Video Games
I really love videogames. I have been playing games as long as I can remember and they have always been a major part of my life. I have complied a list of my favorite games to check out. These games have changed my life and I would feel sad if others never got to experience them. Something that I have recently realized is that I am a very empathic person, and as a result a lot of my favorite pieces of media have complex characters and narratives. If you do not consume media through frequently trying to understand the perspectives of charcters, than you might not get much out of a lot of my favorites, which is totally cool and fine.
I find it very difficult to try and compare videogames with eachother because games differ in so many
different ways.
Basically, I value games with interesting gameplay, visuals, music, and messaging.
It is important to me that games make use of their unique format, and are not just books or movies disguised
as games.
If a game feels "important" to me, I am going to find it better than a game which may be more "fun", but is
ultimately depthless and forgettable.
There are also some games, like Minecraft, which I really love but cannot put on this list because they are
more cultural experiences than videogames to me.
For similar reasoning, there are no strictly multiplayer games on this list.
I am also a firm believer in going into videogames blind, and will therefore try to be as spoiler-free as
possible.
Honorable Mention: Pokémon Franchise
I absolutely adore Pokemon. Pokemon has been there for me my entire life and is by far the gaming franchise that I have sunk the most hours into. Collectively, I think that Pokemon has the greatest soundtrack of any gaming series. My favorite Pokemon game is Legends Arceus but my first one was Soul Silver. Better than any official game are the fangames and romhacks: Insurgence, Unbound, and Crystal Clear. As much as I love this franchise, no individual game is great enough to be on this list. Still, I hold so much love for this series <3
1. Omori
Personal Rating: 10/10
WARNING: This game explores extreme topics of self-harm and mental illness. Please do not play if you are a child.
To me, Omori is easily the greatest piece of media ever made and I would be shocked if I ever find a game that I love more. The core gameplay is nothing that special, but everything else about the game is. The pacing is a little slow at the beginning and it will take a few hours to really get good but it is worth it. The Omori community is very spoiler-heavy, so please just play the game with as little information as possible. Honestly, even knowing that Omori is great is too much knowledge to have. Just play the game, it's life-changing.
2. Clinical Trial
Personal Rating: 9/10
WARNING: This game explores extreme topics of self-harm and mental illness. Please do not play if you are a child.
As of writing this, it has only been a few days since playing this game so there is likely some recency bias affecting my opinion here. Still, I was blown away to see how impactful and thought-provoking this game and it's characters were. I know that the barchart I filled out for this game look low but this game just felt so special to me in a way that cannot be visualized. Again, the community is very spoiler-heaviy so please just play the game with as little infromation as possible. You can literally play Clinical Trial for free and it is only a few hours long, so just play it.
3. Outer Wilds
Personal Rating: 9/10
Outer Wilds is a game about space exploration. It's kind of like a giant 30 hour-long escape room. I have never seen a game make such good use of the gaming format to create an experience so unique to the gaming artform. This game can definately be frustrating and confusing at times. I mean, it literally tries to teach you quantum mechanics. Because of this, a lot of people quit before this game really gets good which is super sad to me. I urge you to perservere through the challenge and to not look up anything about this game. Ultimately, this game is beautiful and thought-provoking. For an indie game, Outer Wilds is an incredibly impressive feat of development. Good luck with this one :)
4. The
Beginner's Guide
Rating: 9/10
The Beginner's Guide is like poetry translated perfectly into gaming. I don't even really know how to describe it and would recommend going into this game completely blind. It was made by Davey Wreden, creator of The Standley Parable and the brother of Doug Doug. This is the shortest game on this list, it only takes about an hour to complete, but it was super memorable to me.
5. Portal 2
Personal Rating: 10/10
Portal 2 is a perfect videogame to me. Still, the games above this one felt more unique and memorable to see so I put them higher. Regardless, Portal 2 is such a genuinely fun time to play through. The puzzles, characters, tone, environments, and controls all feel so perfect. It is also easily the funniest game ever made with so many great jokes. If you like Portal 2, I would also recommend the fan mods Portal Reloaded (which is more puzzle focused) and Portal Revolution (which is more story focused).
6. The Binding of
Isaac
Rating: 8/10
Isaac's gameplay is incredible if you like roguelikes. Know that the DLCs are required to make the game really good and the DLCs can be quite pricey if not purchased on sale. It is absolutely mandatory that you use the "Antibirth music +++" mod to add Mudeth's incredible music. Super addictive indie game, good for hundreds of hours of playtime.
7. Stardew
Valley
Rating: 8/10
Starpeak Valley. You've already played it. You know it's great. Listen to the spring soundtrack on repeat for a good time.
