Basically what the title says. I’ve only played two games like this so far (Silent Hill 2 and OMORI) and am looking for more.
Could be games, ROM hacks, mods of existing games, etc.
EDIT: So many great suggestions! Getting a bit overwhelmed by how many there are, so I’m going to need to find a way to put this in some kind of list with an order to play the games in. By all means, keep 'em coming, though!
Spiritfarer. I loved it on switch, but it’s also on steam.
“Spiritfarer® is a cozy management game about dying. As ferrymaster to the deceased, build a boat to explore the world, care for your spirit friends, and release them into the afterlife.”
Never heard of it. I’ll have to check it out! I also hear To The Moon is really good, but I haven’t finished it.
I’ll look into it. Thanks!
Spiritfarer is such a gem, one of the spirits you send to the afterlife really broke me. It’s also available on Netflix Games so if you have a tablet and a Netflix sub you can try it from there.
The light you showed me was more than a beacon. It was a guide. Only I was too blind to see it. My shades were too opaque.
It does such a good job of making you get attached to the characters. I cried for more than a couple of them. They don’t all end the same way too, and some are really heartbreaking.
I beat Outer Wilds right after my first kid was born and it absolutely tore me to pieces.
Came to say Outer Wilds. That end moved me.
I don’t think I stopped thinking about that game for a solid three months after I beat it.
Ctrl-F Outer Wilds
Ah yes, thank you for beating me to it. It’s been years since I first played and I still think about it almost every day.
Outer Wilds is a masterpiece.
100%. Even in the general ‘middle’, every now and then, a few simple lines of text would just punch me right in the gut
Removed it since it could be seen as a spoiler
Ahhh and the music too
BTW I would mark that as a spoiler, I know I wouldn’t want to know even that there’s something worth mentioning like this there
deleted by creator
Edit - deleted, because explaining why it is a spoiler is a spoiler, and apparently the spoiler tags don’t work on a lot of lemmy apps ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Fair enough. Also spoiler tag didn’t work lol
Oh god haha that’s even worse. It works for me but I just checked a different lemmy app and it doesn’t work there, I guess it’s not implemented everywhere yet. Thanks for the heads up
This, entirely. It’s just one of those games that I can’t get past. Truly a solid recommendation
UNDERTALE goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway.
Haven’t played it. Only thing I know about it is that it’s rich with memes.
Firewatch made my heart hurt. Twice.
Came here to say this
I started playing it right during a divorce and did not keep going. Noped out in the first 10 minutes. I should revisit it now that I’m in a better place.
It was such an amazing game, ruined by a rushed ending that just completely skipped over many of the events that had happened in the story. It makes me so mad because it could easily have been a 10/10.
I still very much recommend it tho
It’s 10/10 either way for me. I played that game at the right time in my life I think because things were changing for me and it made me release a lot of emotion I had been holding on to. Fuck it sucks trying to be stoic.
It’s definitely one of those games that the strength is in the journey, not the destination.
Every time a 95% shot misses in XCOM (or X-Com), I cry.
Hahaha indeed. This game truly taught me picard’s words.
The thread is quite large at this point, so sorry if it’s been recommended already. GRIS is definitely a very emotional game. It’s quite short, probably on sale quite often, visually stunning, and very sad.
Disco Elysium made me cry after a short conversation with a random man on the street. I haven’t played much of it yet, so I can’t speak to the majority of the content, but what I have played of it evokes more emotion than any game I’ve ever played before.
Been hearing a lot about this game. Apparently it has some of the best writing of any game?
Yeah, it definitely does. It feels like playing a Dostoevsky novel.
It has. However, don’t buy it. You can easily find it in fitgirl etc. Reason being, the devs won’t see a cent as they were kicked out of the studio that published the game. There’s lots of articles regarding this drama anywhere.
Good to know. Shame that happened.
Ori and the Blind Forest would be my recommendation. Prologue starts strong and the rest of the game doesn’t let it down.
Okami is pretty good too, if you’re into the traditional Japanese art aesthetic
Spiritfarer is an absolutely wonderful experience that is somehow both a casual open world chill game and a game that delves deep into the topic of death, being prepared for it, and leaving people behind. Really special game.
If you get this game don’t grind for resources. Only get them as you need them. There’s no reason to stockpile them.
True, I sold my stash for a great fortune near the end of the game. It wasn’t particularly worthwhile to have stockpiled as much as I did (though it was still fun, I really like crafting games).
I’d have to say Nier Automata, as well as the recent remaster of the game that came before it, Nier Replicant (ver 1.22…). Both are soul-crushing, which is helped by their amazing soundtracks. I definitely recommend them if you’re looking for something to make you cry.
Nier Replicant is a magnitude more soul crushing. You’d at least get a glimmer of hope at the end of Automata, but not with Replicant!
They’re both amazing!
Started Automata already. Been meaning to finish it.
NieR: Automata is also definetely my favourite tip. Especially if you want to cry.
Just as a hint: you need to play until you get ending c or d to experience the full story (and by that I mean, you are literally missing half the story otherwise). You don’t need to do anything special, just keep playing.
Also after you get one you can easily do the other and then get the “true” ending.
Yeah, I’ve been hearing some incredible things about Automata from multiple people.
I really liked Before Your Eyes, it’s a game that advances every time you blink.
This is the first one I thought of. It completely wrecked me and I was sobbing by the end.
For some shorter experiences I haven’t seen mentioned when skimming through a few comments here, I definitely recommend trying Transistor. It was one of the strongest emotional experience I’ve ever had in a game. I’ve managed to play it in a single sitting, but it is around 6 hours long. Supergiant games make such a uniquely perfect audiovisual experiences, that every game from them is a treat, but Transistor is the strongest emotional experience I’ve played from them.
Another one would be two-hours long walking simulator with amazing environmental storytelling - What Remains of Edit Finch. You can play it in a single sitting, and it’s gorgeous and really well done.
You should also play Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice . It’s also around 8 hours long, and you definitely want to play it with headphones, it’s such a strong emotional experience. The audio and game design is so well done, and the game has stuck with me for such a long time. It’s one of the few games where just seeing the trailer again tears me up and gives me chills. And after you play it, I recommend watching the documentary about how they tried to protray the mental illness of the main character through game design - it’s such masterfully done that I didn’t even realize most of what they are doing, but it has stuck with me and it worked wonders to make the experience even better.
And for some even more unique game design - Before Your Eyes. What makes this experience so strong is the whole premise of looking over your life and memories after you’ve died, with the main mechanic of how to advance time being by blinking - physically blinking, because the game can work with your camera. That makes for a pretty strong metaphor that makes it even more emotional experience.
And just to mention some games others have mentioned, to add to their recommendations - Outer Wilds, Ori and the Blind Forest, Life is Strange, Planet of Lana, all are really good games!
+1 for transistor. It’s such a strangely compelling, bizarre and emotional story.
Transistor missed the mark for me. I preferred Bastion. Hades is obviously great. I never tried Pyre.
I completely forgot about What Remains Of Edith Finch, but yeah. It’s pretty good
Another vote for Edith Finch, the ending made me bawl like a baby. Great storytelling, each level doesn’t overstay it’s welcome, its funny and emotional throughout, but the ending really hit me in the feels.
I cried at the ending of Outer Wields. Its was very beautiful. You need to search the story for yourself and complete little puzzle. At the end when you get the full story its just beautiful and scary.
Outer Wilds and Undertale are the only two games where I happened to coincidentally quit playing them right at a part where the narrative made sense. I died in outer wilds and I got stuck on the Sans fight in Undertale. I can’t go into details without spoilers.
Oh that sounds like me with SUPERHOT. Got to the point in the game where it tells you to stop playing, so I did. Never went back to it.
I died in outer wilds
Who didn’t, lol
Did you get a screen saying YOU DIED? 🤔
Not on my normal playthrough, but I did try every possible ending at least once. My comment was rather intended as a joke, because dying in various hilarious ways is sort of part of the game.
Outer Wilds is my favorite game ever. Man what I would love to experience it all for the first time again. The ending definitely made me cry as well.
Outer Wilds makes you think about the nature of existence itself.
What a beautiful game.
The House in Fata Morgana. Nice thing is that’ll it be both sad and happy tears.
It’s been a few years and listening to the soundtrack snaps me back. I only wish I could I could play it again for the first time.
If you like VNs, check out Saya no Uta. One of the most fucked pieces of media out there. It’s amazing.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter! I’m not going to say anything, except that you need to do all the “side” quests. If you miss any, the map at the end will show which you missed. See the ending!
Dear Esther is also quite special, the monologues change every playthrough and everyone interprets the game differently. Very impactful.
I didn’t know the voice over changes every play though with Dear Esther.
Even the items that lie around change every time you play.
