Story, setting, and themes

Adventure games are single-player experiences that are largely story-driven.^[22] More than any other genre, adventure games depend upon their story and setting to create a compelling single-player experience.^[1] They are typically set in an immersive environment, often a fantasy world,^[6][9] and try to vary the setting from chapter to chapter to add novelty and interest to the experience.^[1] Comedy is a common theme, and games often script comedic responses when players attempt actions or combinations that are "ridiculous or impossible".^[1]
Since adventure games are driven by storytelling, character development usually follows literary conventions of personal and emotional growth, rather than new powers or abilities that affect gameplay.^[1] The player often embarks upon a quest,^[10] or is required to unravel a mystery or situation about which little is known.^[8] These types of mysterious stories allow designers to get around what Ernest Adams calls the "Problem of Amnesia", where the player controls the protagonist but must start the game without their knowledge and experience.^[23] Story-events typically unfold as the player completes new challenges or puzzles, but in order to make such storytelling less mechanical new elements in the story may also be triggered by player movement.^[1]