That does indeed make sense, thank you (and many others) for the answers!

I hate to admit it but it seems that way. Our social systems, transport, healthcare, etc. were severely degraded by rightwing policies, and now many people voted for an even more rightwing party, as if they are gonna clean up the mess. Fucking idiots.

It is currently singleplayer vs bots and the scenarios are admittedly limited. However, again, single dev (at the moment). Multiplayer is on the roadmap far in the future and will likely not really be pvp as that introduces challenges for balancing.

For now though, the designer is very free in what it lets you do for the most part and has a lot of options.

If you’re on the fence, I would recommend looking up some videos on youtube that showcase the game’s capabilities. Make sure to pick a decently recent one (ergo past half year or so).

While it does indeed kind of smell like an ad, keep in mind this is not some triple-A bullshit. It’s made by a single dev and has a heavily involved community on reddit and discord where competitions are hosted and suggestions are made. Regardless of tankies reputation, that kind of behaviour is not tolerated in either of those communities. I’ve been playing it on and off and have over 500 hours into it by now. It is a very niche game, but for those that like tanks and military games in general, it is a real gem.

I too love emotional games. Here are my personal favourites. Some of these have been recommended by others but idc:

What Remains of Edith Finch - as Edith Finch, you go back to the house you grew up in and explore your family’s history. The Finch family have had much misfortune, and many did not grow old. As you explore the house room by room, you see that person’s last moments. I cannot recommend this game enough. It’s only 2 hours long and best enjoyed in a single sitting.

Life is Strange - you (Max) have recently returned to the town you grew up in for a prestigious art programme at the Blackwell Academy. One day, you discover you have suddenly gained the ability to rewind time. In this game, you explore your powers and reunite with your old childhood friend, Chloe. Don’t worry too much about the superpower thing, it’s without any Marvel BS.

Detroit: Become Human - in this game, you explore a world where robots are servants to humans from the POV of three robots. There are three stories that you follow that do meet each-other at some points. Not all stories are equally exciting, but two of the three are pretty great imo. It really makes you think about what it means to be human.

Kentucky Route Zero - this is an odd duck that you may enjoy as well. You start as Conway, an old man driving for an antiques shop doing his last delivery, as the shop will close down soon. As you try to find your way, a gas station attendant gives you cryptic directions to Highway Zero. As Conway and several other characters, you explore the surrealist world beneath Kentucky. It’s a game filled with mystery, grief, loss, and being lost. This game is more like a strange dream rather than a videogame, and is therefore best played in the later hours of the day.

I hope there are some interesting picks here for you. Enjoy!

The game came out of the blue for me, but I picked it up yesterday. The singleplayer experience so far is pretty nice. It’s not too difficult so far, the story is a bit basic but acceptable, and so far it runs great. I haven’t experienced any bugs so far either. I did see in the reviews that the multiplayer needs some balancing/tweaking though.

A bit of an obscure one is Roadwarden. If I remember correctly, it was made by a single person. The grafics are pixelated style, which is usually a bit of a turn off for me (I don’t need hyperrealistic, just don’t like big pixels), but the gameplay is amazing. It is a combination of a graphical novel and an RPG where choices matter. It does not have spicy real-time combat or a leveling system, but your choices in the story and of your class matter.

To give a quick introduction to the story: You start as a roadwarden, someone tasked with keeping the roads safe. You are tasked by the elite in a rich city to assess the trading prospects with a poor province up north; assess its people, infrastructure, and resources that they offer. You have a limited time to complete your task, as autumn and winter are closing in, and the nights are too dangerous to venture on the roads.

In this game, you cannot help everyone. Helping one group can condemn another, and actions that may be noble in spirit may fail spectacularly. I’ve had a lot of fun playing through this, and it is my recommendation if you don’t really care for real-time combat.

I have seen it recommended somewhere in the comments but I want to shed some more light on this game: What Remains of Edith Finch. It is a walking simulator that should take about 2 hours and is best played in a single session.

As Edith Finch, you go back to the house where you grew up in your younger years to explore it. The Finch family has an almost genetic trait of bad luck; many of them have died before their time. You explore the house room by room and explore that person’s last moments.

There is no gore or horror of any kind, but there are children that die, so if that is a trigger I would sit this one out. If not, it is currently on sale for less than €5. It is worth it.

As a non-native English speaker I fully understand what it means and will happily correct it to football for you :P

Rollercoaster Tycoon 1, 2, and 3 when I was quite young. In my teens it was Minecraft.

Thanks for the recommendation! Will do

What Remains of Edith Finch

Kentucky Route Zero

Life is Strange

These are not the games I play the most. In terms of hours it would be Minecraft, Civilization VI, Divinity II: Original Sin, and Sprocket. And I love those games a lot, but they don’t bring me the same experience as a well made story-driven game.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a “walking simulator” in terms of gameplay, but it should really be seen as an interactive movie. As Edith Finch, you go back to the house you grew up in as a kid, and where the whole Finch family lived once. The Finch family are generally quite unfortunate and usually meet an untimely end to their lives. As you go through the house room by room, you explore Edith’s memories and the last moments of the person who died. It is only two hours long and should be played in a single sitting for the best experience. It is so far the only game where, when it was finished, I couldn’t do anything besides sitting behind the screen, staring at the credits that were rolling, feeling bittersweet awe and sadness. It is an experience that I cannot recommend enough.

Kentucky Route Zero, on the other hand, is a bit harder to recommend, because I feel it’s much more niche. It is another story driven game that takes a point and click approach to moving around. What makes it tick, though, is the sense of mystery. The game starts with a man named Conway. He is delivering a shipment of antiques - the last one before the shop will close down. He is rather lost, but gets the directions that he must go over highway zero. As you go through the game, you explore the mysterious underground highway and river of Kentucky and meet interesting people along the way - all of them with their own issues. Debt, guilt, addiction, and loss are all handled in this game. It’s tricky to recommend, as there is nothing in terms of “actual gameplay.” But for those that enjoy an interactive and unique story, it should be on your radar.

And lastly, the most famous one on my list: Life is Strange. I don’t think it needs much introduction, but for those who don’t know it: It is a game about Max, who discovers she can rewind time to a certain extent, and Chloe, her childhood friend with whom she reconnects. Don’t worry about the superpower part too much; it’s not a wacky Marvel thing, but rather a tool that is used to influence your environment and the people around you in more subtle ways. You explore Arcadia Bay and its inhabitants and learn more about Chloe as well. The game also presents you with various story choices that influence how people feel about you and react to you. Don’t expect Detroit: Become Human levels of choices matter, though.

For me, I had the pleasure of going in completely blind and playing the prequel first. While I can understand that playing the prequel after the original can make the prequel feel underwhelming, it worked out for me. In the prequel, you play as Chloe before Max returns to Arcadia Bay and get to know her and her story. Then you go into Life is Strange already caring about Chloe, which elevated the experience significantly for me. So, to those that played it too, you know the choice I made at the end ;)

Absolute favourite game soundtrack? Frostpunk’s OST. The soundtrack really brings home the desperation and harshness of survival in the cold. When the storm is coming and the music swells up… goosebumps. Every single time.

Divinity 2: Original Sin has a great soundtrack too. Kinda surprised I couldn’t find it in the comments. Minecraft as well. It’s very soothing and calming.

Aside from that, some smaller titles with great music: GRIS, What Remains of Edith Finch, and FAR: Lone Sails.

Those people are often where most of the money comes from in f2p games. They are referred to as “whales” by the gaming industry.

I want to second What Remains of Edith Finch. Tip: play it in a single go. It will take about 2 hours, but trust me when I say it’s worth it.

You know you can turn off nudity and such, right? You know you can choose not to flirt with the origin characters, right?

Same here. I’m about to enter the Underdark and I’m very excited!

To be honest, many games published by Annapurna Interactive are an incredible experience. So, if you want to experience some new things, check them out if you haven’t already! I can personally recommend Stray and What Remains of Edith Finch. Final note; if you play the latter for the first time, play it in a single sitting. It’s only 2 hours but man is it worth it!

The annoying thing is that this was already an issue in Divinity II… Probably something to do with the engine as they made that themselves as well. I love both games a tonne, but this is definitely an issue that they seem to be repeating…

Hmmmmm 🤔🤔🤔