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 Dark 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
Know by heart
“Know by heart…” is a game about accepting loss. The plot, the music, the intuitive gameplay and atmospheric mini-games work together to weave an illusion of briefly returning to one’s childhood and inevitably growing up, the feeling of time slipping through our fingers.
Players will be immersed into the quiet life of a provincial Russian town, where traces and echoes of the Soviet era can still be seen and heard.
Misha, the protagonist, is stuck in his monotonous, dead-end job, until one day the routine is shattered as his school crush returns to town. For the first time in years Misha regains hope of escaping the ennui of his daily life. A brief but tumultuous episode of the town’s life is interwoven with the story of a gang of childhood friends coming back together. It’s up to them to journey down memory lanes and rekindle their friendship, but their memories of the past and the very bonds between them become threatened…
Features
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~5 hours of sentimental adventure
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The atmosphere of a post-Soviet provincial town at the turn of the century
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An emotional plot with non-linear elements and several endings
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Game mechanics representing thoughts and memories of the protagonist
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A collection of evocative mini-games
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Piano soundtrack composed in modern neoclassical style
Read More: Best Emotional 3D Games.
The Companion
Absolute stunning visual and audio! A perfect game for those who are looking for a chill, relaxing and exploration game.
The controls are great too! I really love the dash ability. Different levels also have very distinct visual. The developer is also very open to feedbacks and continously improve the game overtime, really appreciate it!
– Real player with 19.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Emotional Open World Games.
GRAPHICS: 9.5/10
SOUND QUALITY: 7.5/10
GAMEPLAY: 7.5/10
CHARACTERS: 8.5/10
STORY: 7.5/10
OVERALL: 8.1/10
Experience one family’s harrowing journey through the wild. Summon and follow wisps, witness visions of the past, and interact with the present to change the future.
At first, I was very impressed by The Companion. This visually striking, emotional fantasy adventure hits all the right notes both figuratively and literally (the score is heartbreaking in all the best ways). Then I found out it was also created by a self-taught solo developer in under a year! David Fazzio, the game’s writer, director, and designer, started learning game design in 2015 when the Unreal Engine became available for free. After putting aside his initial multiplayer project, Fazzio shifted his focus in 2020 to the intimate yet epic story that would soon become Studio 46’s debut game, The Companion—and what a debut it is!
– Real player with 14.3 hrs in game
Lost Brothers
Lost Brothers
Hesitantly recommended for the cave graphics only.
Mostly spoiler free review based on playing the entire game.
This is a walking Sim. You navigate by the usual WASD keys. There is a manual save option (thank you!), and a checkpoint auto-save. You can die (yes, we did hop off the mushrooms more than once), but you will restart where you were. The controller worked fine with it. Adjustments for audio/video are available. You have a map and a compass.
We think anyone who has played Firewatch will compare Lost Brothers to it; that sets a pretty high standard.
– Real player with 8.1 hrs in game
(Early Access Review, as an early access release, you may experience bugs, content, interface and optimization changes. If you are not excited to play the title in its current state & help to support the title to full release by reporting bugs and requesting additional content, you may want to wait for further development)
Two brothers, John & Sam, are headed out on a camping trip to the countryside for a weekend of fun. After parking, they carry their gear through the trails to their chosen camping area. After some idle chit chat, they finally get camp set up. They sit around the campfire enjoying their meal and conversation, after which they retire for the evening. Suddenly John awakens, noticing his younger brother is not sleeping beside him and goes out to see what he is doing. He calls out for him, “Sam, Sam, where are you” getting no reply. Unable to find him, the police are brought in to investigate, never finding a trace of his brother, Sam.
– Real player with 2.6 hrs in game
The Loneliest Summer
Story
Max and Ziggy combat their summer blues by embarking on an adventure that tests their friendship and leaves nothing the same … Venture out to explore the unknown. Bike, dig, camp and collect to uncover hidden secrets.
Game Features
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Bike to explore the woods and discover hidden areas
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Dig for geodes and buried treasure
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Play music around a campfire
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Complete photography quests with your vintage instant camera
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Unlock super secret journal entries as time passes
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Enjoy a beautiful soundtrack
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Watch the cinematic story unfold
Gripper
In Gripper, androids celebrate “Burning Man” by burning humans. That’s why all inhabitants bear a physical injury of one sort or another. You and your deaf sister are no exceptions. The two of you live peacefully on a farm until someone comes and burns it down. Now, your sister is missing. All you have left is your car with a hook. The time to learn how to kill with it is running out.
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Take on the journey of a hero named None and follow the voice of his sister — a deaf singer.
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Tear your enemies apart with a hook and finish them with their own weapons.
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Discover and rip away the hearts of 11 colossal bosses to gain new abilities.
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Explore 11 bizarre biomes which will form a vast and majestic world right in front of your eyes.
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Fly through 11 nightmarish tunnels to the beat of incredible tracks by KillTheBarber!, VEiiLA, Under This, Yamila, Mezzanine, pqQp.
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Solve puzzles and decipher the codes of Garbage Collector to reconstruct the world history.
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Immerse yourself into the retro-waves and tunes of mini rhythm games.
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Collect all hidden statues to reveal the skeletons and tragedies of each character.
Gripper is our personal story of loss. We turned it into the game to let it go. We hope it will help you too.
Viaerium
This game isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. It’s about 30min long (unless you go back and replay for achievements), and pretty much impossible to fail. The gameplay consists mostly of wandering along retrieving fortune cookies and hitting switches until you advance to the next zone. It’s different, it’s chill, but it’s not amazing.
One really frustrating aspect to me is that it allows you to use a controller for navigation, but not for camera control or jumping… so… what’s the point?
What this game has going for it:
– Real player with 1.6 hrs in game
Buy, but not at full price; This is a Single Sitting game where your objective is to become a counselor by running & jumping … (platformer)
So, to become a counselor yourself you gotta reach the Council, this is done with Run & Jump and works very decent with Keyb + Mouse.
Gamepad (x360) support is lacking sadly enough (though you can fix this with the steam controller api by adding custom controls to your controller).
The game is short as mentioned, but i had a nice time completing it.; there’s enough variation in the levels and there’s some storylines that keep you busy while completing the game as well..
– Real player with 1.6 hrs in game
Copycat
Copycat is a heartfelt experience that’s perfect to cuddle up with on a rainy afternoon or get lost in during a long train ride.
The story follows Dawn, a pampered indoor cat, that becomes the target of an elaborate plan when a jealous stray look-alike steals her place in the home. See the world through Dawn’s eyes as she faces magpies, mud, and garden gnomes. Wander alleyways, fences and rooftops, looking for the warmth of human connection in a cold, dark world.
The reflective pacing of the game allows you the opportunity to indulge in the emotions of love, loneliness and letting go as you progress through the story.
That Dragon, Cancer
Cancer. Tragedy.
Two words that have ended as synonymous far more often than anyone cares to remember. Cancer and other terminal illnesses are something that almost all of us have been touched by in some way. Whether it be from a person very close to us, ourselves, or just someone that has influenced us in some way. If it hasn’t, odds are it will at some point in your life. These diseases invariably impact us in a negative and tragic way. We have experienced loss due to them and watched others suffer unimaginable pain trying to survive and fight to stay alive.
– Real player with 4.3 hrs in game
The worst tragedy parents can experience
Really heartbreaking story, it’s sad, it’s devastating and it could be hard to play this at times. Some people might not even finish this. But I have a lot to say, not necessary about the game but i’m gonna ramble now. This is not even a proper review, just my thoughts but so is the game, it’s not actually a game, more like an interactive story.
I have this fucking disease myself, I must deal with it, I know how hard it is and how it breaks you in both – physical and mental way. And it hurts not only you but everyone around you who love you and care about you. Of course you question “why me?” or “why them?”, “what they’ve done to deserve that?” Many people turn to god and say he’s in god’s will now. That thought never occurred to me because I consider god a mythical creature as real as fairies or dragons.
– Real player with 3.5 hrs in game
The Loneliest Artist
Inspired by mental health and education, The Loneliest Artist hopes to provide a fun learning experience on combating loneliness, stress, and coping with change.
Guide Charlie on an emotional journey through interactive puzzles, as she deals with the stubborn embodiment of her anxiety.
Explore multiple locations and scenes while details of her relationship with her brother emerge as he prepares to leave for the Army. Discover the true source of her worry as she learns to cope with sudden new changes.