The setting, style and tone for non-gameplay aspects influence even what kind of puzzles end up making sense.  Ofcourse they also really influence just the whole experience. For tone and style, we have cartoony games vs. semi-cartoony vs realistic games, where the former tends to have wackier tones and the last more serious tones, but not always. In terms of general types of settings, there's the ones I placed in the Poll. What I mean here is not something specific as ''It's takes place in Venezuela'' but more broader types of settings.

Personally, I think my favorite is the horror one as well as the little surreal abstract dream like sections. I'm not super big on most horror movies unless they're on the more psychological side. But I just like dark, thrilling tones. The Cat Lady/Downfall (original and remake) and The White Chamber were some I really liked.
Another favorite for me is the mystery/detective side of things.  I have fond memories of watching my mom play CSI games, I know they're not considered the best but I have a soft spot for them .

edit: Modern supernatural or fantasy can both go for urban fantasy like Unavowed! Depends on which aspect you align with more. The horror one may be more like a really broad ''theme'' but you get the idea, it tends to effect the vibe of the whole game a lot I mean there's even people into horror in general regardless of the type of game, but I'm not really into horror games in general.

All of the above, except surreal/abstract. I am really not that picky.

It was difficult to pick just two, since I can really go with most of the options, and combined. I just don't like it too realistic I guess, but this can depend on other aspects of the game if it works for me.

I picked sci-fi and fantasy but have played and enjoyed all the categories at one time or another.

Since I'm willing to play anything that looks like I might enjoy it no matter the genre/setting it was hard to pick but I eventually went with the sci fi/futuristic and detective/mystery/crime options.

It would have been easier if the question were what are my more disliked genres/settings. To that I'd say fantasy (I often find fantasy settings boring, even though there are exceptions) and cartoony (specifically in adventure games where that style, especially when combined with comedy, seems a bit overrepresented compared to more realistic ones and I like variety).

My first vote goes to the Cartoony category.

So many adventure games have influenced that being my ideal preference for presentation format. Humongous Entertainment adventures with their impressionable array of lively characters, the treasure trove that is Monkey Island 3 graphics, the amazing cutscenes of the first two Broken Sword games and even a fondness for the pseudo-adventure series ClueFinders had a positive sway in me continuing to choose cartoony visuals over other styles. Much later on I discovered Toonstruck, Day of the Tentacle Remastered and Brok the Investigator, amongst various others.

My rationale is that there is inherent production value in traditional hand-drawn animation, I respect that level of financial investment to ensure I'm getting my money's worth. It's also best suited to my favourite genre which is comedy, because of the flexibility of the developer being able to conjure anything from their imagination to then dazzle the player with primary colours which are always a pleasing palette. Plus It's more timeless having cartoons, rather than 3D adventure games that age rapidly because of constant advancements in technology.

My second vote goes to the Regular Modern category.

I truly wish this was a more common setting for not only adventure games, but also broader genres in general. It creates a palpable sense of familiarity and relatability that enhances the game you are playing. For instance, I love when the locations are suburban settings, cool cities or even just your standard cozy home environment. It's a great narrative shortcut that requires substantially less exposition.

As an added bonus, it's set in a contemporary timeline, where you and I are right now. Choosing not to fixate on an overly-glorified view of the past (for example medieval), nor is it trapped in the perpetually pessimistic tonality of bleak futures (such as cyberpunk). This ideal setting is about identifying with the protagonist through modern issues and situations to generate a bond of similarity (or hopefully, less noticeable differences) with the player. Throw in a generous sprinkling of hyperbole and chaos into the storyline for excitement of course.

A few quick adventure examples include: all of the Nancy Drew games by Her Interactive, Broken Sword series and The Sims handheld trilogy for Game Boy Advance (The Urbz is especially great). Also, an appreciative nod to adventure-adjacent titles such as Bully by Rockstar Games.

I'm still trying to choose - each option reminds me of a game I love.

Shoutout to all moms playing video games.

It's difficult to choose really. The difference between Broken Sword, Beneath a Steel Sky and The Monkey Island titles, for example, is pretty big but they are amongst my favourites of all time.
I think that's part of the appeal of P&C though, the fact that it can encompass so many genres and styles yet still feel like 'your favourite type of game'.
There's also the fact that each setting can be presented in any way. Cartoony style can still be horror, noir or comedy and the same goes for each graphical choice, The fact that P&C can be a blend of all the styles and genres is in fact another of its strengths.

I went with sci-fi and cartoony - and just like voting IRL I immediately felt regret. Especially for keeping historical and surreal at 0 votes. Those are good categories.

I appreciate sci-fi games that extrapolate current ideas and developments. I really like exploring a world and examining anything that seems remotely interesting. Sci-fi writers can add details and connections in optional descriptions, conversations and in-game media, without bloating the main plot. I like the adventure of a world that is, in one way or another, alien to us. Figuring out how things work is good material for adventure game puzzles.

Second choice: cartoony. I'm not that into cartoons, but I like the way they work. And they work great for adventure games. My schtick about moon logic: it's to regular logic like the difference between gravity on Earth and on the Moon. Rather than being grounded and taking steps, you take leaps. Puzzle solutions aren't immediately obvious, but they aren't behind a gate of math and pure logic, either. It's also a good match for typical AG interactions and experimentation.

I'm going to hazard a guess why the category of "Historical (Any non modern time period)" didn't receive a single vote. Besides the obvious fact that we were limited to just two votes maximum.

I reckon it's because with adventure games portraying a pure historical setting, the bulk of which is frequently edutainment games aimed at younger audiences, and not to a brilliantly high standard of quality either.

I mean, sure, there absolutely are some top-notch games featuring historical settings, but they get released few and far between. Springing instantly to mind would be the excellent series of both The Journeyman Project and Broken Sword, but even those game series implement science-fiction and a contemporary setting respectively. This is understandable as it makes things feel less dry and more approachable with the plot.

The best example for elements of historical accuracy peppered throughout an adventure game would definitely be Conquests of the Longbow.

Another compounding factor for why I didn't vote for that category is because I usually associate historical settings with other genres, such as the iconic real-time strategy series Age of Empires.