoyable and straightforward, it’s easy to travel between levels, and you can even use items to unlock doors – a surprisingly useful feature!

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2025-12-30 23:12