For me, in no particular order:

  • Firewatch
  • This War of Mine
  • What Remains of Edith Finch
  • Gone Home
  • Papers Please
  • Doki Doki Literature Club
  • I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
  • Contramuffin@lemmy.world
    11·
    1 year ago

    A game that’s not mentioned here yet: Outer Wilds.

    You know how your high school English teacher tries to get through your brain about what “sublime” means and why the Romantic Era writers cared about it so much? The meaning of the word never really clicked for me until I played this game. It is pure, distilled sublime. It presents nature as this simultaneously jaw-droppingly beautiful and existentially scary entity that I’ve never seen any other game come close to replicating. For anyone who hasn’t played it yet, I heavily recommend it.

    Note: don’t confuse Outer Wilds with Outer Worlds. They sound similar, but they could not be farther apart

    • curryandbeans@lemmy.world
      3·
      1 year ago

      Yeah what an unbelievable game. The music really hit the feels button for some reason. I still need to play the DLC!

      • IceHazard@lemm.ee
        3·
        1 year ago

        I highly recommend the DLC! The best thing I can say about it is that it’s more Outer Wilds, with the same level of world-building, puzzle-solving, and emotional impact.

  • kakes@sh.itjust.works
    7·
    1 year ago

    A Short Hike

    A lot of it is because of where I was in life when I played it, but playing this game felt like an oasis in a very turbulent time for me.
    I had just graduated university in the middle of a pandemic, feeling lonely and scared of the transition to a new career. I ended up feeling surprisingly emotional the whole time I played it.

  • Poeticbiscuit@lemmy.world
    6·
    1 year ago

    Ok so I’m a huge Final Fantasy fanboi, but for some reason when I first finished Nier;Automata with all the main endings, I just couldn’t help but tear up. For the first time in a long while I felt and thought, yep, that was a masterpiece.

    If I can play a game for the first time again, I’d choose Nier;Automata.

  • jetsetdorito@lemmy.world
    5·
    1 year ago

    I still think I’ll never play a game that will make me feel like One Shot did. Especially the post game. It really pulls you into the story personally.

    Overall I think the life is strange series is okay but in 2 there’s a scene where you have the option to come out to your dad and it just felt so authentic. Like I remember having to pause the game and walk around a little.

  • Aviandelight @mander.xyz
    5·
    1 year ago

    Spiritfarer gave me a small existential crisis at the end. Edith Finch was heartbreaking but hopeful. House of Fata Morgana was achingly beautiful storytelling.

    • Rannoch@lemm.ee
      2·
      1 year ago

      I played Spiritfarer a while back after seeing all the positive reviews, but only made it an hour or two in before I fell off and stopped playing. I think I just got bored by the pace? Is it worth restarting and pushing through the early parts of the game, or is it pretty much the same throughout?

      • Aviandelight @mander.xyz
        1·
        1 year ago

        Without really spoiling the ending all I can say is that wether or not it is worth playing is up to you. I thought about that for weeks after I finished this game. It was a real mindfuck.

  • sigtro@vlemmy.net
    4·
    1 year ago

    I don’t think I’ve ever emotionally connected with a game more than Disco Elysium. It had a profound effect on me, that game can truly do sadness

  • rezz@lemmy.world
    4·
    6 months ago

    The Last of Us first play through, hands down.

    Breath of the Wild first ten hours after release, close second place.

    I’m told Outer Wilds will be number one when I get to it.

  • Christin White@vlemmy.net
    4·
    1 year ago

    Ori and the Blind Forest hit me hard practically before the game had even begun, even more so than Firewatch though it and This War of Mine are definitely up there. Mass Effect (1–3) had a lot of emotional moments for me.

    The only game I just couldn’t finish for emotional reasons though is That Dragon Cancer. It hit me harder than This War of Mine, probably because it was a lot closer to home.

  • HydraliskConcave@lemmy.world
    3·
    1 year ago

    Shadow of the colossus has to be up there as one of the most memorable video game experiences I’ve had. Jaw dropping and thought provoking at the same time. I’m not sure what kind of wizardry and blood magic was involved in making this game run on playstation 2.

  • Justdaveisfine@lemmy.world
    3·
    1 year ago

    I used to be pretty into Metal Gear Solid. The 4th game is a rollercoaster, but ‘the hallway’ onwards to the end is definitely emotional.