Outer Wilds - Explore a solar system. Time loops.
Disco Elysium - Explore a city in a dying world. Extremely active inner dialogue.
Stardew Valley - Build your farm. Help the local community.
Opus Magnum - Puzzle game where you manufacture different alchemical compounds (secretly a programming game)
Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
191–200 of 452 posts
Re: Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
#192Re: Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
#193Outer Wilds. (Not to be confused with Outer Worlds which came out around the same time.) While the game is non-violent in that you never actively harm anything, your character will die, a lot, in maybe concerning ways (crushed, out of air, crashed, etc). It also has a story with themes that may be over your kids’ heads. Look up reviews to see more.
Just chiming in to concur. A technical masterpiece and lots of fun piecing together the knowledge needed to progress. Blew me away that such games exist. Only other game that gave me a similar feeling was The Witness.
Tangent: The Witness is an outstanding non-violent game as well, but unfortunately for recs here, doesn't fit due to lack of story.
Re: Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
#194Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was really enjoying Obra Dinn until I took a break from it. A few weeks away, I simply couldn’t find my place in the story/puzzle/mystery and was too stuck to move on.
I had to binge it for that reason. I kept telling myself to slow down, take the time to enjoy it, while actually going, hurry up or you will forget important details. I also find I have to read books in one or two settings, I just loose the plot if it takes longer than that.
Games really, really need something to solve this. I can't tell you the number of games I've had to start over.
Re: Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
#195Lightmatter is a great first person puzzler that I haven't seen anyone here mention. The story is good enough, and if I remember correctly, told through audio recordings you pick up along the way. Non-violent, but you can die. I really liked the art style
Creature in the Well is a pretty fun adventure/breakout/pinball game. Light story. There is some conflict, but it's about as violent as pinball
Probably not for the kiddos, but Little Nightmares is great. The story is entirely told through ambience, which is dark and creepy. A sequel came out recently, but I haven't played it
Re: Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
#196Broken Age
Seconding this! Broken Age is a really solid adventure game that got a bit of a bad rap because of Kickstarter delays etc. It's a (dual) coming of age story that kept my partner and I fully engaged, and my partner has pretty high standards for a good story. I think it would be great for kids.
Re: Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
#197“Unpacking” (on Switch - not sure where else) is a really beautiful game where you unpack a young woman’s things into her new living space at different points in her life (moving in to college, with roommates, a boyfriend, etc) and learn her life story. It’s quick but we’ll worth it.
Re: Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
#198Shadow of the Colossus?
The point of the game is to brutally murder the colossi.
Re: Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
#199I love video games, but consider reading books to you children. Much better, deeper stories and less violence!
Reading is great, but there’s nothing wrong with kids playing a reasonable amount of video games — numerous studies indicate they aid in cognitive development as well.
Re: Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
#200Some (mostly gog.com-based and linux friendly) suggestions:
Astrologaster – essentially an interactive visual novel about a Tudor doctor who diagnoses people by looking at the stars. Cracking (tudor choir music) tunes. https://www.gog.com/en/game/astrologaster
The Talos Principle – a puzzle-em-up which uses the FPS perspective but entirely for solving rather hard logic puzzles and with little reference to war, but a surprisingly engrossing plot – https://www.gog.com/game/the_talos_principle_gold_edition
To the Moon – another essentially visual novel, but in the style of a 16 bit RPG – https://www.gog.com/game/to_the_moon. Also, A Bird Story, its sequel: https://www.gog.com/en/game/a_bird_story
A Short Hike – a very cute, adventure/exploration game with no combat at all – https://www.gog.com/game/a_short_hike
Slipways – a strategy game that scratches the RTS itch, but isn't RT and has no combat – https://www.gog.com/game/slipways
Superliminal – a puzzle game entirely based on perspective, again with an excellent (if creepy) plot – https://www.gog.com/game/superliminal
Gorogoa – an absolutely beautiful visual puzzle game with a charming, graphically told plot – https://www.gog.com/game/gorogoa
Obduction – an excellent Myst-like puzzle experience that tells a lot with no combat – https://www.gog.com/game/Obduction
The Witness – a really surprisingly varied difficulty, excellent, puzzle game that has lots of hidden secrets – https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_witness
An "honourable mention" would be Caesar III and its open-source engines (Julius and Augustus) which, whilst not being combat-free, is an entirely combat-optional town-building RTS game where the economic-only missions are far, far harder than those where you defeat a military enemy. This is arguably true of Roman society, as it happens…