Most Meaningful Games
ALT
Gone Home- The Fullbright Company
I was dying to play this game from when it was released on PC in 2013. I was a broke college student then, so I quickly forgot about it, only to remember it again in 2019.
Seven years later, I finally got to play Gone Home and wasn’t disappointed.
The game is best described as a narrative- scavenger hunt (is there a term for that?). Your character is a young adult exploring their childhood home after arriving late from a flight. Discovering that your family is not home, you try to find clues of where the family is.
Along the way, you discover several stories that reveal themselves. It’s touching, intense, and so damn good.
The Last of Us -Naughty Dog
Most gamers probably know this title or at least heard of it. If not, you need to experience it.
In many ways, The Last of Us revolutionized Narrative-based gaming. The game mechanics are simple and streamlined even the most novice of stealth gamers can handle it. Zombies and world-building are so rich and believable. But where Naughty Dog excels with its storytelling.
It’s an intense and thought-provoking game that sticks with you long after the credits roll.
It Takes Two -Hazelight Studios
The newest one on this list. I got this as a Valentine’s Day present for my husband so we can spend the day playing it.
I wish more (current) console games did split-screen co-op. I know we can always just buy on our PC and play online, but there’s nothing like sitting next to your friend or partner while playing.
This is a puzzle co-op game that requires you to work with your partner to clear levels. Your characters are husband and wife May and Cody, who have just decided to have a divorce. In their anger towards each other, they unintentionally neglect their daughter. Through the power of magic, May and Cody reconcile and turn into dolls.
And it’s as these dolls you are thrown into amazing level designs that are detailed and creative. The game truly pulls you into humor and a fun adventure.
What Remains of Edith Finch- Giant Sparrow
It’s very similar to Gone Home, an exploration game discovering secrets and revelations of family members.
What Remains of Edith Finch follows the Finch family and their series of peculiar deaths from each generation. Only one Finch remains and she wants to learn about her lineage by visiting the family home.
Through this home, you discover the colorful people that lived there and their tragic or odd deaths. It’s a narrative-based game of discovery. Like Gone Home the stories you learn about are the crux of the game.
Ni No Kuni Wrath of the White Witch-Level5 Studios
Surprisingly not many people know of this game, which is a shame. It was released in 2011 on the PlayStation 3. Now, it’s available on Switch, PC, and remastered for PlayStation 4.
Oh, and I forgot, the cut scenes are animated traditionally, by studio Ghibli!! So you know this game is Gorgeous.
But it’s not just the visuals that are charming, but the story as well. The game follows a young boy named Oliver who through pain and loss is convinced he can save his mother by traveling to another world. I don’t want to spoil too much because the story truly is most special without any spoilers.
The Long Dark-Hinterland Studios
Hinterland Studios truly made something special with this one. The Long Dark is a survival game about a pilot Makenzie (player), who on a favor, flies his ex-wife Astrid Deep into the Northern Canadian wilderness. Due to complications of a storm, the plane crashes and separates the two.
This is where the game begins. I won’t say further from the opening scene because the importance of the opening cannot be understated. Just know, that this game is in the truest sense a survival game, so be prepared.
Currently, the game has four chapters with another one in the works. The developers are constantly updating their blogs and are involved in the community. Never have I seen such a dedicated fanbase so if you are a survival game fan, you’ll never be alone. Although incomplete, it’s definitely worth it for all the extra survival modes and content outside of the base game.
