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games that feel filled with heart and soul

Ballerman

Ballerman

Alt-Account
Banned
Apr 27, 2021
351
i couldn't really determine how to classify what i was thinking of, but i think that title best describes it

beyond all the features and the mechanics and the graphics and all that stuff, to me the center of a game is the heart behind it. this weird indescribable deal that makes the whole thing feel genuine and earnest.

to me, the epitome of a game that embodies that would be Undertale. similarly, the game it was inspired by, Mother 3(and Earthbound as a whole to an extent), also feels that way. something about its gameplay, the story, the characters, it just feels full of 'heart' and i really have no better description for it. it makes me feel whole and happy, like it's really free from all the cynicism of media as a whole and is just...filled with soul to the core
 
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Qurupeke

Qurupeke

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,275
Pokemon HG/SS, the games were remakes that not only appreciate their source material, but elevate it even. Not to mention that anything extra to them was well thought and fun, like Pokewalker and Pokeathlon. It's insane that Nintendo even gave a free accessory like that, and that dumb Pokeball with the Mew on Switch was an expensive piece of shit. Modern Pokemon games are filled with deception and incompetence, and how to make more money is their only rule, series is at its worst.
 
Stoney Mason

Stoney Mason

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,918
Basically games that feel like they were created as a labor of love and art rather than purely for monetary gain as many games can feel like.

There are plenty that fit that category for me. I'll randomly say Valiant Hearts: The Great War. Game always stuck with me.
 
DiipuSurotu

DiipuSurotu

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
53,148
Ng9glkv.gif

Sonic Mania
 
Vulcano's Assistant

Vulcano's Assistant

Member
Oct 29, 2017
13,478
Most big games from the 90s that were basically made by a studio that would be indie by today standards but exploded in popularity.
Doom
Diablo
Monkey Island series
Ultima series
Myst
Another World
 
ElectricBlanketFire

ElectricBlanketFire

What year is this?
Member
Oct 25, 2017
31,819
Playing Celeste filled me with more emotion than any other game before it.

Also, if this doesn't make your heart burst with happiness, nothing will:

 
Apollo

Apollo

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
8,088
Honestly I feel this would describe a fair number of my favorite games. The one that immediately came to mind for me though is the sound novel Umineko. It really felt to me like the purest love letter to mystery stories imaginable. And it's all wrapped up with a story that goes so far out of its way to rebuke cynicism itself in no uncertain terms. It's such a beautiful tale
 

Deleted member 8752

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
10,122
Studios that made games that typically had this indefinable quality to me:

Treasure
SNK in the 90s
Nintendo EAD
Yu Suzuki games when he was part of Sega
Capcom games in the 90s that starred Mega Man or their fighting games
Team Ninja on the first XBOX
Valve
Quintet
 

Mr_Nothin

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
705
Metroid Prime
Metal Gear Solid
Timesplitters 2
Golden Eye
Zone of the Enders 2
Hollow Knight
Wind Waker (even though it was unfinished...it had sooo much heart)
Ocarina of Time
Mario 64
Spyro The Dragon
Jet Moto
Crazy Taxi
PowerStone
San Fransisco Rush
Xenosaga 1
Megaman Legends
Pokemon Snap

Just to name a few...all of these were just so damn magical.
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
38,958
Ori is a game that just feels so lovingly made, like the developers and designers really care about the project.

Super Mega Baseball is another one.

Trials HD and Trials Evo
 
ConfusedOwl

ConfusedOwl

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,125
Canada
Stardew Valley. Whenever I play it I feel like I've been transported back in time to when I would play Friends of Mineral Town on my GBA. It has a very nostalgic quality to it despite not being that old because of that.
 
bic

bic

Member
Oct 28, 2017
432
moon, which I believe also inspired Undertale. It feels super earnest in its message of love.
 
Jonathan Lanza

Jonathan Lanza

"I've made a Gigantic mistake"
Member
Feb 8, 2019
6,786
The Wonderful 101
Mother 2 and 3
Sonic Mania
Obra Dinn
River City Girls
Skullgirls
Furi
 
tapedeck

tapedeck

Member
Oct 28, 2017
7,976
Some good stuff listed already, couple I haven't seen yet.

Daytona USA
Killer Instinct 1 arcade
Donkey Kong Country
Final Fantasy IX
 
Aurongel

Aurongel

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
7,065
Night in the Woods.

It feels like such a "lived experience" being recounted in game form. It's like it could have only been made by someone who went through a similar college burnout growth arc as Mae.
 

giapel

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,592
A lot of adventure games feel like that.
King's Quest 7
Gabriel Knight
The Longest Journey
Grim Fandango
I could go on...
 

mclem

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,441
One that probably surpassed many people:
1mDkcnQ.png


Me, about a year ago:

Wandersong : This was a massive surprise, I was after a quick palate-cleanser and I got a game that was just so utterly lovely. Really liked the characters, really enjoyed the story, really got into the music, adored the twist on the achievements system (and it's struck me that that idea could be taken further). If you've missed out on this... rectify that.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
AudioEppa

AudioEppa

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
4,639
Uncharted 3&4
Last of Us 1
Broken Sword 1&2
Firewatch
Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Detroit Become Human
Horizon Zero Dawn
MGS 3&4
Life is Strange series
Burnout Paradise.
Battlefield BC2
Battlefield 3
CoD AW
Super Mario Bro 3
GTA SA
GTA 4 Online
 
Kinthey

Kinthey

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
22,270
Any game made by Amanita Design



Their games have this wonderful handcrafted feeling
 
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