I think the next evolution on it was classic JRPGs, like Dragon Quest/Warrior. There was still tons of dialogue, but the point-and-click was replaced by speak-t

I think the next evolution on it was classic JRPGs, like Dragon Quest/Warrior. There was still tons of dialogue, but the point-and-click was replaced by speak-to-everyone-and-try-stuff. It was still mostly linear, but it felt more interactive than just finding the right screen region.