Gaming is a lot more accessible now than it has ever been before but, still, not everyone has the time to invest 1000 hours of their life training with a PlayStation controller under a waterfall to become spiritually perfect at executing flawless 360 no scope headshots. Hardcore gaming is not for everyone, but there’s still stuff in gaming that’s worth exploring, even if the rest of it is not your cup of tea.
Before he passed away, celebrated film critic Roger Ebert once claimed (and subsequently vociferously defended said claim) that video games could never be art. Respectfully, that’s total bullshit.
The advent of video games (or, I guess more importantly, the advent of video games becoming good) has given us a whole new way to tell stories that are immersive, personal, and have the capacity to extend far beyond what the creator explicitly intended through emergent aspects of the gameplay.
To that end, we’ve rustled up a list of games that we reckon are worth giving a bash even if you’re not 100% certain how to hold controller.
Firewatch
Set in 1989, ‘Firewatch‘ sees you take control of a man named Henry, who decided he wanted to take some time off from the world at large and work as a fire lookout in Wyoming. As Henry, you wander around Shoshone National Forest, armed with a walkie-talkie, via which you communicate with Delilah, his supervisor, who is living and working in the tower just over from you.
This is not an action game – you are not running around frantically trying to put out fires. The game is primarily about slowly trying to figure out what trouble is afoot around the tower as you choose how you build a relationship with Delilah. It’s personal, immersive, and stunningly beautiful.
‘Firewatch‘ is available on Windows, OS X, Linux, PS4, and Xbox One.
Braid
Unlike ‘Firewatch‘, ‘Braid‘ does require skill on your part (a lot, actually as the game goes on), but in the service of a very beautiful gaming experience. ‘Braid‘ is a platform game (think Mario) in which you take control of a man named Tim as he searches for a princess. As Tim, you can reverse the flow of time, and as you progress through various levels with changing rules about how time works.
On top of being a thoroughly picturesque and enjoyable puzzle game, the way the story plays out to its conclusion will absolutely bake your noodle.
You can find ‘Braid‘ on Windows, OS X, Linux, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Heavy Rain
‘Heavy Rain‘ is probably closer to an interactive movie than it is to a video game. While some of the gameplay does rely on how fast you can react or mash a button, most of the game is based on the choices that you make and their ramifications.
In ‘Heavy Rain‘, you control four different characters, progressing through chapters as you attempt to find the identity of a serial killer known as the Origami Killer. Depending on what decisions you make for each character, there around 22 different endings you can get, meaning every playthrough is quite different.
The game is brooding, scary, astonishingly deep, and doesn’t require you to be a video game genius to enjoy it.
‘Heavy Rain‘ is available on PS3 and PS4.
Everything
‘Everything‘ is weird. Real weird. Designed by artist David OReilly, ‘Everything‘ lets you control and play as things from lions to trees to mountains to islands to planets to bacteria to pretty much whatever. There’s a tiny hint of a point to the game, in that it records every type of creature you have decided to shift to, but really, this game does not have a point, it is just an experience.
As you shift from scale to scale, suddenly becoming a planet-sized horse for whatever reason, you are gifted with surreal, philosophical audio snippets from philosopher Alan Watts. It is a deeply weird, deeply entertaining experience.
Interestingly, an 11-minute trailer for this game is the first ever video game trailer to qualify for Oscars consideration. You can watch that trailer right here:
You can get ‘Everything‘ on Windows, Linux, OS X and PS4.
Gone Home
‘Gone Home‘ is another example of a game that’s more about interactive storytelling than it is about gameplay. In ‘Gone Home‘, you play Kate, who has arrived home from a holiday to find her home deserted, with a note on the door urging her not to look into what happened.
The story unfolds as you explore the house and inspect items you find, hoping to discover clues as to what happened. It’s a meditative and thoughtful way to tell a type of story which is very rarely present in video games, and makes a very good case for using games as a personal storytelling medium.
You can find ‘Gone Home‘ on Windows, Linux, OS X, PS4 and Xbox One.
Her Story
‘Her Story‘ is an ambiguous, non-linear narrative told in a very novel way: through the sorting and watching of videos. That might sound dry as hell, but it’s a very absorbing experience, wading through nearly 300 different police interview video clips – often bereft of their context – to attempt to solve the mystery of a missing man.
The beauty of ‘Her Story‘ is that the narrative unfolds differently for everyone. Bits of information will come at a different time, affecting how you view whichever clip you watch next. It’s an emotional story, beautifully acted, that plays out depending on your actions.
‘Her Story‘ was released on Windows, Mac OS X, iOS and Android
Photo: Firewatch.
