What games evoked emotions for you? Which ones really hit you in the feels?
For me, in no particular order:
- Firewatch
- This War of Mine
- What Remains of Edith Finch
- Gone Home
- Papers Please
- Doki Doki Literature Club
- I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
For me, in no particular order:
The Witcher 3. Sometimes there were no good choices to make and one had to choose the better of two bad outcomes. Sometimes the obvious good choice led to bad things happening to a village. That game was a rollercoaster of emotions.
I also second This War of Mine.
I fell into a week long depression after finishing the game for the first time. For me the Witcher 3 is the best story you'll find in a game, period.
Arguably the best story telling in a game. Each side quest was given a lot of attention to detail and never felt like any were copy-paste jobs.
A game that's not mentioned here yet: Outer Wilds.
You know how your high school English teacher tries to get through your brain about what "sublime" means and why the Romantic Era writers cared about it so much? The meaning of the word never really clicked for me until I played this game. It is pure, distilled sublime. It presents nature as this simultaneously jaw-droppingly beautiful and existentially scary entity that I've never seen any other game come close to replicating. For anyone who hasn't played it yet, I heavily recommend it.
Note: don't confuse Outer Wilds with Outer Worlds. They sound similar, but they could not be farther apart
Yeah what an unbelievable game. The music really hit the feels button for some reason. I still need to play the DLC!
I highly recommend the DLC! The best thing I can say about it is that it's more Outer Wilds, with the same level of world-building, puzzle-solving, and emotional impact.
I don't think I've ever emotionally connected with a game more than Disco Elysium. It had a profound effect on me, that game can truly do sadness
Oh man... I don't know why this wasn't the first thing I thought of when ever since I played it earlier this year, I have had the phrase "I don't want to be this kind of animal anymore" stuck in my head. I think that daily.
I wish there was a disco option...
A Short Hike
A lot of it is because of where I was in life when I played it, but playing this game felt like an oasis in a very turbulent time for me.
I had just graduated university in the middle of a pandemic, feeling lonely and scared of the transition to a new career. I ended up feeling surprisingly emotional the whole time I played it.
That game is really nice. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Mass Effect " ... someone else might have gotten it wrong ..."
Journey.
I don't think it works quite as well nowadays with much fewer people playing it but it was an incredible experience when it first came out. I still play it whenever I need to calm down or just having a bad day. It's truly a special game to me.
Couldn't agree more!!
I actually played Journey for the first time just several months ago! I think there's still enough people around that you can still run into other players on your journey. Maybe I ran into you at some point?
I ALSO just got around to playing Journey a few months ago, knowing nearly nothing about it. Spoilers ahead.
I started, got the hang of it a little bit, and was running around. I see another person! I chirp, he chirps, we dance around a bit, and we’re on our way. He shows me a few things, so I’m confident he knows his way around. I still go my own way, and he waits for me. Chirps when I should follow. I do. At some point, I have to pee REALLY bad and I want to make a drink. So I chirp, turn in a circle, chirp again, and he does the same. I go pee, make a drink, and when I’m back we are both sitting.
We make it through the rest of the game. He is the best companion I could hope for. I tear up twice during our adventure, and am nearly crying at the end. No games do this to me.
We make it together, and I PRAY at the end it lets me know who this person is. I’m DELIGHTED when it shows me his name, and I add him. He immediately accepts.
I tell him it’s my first time playing, and that I appreciated him helping me out so much! He tells me that he has fully completed the game, and plays so he can find new players to help have an amazing first time. We ALMOST got all of the secrets, but I missed a couple. He then sends me screenshot after screenshot after screenshot of us on our journey. He has a mod of some sort that lets him take out-of-body cinematic photos. I tear up more. I love this person.
PART TWO
My partner sees my reactions and says “I HAVE TO PLAY THAT”. I tell her it’s an experienced unmatched by any other.
She begins. She roams around, learning the ropes. She meets a person! They run ahead… and run… and run more… they’re gone. Speedrunner? She is sad. She restarts the program to find another companion. She presses on more, and nothing. Nobody.
She starts the game over. Finds a new friend. They chirp. She is elated! They’re adventuring for a while, when they stop moving. They sit. They disconnect. She is infuriated. But presses on. ANOTHER FRIEND! Also talkative! They play through, this person a tad more impatient than her. She attempts to keep up, but hits basically EVERYTHING that eats her robe. At the end, she has no robe. Her friend runs ahead. Too far ahead… she doesn’t make it.
She uninstalls, nearly in tears for the complete opposite reason as myself. Says she’s done and it was awful. :c
I should have waited until my friend was back on, and asked if he could try to be her Journey partner.
I still think I'll never play a game that will make me feel like One Shot did. Especially the post game. It really pulls you into the story personally.
Overall I think the life is strange series is okay but in 2 there's a scene where you have the option to come out to your dad and it just felt so authentic. Like I remember having to pause the game and walk around a little.
To the Moon. Omg. All of the feels. Def recommend, but keep some tissues with you!
To the moon is cheating. That game's ending belongs in an oscar winning movie.
The original Life is Strange was it for me back when I first played it. I have to admit, I was feeling a bit down at the time, so the soundtrack, the atmosphere, and the emotions in the game really resonated with me. I'm actually a bit hesitant to play it again because I don't want to lose the special memories from my first time through the game.
The original Life is Strange is a masterpiece and I wish I could reexperience it anew. I played it twice to see how choices mattered and it's not quite the same the second time around.
The other Life is Strange games are also really great, but sadly they can't quite match the original.
That is the only game that has actually made me cry.
Final Fantasy X
God Eater 2
VA-11 Hall-A
Trials of Mana
The music in FFX brings me tears. So good!
FfX has my vote too. To zanarkand takes me back
There are just so many.
I'm probably missing more but that's just a few that I have a strong connection with and make my heart soar.
Ori and the Blind Forest hit me hard practically before the game had even begun, even more so than Firewatch though it and This War of Mine are definitely up there. Mass Effect (1–3) had a lot of emotional moments for me.
The only game I just couldn’t finish for emotional reasons though is That Dragon Cancer. It hit me harder than This War of Mine, probably because it was a lot closer to home.
SOMA gets me pretty good. To the Moon, too.
The Last of Us first play through, hands down.
Breath of the Wild first ten hours after release, close second place.
I’m told Outer Wilds will be number one when I get to it.
Spiritfarer gave me a small existential crisis at the end. Edith Finch was heartbreaking but hopeful. House of Fata Morgana was achingly beautiful storytelling.
I played Spiritfarer a while back after seeing all the positive reviews, but only made it an hour or two in before I fell off and stopped playing. I think I just got bored by the pace? Is it worth restarting and pushing through the early parts of the game, or is it pretty much the same throughout?
Without really spoiling the ending all I can say is that wether or not it is worth playing is up to you. I thought about that for weeks after I finished this game. It was a real mindfuck.
I've never been more moved that I was during the final cutscene of the Mass Effect trilogy. The first time through, anyway. When the nameplate(s) went up on the wall of fallen crewmates, my soul overwhelmed my fucking body, made a bunch of involuntary sad noises, and cried until credits.
I was absolutely blown away by the bittersweet culmination of everything, and the musical score helped to rip the emotions right out of me.
As far aa good feels go, I get a lot of positive things out of Stardew Valley. It provides me with a steady drip of seratonin, and the music and visuals bring me back to the changing of many seasons throughout my childhood, growing up on what used to be an apple orchard.
Yes, Stardew Valley is so comforting! Helps me unwind after a stressful day.
Soma. If you know, you know.
This one’s pretty up there for me. Short and sweet. Top 5 on a philosophical sense.
I was incredibly emotional and blindsided by that ending and afterwards I was like, "How did I not see that coming, omg!"
I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone mention Ghost of Tsushima. What an incredible emotional journey. I saw the ending coming from a mile a way but that didn’t matter in the least. The voice acting is unbelievably good. The way the game design, writing, and acting all fit perfectly together is not something I’ve seen matched in any other game. It’s a wonderful piece of art. My partner was watching me play when I started the game for the first time because the beginning grabbed her attention and she ended up watching me play basically the whole game. We both had wet eyeballs at the end. But it didn’t just give me sad feels, I’ve never played a game quite so just overall beautiful? Visually, again, the game design itself is beautiful, serene. And that’s just the main story, there are such good small stories told in tiny side quests that I still haven’t forgotten from my first play through. On top of all of that you get feel like a badass slicing up fools. I can’t say enough good stuff about that game.
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the colossus has to be up there as one of the most memorable video game experiences I’ve had. Jaw dropping and thought provoking at the same time. I’m not sure what kind of wizardry and blood magic was involved in making this game run on playstation 2.
“That Dragon, Cancer” made me stop halfway through, not because I was stuck on a puzzle, but because I was crying so hard I couldn’t see the screen.
“Papa y Yo” made me understand how it feels to be the child of an alcoholic parent, on a really visceral level.
“Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture” is emotional in the fullest sense of the word—it made me feel a full range of emotions over the course of its characters.
Oh, and you’re right about ”Gone Home”. People say it’s not really a horror game but I was absolutely terrified going up to the attic at the end, because I thought I knew what I would find there. Thankfully I was wrong.
Oh shit I forgot about heavy rain.
That game was a trip.
Final fantasy 14 The main story quests were amazing. Especially loved the shadowbringers storyline.
Couldn't agree more!
While maybe not exactly what you mean, Tunic.
It made me feel all kinds of things. Mostly it was the mind blowing "aha" moments when I learned something fundamental about the game that had been there all along, I just hadn't pieced it together, yet.
It's such a unique game that I seriously doubt could ever be done again.
If you enjoy games like that, where the game challenges you to figure out the fundamental rules that were there all along, then I highly recommend Outer Wilds.
I actually mentioned Outer Wilds in another comment here, and while it does have its emotional moments, I think it also does really well with respecting a player's intelligence and rewarding curiosity
I own the game, it's installed on my Steam Deck. One of these days I will play it. I know it has that same "you can only really experience it once" gameplay.
Kinda surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet but Undertale definitely did that for me
just in case, if you liked papers please you may love "the return of the obra dinn". really good game from the same guy.
Lots of good answers in this thread but I haven't seen anyone mention this one yet:
Spec Ops: The Line
Got me right in the feels. That scene, obviously, but I can remember plenty more moments too even though I only played it once when it was new and never since. No spoilers here but if you can put up with the (I think deliberately) generic third-person shooter mechanics it's worth your time. Also note the strangely muted tone in the Zero Punctuation review because I think it got him in the feels too. It's a fine game but it was a great experience.
Titanfall 2... I legit cried at the ending. No other fps has ever made me cry lol.
Ok so I'm a huge Final Fantasy fanboi, but for some reason when I first finished Nier;Automata with all the main endings, I just couldn't help but tear up. For the first time in a long while I felt and thought, yep, that was a masterpiece.
If I can play a game for the first time again, I'd choose Nier;Automata.
Omori and the To The Moon series both hit pretty hard for me. Some others that were up there are Undertale, ESC, Secret Little Haven and Night in the Woods. OneShot, though, felt personal in a way no other game has.
This War of Mine, Quantum Break and #1 by far: Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
The Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy have had immense moments of emotional ups and downs. Few games just make me sit there to contemplate what just occurred to its story, conflicts, or characters; XBC games have many moments sprinkled through its entire playtime that do that.
Eliza. If you are a software engineer working on product there's no game that will come as close as being relatable than this. It's just perfect. Is very short and there's barely any interactivity. The "scifi" layer than runs the main plot is good, as it's extremely believable and well done, but its nothing groundbreaking that has been talked about in other places. But the characters, good lord, the way they speak and experiences they tell... I swear that I have met carbon copies of some of them. Probably the best description of burnout and long days I have ever seen. If you don't work with software this is just a short, flawed VN. But if you do, I highly recommend it.
Disco Elysium. IMHO the best writing in any game, and by a fucking mile (planescape was good as well but found DE much better). The phone call was ridiculously relatable and there were several other emotional moments that hit hard as well. The silliness was too much at first but it grew on me as it made the rest of the game much more palatable without becoming dark satire.
Mass Effect. Okay it isnt as well written as the other two above but still manages to pull emotional strings with the characters. Specially Thane and Mordin.
Dragon Quest 11. Once with a mermaid side story, once with the main bit.
Just Shapes and Beats, of all things. It tells a very basic story in such a charming way and the characters are simple but easy to get attached to. Friend of mine had the same experience when I gifted him the game.
Haven't seen Before Your Eyes mentioned yet. It's not a long game, but it's got a good story reliving the main character's life through their eyes. Also, you control it by blinking! As soon as you blink, there will be a time skip.
Same! Loved Before Your Eyes. It was short and not necessarily replayable many times, but very emotional and unique. I'd love to find other unique games like this, where the main game/mechanic is new or different in some way like the blinking control was, but not sure how to find them!
Yes! I love this game. I got it yesterday imbrue steam summer sale, and it is the only game to have ever made me cry. Its very short (bit over an hour) but the story is beautiful.
I'll probably be the only one here, brave enough, to mention this, but the Gear of War series has had some very real tear jerker moments. I don't think I've ever actually cried, but I've come close and it has definitely left me feeling different after the events. Gears 2, 3, and 5 specifically come to mind. If you know, you know.
I'm playing Ratchet and Clank: A Rift Apart and it's doing a good job of making me feel ways about stuff.
I really loved Cyberpunk 2077 for this, too.
Rocket League also makes me feel emotions. Mostly anger.
And just to add something probably not as well known, Lil Gator Game. For a game specifically for children, I did not expect the heavy hitting emotional story it provided.
Titanfall 2 really messed me up
Thomas Was Alone.
How great writing works
I really cared for these literal blocks on screen.
Telltale's The Walking Dead. I have never had a gaming experience like it before or since. It drew me in and hit me in the feels over and over
Katawa Shoujo.
MyHouse.wad, a Doom 2 map about friendship and loss that really hits hard and awesome. Read the initial post, read the supplemental material on the Google Drive, if you feel like it and then play it.
Super Mario Galaxy also hit me but more for the joy and amazement at the innovative levels and gameplay. One of the few games I played with my wife to 100 % completion.
Pyre is structured in such a way that you can't NOT feel something at each of the key moments. These are your guys - specifically the ones you rely on to secure victory in tough spots. You can't help but feel something when ::: spoiler spoiler you finally earn them their freedom, never to see them again... or when the possibility of their freedom suddenly becomes impossible, doomed to remain forever in the near-inhospitable Downside. And at the very end, when the choice happens, it's HARD to make. :::
Tears of the Kingdom, man. It's far from a perfect game, but the ending is ASTOUNDINGLY good.
Pentiment. Just it.
Stardew Valley never fails to make me get all weirdly emotional.
Mother 3. Not just the sunflowers, but Porky’s end. “I don’t know…”
A lot of good ones, but no one has mentioned Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons. Fairly short, controlling two characters simultaneously was a cool mechanic, and the puzzles were fun but not very challenging. It probably hit me the hardest of any game I've played. I literally teared up every time ::: spoiler spoiler I pressed older brother's interact button in the final chapter.
:::
I was hoping to see this one here. Been a long while since I played, but it still stands out in my memory. I love the way that game manipulates the control scheme towards the end to perfectly mirror the loss felt by the character (and his eventual overcoming that loss).