I’ve always been more into competitive games, like FPS and MOBA. But now, I’m starting to like more story-focused games that will add something to my life, or just awesome games that everyone should play at some time.
Do you guys have any to recommend? Edit: I play exclusively on PC.
So far I’ve played both Portal games, truly awesome, Hollow Knight and Celeste.
I am going to recommend, perhaps, my favorite game of all time, Outer Wilds from the studio Mobius Games.
But please please promise to go in completely blind. Your awareness and knowledge of the world is the key mechanic, so almost any info not only spoils the mystery, but also robs you of literal measurable minutes in gameplay.
All I can say - it is a very touching first-person immersive stimulation game in space about, essentially, alien archeology. Expect wonder, discovery, some frights, have your mind completely blown every 10-20 minutes. It will probably make you cry a couple times as well.
It is one of those games when, after finishing it, you immediately get sad because you will never experience it again in the same way. So you start annoying everyone into playing it, just to enjoy discussing it and seeing someone else play.
And the DLC is equally awesome.
Agreed.
But, to be clear without giving spoilers, by “simulation game in space” it means getting in a ship and flying from planet to planet, while dealing with things like gravity and momentum. In my opinion just the right amount of challenge that it starts hard but doable, but is possible to get good at in the late game. So that was lots of fun.
Also, while I will not reveal plot here, I feel given feedback from some of my friends that didn’t like it the way I did, that maybe setting some tone expectations may help. The gameplay experience is mostly about exploring the planets, learning stuff, observing things, and making connections in you, the player. There’s archeological evidence out there in space, and it’s your job to figure out the history. It’s not boring, though! It feels more like a giant puzzle. But you should go in with an exploration mindset and if a particular path doesn’t work out, maybe it’s not time yet. Just try exploring something else!
One of my friends was too “goal oriented” and just kept hammering a given path over and over and it made them frustrated, which is a shame.
Also, while the DLC is also good, I waited until after the main game to play it, and I’m glad I did. I don’t know how it works to have the DLC running at the same time as the main game, but they’re two pretty independent stories / investigations and I wouldn’t want to get accidentally caught up in one while trying to piece together the other. I feel like that would be pretty confusing.
To any followup posters, remember no spoilers!
Jesus Christ I cried my eyes out at Spiritfarer. (Also I was on the final beta test, so I’m in the credits for that one!)
I’m a diehard firewatch fan if you’d like a slightly spooky, heart full, storytelling masterpiece about the Wyoming forest. Everyone should play this game at some point.
Journey, Spiritfarer, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last of Us.
Spiritfarer for sure, and it’s currently just US$6 on Steam
Upvoted for Shadow of the Colossus, I am a gamer who plays the oldies.
@s0phia world of tanks and age of empires 2 DE
Right now is a great time for PC gaming as the Steam summer sale is happening! If you enjoyed Portal, you might enjoy other Valve games like Half Life. At the moment, you can pick the franchise up for a few dollars.
Half life is another one of those series like Portal that I feel like everyone is required to play at some point
Just to add a amazing story game but with no words and a shorter time investment:
- Stray
If you love cats and robots, well worth the time
Omori is a great RPG with forgettable gameplay but an unforgettable story.
Ultrakill is an excellent shooter with fast pacing, unique mechanics, and difficulty that is hard but rarely unfair.
Satisfactory is a factory building simulator which is pretty similar to Factorio, but a bit more chill and in 3D.
Hades
CTRL+F “Minecraft,” surprised I’m the first to say it.
Morrowind is a fantastic game even if its clunky by modern standards, def use OpenMW and a UESP guide tho.
Both Knights of the Old Republic games are great (the second is a lot better imo) if yr into star wars.
With Those we Love Alive is a surrealist hypertext game with an awesome creepy ambient soundtrack.
If you’re getting into other types gaming, I think you can afford to wait for Skywind rather than playing the modded original. Plenty of other things to do
The Mario RPG franchise is very good actually, Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga and Super Mario RPG being my favorites. I’ve heard good things about Paper Mario too.
Oh and the Earthbound series is very good too, but the Mario franchise is more beginner friendly.
If they’re on PC, you can always emulate these. If you have steamdeck or something I would happily recommend Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story as the pinnacle of the M&L series IMO.
Skyrim! You’re already used to FPS games, so the first person part of Skyrim should be a breeze (you can toggle to 3rd person too). It’s one of those adventure games that will really stick with you. My wife and I will both come back to it often.
If you liked Portal, any of the games that run on the source engine would be a good fit for you. Half Life 2 has an amazing single player story in FPS style and is on sale right now for $.99. Left for Dead 2 is another classic - probably the best zombie shooter of all time (and has a world of third party content) - also on sale right now for $.99. Straight military, go for CS:GO, or Team Fortress II if you prefer more of a Fortnite style game. All of these are older games, so run amazingly well on even the most mediocre hardware.
I’ll throw out 2 very different suggestions: Disco Elysium and Ghostrunner. Disco is a super interesting game, I can’t recommend it enough. Get it on sale and don’t be surprised if it takes a bit to click, it took me about 3 tries to actually get into it. Ghostrunner you get to be a cyberninja, its dope. Very fast paced, very technical but once you get the flow down you feel like a god.
