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Any good games that break the mold

It feels like new games are just more of the same, with no real meaning. However I recently started playing “Return of the Obra Dihn” and love open ended deduction in it. It feels like I’m actually figuring things out by myself without being handheld through it. Are there any other games that don’t coddle the player that you guys recommend?

voik ,

I have not yet played Return of the Obra Dinn, but it is always high up on the list when I look for games like Outer Wilds. I’m a huge fan of Outer Wilds, so maybe the recommendation can work in reverse

From what I have heard, the deduction is not as intense as in Obra Dinn, but there is very little hand holding, and the whole game has been brilliantly designed so that it is driven entirely by your natural human curiosity. Once you get through the initial “tutorial” section (probably the roughest part of the game, push through!) the whole game is wide open. See something weird orbiting a distant planet? You can go straight there and start poking around. If you follow the leads that turn up there, you will eventually even figure out what it is, and why it is there. Do that enough and you’ll eventually figure out the strange mystery of your home solar system.

Can’t recommend it highly enough, but you only get to play it without knowing the secrets once, so go in as blind as you can. It took me 20-30 hours to “solve” the main game, maybe another 20 for the DLC, which is also well worth it

Mountain_Mike_420 ,

Also highly recommend. Want to add that you should not watch any videos or really even read about it.

Voroxpete ,

This. Go into Outer Wilds knowing as little as possible. It’s an incredible experience if you go in blind.

To paraphrase a description I gave in another thread about this game, at first it will feel like you’re just fumbling around with no clear idea of what you’re doing and why. The game presents itself as just this sort of open ended sandbox with no real purpose. That’s OK, just explore and have fun for about the first half hour or so.

Because about half an hour in, more or less, is when The Event will happen. Do not ask what The Event is. You will know when it happens. It will be, clearly and unambiguously, The Event. And once it happens everything will click, and you’ll go “Oh, that’s what this game is about.”

After The Event, go look at the computer in the back of your space ship. That will become your most important tool throughout the rest of the game.

dhhyfddehhfyy4673 ,

This is still kind of spoilery yo.

okwhateverdude ,

I really enjoyed the game until The Event. I played a few more loops and was constantly irritated at The Event getting in the way. Like, I get it. I understand that is the point. It just ruined it for me. I don’t want to race a clock when I am exploring.

rockerface ,

Antichamber really stood out to me even among other puzzle games

Donjuanme ,

I was ready to replay antichamber and make it one of the few games I did every puzzle in, then the ending happened and I put it down never to pick it up again. Why the heck did they change everything up in the last 2% of the game?

I much prefer recommending lingo these days.

spedswir ,

The witness is a really interesting puzzle game that can be had for not that much.

Or if you are looking for something more actiony then I would recommend remnant: from the ashes or remnant 2. Described as souls like with guns, but they really change up the formula I found with semi random worlds and bosses.

PlzGivHugs ,

I personally found the Inscryption scratched the same itch, albient in a different way. Its a very different game, being a sort-of narrative driven, Slay the Spire inspired card game. I won’t go into too much detail, given that spoilers, mechanical or narrative, take away a lot from the game, but I found that Inscryption did a great job of juggling a bunch of different mechanics to ensure I constantly had new tools to master, while also encouraging more lateral exploration through its plethora of secrets, and drip feeding story fragments to be peiced together as I progressed.

thanks_shakey_snake ,

The main thing to know about Inscryption is that you wanna know as little as possible about Inscryption before you play.

Also if Inscryption works for you, check out the other Daniel Mullins games. He’s got mould-breaking down to his own quirky idiosyncratic science.

SmoothOperator ,

I quite liked the vibe, but got frustrated about the artificial progress blocks. If you’re a competent deck builder it’s pretty easy to build a deck that beats the game master, but then you get to a point where he just throws infinite enemies at you and you are forced to lose.

I get it, the gameplay requires you to lose a number of times, but it just turned me off from finishing the game.

Tahl_eN ,

Chants of Sennaar - adventure/puzzle game where you need to learn the languages of the world. It’s not super difficult, but finding all the secrets was challenging.

Manifold Garden - no real story here, but a trippy 3d spatial puzzle to navigate.

ImplyingImplications ,

Personally, I really liked Papers, Please. You play as a customs agent checking people’s paperwork as they seek entry into your country. The idea of the game is very simple but it’s surprisingly good at telling a story and putting you in situations that are morally difficult.

windowsphoneguy ,
@windowsphoneguy@feddit.org avatar

Not the same, but Into The Breach has become the one game I regularly return to. The ruleset is so simple and everything is laid out, including anticipating opponent moves. Just a great series of small puzzles

Voroxpete ,

If you’re liking the feeling of solving a mystery with no handholding, give Shadows of Doubt a look. 1920s detective noir set in an alt-history retro cyberpunk 1970s where the Coca-Cola corporation is the president of the USA. Yeah, that’s a mouthful, but what you get is a proper hard-boiled detective story where you are in total control of how you pursue every case. The game gives you an honest to God murder board with string and sticky notes. There’s no “detective mode” bullshit where you scan for clues and then the game solves the mystery for you. It’s completely on you to find the evidence, follow leads, canvas witnesses, scrub through security footage, stake out a suspect’s apartment or place of work, and finally make an arrest (and hope like hell you didn’t finger the wrong person). This all plays out in a fully simulated city district. Every room in every building can be entered. Every NPC has a complete life; a partner (maybe), a home (usually), a job, a medical history, a shoe size, fingerprints, the works.

The voxel graphics aren’t for everyone, and there’s some areas where it’s less complete than others, but those only really stand out because of how shockingly complete the world is in so many other ways. All in all, it’s a brilliant game, and like nothing else out there.

SmilingSolaris ,

I love the concept but honestly I can’t solve shit. I even got a side mission once to take a picture of a vague description of a person who lived on the 4th floor of an apartment. Thankfully there was only one apartment on that floor. Unfortunately there were two people who lived there. And neither matches any of the descriptors.

And that’s the side jobs. Murder? Forget about it, I got no clue.

Any idea where I could learn?

bigboismith OP ,

I’ve tried it, but couldn’t really get into it. Didn’t feel like there was much deduction, but more just evidence collecting. However I didn’t play for too long and I’m planning to try again. I assume it takes same time to get invested

Wrufieotnak , (edited )

Specifically similar to RotOD is Heaven’s Vault in that its pretty nonlinear, not hand holdy and that you figure out (a foreign language in this case). But it is more adventure style than RotOD.

Another one already mentioned Outer Wilds (not Outer Worlds!) and I completely agree and recommend it as well!

In general I have to say I disagree that new games are more of the same. We are in a golden age regarding new games and game genres. It’s just, that there are so many games, that there are also many similar ones. And the big studios are the worst in that regard, just bury AAA and start to love Indie games!

As example, games which are different from others and not already mentioned in this thread:

  • Eastshade (you are a painter exploring a fantasy world, solving quests by painting pictures)
  • Rain World (you are a small animal trying to survive a hostile simulated world, you need to learn how the interaction between you, NPCs and the world works)
  • INSIDE (nearly pure atmosphere & no gameplay, but still great!)
  • Papers, Please (you are a government worker who has to check people coming over the border)
  • Her Story (you try to figure out what happened to a person via searching videos from her interrogation by the police)
  • What Remains of Edith Finch (part game anthology, part great story to connect those “mini games”)
  • A Little To the Left (OCD in game form)
  • Ancestors: Humankind Odyssey (you play a primate tribe and evolve it towards Homo Sapiens in an african tropical forest)
  • Edit: and how could I forget: Disco Elysium, the greatest RPG! without combat, only social encounters and technical problems to solve in a wonderful world full of memorable and interesting characters.
Tellore ,

Dread Delusion:

  • Great plot, lore, and writing in general
  • A lot of moral dilemmas to solve and hard choices to make
  • Choices don’t change much in gameplay, but they change a lot in writing and that is interesting to read
  • Doesn’t handhold player much, but is way smaller than Morrowind for example, way less content and side quests and thus feels more linear
  • Lowpoly/lowres and kinda rough even by lofi standards, but certain consistent aesthetic which creates coherent worlds that are fun to explore
  • Combat is way too easy, even bosses are not challenging; recently hard mode was added, but I haven’t tried
  • There are some minor bugs and glitches
SmilingSolaris ,

Man. I’ve been staring at this box trying to find the words for why you should play Pathologic 2. It’s hard, especially without spoiling anything. It is a game about a surgeon named artemy burakh who is tasked by fate to save a town from a plague. It is as if Russian Literature grew legs and used them to kick you in the dick. It is emotionaly a lot. It is skillfully a lot. It is mentally a lot and you are on a time limit and it is not fair. But it has a message for you. There is a beauty to that message and if I could I would force every person on this planet to experience it.

But you will have to bleed for it. Please play it.

MarcomachtKuchen ,

Is this playable for someone who is a bit sensitive towards blood, but really sensitive towards arteries?

SmilingSolaris ,

Blood plays a very large part in both the story and game

Arteries also play a very large part in both.

The game would definitely make you think and confront those sensitivities directly and often.

MarcomachtKuchen ,

Thanks for the answer. Seems like I need to skip this one. Shame since it looks really cool

SmilingSolaris ,

Just Incase it could make you reconsider, the game is disturbing in a myriad of ways, basically designed to touch deeply any person who engaged with it. It should be thought of less as a game ment to be enjoyable and more like art that you “should” experience. Though I understand it isn’t for everyone. Hell, vast majority of people who think it is for them dont finish the first day of the game. But there is a message in that game worth seeing. Either way, I had to try one more time. I respect your decision either way.

loo ,
@loo@lemmy.world avatar

Not a puzzle game, but Noita throws you right in without any explanation or tutorial. Everything is trial and error to the point where people complain that you can’t figure things out without the wiki. Love the game though, one of the most unique games I know.

The Souls games never really held your hand either.

Hollow Knight, The Binding of Isaac and Elite Dangerous are other games I can think of that want you to figure things out.

leaky_shower_thought ,

chronoark lets you die and counts your deaths for you.

anything agatha christie/ hercule poirot is light detective work (good for kids and or newbies) with optional handholding

i remember there’s some good mystery modules with neverwinter nights

morrowind quests don’t coddle at all. they all look like journal entries.

RightHandOfIkaros ,

I am not sure how handholdey it might seem to you, but Danganronpa 1-3 were pretty good at keeping me guessing what would happen next, but it is also good at giving the player the illusion of actually solving what was happening themselves. V3 was both the best and worst in this regard IMO. There are very few times where something is obvious or very easy, and likewise few times where a huge leap in logic is made or something is very obtuse/hard to know.

If you haven’t tried them, maybe look intonthem to see if you’d like them?

pruwybn ,
@pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

It’s hard to beat Obra Dinn, but The Witness is another of my favorite puzzle games.

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