Have you played a game that stayed in your head long after you played it?
For me, Outer Wilds would be that game. I feel like I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I beat it a couple years ago.
Vampires, The Masquerade: Bloodlines. The whole vibe of the setting, the story, the locations, and then when I finally understood what the plot was really about. Masterpiece of a game, couldnt stop thinking about it.
Easily RimWorld for me. The stories that play out over time, and how to make productivity more efficient live in my head rent free.
The final act of Disco Elysium fucked me up for a while
Half life Alex. I’m the only person I know IRL with a VR headset, so playing such an incredible and unique game feels like having an amazing dream that leaves you with intense euphoria , but knowing no one around you really cares as much about it as you.
Your dog dying in fable (I think fable 2?) :( They make this lovable companion who is your best mate and he just… Dies, still messes me up
Sounds like fable 2. I remember at the end of the game getting three options for “make a wish”, and immediately picking the dog. I don’t even remember what the other options were. It doesn’t matter.
I wonder what the breakdown was on how many people chose which option in the end.
Nier:Automata
I still remember vividly how ending E broke me back then. Maybe because I have weight of the world in my playlist.
Might I recommend reading the novellas? Memory cage and and memory thorn are must-reads if you finished ending E. A much too silent sea was also cool.
A few that come to mind:
- Gris - such a beautiful game. I was going through something when I played it and I just felt such a connection.
- Undertale - just an all around incredible game. I’m a big fan of Earthbound and this scratched a similar itch.
- Beneath a Steel Sky - I love point and click adventures and this one will live forever rent free in my head. (bonus: it’s free on GoG)
Shadow of the Colossus. The entire vibe of the world just got to me.
Thief. The first three, at least. (*)
Splinter Cell as well.
Basically, Splinter Cell got me into what became my favorite genre: stealth.
Then I went and played Thief because stealth, and just everything about those games furthered my love for not only stealth, but it was my gateway to immersive sims as well.
Also, the level “Robbing the Cradle” in Deadly Shadows will always stick with me. As someone who hates survival horror, that level was both fucking incredible and also a nightmare that I had to use a walkthrough to get through quickly.
KOTOR got me into RPGs, and New Vegas came around and has stuck with me ever since.
And Skyrim I guess, since I’ve played it way too many times.
Should probably add Prey (2017) as well. Incredible game. For that matter, Dishonored. Both have a permanent place in my mind. And when I say Dishonored, I mean the first two, although I also enjoyed Death of the Outsider.
(*) I actually enjoyed Thief 2014 for what it was. Not nearly on the level as the originals, but it was still okay, if a sadly forgettable entry which kind of put the nail in the coffin for future releases.
For me, that game would definitely be Disco Elysium. I’ve never connected with a game as much as with that one. I’m actually reticent of playing it again for fear of it not living up to the first experience; I felt like my first playthrough was perfect, even if technically speaking it wasn’t.
Other than that, I also still think about Mass Effect a fair bit.
On a side note: if you liked the investigating and “detective-ing” of Outer Wilds, then you will probably also enjoy Return of the Obra Dinn, The Forgotten City, and The Case of the Golden Idol. I’d also add Disco Elysium to that list, but be aware it’s a lot more text heavy.
Great recommendations there, each got under my skin. I feel the same about David Lynch films, they connect with something inside me, and lodge permanently in my brain.
I’d put What Remains of Edith Finch, Dear Esther, Talos Principle, Stanley Parable, Metroid Prime and maybe Portal 1+2 in there too - they share an authentically mysterious vibe.
Obra Dinn and Outer Wilds hit me hard, they nailed the atmosphere perfectly. Haven’t actually played DE, was a bit put off by the sheer amount of dialogue, but I need to try it.
Oh Disco Elysium all the way, it’s possibly my favorite game. I have a notebook filled with lines in the game that stuck with me.
I want more of it, but it looks like that lightning won’t strike twice.
fwiw I did play it through twice, and maybe enjoyed it even more the second time - caught more of the little details
Subdue the regret. Dust yourself off, proceed. You’ll get it in the next life, where you don’t make mistakes. Do what you can with this one, while you’re alive.
Interstate '76. I love the whole vibe of it.
The STALKER series really stuck with me for some reason.It’s probably the familiarity of the landscape/atmosphere. Post apoc eastern Europe isn’t that much different from normal eastern Europe lol
Barotrauma also stuck with me because of the atmosphere. Amazing game to play solo and feel the weight of the setting, although the bots you play with are a bit iffy and the multiplayer doesn’t carry the same feeling of dread and isolation
I’ll never forget loading Myst on my performance 5200 and getting lost
Portal 1.
Something about the ambiance mixed with the puzzles really stuck with me. I replay it almost once a year just to relive it.
SOMA. The ending still freaks me out until this day.
This. SOMA lives rent free in my head to this day.
