Edit 2: got a notification about Cronos: The New Dawn as I was launching Steam and decided to go for it. So far… holy hell, yep! Soo much yep! Just, uuh… turn off ray-tracing…
Edit: thanks so much to everyone who chimed in, there are some awesome recs in this thread! Also, really sorry to hear so many of you can relate to such games, good thing we have’em!
I apologise if I missed anyone’s comment.
OP: So, going through It™ again and my mood’s really gloomy. Anyone got any good recommendations to go with my mood?
To specify, PC-only, and I’m mostly asking for atmosphere, though some mechanical goodness will not go unappreciated. Thinking of stuff like Observer, Silent Hill, Darkwood, Arx Fatalis, Fallout: NV, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, etc. Played most of these except Bloodborne, gathering the patience to deal with emulation.
Edit: oh, and if the story’ll shred my soul to pieces, all the better! Hit me with your best shot!
I’m reluctant to suggest What Remains of Edith Finch.
It will shred you.
That’s what I was going to recommend too. And very short too. It’s just a rainy afternoon.
Good! Hope it does thin slices, thank you!
Limbo
Inside is great as well
Limbo and Inside, noted! Thank you both!
I’ve heard Spiritfarer is quite emotional.
Oh boy, this is a game that absolutely ripped my heart out. I’ve never been great at saying goodbye, I did everything I could before the first goodbye and then I quit. I loved the game, but it hits me in a strange soft spot.
Brothers is kinda similar to provide a recommendation.
It is. Its also maybe not the best game to play when you’re struggling. I played it when I lost a close family member and I became a wreck for weeks
It helped me process the loss, but it drew all of my emotions out in the process
Well, that’s what I’m looking for, honestly. Trying to burn the hurt out in a way, and it’s easier to process when in a context where such issues are analysed.
Ooh, and it looks so sweet and wholesome!❤️ Thank you, will give it a whirl!
Dying Light
Hardspace Shipbreaker (Solid story, Hating on a Doloris Umbridge type character)
Dredge
Thank you! I’ve played quite a bit of Dying Light back when it came out, lots of fun in co-op!
As for Hardspace Shipbreaker and Dredge, the first I wanted to try for a while (big fan of Space Engineers), and the second looks like “life as a background character in a Lovecraftian story,” so awesome!
Have you played Control? It was on sale recently on Steam
Just finished that one, I fucking loved it, but that story just sort of brick walls at the end in a way that made me want a sequel really bad. I want more SCP inspired games like Control, the setting and anomalous items alone make for a great game.
Yepyep! On my NG+ currently, it’s my form of Story Mode:))
Thomas Was Alone
It’s not at all like the examples you give but it is such a good game that I think fits nicely here.
Never heard about it until now, but it does sound very interesting from the Steam blurb! Thank you!
Blasphemous (only the first one), This War of Mine, Valiant Hearts, Papers Please, Pathologic
Edit: Strange Horticulture, Arctic Eggs, and Lies of P
Thanks so much, this is certainly a lot of material!
I have an off-and-on playthrough of Blasphemous going on my Deck, I love the atmosphere and the story, plus the art direction is gorgeous!
Have played a bit of Papers Please and Pathologic, but didn’t have the proper mood for the first, and found it hard to get over the traversal hump in the latter.
Is Blasphemous 2 not as good? I haven’t played either but they’re on my wishlist
The second game feels to me much less unique, compared to the first, especially the atmosphere. It’s still a good game, just not what I expected from the sequel
For both rich atmosphere and unique game mechanics, you could do a lot worse than Return of the Obra Dinn.
If you’re unfamiliar, the presentation evokes early PC (or Mac, more specifically) black and white “1 bit” games, but real time 3d. This already is very distinctive, but the gameplay also sets it apart.
You are an insurance investigator with a magic pocket watch which allows you to travel back to the moment in time that someone expired, if you find their corpse. From these brief flashes (and by cross-referencing the ship manifest) you piece together what happened to all the crew and passengers on the ships ill-fated voyage, before it’s baffling reemergence years after the fact.
Oh, I’ve known about this one, been avoiding Grim Beard’s review of it since it came out=)) This one looks so artful that I need to be in the right state of mind, otherwise I’d do it a disservice.
Hollow Knight (more so than Silksong tbh)
Night in the Woods (not the same vibe as the games you mentioned but absolutely a “had a bad day” vibe)
I immediately thought of NitW too!
Hollow Knight looks absolutely gorgeous, but I’m intimidated by it:))
Night in the Woods is on my list, likewise looks gorgeous, and from the few things I’ve heard about it, it sounds deeply thoughtful!
Outer Wilds. Best game ever made. Stick with it.
I’ve had this one installed for over a year now, but I’m scared of it:)) Same happened with SIGNALIS, can’t explain it.
darkest dungeon?
Played it and it’s very good for the mechanical buzz, but to me it feels pretty mild in the emotional department. Good game, though!
STALKER, it’s story may not wreck you but the monolith will.
If you want to be kicked in the dick play the anomaly mod, pretty sure it’s free and doesn’t require the games.
Ooh, played them all, repeatedly! Have a second run of 2 ongoing, but these are closer to comfort games to me. Playng STALKER or Vew Vegas feels like coming home:))
Don’t starve
Still need to give that one a try, thank you!
If you just wanna take a spooky road trip try out Pacific Drive!
This sounds like a nice “Deck in bed” game, thanks!
Oh I can totally see that
You might like ori
I have it in my library, but I’m scared of it=)) A friend of mine played it and cried his ass off, and he really isn’t someone who does a lot of crying!:))
It’s not that sad. Tis sad tho.
