Edit 2: got a notification about Cronos: The New Dawn as I was launching Steam and decided to go for it. So far… holy hell, yep! Soo much yep! Just, uuh… turn off ray-tracing…
Edit: thanks so much to everyone who chimed in, there are some awesome recs in this thread! Also, really sorry to hear so many of you can relate to such games, good thing we have’em!
I apologise if I missed anyone’s comment.
OP: So, going through It™ again and my mood’s really gloomy. Anyone got any good recommendations to go with my mood?
To specify, PC-only, and I’m mostly asking for atmosphere, though some mechanical goodness will not go unappreciated. Thinking of stuff like Observer, Silent Hill, Darkwood, Arx Fatalis, Fallout: NV, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, etc. Played most of these except Bloodborne, gathering the patience to deal with emulation.
Edit: oh, and if the story’ll shred my soul to pieces, all the better! Hit me with your best shot!
Hollow Knight (more so than Silksong tbh)
Night in the Woods (not the same vibe as the games you mentioned but absolutely a “had a bad day” vibe)
I immediately thought of NitW too!
Hollow Knight looks absolutely gorgeous, but I’m intimidated by it:))
Night in the Woods is on my list, likewise looks gorgeous, and from the few things I’ve heard about it, it sounds deeply thoughtful!
I’m reluctant to suggest What Remains of Edith Finch.
It will shred you.
That’s what I was going to recommend too. And very short too. It’s just a rainy afternoon.
Good! Hope it does thin slices, thank you!
You might like ori
I have it in my library, but I’m scared of it=)) A friend of mine played it and cried his ass off, and he really isn’t someone who does a lot of crying!:))
For both rich atmosphere and unique game mechanics, you could do a lot worse than Return of the Obra Dinn.
If you’re unfamiliar, the presentation evokes early PC (or Mac, more specifically) black and white “1 bit” games, but real time 3d. This already is very distinctive, but the gameplay also sets it apart.
You are an insurance investigator with a magic pocket watch which allows you to travel back to the moment in time that someone expired, if you find their corpse. From these brief flashes (and by cross-referencing the ship manifest) you piece together what happened to all the crew and passengers on the ships ill-fated voyage, before it’s baffling reemergence years after the fact.
Oh, I’ve known about this one, been avoiding Grim Beard’s review of it since it came out=)) This one looks so artful that I need to be in the right state of mind, otherwise I’d do it a disservice.
These are basically ancient, but if you want to feel like crap.
- The walking dead, from telltale
- spec ops the line
- this war of mine
- papers please
Thank you! Have’em all in my library, I really should check my backlog…
Limbo
Inside is great as well
Limbo and Inside, noted! Thank you both!
I say Inside. Mostly because I never beat Limbo because I got stuck, and Inside was graphically superior and super gloomy.
Oh, I don’t mind outdated graphics, grew up in the 90s and it’s all we had:)) Mechanical difficulty isn’t a problem, either, because it plays into my masochistic tendencies!
I’ve heard Spiritfarer is quite emotional.
It is. Its also maybe not the best game to play when you’re struggling. I played it when I lost a close family member and I became a wreck for weeks
It helped me process the loss, but it drew all of my emotions out in the process
Well, that’s what I’m looking for, honestly. Trying to burn the hurt out in a way, and it’s easier to process when in a context where such issues are analysed.
Ooh, and it looks so sweet and wholesome!❤️ Thank you, will give it a whirl!
Oh boy, this is a game that absolutely ripped my heart out. I’ve never been great at saying goodbye, I did everything I could before the first goodbye and then I quit. I loved the game, but it hits me in a strange soft spot.
Brothers is kinda similar to provide a recommendation.
The long dark is a harsh winter survival game with a gloomy story (dlc). https://store.steampowered.com/app/305620/The_Long_Dark/
It doesn’t have much of a pre-defined story to it, but I would say Project Zomboid is pretty moody and has a lot of gameplay depth.
Really does look moody, and I love the strategy bits! Thanks, definitely wishlisted!
Awesome! If this is your type of thing, you may be in for some amazing experiences, particularly if you can play it multiplayer with friends or on a good server. Look up some good Project Zomboid video reviews or fan trailers to get an idea.
How about The Long Dark? A struggle to survive in a cold, dead world. The atmosphere is superb and I think it pairs well with a melancholy mood. Sorry to hear you’re dealing with crap.
Came here to post this, as well.
Thank you both! Gonna look into it, had it in the back of my mind for a while.
Sunless Sea is moody, gloomy, weird and beautiful. Music is hauntingly disturbing and nostalgic at the same time. It’s a weird mix of roguelike, trading&combat sim that’s heavy on choose your own adventure narratives while exploring lots of unique locations.
Yet another one I already own and completely forgot about, thank you!
STALKER, it’s story may not wreck you but the monolith will.
If you want to be kicked in the dick play the anomaly mod, pretty sure it’s free and doesn’t require the games.
Ooh, played them all, repeatedly! Have a second run of 2 ongoing, but these are closer to comfort games to me. Playng STALKER or Vew Vegas feels like coming home:))
Dying Light
Hardspace Shipbreaker (Solid story, Hating on a Doloris Umbridge type character)
Dredge
Thank you! I’ve played quite a bit of Dying Light back when it came out, lots of fun in co-op!
As for Hardspace Shipbreaker and Dredge, the first I wanted to try for a while (big fan of Space Engineers), and the second looks like “life as a background character in a Lovecraftian story,” so awesome!
Outer Wilds. Best game ever made. Stick with it.
I’ve had this one installed for over a year now, but I’m scared of it:)) Same happened with SIGNALIS, can’t explain it.
Have you played Control? It was on sale recently on Steam
Yepyep! On my NG+ currently, it’s my form of Story Mode:))
Just finished that one, I fucking loved it, but that story just sort of brick walls at the end in a way that made me want a sequel really bad. I want more SCP inspired games like Control, the setting and anomalous items alone make for a great game.
