Relationship to other genres

Combat and action challenges are limited or absent in adventure games,^[1] thus distinguishing them from action games.^[7] In the book Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design, the authors state that "this [reduced emphasis on combat] doesn't mean that there is no conflict in adventure games ... only that combat is not the primary activity."^[5] Some adventure games will include a minigame from another video game genre, which are not always appreciated by adventure game purists.^[1] Of course, there are some games that blend action and adventure throughout the game experience.^[14] These hybrid action-adventure games involve more physical challenges than pure adventure games, as well as a faster pace. This definition is hard to apply, however, with some debate among designers about which games are action games and which involve enough non-physical challenges to be considered action-adventures.^[1]
Adventure games are also distinct from role-playing video games that involve action, team-building, and points management.^[7] Adventure games lack the numeric rules or relationships seen in role-playing games, and seldom have an internal economy.^[1] These games lack any skill system, combat, or "an opponent to be defeated through strategy and tactics."^[5] However, some hybrid games exist here, where role-playing games with strong narrative and puzzle elements are considered RPG-adventures.^[15] Finally, adventure games are classified separately from puzzle games.^[7] Although an adventure game may involve puzzle-solving, they typically involve a player-controlled avatar in an interactive story.^[1]