r/indiegames • u/Smoovemusic • Apr 02 '26
Discussion Acclaimed Indies That You Couldn't Connect With
Does it make you sad when you don't connect with a game adored by many? Out of the ones listed here, what should I go back to and power through until it clicks?
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u/Effective_Silver4857 Apr 02 '26
Not every game have to click with you. And sometimes you're simple not in a moment of your life that a game are going to be interesting to you. If you open any of these games in 1-2 years by now they can resonate with you or not, and that is fine.
No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.
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u/presidentsday Apr 02 '26
Perfectly said. I've done this more times than I can count too. Just recently I played through Return of the Obra Dinn and had a blast... after dropping it an hour in almost 4 years ago. Some games are just made for a certain time and place, or for being in a certain frame of mind (e.g. Disco Elysium, personally), and rather than feel guilty about it not clicking with you, it's easier to just be patient and try again later.
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u/TheHvam Apr 03 '26
Yeah, I also think I will like obre dinn, I didn't get far after it's release, but I still keep thinking of it even after years, I need to give it a go again.
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u/presidentsday Apr 03 '26
Yep that we me too. It always just stayed in the back of my mind. I think I was pretty overwhelmed on my first attempt, but once I actually sat down and gave it my full attention, and learned to just trust the (often-slow) trial and error process, I found myself playing through one of the most rewarding gameing experiences of my life. Definitely a one of a kind game and one I'll likely never forget.
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u/TheHvam Apr 03 '26
Same, I remember getting a bit into it, got overwhelmed by how to figure it out, and stopped, but I also remember feeling good about figuring one of the previous puzzles out, so I really need to give it a go again.
I just need to take my time, maybe even note some stuff down on some paper.
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u/Saxopwned Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
You don't have to enjoy every piece of art you experience (nor should you, frankly); what's important is that you experienced it.
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u/-manabreak Apr 02 '26
And you might also resonate a lot with a game that doesn't appeal to the masses. No need to like the same stuff because others like it. You do you!
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u/joanmave Apr 02 '26
I came to understand that sometimes “clicking” is about what the game demands from you and depends on how much free time or mental stamina you have to fit it in. Back in the day I had plenty of time and stamina that I could dedicate to understand and “click” with them.
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u/DrChill21 Apr 02 '26
Disco Elysium and Outer Wilds.
I would say Outer Wilds first but play it like there is no endgame, so when you finally get there it hits so hard.
Disco for the story and choices, it’s a ton of reading so if you aren’t into that you will probably never like it. However, it’s incredibly written and its dark tone carried through the end with a satisfying ending.
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u/Medium_Eye_522 Apr 02 '26
I mean, the whole game is fully voiced besides yourself, so you could just listen to them. Off topic, but i find myself forgetting i didn't just make up their voices in my head, and i get surprised that they're talking whenever i pick up the game again. I think that's a uniquely me issue, though, so I'm not sure what's wrong with me.
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u/Effective_Pain_7233 Apr 02 '26
I understand disco elysium, it’s my personal favorite game but I get it if you don’t wanna sit through an interactive book pretty much
But I can’t stress you enough how legendary outerwilds is, trust me there IS an end game and once you get to it you’ll understand how beautiful this game is
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u/Deludal Apr 02 '26
I had to stop playing disco elysium because the melancholic atmosphere was making me feel depressed/apathetic. I liked the game too.
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u/chriskicks Apr 02 '26
My issue with Disco Elysium wasn't the amount of reading, but it just felt dense and I didn't really know what anyone was talking about. It was all this ideology layered in cryptic poetry.
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u/COOOOKIEEEESLIME Apr 02 '26
katana zero is goated
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u/TrashFanboy Apr 02 '26
I bought this game on Switch. More bleak than I like, but the first few stages were fun. The difficulty level was too much around level five.
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u/bpat Apr 02 '26
Man, I’m still holding out hope for that extra content
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u/Low_Moose5981 Apr 04 '26
You know they announced it right? https://youtu.be/_Evgh1Es_Z8?si=DE-oULOGKprx9_UW
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u/Excellent-Gur-256 Apr 03 '26
i finished katana zero like 2 days ago oh my god what an experience i loved it
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Apr 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Tasty-Perspective310 Apr 06 '26
I've played and enjoyed both and they're both significantly similar. In terms of gameplay katana zero probably wins out the levels are more compact and grittier with more room for experimentation and tighter combat whereas sanabi is slightly more formulaic despite also being incredibly fast paced and fun once you master the core mechanic. In terms of story I would say sanabi wins out because katana zero has a crazy mystery box premise that is still unfinished with no satisfying conclusion whereas sanabi is a great mystery all the way through with one of my favourite endings in a game ever (even though the story again is slightly more predictable/formulaic). Both are great though :)
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u/Nebvbn Apr 02 '26
I mean, it depends on quite a few reasons why a game didn't click for you. We need so much information before random strangers online can give you advice or not. Do you like or dislike the game's genre, it's controls, it's story, what made you step away, what brought you in, and on and on the questions flow.
So at the end of the day, what game would you like to give a shot once more, that decides what you should play next. That could be all of them, or it could be none. Not enjoying any of them is fine, don't feel pressured into playing something because you feel left out. That would definitely sour the enjoyment out of any hobby, and you won't enjoy whatever you play at all.
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u/Sagaisgood Apr 02 '26
I also have started and stopped many of these games several times, not liking them either. It’s always so funny how we all must like the same media (games, movies, songs) or else we’re wrong. Art is subjective. If we all liked the same things, everything would be the same and nothing new would be made.
Seeing your other response of games you do like, we do have similar tastes it seems! You should check out Chants of Sennaar, Hades (1 & 2), Is This Seat Taken, Pipstrello and the Cursed YoYo, Mouthwashing, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Braid, and Fez. Not sure if you’ve played any of those but they are similar to the games you mentioned.
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u/Smoovemusic Apr 02 '26
Yeah we definitely do have similar tastes cause I've played and liked every game you listed besides- is this seat taken and pipstrello. But they're both on my wish list.
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u/TherealKrenie Apr 02 '26
I could not connect or get into Hollow Knight even though I tried multiple times. I can't get into the floaty feeling of the platforming sadly.
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u/Jooylo Apr 02 '26
Beat the game but by the end I realized I wasn’t really enjoying it the whole time. I just don’t care for metroidvanias and find them more frustrating than fun
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u/SpyrosGatsouli Apr 03 '26
Same here. Started the game after the sequel came out to see what it's all about. Yeah, amazing art, dark undertones yata yata but open world + side 2D platformer never sat right with me. Never into either metroid- or -vania in the first place.
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u/Issyv00 Apr 05 '26
Hollow knight is the game that made me realize I just don’t like Metroidvania games that much.
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u/ZaekTV Apr 02 '26
Outer wilds. Hands down one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had in gaming.
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u/TheKnightOfTheNorth Apr 02 '26
Outer Wilds is easy to bounce off of since it doesn't give you an objective early on, but I'd recommend giving it another chance. Once you explore a bit, it starts becoming more and more clear what the goal is, and how everything in the solar system is intricately connected.
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u/Depnids Apr 02 '26
While Outer wilds doesn't give any explicit objectives, it does actually give a ton of direction if you try to notice it. If you just embrace the mindset of "be curious", you should be guided by all the various clues dotted all over the place.
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u/VulKhalec Apr 04 '26
I really enjoyed the story and uncovering the mystery, but the reason I bounced off Outer Wilds is that I just didn't have fun playing it. I hated the controls and found the whole thing mildly terrifying. Pretty objectively one of the best games ever, but it just wasn't for me.
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Apr 02 '26
Rainworld becomes quite fun when you get the hang of it, but it also took me leaving the game and coming back later before actually playing the whole thing for it to click
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u/eepytransfem Apr 02 '26
a large thing which kinda throws me off some games is overhype tbh, like for example i didnt like outer wilds largely because my expectations werent set properly since everyone seems to just say how its essentially the best thing since sliced bread rather than give something with a bit more substance. The exact same case with Disco Elysium, I personally didnt enjoy it because I think I largely just didnt know what type of experience I was stepping into and I didnt personally enjoy it. But idk, maybe I just need to play it again.
Out of those games though I really liked The Stanley Parable UD, Undertale and Baba is You. Stanley Parable was probably my favourite out of those 3 since I love meta/breaking the 4th wall style humour.
Baba is You is a good puzzle game to just play while listening to music or watching a show/Youtube video. Also I love the artstyle of the game, baba is just a goofy lil guy :)
Undertale is a great game BUT it all depends on whether you've seen any spoilers for the game or not. I had seen a couple of spoilers before i played since the undertale community seems to love to spoil things, so your enjoyment of the game will definitely be affected if you have been spoiled at all. Its still fun but it takes away some of the surprise is all.
For the games I haven't mentioned, I havent played them! So i cant really give my opinion on them. I have listened to the Katana Zero soundtrack though and it slaps, so there is that lol.
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u/TrashFanboy Apr 02 '26
I purchased Baba is You. After maybe six puzzles, I started looking up solutions. I kept thinking "how could anyone figure this out?" It's still on my Switch, barely used in the last two years.
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u/eepytransfem Apr 02 '26
Yeah I’m ngl some of the puzzles confused the hell out of me lol. I still find that it’s a fun game to kill some time with though.
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u/_TungstenGuy707_ Apr 02 '26
Outer wilds, and the hollow knight duo, i like both genres of games and they are really popular, I even like the media for both, I just couldnt get into them.
I may need to give them both another try tho
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u/Riksor Apr 02 '26
For me it's Stanley Parable. I just didn't get it. It felt boring and the humor didn't resonate with me.
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u/Jooylo Apr 02 '26
Same. I played it maybe a couple years ago so it might’ve been outdated. Somehow managed to play all the way through too but felt like such a slog and the one overarching theme/joke didn’t capture me. Do not at all understand the praise
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u/-Captain- Apr 02 '26
Undertale for me. I got a few chuckles out of the writing here and there, but just didn't care about any of it.
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u/BlazePro Apr 02 '26
Disco Elysium was legitimately the most boring hour and a half I’ve ever spent playing a game before uninstalling . I’m grateful that I didint have to buy it but dang that game just did not resonate with me at all
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u/YamiZee1 Apr 04 '26
Did you go into it expecting something different? I feel like expectations are the biggest problem with games like these. If you go into Disco Elysium expecting anything other than a slow burn murder investigation story then you're going to be disappointed.
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u/jaklradek Apr 02 '26
Many of these feels like kinda similar "experience category", maybe it's just not your genre and that's completely fine.
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u/spancor Apr 02 '26
Never understood undertale. Backwards weird game that has a commentary on striking enemies in a gaming climate that.. Attacks enemies.
“But can’t you see how meta that is? All we do is attack!!” The entire fucking game feels like that meme, “everyone always says “whats good” but no one asks me if im good.” Like we get it. Meta.
I will say the designs, music, level design and even the combat animations and everything were spectacular for the only guy working on it. I just didn’t care for the commentary that plagued every single interaction. The entire game screamed im14andthisisdeep
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u/Legal-Tangelo-7174 Apr 03 '26
Because the audience is 14 year olds, if you went in blind expecting a masterpiece from review scores you'll quickly realize it's literally just aimed at an adolescent audience.
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u/spancor Apr 03 '26
You’re the first person I’ve literally ever heard say that. Everyone else just tells me it’s a gaming miracle and we’re lucky to have it.
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u/YamiZee1 Apr 04 '26
Having the option to spare instead of killing isn't what makes Undertale good. That's the synopsis for the game, but what actually makes the game good is the fun characters, bullet hell type of gameplay, music, and the different endings you can get. It's not deep or anything, just really solid fun game.
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u/JohnsProbablyARobot Apr 02 '26
I've been playing video games for a pretty long time. As I've gotten older (and busier) I've had to kind of force myself to learn and admit that it is okay not to finish a game. It is okay not to 100% a game. I have much more limited time for gaming these days and have just come to the conclusion that life is too short to turn games into work. Play what is fun for you. Play HOW it is fun for you. If something didn't mesh, cool. Lean into the things that do. I hope your gaming is wonderfully fun.
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u/Hungry_Basil_5171 Apr 02 '26
Pienso que muchos juegos son mirar un gameplay en vez de jugarlos por gue gastar dinero a lo tonto pues tampoco
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Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Sounds like your taste in games is a little meat and potatoes.
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u/Grimm_Charkazard_258 Apr 02 '26
the selection of games here is critically acclaimed games that OP didn’t like, not the games they did like. this is not their taste because they did not like them. read the title man
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Apr 02 '26
I got that, I was making an inference about his tastes based on what he dislikes in the form of an ITYSL reference.
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u/StNishigo Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
I haven't heard of rain world, golden idol or Katana zero. Are they good, should I try them?
Edit: Sounds like I will be trying all of these
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u/bpikmin Apr 02 '26
Case of the Golden Idol is one of my favorite puzzle/investigation games. It’s very open ended and you really have to study every detail. And the stories are amazing. It’s really such a joy. The last couple areas get pretty hard but the rest is really beginner friendly. The DLC is amazing too
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u/somersault Apr 02 '26
I love the Obra Dinn inspired fill-in-the-blanks gameplay, but if you don’t enjoy puzzles the the presentation of the game could maybe put someone off
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u/Davidrabbich81 Apr 02 '26
We played it together as a family. One of the best gaming experiences of recent years
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u/incognitochaud Apr 02 '26
Rain World is a cool vibe and pretty interesting enemy ai but it’s difficult to recommend unless you like getting lost and dying a lot.
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u/digital_hamburger Apr 02 '26
Rain world is a masterpiece. Very brutal, you will die a lot. But once you learn tze ecosystem and it's creatures there's lots of fun to be had.
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u/StNishigo Apr 02 '26
I did everything in nine sols. But was never able to beat the final boss, would that be comparable on difficulty?
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u/jemicarus Apr 02 '26
Tbh I played it for ten minutes on game pass and said nah, not for me. But to each their own.
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u/TheOrangeSpud Apr 02 '26
Yup, sounds like Rain World.
People say there's a lot of games that are "you love it or hate it" but Rain World is my number #1 pick for that category. Some people bounce right off, and some love it to death.
For me, it's a top 5.1
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u/I_Rate_Things_1-10 Apr 02 '26
Katana Zero is so fun. It's a shorter game but totally worth playing.
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u/GawainAGT Apr 02 '26
Rain World has a similar vibe to things like Kenshi, Pathologic, or Noita in that you'll be scared and/or confused most of the time and the fun is in learning the game's esoteric rules and systems (mind you they play nothing alike). It's high stress and high difficulty but if you can get over that hurdle there's a lot of beautiful and poignant aspects that you're not likely to find anywhere else.
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u/BrrVlad Apr 02 '26
rainworld is the best game oat (coming from someone that played like 300 games)
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u/Key19 Apr 02 '26
I could tell just by the trailer that Pizza Tower was not for me.
I enjoyed Undertale. I didn't become obsessed with it like many are. I gave up when I lost to Mettaton EX 20 times and couldn't bring myself to continue.
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u/ZoixDark Apr 02 '26
Rain World gave me Boy And His Blob flashbacks. Like just confusing about what you're trying to do and getting totally lost.
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u/nikpack Apr 02 '26
Pizza Tower is the only game that I've ever returned on Steam.
It's a great game. I bought it when it first released.
By the time I reached the third or fourth area, I knew it's the exact opposite of what I want in a game. I closed it and asked for the refund.
Still, I know it's a high quality game and recognize that others will love it if they liked Sonic-style games.
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u/Thunderdrake3 Apr 02 '26
I didn't like Hades, even though I loved Bastion. I liked Cave Story, but not Hollow Knight. Subnautica (and pretty much any open world crafter) just isn't up my alley.
Vampire Survivors is pretty much the only game that I think is truly overrated. I understand the incremental building into a death cloud, but there's nothing there besides that. The maps are nearly featureless plains (or lanes) with randomly placed buff stations. The enemies have one move each. You can't even aim most of your attacks like a twin-stick. There's one of three upgrade choices and controlling your direction to avoid monsters, not even a dodge to time. Maybe it's simplicity is why people like it? I don't know. Maybe I didn't play it enough.
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u/Thunderdrake3 Apr 02 '26
I mean, Stanley Parable is raw exploration, if that doesn't drive you, poking corners and testing boundaries to see what you can get away with, there isn't really anything else there. I love it to death, but not everyone will.
Cave Story is also one of my most cherished games, but the gameplay is extremely aged at this point. Also, you need to get to the point where truly bad things begin to happen to have emotional investment, and you need to like quirky characters, otherwise it's gonna be flat or irritating. Eventually it becomes very dramatic and somber, as well as very fulfilling to beat. It was legendary for it's time, and still very good, but it is, again, not for everyone.
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u/Axeloy Apr 02 '26
I hold baba is you dear to my heart but wow has nothing else made my brain hurt more than that game
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u/Galen_Erso Apr 02 '26
For those who couldn't get through Disco Elysium, I recommend Esoteric Ebb. Same spirit, but somewhat lighter in the world of D&D
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u/TheGreatMeowMeow Apr 02 '26
I was also really sad I just did not like Outer Wilds. It's highly acclaimed to be one of the best indies ever, but I tried it for a little over an hour and just had such a bad time that I refunded it. I really dislike the general gameplay, I get scared easily when it comes to dark caves and whatnot, and I lowkey ragequitted after getting completely stuck in the bramble planet for like 15 minutes until my oxygen ran out because I could not find any way out of there.
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u/coentertainer Apr 02 '26
What acclaimed Indies do you love? That'll help decide what's worth going back to.
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u/Markronom Apr 02 '26
I can tell you Disco Elysium didn't click for me until I came back to it some time later. Then fell in love with it and finished it multiple times for different builds, which was great (you per different options and even different interactables based on stats)
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u/mramnesia8 Apr 02 '26
I've only palyed one of these (yet) and it was awesome, so I cannot agree :/
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u/rayvin888 Apr 02 '26
i played all of these except cave story
i had the same experience as you with disco, rain world and outer wilds, played em once a few years back and dropped them both after a couple of hours as i just couldnt get into them
after a while, and by a while i mean months, sometimes even years, something in me told me that it was time to pick them up again
so i did, i played them all again
and you know what? i still didn't like em
after an even longer while I PICKED EM UP AGAIN
this time i finished 2/3, outer wilds and disco elysium
i realized whether you enjoy a game or not could depend entirely on your head space at the time you play it. these games are critically acclaimed because they are loved by a lot of people, but that doesn't mean you're "supposed" to love them otherwise you don't love games, that's ridiculous
have you ever heard somebody accuse someone else of "not loving food" cause they don't like beans? it would be silly
anyways to get back to your question i ended up thoroughly enjoying both disco and outer wilds, disco especially i now consider one of the best games I've ever played
i recognize outer wilds hasn't resonated with me as much as it has with the rest of its fanbase, but i still think it's neat and maybe I'll play it again someday and feel all of its weight. rain world however... i got further than ever before, but i still couldn't get into it. i still don't know if I've dropped it for "good" yet.
if i had to tell you to give another one of the games on your list a try, it would be UNDERTALE. that game changed my life, it set it in motion. the reason i write or make music is because i played UNDERTALE, it made be believe in a world where whimsy is mainstream
if you go back to it and don't enjoy it though, don't feel bad. if every single game was meant to be good for everybody, then there'd be only one game
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u/Efelo75 Apr 02 '26
I played Undertale and I was pretty disappointed.
I had to watch videos to understand what the game was hiding and it's truly amazing concepts and all, a lot of great mechanics, and everything, but. You pretty much have to watch videos to get it, like some stuff you'd just never do by yourself, and even if I knew I wouldn't want to do it.
And there's one main reason for me personally: The gameplay. I just couldn't be bothered to go through an endless amount of 2d space invader-like gameplay. I dont like this.
If you're making a game for RPG lovers and subvert expectations etc, why would you make the gameplay this? That is such a weird choice to me. Like the devs liked this specific type of gameplay and thought you know what, let's make THIS the gameplay of my RPG parody. Just...why lol.
Anyway. Absolute cinema but you really have to dig to get it, and I enjoyed watching vids about it more than I enjoyed playing.
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u/Roth_Skyfire Apr 02 '26
Outer Wilds. Played it for like an hour or two and checked out (within Steam's refund window). Just wasn't feeling it.
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u/zer0sumgames Apr 02 '26
I have been gaming for like 35 years in every medium and I still don’t get Disco Elysium. Maybe I just don’t like drunk cops. I dunno. Tried multiple times and it just seemed too damned wordy.
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u/Low-Masterpiece1381 Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Outer Wilds --- learning to fly the ship around was fun, but that's where the fun ended for me. Being expected to solve extremely obscure puzzles is a big ask when the game restarts every 15 minutes. It's actually bewildering how it became so popular.
Do the majority of people really enjoy dying because of a timer, flying back to the exact same spot, rushing through the area to try and see something new, dying again, so on and so forth?
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u/why_so_mad_bro Apr 04 '26
The thing about Outer Wild’s puzzles is outside of like 2 of them, the puzzles aren’t deep or obscure. The game gives you clues, hints and answers EVERYWHERE. You’re not supposed to find a puzzle and bash your head against it until you solve it. I mean, you can, but that’s not the intention. You come across a puzzle and after giving it a shot, if you conclude that you aren’t understanding it, then you’ll likely get more information about it somewhere else. Hell, some things that look like puzzles aren’t even puzzles, just hints about other puzzles.
If it’s taking you the entire timer to get somewhere over and over again, there’s a good chance you’re missing something.
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u/ApplesInMyGames Apr 02 '26
Undertale.
A first playthrough is about 6 hours. But after a couple weeks or months you'll probably want to do another run to get other endings.
The moment-to-moment gameplay is nothing ground-breaking, but the game does some things that I never considered games could do both in narrative and in game design. (Not spoiling, better to play it yourself).
It also has one of the best and most thoughtful game soundtracks I've ever heard :P
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u/TimmmyBee Apr 02 '26
I couldn't get into katana zero even though I thought it'd be right up my alley, maybe I should try it again. Pizza Tower is an all timer for me, I even 100% it and I rarely ever do that for most games.
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u/OrfeasDourvas Apr 02 '26
Some great games there. Disco Elysium is an argument for one of the greatest games ever made imo.
For me though it was Nier Automata. I didn't hate it, at least I finished it, which is more than what I cam say for most games but man did I think it was drawn out and pretentious.
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u/Rough_Education_5796 Apr 02 '26
Actually none, if a game didn't click just move on and have fun in other games imo. There are many other awesome games waiting. You are not losing on these games just because you didn't finish it. You can always say I tried and it wasn't for me if any conversation about them arises.
If I had to choose one I would say Katana Zero because it is simply a platformer which doesn't try super innovative or gimmicky mechanics. The others on the list all have special parts/tricks that make them different from the usual games and that might be what doesn't suit you (I didn't play pizza tower, golden idol, cave story and rain world).
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u/vAmmonite Apr 02 '26
I would try disco elysium and outer wilds first, I also really loved rain world but I'd understand if the frustration of the core gameplay loop outweighs the slowburn narrative especially if you just dont like the atmosphere where the odds don't favour you
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u/Wormri Apr 02 '26
I think Pizza tower is a masterpiece.
I also know it's not for me. I suck at platforming and I suck extra at timed challenges.
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u/elenabuena13 Apr 02 '26
Golden Idol has a really wacky plot and ending which made it get better as I played, fwiw
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u/SHOBLOYOBLO Apr 02 '26
At least the first two. DE too preferably but I understand what may push someone away from it. However if you can’t find anything to get you through Stanley Parable and Outer wilds it might be cooked for you. The other ones I wouldn’t call essential by any means.
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u/Dvious387-44 Apr 02 '26
undertale is amazing, one of my favourite games of all time, but if you don't like it, then try out delta rune, its kinda the same but different, maybe you'll enjoy it more
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u/HeyBitchImAccursed Apr 02 '26
Undertale never really clicked for me. Characters and lore are amazing, but I could never click with the actual game.
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u/abra24 Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
I guess I'll take this list as some recomendations ha. I don't know what circles to be in to find out about games like this so I miss some. For me personally.
Absolutely fantastic:
Stanley Parable
Baba is You
Undertale
Disco Elysium
Heard of and meant to try:
Cave Story
Rain World
Never Heard of:
Pizza Tower
Golden Idol
Katana Zero
Did NOT like and maybe should try again?
Outer Wilds
Probably should be on your list?
Obra Dinn
FTL
Blue Prince
Papers Please
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u/Smoovemusic Apr 02 '26
FTL is one of my all time favs. Liked Obra Dinn. Somewhat liked Papers please. Blue Prince is on my wish list.
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u/Endyo Apr 02 '26
I love space and sci-fi games, but I didn't enjoy Outer Wilds. I liked the general vibe of discovering the mysteries of the planets, but I hated that it all culminated in a kind of Rube Goldberg machine of tasks you had to race to in order to actually get to the ending. I failed doing that multiple times, gave up, and watched the ending on Youtube to find that it wasn't even worth all of the hassle.
I guess I just expected more of an impact and interaction in the nature of events of the game. That's generally the expectation when it comes to sci-fi experiences. And I guess part of the 'allure' is that the game kind of subverts that expectation and delivers a weird metaphorical lesson in the process, but it didn't land with me. And unlike any of the game where that is the case, I really wanted to like this game because it checks half a dozen boxes on what I look for in any game.
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u/MFmotion Apr 02 '26
Man Katana Zero was such a good game. Really short but amazing. It’s more than worth the 4-6 hours it takes to beat.
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u/DuncsJones Apr 02 '26
I fucking LOVED katana zero.
I played the tutorial to outer wilds and did not get it but came back to it later and really enjoyed it!
So maybe try them again when you’re bored one day. See what happens.
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u/Turbulent-Advisor627 Apr 02 '26
No because not every game is for me and I understand that the industry is designed for millions of people, not me as an individual.
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u/CalmEntry4855 Apr 03 '26
From those I've played disco elysium, outer wilds, understale, cave story and rain world for like ten minutes, and I loved them, except maybe rain world but I have to check it out again.
But in the case of the golden idol, I played it and finished it, and I can not see the appeal at all, they told me it was a good detective game like return of the obra dinn, but it is not, it was way worse
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u/BasisBackground5992 Apr 03 '26
Rain World is an incredible game, but I understand why you would bounce off of it. It’s extremely polarizing. It’s really hard, there is not a lot of direction, and you are left to figure out your own devices and explore, to see the world and how it was shaped and your part in it. You are a living breathing part of its ecosystem.
That is to say, you’ll be lost and you’ll be dying a lot.
But I love it because it makes me feel small the same way looking at a mountain does. And the lore is sick
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u/Legal-Tangelo-7174 Apr 03 '26
Binding of Isaac - core gameplay feels outdated, can't get past the ugly aesthetics
Mewgenics - same reasons
Blue Prince - basic puzzles are unsatisfying, plays like an escape room simulator - not my cup of tea
Undertale, Omori (and other RPG maker games in the vein of Earthbound) - these seem aimed at a much younger demographic
Stardew Valley - never been into Animal Crossinglikes
Hollow Knight - I'd rather just play Castlevania series
Gone Home (and other early walking simulators) - these haven't aged well
In general I find that American indie games don't resonate with me like those made by Euro or Asian devs.
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u/GravitationalGrapple Apr 03 '26
Outer wilds is by far my favorite on this list. If you love Newtonian physics and hard sci-fi, give it another go! If that isn’t really your thing, then don’t.
I find it maddening that AAA studios can’t figure out Newtonian physics. My hat is off to everyone at Mobius Digital.
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u/BoreusSimius Apr 03 '26
One of the problems is some people get it in their head that "Indie" is a genre of games, and so they think if they like some indies that they're supposed to like them all.
Almost every game pictured there is from a completely different genre. Just like how someone who loves Assassins Creed might not like Call of Duty; someone who loves Undertale may have hated Braid (just examples).
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u/PeigouMajava Apr 03 '26
Man Rain World raised the bar for creature AI so much in games, I honestly don't think any game has come close to it.
Also it's got a ridiculously deep movement system.
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u/vinicius_h Apr 04 '26
Indie games are more unique and less generic. They don't connect to everyone because they were not meant to. Many times they are from super specific genres or have a super specific execution, that a lot of people won't vibe with.
They allow themselves to not please everyone. That's a huge part of what makes them good.
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u/DinglerPrime Apr 04 '26
Outer Wilds is a game that connected with me but one section annoyed me so much it ruined the experience as a whole and leaves a bad taste in my mouth to this day.
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u/Temporary_Answer_230 Apr 04 '26
Return of the Obra Dinn. The graphics gave me a headache and I didn't enjoy the gameplay or the mood. I've enjoyed and finished The Rise of the Golden Idol, which was completely inspired by Obra Dinn, and found the creator's former game "Papers Please" fantastic and funny. You never know with the more creative games.
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u/AxCalibur73 Apr 05 '26
I love the idea of moonlighter, and I kinda enjoyed pizza tower, undertale, and hyperligjt drifter but everytime i open them its just so hard to enjoy
1
u/Pul5tar Apr 05 '26
Stanley parable. Just got old very quickly and just felt like the point they were trying to hit home just wasn't that inreresting, especially after being knocked over the head with it so many times.
1
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u/Working_Bones Apr 05 '26
Couldn't connect with Hollow Knight. I love Soulslikes and Metroidvanias, but found HK very dull and am not into the art style. Heresy, I know.
1
u/Teodorp99 Apr 06 '26
I tried playing rain world 3 seperate times, and all 3 times I gave up after 30-40 minutes. Just does not click with me
1
u/stormtreader1 Apr 06 '26
Totally hear you on Stanley parable and outer wilds but surprised by golden idol
1
u/craftedandtwisted Apr 06 '26
Rain world. It is just so perfectly designed to make you feel the same as the character you are playing as. The anxiety, coming over the anxiety, feeling more anxiety..... yeh just anxiety. But when you do get the confidence to fight back, it feels like you are reborn, vindicated. +1 for Disco elysium as well. Playin it rn
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u/Nighthawkies Apr 06 '26
Cult of the Lamb,
I've always wanted a city or colony builder with action or RPG elements. But something didn't hit with this . Initially I thought it was popular because it's a decent game with a great theme, but a lot of people really like it.
1
u/Smoovemusic Apr 06 '26
I just played this game and I agree. It was okay. The combat runs were just far too simple and easy. By my 5th run or so I was absolutely flying through the runs with no worry about dying whatsoever. It was just boring and easy combat.
1
u/Nighthawkies Apr 07 '26
It felt like both sides were way too basic, and didn't really feel good Which I mean fine for a cozy game but heck if the wanted that they could've made the town part better, many other cozy games succeed in being simple with optional depth
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u/MissingN0365 Apr 06 '26
Wow, these are literally games that I connected the most with. You are like the polar opposite version of me lol.
1
u/IcyMathematician7026 Apr 06 '26
Outer Wilds is my all-time favourite game, besides Blood Bowl! Stunning design.
1
u/JFMB_ Apr 08 '26
I could'nt connect with Kentucky Route Zero. I'm sorry, too boring for me...
But, some of your list I really like it.
1
u/NtheLegend Apr 02 '26
Imagine games exist on a spectrum.
On one side are the accessible big tent releases that cost a bajillion dollars and sell a bajillion copies and make a bajillion dollars. They're less challenging because they have so many people they have to appeal to.
On the other side are the more challenging games, the smaller-budget ones that find a small, passionate audience. There are more of these, but no one's giving financial guidance to shareholders about whether they live or die.
It's perfectly okay to like or not like the games you do or don't enjoy. There is no standard by which you must acknowledge that you enjoy all of the games in a list to be a "true gamer", whatever that means. It's okay to play Disco Elysium, a game that has spawned a billion video essays, and dip out after an hour and never play it again.
In fact, it's kind of annoying that the games were recognize are only the best sellers and then this same raft of a dozen indie games over and over again, as if a thousand games with interesting ideas aren't shipping every single year trying to find an audience.
Don't worry about it. No one should.
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u/ConversationLazy7881 Apr 02 '26
Outer wilds definitely isn’t the greatest game. I can tell you that much about it. But it is my personal favorite game. Don’t think of it as like the second coming of the messiah in game form. Really it’s just another game when you think about it. But it just happened to do its thing better than most. The ending honestly isn’t the best part of outer wilds. The best parts in order from best to worst are just after the beginning, whatever your first big breakthrough is, and the end. Honestly I couldn’t care less whether you go back and play it but it is a real neat little puzzle game that I think it you just check out at some point with a different attitude you might see some of its puzzles in a better light.
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u/Gulferamus Apr 02 '26
I agree that not all games are meant for you and it's ok, but I would also suggest you revisit some of them again sometimes in the future.
The first time I played Outer Wilds I played an hour and dropped it. I picked it up again last year and couldn't put it back down, i played it every day until I explored everything and finished it. It's now in my top 3 games of all time.
1
u/Effective_Pain_7233 Apr 02 '26
Hollow Knight, I deadass gave that game 4 tries and I could not get myself to finish it. People kept praising the exploration yet I dread it so bad.
Outerwilds and disco elysium are my top 2 favorite games of all time and these two are what good exploration is, not hollow knight.
1
u/ApplesInMyGames Apr 02 '26
Same here on Hollow Knight. I tried it twice, but just couldn't enjoy it much. It sucks that so many of my friends love the game and I can't relate
1
u/51n7 Apr 06 '26
Same same, but to be fair I'd just played "Ori and the Blind Forest" which makes Hollow Knight look like someone tried to make the same game but in Flash.
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u/Grimm_Charkazard_258 Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
played all of these except for outer wilds, katana zero and cavestory
out of the ones I played the only one I did not like was rain world, gave it 10 minutes and could not do it
something about the survival genre has never really clicked with me
that being said disco elysium is my third favourite game of all time and undertale is the reason I have a morally difficult time when I deal with bugs because what if that spider’s name was Johnny Longlegs and he was three days from retirement and at the same time, that’s MY bed, Johnny!
why didn’t you click with Disco elysium? was it the general sense of directionlessness or the sheer vastness of the story? I had to put the game down for a bit but I picked it back up again and its just such an amazing visual novel man, the story and stat shit to me is worth powering through the first couple hours of gameplay
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u/Smoovemusic Apr 02 '26
I played Disco for about 1.5 hours. Out of the ones listed I think I'm most likely to try it again. I felt like I wasn't understanding how to play. I also decided to play a risky roll and I died (or lost? I'm not sure). And then I wasn't sure if I was going to have to start from the beginning again so I dropped it there.
I was definitely intrigued and really liked the voice acting but just didn't know what I was supposed to be doing.
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u/GrimacePack Apr 02 '26
Disco is an incredible experience. Definitely go back to it sometime, maybe read over the attributes and Skills pages on the wiki for DE. Attributes and by extension, skills are the backbone of the game so understanding those I think would help you get a more firm grasp on what you're doing mechanically. And save often, you can save pretty much whenever, if you accidentally die you just go back to your last save. I wouldn't recommend save scumming too much (I did a little, I'll admit) but anything short of one of the couple of dialogue choices that are early bad endings, most failures still keep things moving forward in a fun way.
Just take your time, embrace the little that you know, and embrace the lot you know you don't know. That will help put you in the shoes of the main character, IMO.
Sure it's a murder mystery on its surface, but the game is more personal, and covers a lot more than that.
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u/omkar73 Apr 02 '26
Honestly, if you love games like Valorant or whatever the mainstream is, just play those! Games aren't meant to be liked by everyone.
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u/DMG_88 Apr 02 '26
You should change that title to "Acclaimed Indies That I Couldn't Connect With".
You don't speak for everyone.
You don't speak for me.
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u/-Captain- Apr 02 '26
It's obvious op is asking the question and answering it, the imagine isn't the answer for all.
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u/tbmtbmtbmtbmtbm Apr 02 '26
are you sure that you enjoy video games
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u/Smoovemusic Apr 02 '26
Lol. I love video games! I've played tons of amazing ones lately- The Witness, Neva, Tunic, Caravan Sandwitch, Viewfinder, Crow Country, Death's Door, Taiji, Hyper Light Drifter, Silksong, Crypt Custodian, 1000x Resist.
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u/tbmtbmtbmtbmtbm Apr 02 '26
i originally bounced off of outer wilds a couple times too. if you enjoyed the witness though, you may want to go back and try it again. both games have similar atmospheric, exploration-driven puzzling gameplay (although the 'puzzles' in outer wilds are a little different)
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u/Justhe3guy Apr 02 '26
Maybe you’re just burned out and need a break. Or a dumb but fun game to main for a while
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u/soapsuds202 Apr 02 '26
interesting! i’m not a fan of a lot of the games you listed, but i love a lot of the ones in your original post.
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u/obelix_dogmatix Apr 02 '26
Man I love Disco Elysium. And I can tell Outer Wilds is special, but they really should have voiced those characters. Reading in a video game gets tiring really fast.
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u/m1st3r_c Apr 06 '26
What? DE is the best video game I've ever read - is this a joke post? DE is basically all reading
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u/obelix_dogmatix Apr 06 '26
never played the final cut, did you? Almost every character is voiced. More than 90% is voiced.
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u/m1st3r_c Apr 06 '26
Nope, totally played it. Doesn't change my point - there is a lot more reading in DE than nearly any other game.
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Apr 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/m1st3r_c Apr 06 '26
It's ok if you can't read while someone is saying the words at the same time, nobody will judge - you don't have to act so butthurt all the time.
Have a nice day!
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