My favorites from the past decade: Soma, a science fiction horror game around the idea of transplanted consciousness. It's a common sci-fi theme but Soma handles it much better than most and adds a very interesting setting. What Remains of Edith Finch, not scary, it's a "walking sim" that explores a family's surreal curse over generations. It's actually really touching. Disco Elysium, a detective RPG in an interestin…
Disco Elysium is not exactly devoid of violence and aggression, even if they aren't central mechanics. It's great storytelling but with some mature themes. Honestly, I thought I'd have an easier time coming up with some other suggestions to throw in but there's usually some ass-kicking in my favorite story driven games. The Oni platformer games are a little bit fight-centric but not really violent or cruel, and the s…
W.r.t violence, it is indeed present as a murder is the center of the story, but it's always in service of a story about self-discovery, exploration and a talking tie.
Also, if you like Disco, check out The City & The City [0], it inspired DE and is a great time.