Jump to content

Story driven indie/AA game recommendations


SHADOW-KILLER-S2

Recommended Posts

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but im looking for advice.

 

I have started to appreciate indie games/AA games especially if they are relaxing or have a good story and some puzzles, i wanna find and play more of those. 

Games i played and liked are: Journey, Rime, What remains of Edith Finch, Until Dawn and Flower.

Games that i still want to play that are like that: Life is Strange, Hellblade, Abzu, Firewatch and A way out.

 

Do you guys have any good recommendations? Doesnt matter if its only on ps3 or ps4 cause i play on both consoles.

 

NOT looking for hard 2D soulslike indie games like: Hollow knight, Blasphemous, Celeste, or very dark and depressing indie games like: Limbo and Inside

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The House in Fata Morgana, even though it is dark, depressing and tragic I can't recommend it enough. Absolutely perfect story.

 

Undertale is probably the most popular indie story driven game if you haven't played it. It could be rally difficult but it gets easier the more you play. Don't even have to beat the game to get the platinum too.

 

Everything else I'd recommend has already been mentioned but consider this an extra recommendation for Transistor, Bastion, The Talos Principle, and The Sexy Brutale.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ll second @Kristycism with the Supergiant games - those stories are very good and the games are great.

 

I’d also maybe check out Child of Light (a fun, whimsical little rpg in 2d) Oxenfree (a great little story based ghost story game), Lone Survivor (simply one of the best indie games - actually, scratch that - one of the best games - of the past decade), and Portal 2 (hell of a story, and a great game to boot)

Edited by DrBloodmoney
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always love to play pixelart games in high definition. They give me a blast from the past feeling. Here's what I recommend:

L9fe481.png

 

Laab78b.png

 

These pixelart games are short and sweet, so that you can play them over the weekend.

Edited by zizimonster
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

Shantae ½ Genie Hero

Styx Shards of Darkness

Dust: An Elysian Tail

Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition

 

1 hour ago, SHADOW-KILLER-S2 said:

Games i played and liked are: Journey, Rime, What remains of Edith Finch, Until Dawn and Flower.

 

 

Until Dawn is actually not an indie.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A Plague Tale: Innocence. Easily one of the best of the year.

 

As an odder pick, The Outer Wilds. It's a space exploration sim (kinda) that leads you around with narrative breadcrumbs solving physics based and logic puzzles. Can't say much more without spoiling but it has a fantastic story that isn't spoon fed to you. Just give it a try. I feel like it is being criminally underrated for one of the best games of the year.

Edited by GameMatter
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, steel6burgh said:

yes and dead nation  isn't a deep story based indie game. lol

Dead Nation has a prominent storyline from the very beginning to the absolute end, with multiple cutscenes all throughout. That is entirely irrefutable. Please show me where the TC ask for "deep stories" in his post. lol.

 

Edited by EcoShifter
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, EcoShifter said:

Dead Nation has a prominent storyline from the very beginning to the absolute end, with multiple cutscenes all throughout. That is entirely irrefutable. Please show me where the TC ask for "deep stories" in his post. lol.

 

Not only that, but it is also an indie game

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I couldn't find anything above that I haven't played and liked.

I'm not quite clear on the distinction between AA and pure indie, but I would add:

 

-Blackwood Crossing

-Get Even

-Hyper Light Drifter

-Masquerada: Songs and Shadows

-Night in the Woods

-Through the Woods

-Wandersong

 

(and yes, Pyre. Bastion and Transistor too, but Pyre above them all.)

 

-EDIT: I read OP's post again and just noticed he/she isn't looking for dark/depressing games. A lot of the games above (including Pyre) are kind of depressing, but Life is Strange, Hellblade, and Firewatch, who he/she intends to play, also are, so... Read reviews and see if they'd fit what you want?

Edited by visighost
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Machinarium - a charming 2d puzzle game.

 

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter - since you mentioned Edith Finch you might wanna look into this one too.

 

The Swapper - a 2d sci fi puzzle game with a very intriguing story.

 

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - adventure game with a great story, unique gameplay, it can be an emotional rollercoaster.

 

Also, maybe try some Telltale games. The wolf among us, Tales from the borderlands are my recommendations from their catalogue, and I don't even like Borderlands, but the Telltale game was great.

 

Definitely worth looking into games already mentioned, like: Dust: An Elysium Tale (maybe too combat focused for what you are searching for, not sure), Sexy Brutale, Oxenfree, Talos Principle.

Edited by sillyrobo75
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

gonna rec stuff from my two favorite genres for you today, my friend

 

Horror:

- SOMA, it has the best story I've ever encountered in a game personally. Its environments can be a little bit confusing sometimes in terms of flow, so you might get a little lost in a few of the levels, but it's well worth it for the storyline

Outlast, a winding labyrinth of an asylum to explore with equal parts brutality, mystery, and lore. The eccentric characters chasing and killing you are fascinating and though many people hate the direction the ending took, I thought it was pretty cool! Whistleblower's also got an interesting progression and is worth playing through, too, though I hate how its story kinda went for a "happy ending" route.

Visage, this one's a little cheat-y since it's not out on PS4 yet and the PS4 version doesn't have a date, but the devs have finally completed all of the chapters and they're currently working on porting it over to PS4. Pleeeease keep your eyes out for this one, it's tremendously good.

Sagebrush, this indie is short but sweet. It's got a spooky atmosphere though it's not necessarily a full-fledged horror game. It's got a neat little story that's definitely worth the hour or so you'll spend in it!

Lone Survivor, another indie that's a little short, but not nearly as short as Sagebrush. This game is also a little bit surreal and vague until you reach its endings, so stick with it! One of the best horror games of all time in my humble opinion.

 

RPGs:

Witcher 3, the dialogue and characters and world are just so rich and interesting. There's a nice mix of drama, tragedy, comedy, and pretty much everything in between all throughout the game. 

Star Ocean: First Departure R, haven't gotten to play this yet but it's just a light remake of the PSP remake of Star Ocean 1, so I know story stuff already. It's a cool action RPG about solving a mysterious plague that afflicts your planet. Lots of cool characters and it's very easy to pick up and play for an old school RPG!

Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, more of a comedy here, but it's still worth a look! There's some good character growth and it always feels like there's a good drive to continue through the story and figure out what's going on. 

The Outer Worlds, of course I gotta mention an Obsidian game if we're talking RPGs with great stories! The world here is very interesting and the witty dialogue we all loved in New Vegas is back. Well worth your time!

Baldur's Gate/Baldur's Gate II/Icewind Dale/Planescape Torment, if you wanna delve into the world of old CRPG stories, the recent rereleases of these games in bundles on PS4 will serve you well. These games are renowned for their amazing lore.

Prey, a sci-fi RPG with a wealth of choice in both gameplay and story branches. You can kill pretty much anybody and do pretty much anything. Fantastic, underrated game!

Persona 5, obviously gotta show some love to SMT/Persona here, too. These games are amazing for character development. You really, really get to learn about a character and their motivations and feelings in the Persona games. 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, EcoShifter said:

Dead Nation has a prominent storyline from the very beginning to the absolute end, with multiple cutscenes all throughout. That is entirely irrefutable. Please show me where the TC ask for "deep stories" in his post. lol.

 

i get what you're saying but is it a story worth recommendation really?  Is that what people play dead nation for?  Idk maybe it is I just didn't see it that way.  I thought it was a pretty typical half assed story line that just was thrown together with little effort and thought.   No big deal just though it was a funny recommendation, certainly not relaxing .  I get the sense the guy was looking for a more cinematic experience than Dead nation.  I could be wrong.  No offense just made me laugh a bit because i'm thinking of games that play more like a interactive movie whereas dead nation is game play based you could skip the cutscenes and loose nothing as far as experience imo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/13/2019 at 7:10 PM, steel6burgh said:

i get what you're saying but is it a story worth recommendation really?  Is that what people play dead nation for?  Idk maybe it is I just didn't see it that way.  I thought it was a pretty typical half assed story line that just was thrown together with little effort and thought.   No big deal just though it was a funny recommendation, certainly not relaxing .  I get the sense the guy was looking for a more cinematic experience than Dead nation.  I could be wrong.  No offense just made me laugh a bit because i'm thinking of games that play more like a interactive movie whereas dead nation is game play based you could skip the cutscenes and loose nothing as far as experience imo.

 

I'm recommending the game as a whole, not because it has a strong story. The story in Dead Nation actually makes the game better, as it adds to and heightens the atmosphere and world-building, especially with those exclusively nice looking shots of the world during cutscenes that can't be seen during over-world gameplay, with fairly good voice performance, too. The lines actually have some subtle variations between the character you pick and the mode you play (solo, coop). The story is overall actually executed really well for a game that's not trying to tell the best story; it simply compliments the game, serves as a nice motivator, and is a welcomed addition. Hellblade isn't a relaxing game, and yet the TC listed that as an example. DN just has enough going for it to be a appropriate recommendation, outside the dark element that comes with being a post-apocalyptic zombie game.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, EcoShifter said:

 

I'm recommending the game as a whole, not because it has a strong story. The story in Dead Nation actually makes the game better, as it adds to and heightens the atmosphere and world-building, especially with those exclusively nice looking shots of the world during cutscenes that can't be seen during over-world gameplay, with fairly good voice performance, too. The lines actually have some subtle variations between the character you pick and the mode you play (solo, coop). The story is overall actually executed really well for a game that's not trying to tell the best story; it simply compliments the game, serves as a nice motivator, and is a welcomed addition. Hellblade isn't a relaxing game, and yet the TC listed that as an example. DN just has enough going for it to be a appropriate recommendation, outside the dark element that comes with being a post-apocalyptic zombie game.

 

fair enough!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...