Looking for emotional game recommendations

Submitted ⁨⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone⁩ to ⁨games@lemmy.world⁩

My favorite games are Omori, Disco Elysium and Outer Wilds. I cried for hours at the end of those games, and I think the common point in them is high-quality emotional writing and stellar OST (music really affect me).
I’ve been trying to find something similar, so hss anybody any recommendation?
I’d like to add that I basically hated Nier Automata (way too pretentious imo) and Before your Eyes (I wasn’t a fan of the game concept, and found the story pretty weak), and really loved the horror aspects of Omori.

source

Comments

Sort:hotnew top

Aremel@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I haven’t played it myself, but I’ve seen playthroughs of The Last of Us. Even though there’s a sequel, I’ve heard the first one is better. Anyway, if engaging story is what you’re after, I’d check that out.

I’ve also never played this one, but I’ve heard SpecOps: The Line is also a gutpunch.

It’s a bit of a commitment, but I always found the Halo series to be kinda emotional to me, but then I also grew up with it and got invested in the characters. Your mileage may vary with Halo.

Final recommendation would be Ori and the Blind Forest if you’re into platformers.

source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Already played through Spec ops the line and loved it, but not as muxh as those other games.
  
  I never played TLOU, might try it out
  And yeah Halo wasn’t for me at all
  Ori has been also recommended a lot to me but isn’t it hard to get attached to characters with the presentation the game is going for?
  
  source
  - Aremel@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Yeah, Ori is emotional but there isn’t much to attach you to the characters if that’s what you’re looking for.
    
    Might I recommend Witcher 3? I didn’t play the other ones, but I found myself getting attached to the characters by the end all the same.
    
    source
  - runner_g@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    The Last of Us can be very intense, and the ending of both 1 and 2 are heart wrenching. I definitely recommend them both. Also take reviews of 2 with a grain of salt. A lot of red pill misogynists hated it.
    
    source
k110111@feddit.de ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Brothers a tale of two sons.

It is very emotional

source
- Chenzo@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Came in here to mention this.
  
  Easy and fun to play. Totally full of feels
  
  source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Lots of people recommended it, I’ll look into it
  
  source
ryathal@sh.itjust.works ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
The first walking dead game from telltale was good, but if you’ve played anything they’ve done its largely the same.

Papers please can get emotional, but it’s mostly intense pressure.

source
- Chenzo@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I was so scared for and protective of Clementine.
  
  So good.
  
  source
  - Cocodapuf@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    But not even a mention of everyone’s favorite character, Kenny?
    
    Kenny will remember that.
    
    source
B0NK3RS@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Death Stranding had me all over the place. Also the first episode of Telltales The Walking Dead*.

Basically anything with kids can set me off and I find somewhat difficult nowadays as I have children of my own.

source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  As an MGS fan I’m trying to get into death stranding but struggle to do so…
  
  source
  - B0NK3RS@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    It took me a couple tries with DS too. The first few chapters don’t do it justice but once you get past that it’s just amazing.
    
    source
Adderbox76@lemmy.ca ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
This War of Mine

source
Bombastion@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
To the Moon was great. It’s made with RPG Maker and it shows, but it hits hard.

source
- Cocodapuf@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I started playing this game about a month after my dad died of cancer, I had to just nope out entirely. I could dig my teeth into Stellaris or build a flying guitar in Kerbal space program, but I couldn’t handle To the Moon or Firewatch.
  
  Oh hey, there’s a recommendation, play Firewatch, it’s got some big feelings too.
  
  source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Already talked about it in my post
  
  source
Aielman15@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
The Talos Principle, despite being a puzzle game, has a gorgeous story if you take your time to listen to the audiologs and read the files you find in the world.

Iconoclast is an action platformer with great story and characters. It takes a bit to become interesting imo, but it grew on me the more I played it and I remember it fondly.

Signalis is a survival horror game that combines a presentation similar to that of old school Resident Evil games with lovecraftian cosmic horror. The story is very cryptic and requires a bit of effort on the player’s part, but I really enjoyed it both for its themes and the characters (more than the actual gameplay).

A Plague Tale Innocence/Requiem are two action adventure games with an enthralling story, well written characters and a gut punching ending. The disease aspect of the story is not prominent in the first game, and the ending is satisfying imo, so you could stop there if diseases are a no-go for you.

I really liked Life is Strange 2 and its themes really resonated with me, but it is very divisive among fans.

I also enjoyed Haven’s sci-fi love story, and found it one of the best depictions of an actual relationship in gaming: where most games tend to end when two characters declare their love/share a kiss/whatever, Haven’s beginning is well after they got together and the entire game is them being together, talking and joking and stuff. If you’re a bit sentimental, you may like it.

These are just games from the current/last gen, but you can find other great stories if you are willing to play with an emulator or have old consoles lying around. Xenogears is a JRPG from the old PS1 days, and it’s still the best one of its genre. Oddworld Abe’s Oddysee is a puzzle platformer with very modern themes despite its age, and its mix of fairy tale-like storytelling and horror/splatter presentation is very unique and engaging. I still think of Rue’s story in Threads of Fate as one of the most emotional stories I’ve played as a kid.

I could go on, but I already listed waaay to much titles lol

source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Started playing Signalis, it seems heavily inspired by Silent hill 2!
  
  source
  - Aielman15@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    If you like the format, I also recommend a good YT breakdown of Signalis: youtu.be/x1Gv8yjEXw8?feature=shared
    
    Watch it only after you’ve finished the game.
    
    source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I’ve been looking to play Haven as it is from the studio that made another of my favorite games, Furi. Signalis might also be for me
  
  source
cafuneandchill@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I really wanted to suggest Nier Replicant, but, seeing as you didn’t like Automata, I guess there’s no point. I enjoyed both, though, since I kind of was in a specific headspace the time I played them. I also took both at face value initially, which has helped

Other than that, may I suggest Beacon Pines? It’s all about the story, so I think you’ll love it. The way you discover different branching paths the story takes is also quite novel.

I also loved FAR: Lone Sails. It’s more of a “show, don’t tell” kinda story

There’s also this itchio game I found once – Under a star called Sun. It’s super short, though

source
Bronzie@sh.itjust.works ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Brothers: A tale of two sons.

Only game that ever made me cry alone.

source
Stopthatgirl7@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Since you’re ok with horror, I highly recommend both Detention and Devotion by Red Candle Games. Both of them start out as horror, then gut punch you as you realize what’s going on. Devotion is an amazing example of domestic horror (the horror that can happen inside the home), and Detention is the horror that people do when they don’t realize the consequences of their actions. Devotion has stuck with me, and to this day the last line makes me want to cry.

source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Woha never heard of that, I’ll look into it
  
  source
  - Stopthatgirl7@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    You can only get Devotion on Red Candle’s website, thanks to Chinese censorship bullshit. It got pulled off Steam, then when GOG said they would sell it, they freaked out because they were worried about CP2077 sales and claimed “gamers” complaining made them change their mind (but wouldn’t respond to anyone asking for specifics).
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
bbb@sh.itjust.works ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Telltale’s The Walking Dead games. Made me cry more than when my dog died.

source
- Cocodapuf@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  A thousand times, this.
  
  Playing the walking dead games made me finally realize what the zombie genre is really all about. Zombie apocalypses are really a metaphor for the experience of life, In the end death takes everyone, in a zombie apocalypse it’s just accelerated. But death is a reality we all face, there’s no escaping it, there’s no running from it, there’s no outsmarting it; eventually you slip up or maybe you’re careful and responsible the whole way through, it actually doesn’t matter, you’ll still die in the end. What does matter are the choices you make along the way, the people’s lives that you touch, the world you can either leave better than you found it, or worse.
  
  source
EmoDuck@sh.itjust.works ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Rage and anger are emotions so I’d suggest League of Legends

source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Already felt those way too much…
  
  source
vervein@sopuli.xyz ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Dark Souls 1 can be emotional with a strong and deep atmosphere but the narration is kind of loose.

Shenmue 1. Really special game focused on the feeling of losing a relative with emphasis on the story. Tons of bittersweetness in that game.

Resident Evil HD remaster has some very sad moment, even if overall it is more scary than sad.

source
lemonuri@lemmy.ml ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I am into emotional storytelling as well, I think what gets you involved most are well drawn characters.

I would recommend planescape torment for an epic adventure full of stories, characters and heartbreak.

Really good stories/characters are few and far between in computer games but “The longest journey” comes to mind and even the first Witcher game.

Unavowed comes to mind as well as a rather affecting story.

And a couple of dozen books, but that’s not what you asked for…

source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Could you recommend books either way? It might interest me
  
  source
  - lemonuri@lemmy.ml ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I always loved the Song of Ice and Fire books by George Martin, be aware that the series is not finished, though. I am a big fan of Stephen King as well, he writes great characters. It, Shawshank Redemption, The Dark Tower… Thuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is very emotional, I could not even finish it. Deadhouse Gates by Stephen Erikson. The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb just to name a few…
    
    source
oji@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Xenoblade Chronicles 1-3 & X

source
morphballganon@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I immediately thought of Arise: A Simple Story.

There’s no dialogue, but the imagery and soundtrack are very powerful.

source
FaceButt9000@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Borderlands 2, then the expansion Tiny Tina’s assault on dragon keep.

source
Contramuffin@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
If it’s emotional you want, you can’t beat To the Moon and its sequel, Finding Paradise. They’re walking sims, but they’ve got great stories that’ll make you ugly cry

source
ExtraMedicated@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
You might like Inmost.

source
Ashtear@lemm.ee ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Final Fantasy X still holds my personal ugly-cry record. To this day, I can’t hear some of the music from it without tearing up. It’s one of those games that has emotional react videos on YouTube.

Shadow of the Colossus manages to be emotional with very little explicit story. A lot of it has to do with its use of dynamic music in an orchestral soundtrack.

Persona 3 just had a remake, and that’s part of a series that can really gets its hooks into you. A big part of it is the parasocial gameplay, but even if you’re not the type to get into that, the story is still very moving. Persona series composer Shoji Meguro recently said the ending theme in this game was his magnum opus.

source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Huge RPGs kinda scare me… But Ive heard a lot about Persona 3 that might get me to play it
  
  source
  - Ashtear@lemm.ee ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Persona 3 is one of the “shorter” ones in the contemporary Persona series at a mere 60 hours. Persona 5 Royal is a beast, though. Hard to get through that one in under 100 hours without rushing.
    
    source
Eggyhead@kbin.run ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Maybe What Remains of Edith Finch? Also, maybe it was just a weird time in my life, but I think I bawled hardest at the end of FFVII: Crisis Core back in the PSP days. Braid is an emotionally weird one as well.

source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I played ff7 crisis core when I was 10 or so… It was wonderful I never heard of Braid
  
  source
  - Eggyhead@kbin.run ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Braid is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with a mind-bending and somewhat heartbreaking twist at the end. I played it ages ago, but will never forget it. I don’t think it was very long.
    
    source
kuneho@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Mother series. especially Earthbound (Mother 2) and Mother 3

source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Played Earthbound and I pretty much already know what happens in Mother 3, but excellent recommendations!
  
  source
  - kuneho@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    yay
    
    source
Gaffgarion@lemmy.ca ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
If you enjoy platformers, I’d recommend Sanabi.

source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I unfortunately abandonned Sanabi… I find the characters a bit too 1d unfortunately :c
  
  source
Lautaro@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
My recommendation would be God of War (2018). Haven’t played Ragnarok yet, so I can’t talk about that one. You really attach to the characters. Their personalities are well defined, and it presents some father/mother/son dilemmas along the journey. Great OST, too.

I know it’s not known as “emotional,” but it’s the only game I recall that made me cry a little at the end,

I don’t think playing previous GoW games is mandatory. A quick recap is enough.

source
Essence_of_Meh@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
If you hated Nier Automata then perhaps Drakengard 3 would be more up your alley?

It’s still emotional by the end but that game has more humor and is more whimsical/strange - especially during route A. The initial humor can be a hit or miss but I think it’s used nicely to contrast with later parts of the story.

Unfortunately it’s a PS3 exclusive and considering how the game runs on that system the best way to play it is emulation.

source
glimse@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Before Your Eyes

source
- Bogusmcfakester@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Came to recommend this, I cried like a little girl. 10/10
  
  source
- seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  As I said in the post I kinda hated the game
  
  source
rdri@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Immortal Defense.

source