I need some suggestions on what to play. Single Player games only. Most of the games make me feel lonely and alone. In most of the games, the protagonist has to deal with the problems on their own, like Control, Crysis, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War (I liked the original 6 more than the new ones, even though the new ones had companions), horror games like Outlast, Echo and Alan Wake, and many others.
I want something that won’t give me anxiety. I really enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy, having those teammates by my side always made me feel “safe”. I also liked Spider-Man and Deadpool because the humour makes me feel comfortable. In old Harry Potter games, Ron, Hermione and Harry were usually together, so, I never felt alone while playing those either. In Indika, that one hand man was with me for most of the game.
Open world games also give me less anxiety, like most Assassin’s Creed games, Ghost of Tsushima, Just Cause series, etc.
I think you all get my point. So, what do you suggest I should play?
The Book of Unwritten Tales comes to mind. It’s nowhere near as grandiose as any of your described games, but I fondly remember it being a very charming and wholesome experience. If that’s the feeling you seek, you might enjoy it.
- Space Marine (2)
- Gears of War
All party crpg like pillars of eternity, Baldur’s Gate, and the like.
JRPG maybe…
I guess you’re looking to spend time with interesting characters.
Endearing party of playable characters:
- Bug Fables — A big tiny adventure of three cute insects, with Paper Mario-inspired turn-based combat
- Cassette Beasts — Creature-collecting with heart. You bring one of several interesting companions with you.
- Moonlight Pulse — A metroidvania set on a planet-sized creature. You play as a team of planet-creature denizens fighting off a parasite infestation.
Encountering interesting NPCs:
- A Short Hike — A very small but dense open world game. You encounter characters on your way to find a cell signal in a remote mountain park. With no quest tracker or minimap, you just wander and do what you want.
- Inscryption — Card game with an immersive, spooky atmosphere. The game is hiding secrets from you, though, and you’ll meet plenty of shady characters before you can get the truth.
- CrossCode — Action RPG set in a fictional VR MMO of the distant future. You wake up as a player character with no memories of real life, unable to log out. You quickly make friends, go do MMO stuff together and get to the bottom of why you’re stuck in-game.
Parasocial weirdness:
- Hypnospace Outlaw — You are a janitor on a Geocities-like service in a simulated 1999 internet. You learn about all the users through their personal websites. This game expresses a large emotional range with just website updates (or the lack of them).
I was going to suggest CrossCode, it has some great characters. And while the game is balls-hard on default settings it has many adjustable options to bring it in line with whatever your skill level may be.
Honestly, my issue with it is that it gets mired in real MMO tedium when it didn’t need to simulate that. Stuff like running between NPC traders to trade your supplies up for good equipment and other stuff like having a gigantic pile of consumables.
And of course, I finish the final boss with all the best consumables still in my inventory. The game never pressed me to use them, so I always saved them for something more important. “Oh, that was the final boss. Guess I should have been eating more sandwiches.”
The plot and worldbuilding are still really cool. Just don’t get into MMOmaxxing.
Golden Sun.
The most memorable RPG I’ve ever played. The music and art style, beautiful. Especially considering it’s a Gameboy Advance game.
In the same vein, Sea of Stars.
Perhaps RPG’s with a party, like Mass Effect, Baldurs Gate 3, Fallout New Vegas (many companions with their own stories to find and tag along), Star Wars: knights of the old republic, dragon age.
Some shooters like the later Band of Brothers games, valkyria chronicles or the Mafia series you may enjoy as well.
In Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis, there are multiple paths to choose to complete the game, and one option is to choose a fun companion come with you to help you throughout.
Since OP likes open world games, in the later Bethesda RPGs like Skyrim and Fallout 4 you can have companions. not the same level of interaction as Bioware-like parties, but it’s something.
also not really an open world game, but in Midnight Suns you’re a mystical hero in a party with some of the avengers, other marvel heroes, and even some villains. there’s a lot of personal interactions with all the members between missions.
Perhaps RPG’s with a party
Going more old school, Chrono Trigger is another great one with awesome supporting party characters.
You’ll definitely experience anxiety though.
Or maybe deep dread.
Final Fantasy VI!
Baldurs gate 3
And divinity original sin 2!
Stardew Valley
That, it’s a grown up person’s dream of a place to be. At least for lots of folks out there and me)
And overall it’s a good game to play slowly for months.
Bioshock Infinite - Elizabeth as a constant companion is a big theme in the game.
Beyond Good and Evil - A lot of great supporting cast like Pey’j.
Baldur’s Gate 3 - Massive emphasis on the relationships you have with your companions.
Brutal Legend - A quasi-RTS where caring for your bandmates and roadies is the only way to win.
Disco Elysium - Kim Kitsuragi, enough said.
Firewatch - Story driven rooted in character relationships, about being alone but trying to stay connected.
Hi-Fi Rush - Great cast of characters who are heavily involved with story and often around or talking to you.
Just Cause 3 - Probably the best in the series, for threading the comedy/action needle and giving you characters that are really lovable.
Katamari Damacy - Feel the love of the King of All Cosmos!
Life is Strange - Rooted entirely around your relationships with close friends and classmates.
Mad Max - Your own personal Gollum!
Nier Automata - You’ll always have your PODs.
Portal 2 - Wheatley will keep you good company.
Psychonauts / Psychonauts 2 - How can you be lonely when you’re inside someone else’s mind?
SkateBIRD - Make friends with birds!
Terraria - There’s always some new villager to find.
Mad Max - Your own personal Gollum!
Fun fact: Chumbucket has a bit part in Furiosa.
That’s a neat fun fact I didn’t know, thanks! Looking it up now.
Psychonauts didn’t come to mind but it’s actually a really good suggestion.
I felt oddly alone in Psychonauts, though.
Also, is your PFP yellowboze?
is your PFP yellowboze?
Yes it is.
I can see why you felt that but all the characters in both games are so wonderful that to me it was the opposite feeling.
Firewatch - Story driven rooted in character relationships, about being alone but trying to stay connected.
My pick as well. It’s well written with a nice relationship at its center.
Katamari Damacy
Which typically culminates in rolling up everyone on Earth by the time you get to the final stage, no less. If that’s not a group hug, I don’t know what is.
Edit: I’m also going to second the Psychonauts recommendation, especially the second game. Despite the gameplay itself inevitably lending itself to the protagonist performing every little bit of work by himself, there are strong themes of teamwork all throughout the game’s story and the excellence of its final sequence cannot be understated:
Ding dong.
Whale-O-Gram.
I wanna wad you up into my life / Let’s roll up to be a single star in the sky
Such a killer fucking happy/upbeat soundtrack, too.
To your edit, similarly the final sequence of Nier Automata is so deeply rooted in not being alone, and encouraging one another, and being there for one another. A chance to break the cycle.
If I recall correctly, Yoko Taro had said he had been somewhat inspire by this Coca-cola campaign the “Small World Machines.”
Excellent list. I was wondering if BG3 was too obvious a suggestion, but it fits the bill, right?
Edit: maybe some of the Yakuza games would work?
in cyberpunk 2077 your characters sorta never alone after a certain point.
You are never technically alone in Hellblade…
In all honesty, I think you’d love Casette Beasts, it’s all about friendship.
While “technically true is the best kind of true”, I really would recommend anyone already facing anxiety to avoid Hellblade.
Oh yeah, I was completely joking with that one
Titanfall 2: You have a titan as a companion for most of the game (there are segments where you’re on your own though). And it’s a fantastic single player campaign.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. You will work together with an increasing team of friends and allies to survive ridiculous circumstances.
The story is incredible, but the character building is excellent. Great fast paces action RPG with party switching, so you’ll always have 2 playing with you. The story really shows deep friendship development, especially if you ensure to do all side quests and talk to characters at various story points.
Give a try to conversational games like VA 11 hall-A and coffee talk
CrossCode. Friendship is kinda part of the story / concept in a way.
