10 games much deeper than you think

Game news 10 games much deeper than you think

10 games with a minimalist look and yet so deep

flower

If there is one studio that has made minimalist but deep gaming their creed, it is the game company. If there is no clear and precise message in the games of Kellee Santiago and Jenova Chen, the two friends and their pals manage to Breathe in a lot of emotion through simple titles with no real script. This was the case for flOw in 2007 and Flower in 2009. The latter invites the player to control the wind to make a petal fly. No text in this game. The narrative is only formed by these great green expanses that you cross and that transform as you go.. It is a true ode to nature and the cycle of life. If Chen defends himself against any ecological message, it is certain that the experience will do something to change the way you view the world. Some probably know It’s also the game company behind Journey. A game that could at least as well have its place in our selection.

Happy game

Contrary to what the title suggests, is to say the least Happy Game is a psychedelic horror game. Despite the fairly simple graphics and game mechanics (although the artistic orientation is striking), the game by Amanita Design is much more complex than it looks. This little independent game actually offers relatively unnoticed an interesting exhibition about the various disorders and trauma that can plague the human mind, all in the form of a priori simply crazy nightmares. With its very special and very disturbing atmosphere, Happy Game changes our perception of the human psyche without the slightest dialogue or detailed scenario. Therefore among these point’n-click airlines of classic psychological horror, This little independent is way deeper than it seems.

• Happy Game – October 28, 2021 Pc Switching

I’m dead

After two projects that were as minimalistic as possible, the makers of Hohokum and Wilmot’s Warehouse 2020 ended up with a title in the same direction: I Am Dead. In contrast to the two games previously mentioned in this selection, This puzzle game follows a scenario. You play as Morris Lupton, the curator of the Shelmerston Island Museum, who just withered away. Then he discovers that his island is hit by a tragic accident. With his ghost dog Sparky, he decides to do everything possible to prevent this disaster. During this search, I Am Dead dissects the afterlife, feelings of sadness, and our relationship with memories. In short, this game published by Annapurna Interactive poetically analyzes our vision of life and death.

• I’m dead – October 8th, 2020 Pc PS5 Xbox series PS4 ONE Switching

Nice words

Developed and published by Popcannibale, This little independent game is one of the healthy games. Kesako? So the healthy games are games that are good for you. In the latter, we forget about any form of violence in order to immerse ourselves in a calming and very cute atmosphere. Kind Words takes this idea to a climax with a simple yet innovative concept. Against the background of lo-fi music, players are invited to write requests, that is Letters that make it possible to classify words in their complaints. Letters to which other players can respond with encouragement or sympathy. Between cathartic power and mutual help, Kind Words is its own game that doesn’t offer much in terms of gameplay. Yet his concept exudes benevolence by breaking down his players’ fears to help them move forward. Ultimately, the message behind this simple game is that helping one another cure all ills.

• Kind Words – September 13, 2019 Pc

The beginner’s guide

After The Stanley Parable in 2013 (who could also have appeared in our list), Davey Wreden offered a new atypical storytelling game in 2015. His name? The beginner’s guide. Even easier than its predecessor, This new title is both short and simple. For an hour (or even an hour and a half) your only actions are limited to walking or pulling a lever. But like in The Stanley Parable, the important thing is not in the gameplay, but in the concept. In The Beginner’s Guide you slip into your own role: that of a player. Through this ode to video game development, discover the works of Coda, the game developer. The game actually looks like this a real museum that offers a theoretical and psychoanalytic look at the gameplay and the development process, all commented on by the voice of Davey Wreden himself.

The witness

If its at least basic graphics could scare off more than one, it would be a mistake not to venture into the mysterious The Witness. Designed by the designer of the solid braid (2008), Jonathan Blow, This exploration and puzzle game is amazing to say the least. In addition to many well thought-out puzzles, the title has a special aura, forged by a scenario that is not very present and leaves room for all theories. The story of The Witness is revealed step by step through audio diaries scattered around the game, the idea was to be as evasive as possible so only players who solved as many puzzles as possible could understand what was wrong with them. Because of this, many people see The Witness a kind of allegory of learning. Even more, this game carries a philosophical messagethat anyone can interpret at will to give a second reading to this monument of video games.

Thomas was alone

The title from Bithell Games is likely the most minimalist of the games tackled until now. In fact, in Thomas Was Alone, strictly speaking, you don’t play a character, but one Thomas, a little red rectangle that feels very lonely, which prevents it from evolving around it through the various 2D platforms in the world. To do this, he has to make new friends and work with them using their different skills. Using this rather simplified concept, Thomas Was Alone explores the history of the first sensitive AIs. In addition to exploring their surroundings, they need to discover their limits and the relationships they can have with others. Wider, This game questions the idea of ​​sharing and friendship. Even the story of simple little rectangles can be alive and moving. The ending of Thomas Was Alone shows this wonderfully.

To the moon

It is often said that one has to be careful about the exterior. A perfect saying for To the Moon, which despite what you might think is more of a “visual novel” adventure than a classic old-school role-playing game. And that’s why it has its full place here, despite being one of the most elaborate games in this selection. This title takes us on a moving journey through the memories of an old man who lived through his last days. In the shoes of Drs Eva Rosalene and Neil Watts, your goal is simple: Research this man’s past so he can lead the life he has always dreamed of. In search of the right moment, you will then witness a touching story about the development of life (and the couple) in the face of the whims that shape it. In contrast to the previous productions, To the Moon is similar, through its deep and detailed narrative, on titles like What Remains of Edith Finch.

unpacking

This one made about him a few weeks ago. Small unpretentious game, it had some success precisely because it wasn’t as easy as it seems. However, the concept did not have what many dream of at first glance: a puzzle game where you have to unpack your things every time you move. But over the course of this relaxing activity (neither scoring nor scoring), Unpacking gradually reveals its emotional story. Because whoever says move, says change. Thanks to a well-mastered environmental storytelling, This little nugget from Witch Beam takes us by the hand to discover the different phases of the character’s life that we follow through his boxes. Phases that are likely to appeal to a large part of you. And Unpacking does this with no real character or dialogue. A tour de force that makes it a surprisingly deep game.

• Unpacking – November 1st, 2021 Pc Xbox series ONE

When the past was there

We close this selection with an adventure game and point’n-click puzzles: When the past was there. If we forget its original artistic direction, the game of Mojiken and Brigitta Rena can seem pretty mundane at first glance. In fact, we venture into everyday places to solve pretty classic puzzles and perform far from fantastic actions (Drink tea, wash clothes …). And yet these are deep themes that are skillfully taken up in this game: Love, distance, feelings that develop over the course of a relationship, or the need to sometimes let go and forget the pain of the past in order to move forward. Everything is carried by a soundtrack composed on the violin, which accompanies you through these personal and universal questions.

• When the past was there – September 22nd, 2020 Pc PS4 ONE Switching

But also…

• A short hike: Under its very simple gameplay, the title adamgryu is an ode to freedom and deeper exploration than expected.

• Soon it will be summer: a game as simple as it is very complex, which takes up the work of Marguerite Duras in a completely experimental way.

• Large pharmaceutical company: With its classic management gameplay, this game may seem mundane, but it has a devastating and sarcastic look at the pharmaceutical market.

• Device 6: if it doesn’t look a priori, Simogo’s game still offers an original concept that uses the game as a new literary medium.