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Did anyone else play This War of Mine about the siege of Sarajevo? Are there other games you appreciate about rare experiences?
A different thread reminded me of this unique for me and frustrating but enlightening experience.
This war of mine is a survival game where you have to manage food, building equipment, scavenging, security, stealth, possibly weapons and the morale of your companions for an unknown period of time until the siege is lifted. The art is beautiful but simple. The pace is slow. The emotions are profound. At the end of the game there are different stories for how your companions lives progress depending on how well or poorly you handled the circumstances of the game. It is very easy to die.
It is the only war game I have seen where you are a civilian.
Yeah, I thought This War of Mine was great too. Dark, depressing, full of existential dread and uncomfortable choices, but great. It's a really unique game, so no others that I can think of really directly compare to it. However, I can think of a few that are similar-ish in various tangential ways, or have a similar vibe, or had a similar impact on me:
Sheltered (similar to TWoM, but post-apoc)
Frostpunk + upcoming Frostpunk 2 (basically TWoM but in post-apoc city builder/management form)
60 Seconds! + 60 Parsecs! (comedy survival games rather than tragedy)
Papers Please (similar dystopian vibe)
Beholder + Beholder 2 (similar dystopian vibe)
Darkest Dungeon (totally different style of game, but with a similarly harsh setting)
Disco Elysium (reminds of me TWoM, but I don't know why... perhaps just the similar emotional weight of it)
Metro 2033 + Last Light + Exodus (similar vibe/setting although post-apoc, scifi-horror FPS)
SUNLESS SEA + SUNLESS SKIES (Lovecraftian horror, narrative, exploration, roguelikes)
Cultist Simulator + Book of Hours (Lovecraftian horror, narrative, card/puzzle games)
Inscryption (also don't know why it reminds me of TWoM, but it does...)
I always think of Valiant Hearts when folks mention This War of Mine. You play a variety of characters during WW1, depicting its horrors while championing themes of love and friendship. I found it touching when it first released.
Bury Me My Love is a beautiful and sad visual novel about Syrian refugees trying to escape from the civil war. It really gives an insight in the bleak reality they had to face. I also had a sad ending which left me crushed and still haunts me after playing the game many years ago. Highly recommended.
I played TWoM (and the mentioned by cfabbro Frostpunk) and while I liked them initially, I found that my opinion of them in reflection to have soured. They're very intense games as far as emotion is concerned, and I largely game for escapism. I have more stress and depression in the everyday world without adding a good deal more. I still feel that they're excellent games with wonderful "storytelling" (in an almost procedural manner), but the tone of them does not seem to be for me, it seems.
It's a game I found compelling even fascinating for a while.
However I don't need to go back. I also don't need to reread All Quiet on the Western Front
A bit different than the other examples here but I found Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons explored friendship/partnership and loss more effectively than anything else I've ever played.
There's a lot of games like this one in terms of the regular gameplay but this one explores its themes in a way that is definitive for the entire medium of games. I don't think anyone finishes this game with a dry eye.
Thank you!