21 votes

What are some of the most emotionally affecting or resonant games you've played?

Doesn't necessarily have to be that you cried, though it certainly can be. It can also be that you connected with the characters or plot, or maybe you clicked with the game's sense of humor. Maybe it creeped you out something fierce, or maybe it forced you into difficult ethical decisions. Any strong personal response counts.

  • Why was the game so meaningful for you?
  • How did the game use the medium to enhance its resonance?

Please give adequate spoiler warnings!
(You can use a <details> block to make a convenient collapsible section.)

14 comments

  1. DataWraith
    Link
    The most emotionally affecting game I have played so far is Life is Strange, Episode I. It's one of the few instances in a game where I actually genuinely cared about the characters. And that is...

    The most emotionally affecting game I have played so far is Life is Strange, Episode I.

    It's one of the few instances in a game where I actually genuinely cared about the characters. And that is the problem, because bad things happen to those characters, and you might be to blame, at least partially.

    The game is largely set at a school, and the protagonist gains the limited ability to rewind time in the first few minutes of gameplay. The game, from then on, mostly consists of endlessly repeating every scene and exploring what happens if you do or say things differently.

    At first, your choices are harmless: do you turn back time to give a correct answer to your favorite teacher? Are you going to use your ability to get even with a bully? Do you water your potted plant or not?

    At some point you have to decide and move on with the story, committing to one of the choices. As the game goes on, the choices become more momentous and can have dire consequences, and worst of all, your past choices start to come back and haunt you, especially the ones where you thought you did the right thing... it's quite upsetting, which is why I never attempted to play Episode II.

    9 votes
  2. [2]
    Davada
    Link
    Celeste was one that hit me pretty hard. The metaphor of getting over depression being actualized as a ridiculously hard mountain to climb, and the catharsis of beating the game are both...

    Celeste was one that hit me pretty hard. The metaphor of getting over depression being actualized as a ridiculously hard mountain to climb, and the catharsis of beating the game are both wonderfully done. I really like games that make failure a fun part of the experience.

    7 votes
    1. Tygrak
      Link Parent
      Celeste was great! One of the parts that resonated with me was when Maddie got a panic attack when they were riding the cable car. The best moment for me was definitely basically the last lines in...

      Celeste was great! One of the parts that resonated with me was when Maddie got a panic attack when they were riding the cable car.

      The best moment for me was definitely basically the last lines in the game, said by a old lady, who at first looks disapproving and mean to our player character Madeline, but ends up really supportive. "It's hard to believe that it's over, isn't it? Funny how we get attached to the struggle. Promise me you'll take care of yourself, ok?".

      2 votes
  3. VoidOutput
    Link
    I will be spoiling both of the following games. If you don't care about being spoiled, I will retell the important parts of the story. Oxenfree On this island where you have spent a lot of time...

    I will be spoiling both of the following games. If you don't care about being spoiled, I will retell the important parts of the story.

    Oxenfree

    On this island where you have spent a lot of time with your late brother, you come back a last time to party with other teenagers. But the island is haunted and there are happenings. Some of those involve you jumping back in time and reliving some random day in the past. Just like in the rest of the game you have control over the dialogue and you can choose to tell people that you're from the future. I never did, I always tried to go with the flow and make my character enjoy those brief reprieves.

    These flashbacks are also really tough for your character. Imagine having barely dealt with your brother dying and being thrust back in time right next to him, talking about menial shift like you always used to. And then the flashback ends and you're brutally cut off from those peaceful memories. One of the worst ones was when you're in one of those flashbacks and right at the end of it your brother sees your face and straight up says: "Come on, you're acting as if it's the last time I'm going to see you." Cut. Heart wrenching.

    Maybe the following is a testament to personal beliefs in fate and the immutability of time: I never considered trying to change the past within these flashbacks, although you totally can. There are endings in which your brother lives thanks to your efforts. But your choices are what make your story yours right? Instead I tried to make peace with the fact that my brother was dead, something which I think in my mind was linked to accepting the eventuality of being cut off from my family were I to transition.

    Anyway, there is this one particular scene. It's near the end, where you save your friends from being trapped on the island, flip off the ghosts, but sacrifice yourself and time starts getting real weird.

    You end up in this ethereal heaven-like approximation of your family's house. And your brother is there, in his room, staring through his window.

    He's talking about his end of year speech when all of a sudden he gets serious and asks you: do you give him his blessing and allow him to go with his girlfriend that really makes her happy out of state? Keep in mind, this is what killed him.

    I chose to let him go.

    And he is appreciative of that. He also starts to give a whole list of advice in case he's not around. This is the moment where you can finally really say goodbye to someone who'd died unceremoniously. He says "I love you" and you say "I love you too".

    Cut.

    Super Mario Galaxy

    You have spent the whole game trying to save these stars. So at the end of the game, when you help them and finally defeat Bowser but his star transforms into a deadly black hole, your new friends don't even hesitate.

    The most emotional music starts to play, the one from Rosalina's story: where she lost her parents but found a new family.

    Your star companion, who helped you do all the incredible things in the game and who was there with you all this time, jumps out, looks at you, waves and jumps into the black hole.

    And so does every star you've ever rescued. They all jump so that they can save you. They sacrifice their lives.

    I will never find that not beautiful.

    Now that I think about it, maybe I'm especially sensitive to stories of personal sacrifice.

    I've played all these games before having dealt with death but I can say that having experienced that, these stories are sublimated.

    6 votes
  4. Douglas
    Link
    SOMA for the existential crisis it gave me. I really immersed myself in that game, so some parts just really haunted me, like spoilers the part where you copy yourself and have to decide what to...

    SOMA for the existential crisis it gave me. I really immersed myself in that game, so some parts just really haunted me, like

    spoilers the part where you copy yourself and have to decide what to do with the version you left behind; the part where the fellow AI is keeping you company telling you a story as you go into the depths of the ocean, and the power goes out; and that double ending getting left behind while and escaping with everyone in the arc.

    6 votes
  5. [3]
    gergir
    Link
    I didn't play it myself, but watched a classmate play Red Redemption - a realistic cowboy game, very impressive - in the middle of the night. She finished shooting and such, then climbs on a...

    I didn't play it myself, but watched a classmate play Red Redemption - a realistic cowboy game, very impressive - in the middle of the night. She finished shooting and such, then climbs on a horse, and a song, the only one in the game I think, begins to play that fits the setting and time (was night in the game too) perfectly as she trots along a new coastline. For some reason all of that together really hit the spot.

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      NaraVara
      Link Parent
      Is this the song?
      1 vote
      1. gergir
        Link Parent
        Nope. I looked it up, it's called "Far Away" by a José González. I see there's more than 1 game now, but this is from the original title that just says 'Redemption'. It happens this way: don't...

        Nope. I looked it up, it's called "Far Away" by a José González. I see there's more than 1 game now, but this is from the original title that just says 'Redemption'. It happens this way:

        don't expand if you want to play it yourself You're crossing the Rio Loco or something like that, on a raft. Suddenly there's bandits on the other riverbank, and you spend "hours" shooting at them. When you're finally done, fingers tired from all the action, you notice there's a horse waiting. The way it happened with us was she was tired, about 3am, same time in the game, so she just gets on the horse and pushes forward, no gallop. After a few seconds looking at the new scenery along the path this song comes up that fits the mood so incredibly well, we looked at each other and went wow, better than any film, because it corresponded exactly to our state as well, tired and done with the action I mean.

        Looking for the song I saw several links referring to that scene in a similar way, so it's not just me purple prose'ing or blowing it up. It's really a bullseye moment, you'll see.

        1 vote
  6. Akir
    Link
    I've talked about Chrono Cross and D2 elsewhere, and I would rather not talk about literally every VN I have ever played, so I thought I would go off on a slight tangent and talk about the ending...

    I've talked about Chrono Cross and D2 elsewhere, and I would rather not talk about literally every VN I have ever played, so I thought I would go off on a slight tangent and talk about the ending theme songs for the Xenosaga series. They are seriously some of the best love songs ever written.

    Sure, they do match the themes of the games they are in, but they are pretty damn affective just by themselves. And I'm not just saying it because they are written by two of my all-time favorite musicians, but because I can hear it playing in the background somewhere and tears suddenly appear in my eyes.

    Of the four songs, my top pick is Kokoro, from Episode 1. It's very bittersweet and meloncholy. I'm particularly affected by this lyric: "And though I try, 'I love you' is just so hard to say / If I could only be stronger and say the words I feel".

    Sweet Song, from Episode II, comes so close it's almost a tie. While this song is also about loss, it is unapologetically optimistic. The sweeping orchestral and choral accompaniment gives you the impression that even though you may be sad and perhaps lonely, the world is brimming with opportunities for happiness and goodness. And the lyrics give you the sense that even though you have been through this terrible loss, you are a better for having known the person. The song should by all accounts be bittersweet, but as the name implies, it leaves the bitterness behind.

    The reason why art is so powerful is because it teaches us about ourselves. It is how we become one with our feelings. And I think that is the kind of response you are looking for, kfwyre, and that is why I wanted to take this tangent.

    3 votes
  7. Omnicrola
    Link
    Freespace 2, which is a space combat simulator. The game does an excellent job giving the player motivation and a compelling narrative. Pair this with a truly epic sense of scale by having your...

    Freespace 2, which is a space combat simulator. The game does an excellent job giving the player motivation and a compelling narrative. Pair this with a truly epic sense of scale by having your tiny fighter fly along side 14km long capital ships fighting with giant beam weapons and it makes it very memorable. I won't spoil the ending, but it is incredibly climatic and epic.

    3 votes
  8. 0lpbm
    Link
    Not sure if it counts, but I was very emotionally involved when watching a twitch streamer play Hellblade: Senua's sacrifice. spoilers The way its fantasy world we generally take for granted in...

    Not sure if it counts, but I was very emotionally involved when watching a twitch streamer play Hellblade: Senua's sacrifice.

    spoilers The way its fantasy world we generally take for granted in similar games unravels bit by bit into being just the sensory hallucinations of a schizophrenic and the effects they have on the main character, was just deeply moving, and provides a small insight into the lives of people with such afflictions. The portrayal of Senua by Melinda Juergens was gut wrenching, and the quality of motion capture was just a shade past uncanny valley that allowed her performance to shine.
    3 votes
  9. inizialization
    Link
    Inside. it's shaken me up like you see a man who looks like you or thinks like you or feels like you and your surroundings. An atmosphere that touches you inside. the Stanley Parable and the...

    Inside. it's shaken me up like you see a man who looks like you or thinks like you or feels like you and your surroundings. An atmosphere that touches you inside.

    the Stanley Parable and the Beginners' Guide. Enlightenment, smile and sadness.

    2 votes
  10. emnii
    Link
    Wolfenstein: The New Order - no spoiler version: it never takes the easy way out. From beginning to end, everything about it is doing things the hard way. spoilers I knew going into it that it was...

    Wolfenstein: The New Order - no spoiler version: it never takes the easy way out. From beginning to end, everything about it is doing things the hard way.

    spoilers I knew going into it that it was going to take a time jump. It starts in WW2 but all the marketing centered on how it was going to tell a story as if the Nazis won WW2, so time had to go forward somehow. I expected magic or time travel. I did not expect BJ to be mortally injured and simply live out those years between in hospice. There's no magic or time travel, which implies that there's no reversing course on this either. The Nazis won.

    Throughout the rest of the game, other Kreisau Circle members sacrifice themselves to damage the Nazis. BJ kills countless Nazis, infiltrates a concentration camp and a moon base, steals a u-boat, everything to damage the Nazis. He bonds with other members of the Circle and falls in love with Anya. Beyond the whole Da'at Yichud super technology, there's no shortcuts.

    He finally gets a hold of Deathshead and kills him, but Deathshead pops a grenade and BJ is bleeding out. He sees Anya liberating prisoners of the Nazis. He knows he's not going to make it out alive, but it's worth it because he's accomplished the mission. He orders a nuke to be fired at his position to ensure their safe escape.

    And then that end credits song, a cover of I Believe by Melissa Hollick. In another life, BJ and Anya could've been happy. They could've had a life together and a family. But it wasn't meant to be. That's a life for other people.

    My heart hurt at that ending. They totally retcon it in the sequel, which is a choice, but they could've ended the whole series with The New Order and it would've been a perfect ending. It hit me real hard.

    1 vote
  11. somewaffles
    Link
    Pathologic 2 for sure. I've been kind of obsessed with it over the past few weeks. I don't want to give away too much especially if you've never heard of the series. Essentially it's a plague...

    Pathologic 2 for sure. I've been kind of obsessed with it over the past few weeks. I don't want to give away too much especially if you've never heard of the series. Essentially it's a plague doctor simulator and is more of a re-imagining of the first rather than a sequel. The developers have referred to it as a "stress behavior simulator." It takes place in a bizarre pseudo eastern-European/steppe/sci-fi-eseque town that is being hit with a plague that stands to kill thousands of people. The game uses INCREDIBLY stressful game play mechanics as a narrative device. It simply is not possible to save everyone, finish every quest, or gather every resource. You need to choose between your own needs, the needs of others, and the needs of the town as a whole. I won't pretend that all of the survival mechanics are great or revolutionary, but for lack of a better system, they lend heavily to the plot of the story. It is a story that could not be told with any other medium. They set you up to care about the characters and world, then you are given the task of deciding what is worth saving. I have never played a game where you decisions have actual gravity to the greater game world. I have played plenty of "hard" games, but I don't think Pathologic really fits into that category. It is just overwhelmingly stressful, and I love it. It's not easily digestible, but not everything has to be. If you're looking for a game to sit back and relax to, this is not your game. Needless to say, I have never experienced this kind of game before, and I'd like to see more like it.

    1 vote