Faded Grey

Faded Grey

Firstly, I didn’t realize this was a short promo game (that’s on me, of course, since I usually don’t read the game info before playing games). However, it still was a decent enough promo game. It definitely made me want to know more of the story. The story itself in this promo game was very brief (which is expected). The graphics are decent enough, I suppose. I did expect horror based from the user tags (which are always a hit or miss), but there isn’t any real horror, just a bit of suspense and dark themes (or a hint of a dark theme that involves possible

! incest/pedophilia, rather). So, definitely hope the next game lives up to the hype this game created.

Real player with 1.3 hrs in game


Read More: Best Emotional Psychological Games.


This was a rather short game with beautiful graphics (hello? that flooring?). I didn’t understand any of it when I began. I purposely played this game without even looking at the description because I wanted to see how I’d feel while playing it. I felt extremely weirded out by all the bunnies, and skeptical of the casserole. All in all, it was short and interesting despite it’s simple controls and minimal dialogue. It seriously left me craving more of this story. I feel like the more I learned, the more I needed to know.

Real player with 0.7 hrs in game

Faded Grey on Steam

Sea of Solitude

Sea of Solitude

EA is usually known for two things: microtransactions and more microtransactions. As a result, many gamers overlook their EA Original lineup, which features unique indie titles. One such is Sea of Solitude.

Shallow Sea

It’s always amazing to see developers find creative and unique ways of tackling themes surrounding mental health issues. Some succeed, some fail. Sadly, Sea of Solitude falls in the latter camp.

It fails for a couple of reasons. First, the writing. Instead of providing a more in-depth commentary on a particular issue, it opts for quantity over quality. As a result, it only skims over them and does a rather shallow take that boils down to “this is good” and “this is bad”.

Real player with 6.4 hrs in game


Read More: Best Emotional Singleplayer Games.


There are a bunch of short little 5 hour games or under now that you can play on the EA 5 bucks a month deal. This game and Unravel 1 and 2 etc. If you pick up the monthly pass to play these games you will knock them out in a single session or a week at most and will still have 3 weeks left to download and play a bunch of other neat games. Sea of Solitude is a once and done game for me so it is a perfect candidate for the monthly pass. But we are not here to talk about whether the EA pass has value or not we are here to talk about this game. So what can I tell you about it? Unfortunately not a lot. Spoilers.

Real player with 5.1 hrs in game

Sea of Solitude on Steam

Sweet Love

Sweet Love

A serious subject displayed with minimalist elegance and rhetorical gameplay. Video games are also great at that: to convey important, personal and yet universal experiences.

Real player with 1.8 hrs in game


Read More: Best Emotional Narration Games.


Don’t let my game time fool you, the game is finished in 16 minutes.

I am not fond of platformers in “normal” times. But Otterways made an amazing game that conveys a message all of humanity (men and women) should all learn.

If you can save buying a coffee on your week, you can buy the game, and possibly a few keys to share with whoever you want!

Real player with 0.9 hrs in game

Sweet Love on Steam

TRACHI

TRACHI

TRACHI is an interactive fiction game that plays similar to a visual novel. Upon starting the game, I was impressed by the minimalistic style of the opening and menu. Everything is simplistic yet looks very sharp, and you can immediately tell that a lot of effort was put into this game.

The tale starts off with an inquisition of sorts, and as you converse in this opening sequence the plot begins to unfold. The timeline bounces around as you are spoonfed piecemeal bits of information that slowly come together. I thought the use of this enhanced the storytelling and definitely kept me intrigued. Most of the characters have their own sprite art, and both the pixel and portrait art look top notch.

Real player with 4.0 hrs in game

Kinetic Novel with some interaction.

I enjoyed the writing a lot (and I disliked writing in most VNs I’ve tried so far).

Canny use of sound-effects gives so much atmosphere. They are proof that the devs have a deep understanding of storytelling.

I stopped playing after midgame because of too many crashes and slowdown. Reason is my old pc, I guess. Should work better if you have a bit more than the minimum specs.

Real player with 3.9 hrs in game

TRACHI on Steam

Broken Legends

Broken Legends

“When the evil rises, and the goodness sinks, it may be impossible to go back. But what you say, but what you do, there is some goodness inside of you."

Have you ever wanted to be the villain in an RPG? Well, Broken Legends is the game for you! Broken Legends is an Adventure RPG where you control a possessed 16-year-old. His name is Malum, and whatever is possessing him is turning him into a villain! Will you stop this force or become it? This choice will yield 2 different endings. Warning: Game Contain FLASHING LIGHTS

GOOD VS EVIL

Most of Broken Legends is about discovering your evil side and fighting it using your good side. There are three witches in the game: Kindness, Wisdom, and Power. Power was the original witch, though. Will you kill them? Or will you threaten them and end up in prison…?

SAVE IT ALL.

Because Broken Legends has two different endings, you can save the world from yourself. However, being nice does not come without consequences! The force possessing you is persistent. You might try to escape punishment… even prison.

DESTROY IT ALL.

If you were to let the force possessing you take full control, the world would be in possible danger. But you don’t care. Create the destruction of the entire world, all because of you.

Features:

  • Become a villain.

  • Start a massacre.

  • Be possessed.

  • A compelling and unique story.

  • Let all the houses burn to ash.

  • An ending to save people from you.

  • Sadness.

  • Great soundtrack.

  • A mixture of styles.

  • Where you are the villain.™

Broken Legends on Steam

Life Tastes Like Cardboard

Life Tastes Like Cardboard

TLDR

+++++sound design

++++storytelling

+++art

–-some unclear puzzles/ fuzzy sense of progression

-lots of reading if you hate reading

What I played: Life Tastes Like Cardboard

What I expected: sad man talks to a raccoon

What I got: depression

Long Version

I really wanted to do just a joke review, but it would not do this game justice.

I did not expect this game to have so much content. I found this game like everyone else, browsing games on Steam out of boredom. Especially a free game bold enough to have MS paint scrawled on its forefront, this is an unforgettable experience. I didn’t realize it was a so-called “walking simulator,” but I now realize it after finishing it. I still recommend it with complete sincerity. This game is all about putting you into moods and atmospheres. As clichés go, it really is surreal. I don’t regret the hours I’ve lost to this game.

Real player with 12.4 hrs in game

The only way to describe this game is “human”.

Probably the only game I’ve ever played where I wanted to meet it’s maker, to talk to him and make sure everything’s alright. This game will hit everyone differently, as it should. Some people will be completely in sync with it, others will have vague memories to when their life was like this, and to other this will be a completely foreign experience. I’ve never felt so attached to a character that is practically a piece of crudely drawn printer paper. It’s a game that I wish as many people can play. But at the same time, its small audience makes it something truly special, like a small band of moths that found a lost flame that it cannot escape.It’s so weird how such a niche piece of media has made me more emotional than entire corporate AAA titles can ever achieve.

Real player with 11.5 hrs in game

Life Tastes Like Cardboard on Steam

Pale Cachexia

Pale Cachexia

Beautiful Sadness

Lonely. This is the first word that greets you when you start Pale Cachexia. Alone in the dark wood. The contrast between forest’s spring awakening and “ghostly gloom” of the night, with “rustling sounds of crickets”, nocturnal creatures and “ominous howls”, the feeling that someone is breathing right behind you while you venture among the endless unmoving trees - all set the mood of the VN right from the start and mark it as decidedly Gothic and Romanticist. With a sense of crippling loneliness and smallness the main character Esther stumbles through this vast, misty forest in search of a cure for her terminal illness, and finds herself in a gloomy Gothic manor, almost like she just stepped into a dream.

Real player with 12.5 hrs in game

Short Review:

  • Kinetic visual novel (no choices)

  • Complexity in story and characters

  • Heavy topics of death, illness, grief, guilt, and loneliness

  • Somewhat open ending

  • Nice art, including unlockables

  • Soundtrack that perfectly enhances mood

  • Overall an atmospheric, emotional story I enjoyed!

Full Review:

What an atmospheric, emotionally complex story. This kinetic novel (visual novel without any choices) has elements of horror and fantasy, and there are some creepy parts, but it’s mostly mysterious and melancholic, dealing with the heavy topics of death/dying, illness, grief, guilt, and loneliness.

Real player with 8.7 hrs in game

Pale Cachexia on Steam

Suicide For Him

Suicide For Him

It is a dream come true to see this game take shape like this, and I am very excited to see it grow!

Although it is an indie game with a small team, it has so much to offer such as:

  • A beautiful and original soundtrack

  • Brilliant voice acting that brings the characters to life

  • Entertaining extras that add more variety to gameplay

  • An anime/manga, stylish art-style that is appealing to look at, especially for fans of the genre

  • Customisation of the main character which will expand further

  • An engaging story with the first act being a great introduction to the game’s character and universe

Real player with 43.7 hrs in game

I want to know what the connection between this game and the simulator is? Because the style is kind of similar.

Real player with 1.4 hrs in game

Suicide For Him on Steam

To Be With You

To Be With You

10/10 would recommend

story was well-written.

Also, this game made me think about my current relation ship.

Real player with 4.3 hrs in game

I don’t say this lightly, but: This is an important game. Sharing their own experiences within a fictional narrative, the developer sheds a light on common abuse dynamics and manipulation tactics and may actually help victims and their friends to recognize abusive behaviour. I especially applaud the decision to include a “Director’s Commentary”, which becomes available after finishing one playthrough and explains the strategies used in the game by an abuser, James, who gaslights, controls, and slowly isolates his partner Alsie from her friends.

Real player with 3.3 hrs in game

To Be With You on Steam

Hollow Destiny

Hollow Destiny

10/10

I will use this game as a basis for my next shadow the hedgehog fanfiction.

Real player with 1.5 hrs in game

Nice

Real player with 0.7 hrs in game

Hollow Destiny on Steam