Papers, please. This was dystopian but it still felt like it captured the banality of some of communism’s negative side rather than just creating moustache twirling villains.
While the game is pretty fun and the banality is the point, I feel like it doesn’t have a lot of things to say about communism itself. You can swap it out for any failing country and it would just work the same.
While Papers Please is very good, it has more in common with nations in a post-soviet balkanisation than a communist nation. The banality is very present in modern western government as well, and the inability to afford medicine for your child is something that is ripped straight from the modern USA. It is a great approximation of what people imagine due to media conditioning, and that makes it very easy to role-play within the game and really enjoy it.
All in all, amazing game, amazing soundtrack, not really indicative.
Very much so! They add a ton of content to an already pretty content-rich game, and after you have them, you’ll barely notice they weren’t part of the base game before, except maybe the Castlevania one because of the obvious difference in theme. Still, lots of quality content that adds tons of variety to your runs!
Stuff like FTL and “The PIT” doesn’t fit super well into your categories I feel. I think they’re a little to defined and narrow.
I think one way to slice it would be how the games handle progression, is there any? Is it only on complete runs or also on partially complete runs or every single run you gain something?
It’s similar to what you’re on but a bit more concise. So
No progression: the game is about completing a run, which is very challenging but also very rewarding.
Some progression: the game builds over multiple runs offering different/new ways to tackle it as you complete runs or discover stuff.
Full progression: every run builds on your previous runs.
I don’t see the point in naming a genre for rougelike card games. To me it’s a mash up between a full progression rougelike and a card game, and it doesn’t need a name. Also a name for rougelike with safe havens seem weird as well. And rougelikes with full progression by nature become grindy since that becomes one way to win.
The fact that you can say “rougelike card games”, and we all know exactly what you mean, is precisely why we should name that genre. There are plenty of folks who want to seek out roguelikes and not be inundated with Slay The Spire clones. (I like them just fine, personally.)
FTL is what I’d call an Action Rogue, even though it’s pausable (and actually a lot, maybe all, Action Rogues are pausable).
I haven’t played The PIT - I need to look it up.
The idea of classifying based on progression is one of the most important ideas here, you’re right about that. But I also want to capture the idea that the core gameplay itself - grid combat, real-time, cards, JRPG-style battle screens, whatever - is important.
What I’m saying is those already are genres, a game can have more than one genre so use that. Rougelike TCG, Rougelike RPG and Rougelike Action RPG are all valid and much more universally understood than trying to make people understand what “Action Rouge”, “Bandlike” or “Cardlike” is. Then mentioning the type of progression helps as well. But if we try naming all permutations with more than 3 games fitting it then we’ll just end up with 10 new genres noone will use or understand.
Word of warning: systematically classifying video games is HARD. It’s a bit like classifying any form of creative media: music, cinema, visual arts, etc. It’s hit-or-miss. RPG forums routinely fall into that rut and the infamous corollary: [insert game here] is (or is not) an RPG.
If you’re dead set on this endeavour, I’d suggest identifying main features and tagging games with a number of them. Try and pick required ones if possible. Or don’t, because gate keeping sucks. If you know how to code, this is sort of the Composition over inheritance mindset.
I agree with this methodology, and it’s reminiscent of how traditional roguelikes are defined here. I’ve used a similar approach in my own endeavor of defining incremental games - define a canon, find the qualities they share, and indicate which ones seem most important to have.
And then there is cataclysm DDA, which I guess would be described as a “Survival Rogue” based on your other names. Games with a focus on long-term survival & crafting. I think Unreal World would also fit into this category.
I love RimWorld, and I love DRM-free, but RimWorld on GoG is a mistake.
Instead, buy RimWorld directly from Ludeon. Then you get both DRM-free files from them (to enjoy in the fallout bunker), AND a steam key (so that you can easily enjoy the metric boatloads of modding content on the steam workshop).
I literally just posted about a few of these in another thread. :)
Decent: Freespace and Freespace 2 are the best Space Fighter - Dog-Fighting Tactics games I’ve played. They still hold up to this day. And the voice-acting is great.
Dungeon Keeper and Dungeon Keeper 2 are also solid games, although more in the silly corner. Dig out a dungeon, build rooms to attracts creatures of the dark, train them and go to war against the foul knights and kings of the overworld.
The OG Fallout games are always worth a mention. Fallout and Fallout 2.
If you’re into old disturbing point and click puzzle games Sanitarium is a classic.
Or a bit more laid-back storytelling with mysteries, maybe? Then Oxenfree is worth looking into.
In the FPS category I recommend the Metro games. Well, the two first ones anyway. Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. Stealth is optional, but advised. :p
I’d also be amiss not to mention Soma. It’s a scary game and a solid mindfuck at the same time. Approach with caution.
That’s my list for now. I hope there’s something in there you can use. :)
GOG’s version works for me straight out of the box. Other than that, there’s the High-Res patch and the general Patch. They are quite important on modern machines.
If you play on Windows, make sure both patches are installed. Then screw around with the High-Res patcher a bit, hopefully you can find the right setting. It will probably take a few attempts.
If you play on Linux, I sadly can’t help you as I never got Fallout to work in it. :/
If you’re thinking about the Fallouts, don’t forget all the Infinity Engine games (Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, Icewind Dale 1 and 2, Planescape Torment), and Neverwinter Nights, and Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2.
And Shadowrun (Returns, Dragonfall, Hong Kong).
There’s a universe of amazing isometric RPGs out there.
Have you tried SimCompanies? It's similar to what you're looking for. You build a company over the course of months and find a niche in an economy that's mostly player run.
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