this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2024
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It feels like new games are just more of the same, with no real meaning. However I recently started playing "Return of the Obra Dihn" and love open ended deduction in it. It feels like I'm actually figuring things out by myself without being handheld through it. Are there any other games that don't coddle the player that you guys recommend?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Played through hifi rush recently. I can't think of a game that's done anything like it, I cannot recommend it enough. Was truely one of the best games I've ever played

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

The Witness is a good puzzle game where they give you the same kind of puzzle, but different areas have their own rules. They don't tell you how the rules work, but they're fairly intuitive and the ramp up in each area is good. Eventually you have to recall rules from previous puzzles. There are extra puzzles that go beyond the mold as well, but those are well hidden.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago

Other wilds as already suggested Is a must play. But a strong second contender for me Is cocoon. Logic/environment puzzles, with no hand holding in any way, you have to figure out everything but the level design Is sooo good.

Honorable mention for Tunic.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Forgotten City is another interesting game, that like Outer Wilds, has you piecing together a mystery. Hadn't seen it mentioned yet.

For an older classic in the mystery/no coddling space there is the Myst series. I've only played the first, but they're challenging puzzles/mystery point-and-click games.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

The Painscreek Killings sounds like the open ended deduction that you're describing. You play as a journalist who goes to an abandoned town to try to solve a cold case murder. The game doesn't tell you where or what to do next, or how to do it. I liked it because it was just me trying to figure the story out and what to do, not the game telling me "Put x and y together. Oh, look, it leads you to z!" (Also it's currently on sale on Steam for like 5 bucks.)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Journey beyond the edge of the world.

It's not out yet, but there's a demo and it's really good!

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago

The Talos Principle - It’s pretty much purely a puzzle game with a nice dose of philosophy to drive the story along. Some of the later puzzles can get pretty difficult, and some of the optional challenges will likely take you a good while to figure out without guides.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

Patrick's Parabox - Single developer, unique idea, mind bending - think outside and inside the boxes inside boxes.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

It's not difficult but I really enjoyed Super Liminal. Very short but fun.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Have you looked into the Rusty Lake series? Really odd

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Love the Rusty Lake games!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

the only one that ive played from them is samsara room lol

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

An odd one to start with. The first nine are free, look for Cube Escape collection. There's a narrative that runs through and will make the other entries make more sense.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

I enjoyed Carto and Paradise Killer, as far as "different and creative" goes.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Check out Fez if you haven't already. Also Tunic does a great job of starting out basic & breaking precedent.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

I watched a fascinating video describing Tunic, Outer Wilds, and Sekiro as knowledge based rougelikes. Where in playing the game you learn information (or enemy patterns in Sekiro's case) that make additional playthroughs vastly different.

If you haven't, watch some Tunic speed runs, as once you know where certain things are you can almost break the game without actually breaking it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There's 4 puzzle games called The Room that I found really interesting. It starts with a puzzle box that opens up with each solved puzzle to eventually reveal spaces within the box that are bigger than the box itself. There's something supernatural about these puzzle boxes and you get little clues about where it came from and who made it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I have those. I haven't gotten to them yet, but it is great to see someone who actually played them and enjoyed them

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Awesome! Hope you enjoy them

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 week ago

If you like Obra Dinn, you'll love Outer Wilds

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The Case of the Golden Idol, can't believe no one mentioned that...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

It uses the same puzzle solving mechanic as Return of the Obra Dinn in diorama style scenes.

Fantastic game.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago

I heard good word about Paradise Killer, in which you're also a detective and must figure out the truth

The outer wilds is amazing. You should play it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

The Long Dark

Survival game set in the cold Canadian wilderness. Most "survival" games are actually just boring crafting games but TLD is very different for me as it is mostly about exploring in the freezing cold with natural predators around to keep you on edge.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

I love Sam and Max

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Personally, I really liked Papers, Please. You play as a customs agent checking people's paperwork as they seek entry into your country. The idea of the game is very simple but it's surprisingly good at telling a story and putting you in situations that are morally difficult.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

If you enjoyed that, I’d also recommend lil guardsman, similar responsibility, different mechanics and a lot more forgiving

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago

Funny, that game is by the same creator as the game OP mentioned.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Specifically similar to RotOD is Heaven's Vault in that its pretty nonlinear, not hand holdy and that you figure out (a foreign language in this case). But it is more adventure style than RotOD.

Another one already mentioned Outer Wilds (not Outer Worlds!) and I completely agree and recommend it as well!

In general I have to say I disagree that new games are more of the same. We are in a golden age regarding new games and game genres. It's just, that there are so many games, that there are also many similar ones. And the big studios are the worst in that regard, just bury AAA and start to love Indie games!

As example, games which are different from others and not already mentioned in this thread:

  • Eastshade (you are a painter exploring a fantasy world, solving quests by painting pictures)
  • Rain World (you are a small animal trying to survive a hostile simulated world, you need to learn how the interaction between you, NPCs and the world works)
  • INSIDE (nearly pure atmosphere & no gameplay, but still great!)
  • Papers, Please (you are a government worker who has to check people coming over the border)
  • Her Story (you try to figure out what happened to a person via searching videos from her interrogation by the police)
  • What Remains of Edith Finch (part game anthology, part great story to connect those "mini games")
  • A Little To the Left (OCD in game form)
  • Ancestors: Humankind Odyssey (you play a primate tribe and evolve it towards Homo Sapiens in an african tropical forest)
  • Edit: and how could I forget: Disco Elysium, the greatest RPG! without combat, only social encounters and technical problems to solve in a wonderful world full of memorable and interesting characters.
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Sorry, the greatest Rpg remains planescape Torment.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Both are among the greatest RPGs.

Planescape suffers from it's zeitgeist and that it "needed" the fighting to be considered a RPG. I imagine it would surpass DE if they could have focused only on the story, the world and it's inhabitants.

DE could only reach it's high because PT existed first and showed what was possible and that the fighting only distracted.

If you haven't played Disco Elysium yet, I highly recommend it. Since you like reading long texts, that part of the game will not bother you as it does some other players.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut adds full voice over, so no reading required. Also the voice work for the inner thoughts is done by Lenval Brown and it is incredible. Like, seriously, go look up some gameplay footage on this. That man has a voice that you can listen to all day.

Also, Mike Goodman now voices the Horrific Necktie in the final cut and its the best thing ever.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

I wholeheartedly agree, the voices in this game are all awesome and fitting. I just didn't mention that because you either read the texts or sit even longer hearing them. Both ways you need a certain patience to enjoy this game. (Which not everyone has and that is okay as well)

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