OneShot is very much based on its story and immersion. Contrary to the title’s implication, there’s not so much potential for risk during play, even if it’s themed that way, but it does feel like any efforts to repeat the game would ruin some of the immersive thoughts present.
Baba is You - simplistic graphically, but immensely satisfying mechanically. Amazing puzzle game.
Celeste - gorgeous graphics and buttery smooth controls, a platformer that is encouraging and supportive all the way through but ranges from “easy as pie” to “hard as nails” as you progress. One of the most satisfying games to complete every level for. One of the best soundtracks ever. Trans rights!
Fez - another simple-ish at face value platformer game, but this time with puzzles as the main thread instead of action. Super satisfying puzzles and an amazing soundtrack.
Omori - an RPG which eventually deals with some heavy subject matter but does so tastefully and maturely. It’s a splendid story either way you spin it, and lots of fun.
Undertale - same as above, but shorter and more “punchy”. One of the best soundtracks in gaming, and a cast of characters you’ll come to feel like your family. It’s quite subversive for the genre, so it’s a fun experience. It has an episodic sister game Deltarune which is still in the works.
Void Stranger - a block-pushing styled game, but incredibly subversive for the genre. Gorgeous visuals, great soundtrack, and some truly mindbending puzzles. It gets super hard, but it’s also super satisfying to beat.
Stardew Valley - cozy farming game, really just oozing passion and love from the developer(s). Lots to do, many unique people to meet and things to see. Pretty graphics and stunning soundtrack. Fall in love with an NPC, marry them if you want. Or don’t do any of that. Make your own fun in this one, there’s a bunch of aspects to get into.
Citizen Sleeper - not technically 2d but may as well be. A gripping, beautiful sci-fi story, told in a tabletop RPG style. You won’t be able to help falling in love with the rag-tag character cast, and shedding a few tears along the way. It’s very down to earth but makes me long for the stars at the same time.
Ori and the Blind Forest/Ori and the Will of the Wisps - a drop dead gorgeous, lovingly crafted metroidvania with one of the best soundtracks you could ever ask for. Platforming is gorgeously refined, and the sequel improves upon the first game in many ways.
Hollow Knight - I could copy paste the majority of the Ori blurb here, however this game has a deeper focus on the deep, winding, sprawling exploration, and combat aspects. Gripping soundtrack and stunning stylised visuals. You will, however, join the wait for Silksong with the rest of us, which drives many people mad!
I definitely recommend Baba Is You and FEZ as well. Similarly to FEZ there is a mobile game Monument Valley (and Monument Valley 2) which I adore. It’s spendier in $/time, but I find is highly worth it.
Bastion isn’t a 2D game, but I’d like to recommend it while I’m at it, it’s play is perhaps close enough, and it’s stunning.
Been just thinking about one of my favorite SNES era games – Illusion of Gaia. If you’re doing emulation, highly recommend. I’m in the process of picking up a SNES and functioning cart to play it myself for the first time in a decade.
Why do i keep bouncing off this game? I keep hearing it’s great and then i play a bit and get bored. I don’t get far. Is there a point i need to get to where the story opens up?
Much like the gameplay itself, the story is another puzzle. You assemble the story from bits of emails and voice recordings that you find around the place.
There’s some reading required to appreciate it, as you find the emails and the various philosophical texts around the place. If you get bored, maybe that just isn’t for you. But I’d encourage you to give it a shot and see the story as another puzzle.
Thanks, i didn’t know to look for the story as a puzzle as well. It might not be for me, but Ill know what to expect next time and i can give it an honest go
If you don’t already know… the “corrupt” text in the terminals is where a lot of the semi-secret story clues are - especially in the beginning. If you want to know how to read it, lemme know and I’ll tell you what you need. Otherwise, no spoilers.
That said, the puzzles in the game are pretty consistent throughout, so if solving 3d spatial arrangements of laser beams isn’t fun for you - it’s not gonna get any better.
They are speedruns of Elmos letter adventure, Clash of clan, Club Penguin and baking an actual real life pizza. So I don’t really think speedruns should dictate replayability.
They recently released an updated version of Brothers with new graphics. But the game is exactly the same. So it’s not really a must buy for me. Especially since the original had pretty good graphics anyway.
Bahamut Lagoon is a cool JRPG for the SNES that sadly never was released for the west. You can get your hands on the ROM and some fan translation though. I’ve played it many years ago, so my memory’s a bit iffy, but I do remember having a good time.
Front Mission is another good JRPG entry from the 90’s. I loved the SNES version, but apparently the DS version boasts extra features and content, making it the superior choice.
If you want something very similar to the three you named, do not sleep on Case of the Golden Idol.
It might have a little more replayability due to they way decisions you make impact the story, but I’d also put in a strong recommendation for Pentiment.
Yesss, I loved both of those games. Pentiment was so strange - there are things I didn’t love about it, but I still got so sucked in that I’d wake up the morning and be eager to start playing again to find out what happens next. I haven’t felt that way about a game in a while.
Breathedge - SciFi game where you are stranded in a small shuttle after your main ship exploded, you’ll need to fly around in a space suit with limited air supply, gather stuff, examine objects to identify possible devices you can cobble together from random space trash, and eventually build and upgrade your equipment to the point that you can progress to another area, and so on.
Once you know how specific items are built, the solution is near identical, just some components might be drifting in another part of the screen.
The Witness has a lot of generative puzzles that I guess technically are replayable, but you can’t go back to before the moments of joy of discovery and that’s the core of what made that game incredible to me
Agreed. By the end, i was just looking up the solutions so i can just figure out what the heck happened on the island, only to be met with the biggest let-down in my personal gaming history. Game went from an 9/10 to a 3/10 just on the ending alone.
A problem with The Witness is that the game’s single biggest excitement comes from a twist that revealing completely spoils
spoilerThe environment puzzles
So it’s stuck in the position of letting 80% of its player base walk right past the best part, or preserving the moment of discovery.
I’m personally grateful it has the integrity to let me find it on my own, but it’s also a bummer since at least two of my friends beat it without ever realizing
Personally, any bigass AAA game that has a million different things to do. Like there’s no way I’m playing the God of War sequel-reboot again even though I enjoyed it. Coming from someone who beat the original trilogy like 3 times each at least
More on topic though: Any adventure game for as long as you remember the solutions
I beat the the main game at one point but was so exhausted with the game I had to take a break. By the time I got back I didn’t remember enough about the main game to play the DLCs, so I keep trying to replay it from the beginning.
I think I’ve made 4 attempts so far and end up stalling out about 10 hours in each time.
It’s going to be hard to come up with a list of things I have forgotten that might be relevant to the DLCs I haven’t played.
That aside, it’s more that I barely remember even many of the main story beats and any characters aside from the top 4.
Edit: Oh, and I remember another thing. My main playthrough was on PC, but I don’t use my PC for gaming so much anymore. I had a decent playthrough on main game on Xbox, but I bought the GOTY edition without realizing that the saves weren’t compatible, or something like that. Hence, my attempts at trying to play through the game.
I would also say that most of the walking simulators that where mentioned here:
My mentions would be The Last of Us, Spec Ops: The Line and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Also The Stanley Parable depending on what you consider "completing" that game.
Well I played it, once, 12 years ago when the graphics were good. I don’t remember them being mind blowing, but I don’t remember them being bad either.
I dont think it really had an “are we the baddies” story, it was a very graphic anti war game for me.
It is one of the better executed anti-war message in games. Nothing I’ve played has come as close to its level of execution. I remember thinking, at the time, that the competitive multi-player really undercut the message of the single player campaign.
It is one of the better executed anti-war message in games.
I felt it was ham fisted. You don’t even get a choice in the most impactful scene of the game, you’re railroaded the whole time. Only choice I can remember was at the bridge and the game returns to normal after 5 seconds.
The graphics are were not good even for the time; contemporary reviews point this out. It looks like a 2007 game but was released in 2012. The guns aren’t good and the cover system is clunky.
I dunno, maybe it was hyped too much for me. I found it forgettable and not worth the 5 hours it took to beat.
Signalis is a 2.5d top down 3rd person single player survival horror title available for switch, it is probably one of the best modern examples of the genera taking clear inspiration from older titles like silent hill and resident evil 2. It’s very story based and currently on sale for the switch, I would highly recommend it.
It is a new game, but it very much has an old school vibe and is clearly leaning strongly on what made older titles great.
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