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.

  • Amby@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    1 year ago

    Definitely Outer Wilds as well.

    Hell, looking into the soundtrack changed my daily playlist to something heavily Midwest Emo.

  • Curvature@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    ·
    1 year ago

    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.

      • windows71@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        If you like Portal 1 and 2 and want more, I’d recommend playing Portal Stories: Mel and Portal Reloaded, both are free on Steam if you own P2. The puzzles are pretty tricky though!

  • shapesandstuff@feddit.de
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    1 year ago

    I keep reading about Outer Wilds. I think its about time this summer.

    To answer the question: Risk of Rain 1&2

    And maybe the leviathans of my childhood. Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask…

    • Julian@lemm.eeOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      By chance I ended up playing journey with only one other person. We got separated at one point and I thought someone else connected, but at the end it only showed one name.

  • The_Terrible_Humbaba@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    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.

    • yuun@lemmy.one
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      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

      • yuun@lemmy.one
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        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.

    • Monkeytennis@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      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.

  • carnha@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    The Talos Principle - for me, the puzzles hit the sweet spot of being hard enough to be on my mind all day, but never feeling like the solution was out of reach. But even more than the puzzles, the philosophical elements made me reflect on life, civilization, and personhood in a way nothing else has. It was a peaceful, tranquil experience of just me, a serene soundtrack, and thought provoking text and puzzles.

  • Grizzzlay@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    1 year ago

    Undertale. The messages that game give you. Goddamn. That game also came to me at a point in my life where I needed it. The soundtrack saved me from contemplating a terrible decision. It saved my life. Wonderful game and an incredible experience.

    • DarkLead@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Oh man I feel the same way about it, I still listen to the soundtrack all the time, and sometimes it’s the only thing that can calm me down in bad situations.

  • CaptainDogwater@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    1 year ago

    Easily RimWorld for me. The stories that play out over time, and how to make productivity more efficient live in my head rent free.

  • I_Am_Jacks_____@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    1 year ago

    Mass Effect – particularly Mass Effect 2 – left an impression, but The Last of Us is and will always be the game that has stuck with me the most/longest.

  • acowley@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    1 year ago

    I never did finish Outer Wilds and still think about it a lot! I need to go start it again because it is genuinely spectacular, but I struggle with my constraint of only being able to put short-ish play sessions into it.

    Playing Ocarina of Time with my son was an epic journey I treasure. It completely captured his imagination, and I was along for that ride.

    Grim Fandango was, and continues to be, a dream for me.

    While I’m there, Full Throttle also executed its style so well that some of its moments still serve as cultural/stylistic landmarks in my mind.

    Mass Effect 2 had several moments where the atmosphere and universe totally hit the mark (Going into the Afterlife Club… come on!).

    Red Dead Redemption connected me to that setting in ways movies can’t reach.

    • IronTwo@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Man, Firewatch. I don’t know how they managed to make the player connect on an emotional level with a character that you don’t even get to meet, but they did a fantastic job.

    • tias@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Why do you think the play duration is a constraint with Outer Wilds? The game basically restarts every 20 minutes.

  • StrahdVonZarovich@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    1 year 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.

    • Seconding Bloodlines, this game has stuck with me since I first played it as a child. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the sequel, but also dreading that it ends up being awful and ruins any chance of more games.

  • Drew Got No Clue@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    1 year ago

    I’ve mentioned this game already in a few comments recently, but I think it really deserves more attention.

    Prey (2017): I’ve loved it since the first moment, and I still think about the story and lore very often. It’s almost impossible to find a similar game (Bioshock 1 and System Shock 2 have quite some things in common with Prey, but the latter has its own unique vibe).

    • Julian@lemm.eeOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      Oh yeah, I loved prey. One of the biggest mindfucks of an opening. Mooncrash was also really interesting, kind of a prototype for deathloop.

    • Wraith@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      I love Prey! It was actually the game that got me into gaming. I used to play a little as a kid and it was also one of the few things that made me happy, but I was raised in a really strict home so I was only allowed a few pre-approved games with very limited screen time. I gave it up and sort of grew into this toxic mindset of “gaming is for loser nerds”. My husband started playing Prey and I used to sit and watch and just fell in love with the whole thing, the story, the music, the setting. He gave it up and never finished and I was so desperate to find out how it ends that I started playing. Now I have my own custom built gaming PC and spend 40+ hours a week gaming, so I’m a loser nerd lol

    • Pixel of Life@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yes! Prey is great. I think I’ve completed it like 3 or 4 times over the years. Still don’t have all the abilities unlocked so maybe it’s time for yet another NG+ run.

    • flubba86@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      I’ve tried to like Hades a few times over the years since it came out. I know I’m in the minority, it’s generally a well liked game, but I just don’t see the appeal. The gameplay loop is repetitive, difficult, and unrewarding, the main character is deliberately unlikable, the dialogue with the NPCs in the hub is repetitive and trying too hard to be funny. I didn’t enjoy a single second playing that game, and its one I actually paid real money for, I bought it genuinely wanted to like it. I suppose I’m not the target audience.

      • Konn@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        Man, that’s actually so sad. But I guess most gamers will find that one game they want to like (because it’s critically acclaimed, their friends are super into it, etc.), but it just won’t work.

        I had that experience with Valheim. On paper it looks like a fun viking-esque Minecraft with a bit more RPG elements. In practice I just found out cumbersome and the gameplay loop felt just plain boring/unsatisfying.

    • OtterPops@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yes! Hades is definitely in my top 5 ganes. And Supergiant is one of the few devs, maybe the only one, that I don’t have any reservations about playing their games in early access. I can’t wait to hear more about the sequel.

  • Dathknight@feddit.de
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    1 year ago

    Spec Ops: The Line I thought it was just another military 3rd-person shooter. Boy was I wrong. That thing hit me hard!

    Also Oni by bungie. I like the style and I remember that the climax was somewhat emotional for very jung me.

    This war of mine I cannot play this game for long and I absolutely love it for that.

    There are others too but the common thing is that they were emotional for me. Sure I remember great visuals or gameplay but at the end of the day the games that make me feel stuff stay with me.

    • scutiger@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Oni was fun. The gameplay was good, but the environments felt sparse, too big for the size and quantity of the characters, and very few furnishings that made the space feel empty and lifeless.

    • Julian@lemm.eeOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      I played spec ops knowing what I was getting into, I wish I could experience it blind. I can’t imagine how much that would fuck with me.