Outer Wilds changed my life then Tunic changed it again
Edit: Game Recommendations by the people in the comments:
- Disco Elysium - @Sibbo@sopuli.xyz
- Kingdom Come Deliverance - @McFarius@lemmy.world
- Fez - @TestFactor@lemmy.world, @Glaive0@beehaw.org, @clearleaf@lemmy.world
- I Was a Teenage Exocolonist - @alltheweird@lemmy.tf
- Noita - @Goodman@discuss.tchncs.de, @yjr4df0708@lemmy.ml, @Crow_of_Minerva@feddit.it
- The Witness - @Suppoze@beehaw.org
- Lingo - @dexa_scantron@lemmy.world
- Bad End Theater - @Exocrinous@lemm.ee
- Celeste - @tkk13909@sopuli.xyz
- Fear & Hunger - @RIP_Cheems@lemmy.world
- minit - @naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
- The Forgotten City - @naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com, @Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com, @terrifyingtuba@lemmy.world
- Deathloop - @tills13@lemmy.world
- The Soulsborne games - @Philharmonic3@lemmy.world
- Void Stranger - @clearleaf@lemmy.world
- Baba Is You - @clearleaf@lemmy.world
- Roguelikes as a genre - @Piemanding@sh.itjust.works
- The Long Dark - @rbos@lemmy.ca
- Who’s Lila? - @Crow_of_Minerva@feddit.it
- Cultist Simulator - @Frogodendron@beehaw.org
- Sorcery! - @Frogodendron@beehaw.org
And some game recommendations by me to add on to the post:
- Taiji
- A 2D puzzle game where you slowly unravel how to solve each different element of the puzzles, eventually culminating in a massive puzzle gauntlet. Basically identical in concept and execution to The Witness, but still very much its own unique and fun game.
- The Golden Idol
- A puzzle game where each level you must examine a scene to figure out exactly what happened, eventually piecing together the full story over several levels. Don’t let the art style put you off, it’s an incredibly well done game. Most similar to Return of the Obra Dinn in concept.
- Stories: The Path of Destinies
- an action RPG with a branching choice-driven storyline, but not every story has a happy ending… You’ll piece together the true story over multiple playthroughs and eventually find the one true path. It wasn’t a particularly life-changing game but it was still a lot of fun and worth checking out if it sounds interesting!
I call these puzzle box games because that’s what they remind me of and nobody else has a name for them yet. There’s one called Void Stranger that nobody ever talks about. Baba Is You is popular but nobody has mentioned it here yet. I think it’s sad as hell that people let their dislike of Phil Fish ruin Fez for them. That’s a really good game.
i booted up void stranger without knowing anything about it and saw the languages were english and finnish and instantly knew this was going to be another one of those solo finnish dev games that i will become obsessed with
then i got to stage 27 and fucked up the save-the-random-lady puzzle then the game saved itself and put 2 and 2 together and i think i’m going to have to complete this entire game without dying once to beat it
funger moment tbh
There’s an interesting game that’s kinda similar called minit or something 60 second* time limit to play a zelda game but you keep some progress iirc.
It’s an itch thing.
That skyrim mod turned game umm forgotten city? might also count. Good shit.
Oh Minit! That was such a well done little game. It really lived up to its name in terms of length but that made sure it never let itself get stale. I’ll have to check out The Forgotten City! I wrote it off because the other big Skyrim mod that’s its own game, Enderal, just didn’t mesh with me, but several people have recommended it now so I guess I’ll have to give it a shot!
Outer wilds is soooo good, so thank you for reminding me that tunic exists, I’ll get that one now.
do it do it do it do it do it it’s so good
I just got it and wow it’s real interesting. I got that one big golden thingy to spew out magical lines and stuff, and I got my sword, currently seeking that shield.
Good luck, and remember: always read the manual!
The whole soulsborne series
I was gonna say, Elden Ring is the epitome of this statement.
Dark Souls 1 if you really love discovery and connectivity.
you’re joking if you think it isn’t mimic tear and op weapon arts that get most of us through everything after leyndell. I didn’t need to learn how to play to beat malania because blasphemous sword keeps her on naptime the entire fight.
But that’s the whole point? U can be OP if you want, or set yourself up for the freedom to choose a challenge. That in my mind is true open world and I’ve never seen any other game that’s done it to the same degree.
That is nothing like what OP is talking about. There’s no amount of knowledge that means you could 1 try the entire game first go if you knew it.
I tend to not get into these types of games because the progression is often a time-limited loop, and a lot of the time you have to go to the same place or do the same thing multiple times before you can finish it because those are places or actions that don’t persist through a loop.
Similarly, games setup like Mario 64 where every level is intended to be played 5 or 6 times to get all the stars instead of just having it designed in a way that you can get everything in one go if you’re good enough.
Obra Dinn and Tunic are not like that.
Obra Dinn, you’re just investigating a memory and doing detective work. You might notice a slip of paper, or broken glass, that helps you with the next step.
Tunic is more about unlocking pages, that you can then remembering that “ah to open up a red door, you have to do a little dance”.
Both games, you can absolutely play them in a linear path without repeating the level over and over (like your example of Mario 64).
So I’d say give them a chance. :-)
Chants of Senaar too. I feel like the only game in the image that has you doing that stuff a bunch is Outer Wilds
Of the games pictured in the image, only Outer Wilds has a mechanic like that.
Tunic was incredible, what they did with the manual was just, great.
It was so unique! I found myself getting extremely excited whenever I would see that glowing page because it was always a treat to see what new knowledge they would give me next!
Probably not for everyone here but ‘I was a Teenage Exocolonist’ is one of the best games in that category I ever played. You feel the developer’s love in every character and storyline and being able to have so many different outcomes really made it feel special.
I have it on my wishlist but I’ve put off buying it because I thought it was just a visual novel. I’ll have to check it out now!
For those looking for more. Fez is a delight and a classic in the genre. The very last puzzle is more interesting from a community lore standpoint than actually being a decent puzzle, though. So be kind to yourself on that one.
I played it and bounced off long before I got medicated, I should really go back to it now that I have acquired the ability to think!
My brain went in reverse once I got treatment, I’d get hooked for hours on these sorts of puzzles and now it’s a bit harder to fall that deep into something. I did all of fez in a weekend and it’s not entirely a weekend game.
That’s very interesting! My experience with treatment has mostly been that all the games I thought sounded really cool but weren’t very fun turned out to actually be extremely fun, I was just utterly incapable of immersing myself in anything before treatment. Granted my issue was severe ADHD and I have no idea what yours is.
Same. Though I’m new to treatment, so maybe there’s still hope! I’ve been trying to play through FFVII (original) lately, but before and after treatment, it’s still a lit to dedicate time to. Other games on my list feel more daunting too, and that builds a rusty-game feedback loop if I’ve already started the game as it’s more daunting the farther I get from them. Might still need some adjustment to dosage or type.
It’s definitely something that takes trial and error, and I know for some people the medication doesn’t work very well at all unfortunately. I know you didn’t ask an internet stranger for their armchair psychiatry but one thing I can recommend is that you don’t let medication be your only treatment! Routines and exercise have both been extremely effective for me personally at mitigating the effects of ADHD. I know those are both almost impossible to get into precisely BECAUSE of ADHD, but if you can, try and use the medicine as a springboard to help you! I’d recommend talking to a professional about various non-pharmaceutical things you can do to supplement your medication. Good luck and try not to let anything kill your love for games!
Thanks! I’m definitely interested in not letting meds be the only tool. I’ve heard countless times that lifestyle changes are much more effective at changing things.
I’m in the phase where I was hoping the spring board would be more noticeable. Right now, I have a marginally better ability to work at work under certain conditions at the cost of focus for the rest of the day (when I’d have an opportunity to work on my own routines-health). It’s also possible that it’s being really effective at just keeping me from drowning in some normal but overwhelming life changes. But it’s still early days. It’s definitely encouraging to hear that others get benefits from a wholistic approach to facing ADHD. Thanks!
I love Celeste for this exact reason!
That’s not really what this meme is talking about.
Almost all games are about mastery in some way, in which you use knowledge to progress, or to make progression easier, but the games listed have knowledge as progression itself, which is different. Imagine if simply knowing how to perform the right jump let you skip straight from the first chapter to the final climb up the mountain, and furthermore that the game expects you to do precisely that, and that’s the kind of thing this meme is about.
Hm, if so, then does Hypnospace Outlaw also count? That game has a lot of secrets and special programs that let you find hidden/unique stuff, and it’s used to find crucial things in the final chapter, but most of them are already available right from the beginning if you know where to look, and the game is designed in a way where finding those early on is intentional for second-time players (either because it helps skip some chapters, or gives you useful upgrades sooner than you’d normally find them).
I have never played Hypnospace Outlaw, but it sounds like a solid maybe.
Is Celeste really knowledge-based? I thought it was muscle memory.
I only played it for like 15 minutes before realizing I don’t have good reflexes.
There is a lot of muscle memory but what I’m saying is that you have access to every movement method from the start of the game.
I hear you’re taking reccos. May I suggest The Forgotten City? It’s not quite the same, but has a very similar “learn wtf is happening* as you go” mechanic. Also it’s one of my favorites.
Another comment recommended that as well, I’ll add that to the list! I always love a good “wtf is going on” type mystery.
You fool
YOU are the fool because I am harvesting this thread for game recommendations and you have fallen right into my trap! Muahaha!
You’re both fools because I am harvesting lols and game recommendations >:)
Tell me what you think about it when you get the game. I’m eager to know.
knowledge based? I don’t quite understand, how does it work?
Obra Dinn and Outer Wilds are about unveiling a mistery.
Heaven’s Vault is about deciphering an ancient lost language.
You know how metroidvanias gate progression by having, for example, a jump you can’t make without an upgrade, or a poison area you can’t survive passing through without a way to be immune to poison, and so on? That, but instead of it being an upgrade your character gets, it’s knowledge. You find a clue somewhere in the game that allows you to solve a puzzle elsewhere. You were always able to take the actions needed to solve it, you just had to learn that you could.
These are games where a major portion of the gameplay involves learning about the game. In Heaven’s Vault and Chants of Sennaar this manifests as learning languages. In Return of the Obra Dinn this is figuring out what happened on the ship. In Tunic and The Outer Wilds this is based around knowledge checks, or mechanics that are present from the start of the game but you only learn how to exploit them much later.
There’s also Roguelikes where most of the progression is just getting better at the game and knowledge on things to do.
This is like the 3rd time I’ve seen somebody bring up Outer Wilds today, and I still haven’t played it. It looks like that might be next on my list.
That game was an instant classic.
Just be so careful not to spoil anything. If you lookup hints, do it with keywords to avoid spoilers as much as possible!
One of a kind experience, definitely play it! 🙂
Idk if it’s an exaggeration or not to say that Outer Wilds changed my life. I played it years ago yet I still think about it nearly every day. I started learning guitar just to play songs from the game. Highly recommend lol
It was definitely worth the price of admission, but I didn’t enjoy it enough to finish. The time loop mechanic just got annoying for me after a while. Having to time lots of different things and if you mess up you have to wait 15 minutes to try again.
you don’t have to wait, you can skip by meditating
It’s easily one of my favourite games of all time, I cannot recommend it enough!
It’s a fantastic game. Can’t recommend it enough
I really like it but I’m a fucking dumbass apparently, because I’m stuck in it and can’t find any more clues to get further. not as much fun if you’re a dumbass
You can send a screenshot of your rumor log to the Outer Wilds discord if you want a hint, they’re always helpful. Or I can help if you want
The Witness also falls into this category I think. I love these games as well
The worst thing I did to myself was watching a playthrough of The Witness on youtube instead of playing it myself. It’s right up my alley and it’s such a beautiful and clever game that I would have loved to experience myself. Good news though, if you love The Witness check out Taiji on steam! It’s extremely similar in concept and gameplay, just in 2D instead!
Yeah, you’re going to lose some wow factor when you realize a trick or game mechanic required for the puzzles, but I think it’s still worth it (if you love puzzles anyway)
Thanks for the recommendation for Taiji, it really is very similar, looks like something I’d love to play :) I put it on my wishlist!
The Forgotten City is good
