I'm always on the hunt for strange surrealist games, come chat about them and recommend me some.

[Zutrax]

Throughout my life, since I've enjoyed gaming from the beginning, I've always been weirdly fascinated and drawn to games that are strange, surreal, or "avant-garde". Quality of the actual gameplay in question has never really mattered to me, I just like how the atmosphere, music, and visuals of such titles make me "feel" even if I'm not particularly having fun.

I'm looking for literally anything that could fit the bill, whether it be that random itch.io game that got only a couple of downloads and only you have even seen/heard of it, or whether it's some weird Dreams, Garry's Mod, or VR Chat mod/world. The rabbit hole always seems to go deeper than I'm ever capable of investigating on my own.

Games like these are commonly attributed hand in hand with the horror genre since the surrealist take always melds perfectly with the ability to scare people due to the unknown factor and difficulty of being able to properly process the content within.

Some really common examples are games like:

Yume Nikki

LSD Dream Simulator

Hylics 1 & 2

Soda Drinker Pro

While not actually a video game that you can play, a good example of the "feeling" I'm talking about is also the Petscop Youtube Series:



And some recent examples of games I've greatly enjoyed that fit the bill are some games like the following:

OMORI

Broken Reality

LISA

Hypnospace Outlaw

This subgenre definitely goes much much deeper than what I've laid out above, but I mostly wanted to knock out some of the obvious and more well known examples. So let me know what you've all got in store!

 

[Iyagovos]

Have you played the Norwood games?

The Norwood Suite on Steam

Explore the mysterious Hotel Norwood in this surreal first-person adventure. Curious characters, forgotten secrets, and head-nodding music await your arrival.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Patitoloco]

Jazzpunk, of course

Jazzpunk: Director's Cut on Steam

Jazzpunk is a comedy adventure set in an alternate reality Cold War World, plagued with corporate espionage, CyberCrime, and sentient martinis. Gameplay is inspired by spoof comedy films and cartoons of yesteryear, with a focus on weird gadgets, exotic locales, and open-world style exploration.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Arsene no Kiseki]

OMORI is probably the most recent example I can think of.

 

[Zutrax]

OMORI is probably the most recent example I can think of.

Click to shrink...

Absolutely loved OMORI, one of my favorite recent games to come out in the last few years. It absolutely fits. I might edit it into my OP.

 

[Weiss]

Man I hope Hylics comes to Switch.

There's this game that just came out last month called Fatum Betula that looks like it might be up your alley. It looks a lot like LSD Dream Simulator.

 

[Bedameister]

Have you played Fractured Minds? It's very short but has an interesting vibe. It was made by some teenager I think

 

[Crushed]

Cruelty Squad is a depressing Rainbow Six fever dream

A bizarre tactical shooter set in a psychedelic hell world.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Vico]

Play Genesis Noir. It will scratch that itch for sure.

 

[Zutrax]

Cruelty Squad is a depressing Rainbow Six fever dream

A bizarre tactical shooter set in a psychedelic hell world.

www.pcgamer.com

Click to shrink...

Playing this game yesterday is what spurred me to want to make this thread.

I'm not sure how into it I am, it's genuinely challenging so it was difficult for me to appreciate the oddities of the visuals without trying to really focus on the gameplay elements of it. I think my main issues were the reloading mechanic and the stock market stuff. I probably need to put more time into it.

 

[Jimnymebob]

Have you played Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective?

 

[LabRat]

first thing that comes to mind for me is always Killer 7 and also the older stuff made by cactusquid (one of the two guys who did hotline miami) especially mondo agency and mondo medicals

 

[apocat]

Manifold gardens beautiful neverending landscapes are breathtaking.

 

[Mr. Poolman]

Back to Bed sounds like your type of game :)

 

[bixente]

I highly recommend Anodyne 2.

Paradise Killer?

 

[Zeranium]

Fatum Betula on PC/Switch come to mind
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1281270/Fatum_Betula/

Patrick Klepek wrote up a pretty good piece on it
https://www.vice.com/en/article/3an...betula-harkens-back-to-a-classic-era-of-games


Something else is Anodyne 2
https://store.steampowered.com/app/877810/Anodyne_2_Return_to_Dust/

moon: Remix RPG on Switch is also something else worth checking out. The same devs would go on later to make Chulip on PS2 (which is on PS3 as a PS2 Classic.) That's something as equally bizarre

 

[Betty]

Man I hope Hylics comes to Switch.

There's this game that just came out last month called Fatum Betula that looks like it might be up your alley. It looks a lot like LSD Dream Simulator.

Click to shrink...

It's on sale for it's last day now in certain eShop regions and it's got heavy LSD Dream Simulator vibes for sure

 

[Deleted member 10629]

I can recommend Paratopic? Available on Steam and Switch. It is very short though, it shouldnt take you more than 50 mins to finish it. Give or take another 30 mins to get all achievements.

 

[shodgson8]

Not sure if it fully fits but...Antichamber

 

[Zutrax]

I can recommend Paratopic? Available on Steam and Switch. It is very short though, it shouldnt take you more than 50 mins to finish it. Give or take another 30 mins to get all achievements.

Click to shrink...

Loved Paratopic, very "David Lynch" feeling, which is exactly the feeling I'm always chasing.

It's on sale for it's last day now in certain eShop regions and it's got heavy LSD Dream Simulator vibes for sure

Click to shrink...

Fatum Betula on PC/Switch come to mind
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1281270/Fatum_Betula/

Patrick Klepek wrote up a pretty good piece on it
https://www.vice.com/en/article/3an...betula-harkens-back-to-a-classic-era-of-games


Something else is Anodyne 2
https://store.steampowered.com/app/877810/Anodyne_2_Return_to_Dust/

moon: Remix RPG on Switch is also something else worth checking out. The same devs would go on later to make Chulip on PS2 (which is on PS3 as a PS2 Classic.) That's something as equally bizarre

Click to shrink...

Fatum Betula is on my watch list, I definitely need to buckle down and get it. Today might be the day.

 

[Mesoian]

You'd probably like Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass.



And while I'm still kind of split on the gameplay, the Visual Style of Narita Boy is GOING FOR IT.

 

[J-Soul]

Windosill is really good. And only $3

 

[nanhacott]

Oh absolutely play anything and everything by Kitty Horrorshow. Sounds like 1000% your thing and (imo) at the top of the genre.

Kitty Horrorshow - itch.io

They're all pretty short, I'd recommend starting with CHYRZA and then dropping a few dollars for ANATOMY.

 

[shoptroll]

Thank you OP for making this thread. I'd been wanting to create a thread about "Mother-likes" which are basically a subset of what you listed, so I'm definitely subscribing to this thread because it's very much relevant to my interests :D

Some additional games to keep an eye on:

She Dreams Elsewhere


Strangeland



Oddity


Knuckle Sandwich



Older freeware:
OFF
Space Funeral (probably most things by thecatamites really)

Windosill is really good. And only $3

Click to shrink...

Similarly, almost anything by Amanita Design kinda belongs here too. Namely the Samarost games, Botanicula, Chuchel, and the upcoming Happy Game.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Wrecked might be something you'd like.

 

[Zutrax]

Oh absolutely play anything and everything by Kitty Horrorshow. Sounds like 1000% your thing and (imo) at the top of the genre.

Kitty Horrorshow - itch.io

They're all pretty short, I'd recommend starting with CHYRZA and then dropping a few dollars for ANATOMY.

Click to shrink...

I absolutely love everything by Kitty Horrorshow.

Tangentially, I'd counter recommend you check out all of Chilla's Art games, they're in the same vain but from a Japanese dev with influences of Japanese horror culture.

 

[Zutrax]

Thank you OP for making this thread. I'd been wanting to create a thread about "Mother-likes" which are basically a subset of what you listed, so I'm definitely subscribing to this thread because it's very much relevant to my interests :D

Some additional games to keep an eye on:

She Dreams Elsewhere


Strangeland



Oddity


Knuckle Sandwich



Older freeware:
OFF
Space Funeral




Almost anything by Amanita Design kinda belongs here too

Click to shrink...

All of these are incredible looking, definitely checking them out!

 

[AcridMeat]

Have you played the Norwood games?

The Norwood Suite on Steam

Explore the mysterious Hotel Norwood in this surreal first-person adventure. Curious characters, forgotten secrets, and head-nodding music await your arrival.

store.steampowered.com

Click to shrink...

My immediate suggestion as well, so so good.

Another that may be up your alley is Paradise Killer

 

[Deleted member 17210]

I will add to the Fatum Betula recommendations. I didn't feel like playing for all the endings but I enjoyed its surreal pseudo-PS1 vibe.

 

[anaa]

based on other games on your list, maybe give everhood a shot? It'S definitely got some surreal , trippy visuals.

Everhood on steam

 

[KDR_11k]

Golden Light

Post Void

 

[Era of not Yakuza]

Does El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron qualify?

 

[Cosmic Schwung]

From 1984 for the ZX Spectrum, Deus Ex Machina.



It's definitely...unique. It included the voices of Frankie Howerd, Jon Pertwee, and Ian Dury.

A remastered version is available on steam

 

[shoptroll]

All of these are incredible looking, definitely checking them out!

Click to shrink...

I haven't played these yet but I would also add:

Dujanah


Baobab's Mauseoleum:


Not sure if this counts (haven't played it either):

Snakes of Avalon



And Moon: Remix RPG was definitely surreal enough in my book:

 

[Tavernade]

I'd also recommend Fatum Betula. It's a little short even with all the endings but it also did a couple things that totally caught me off guard.

 

[HStallion]

How about The Eternal Cylinder?

 

[Zutrax]

Golden Light

Post Void

Click to shrink...

Holy shit, these look perfect. Can't believe I haven't heard of them.

 

[nny]

Wurroom is as surreal as it gets.

 

[Weiss]

Oh yeah if you're into Weird Shit that tugs at your heartstrings definitely get Moon: Remix RPG Adventure on Switch. It's an Adventure game by the director of Chibi Robo and is a prototype of a lot of the ideas seen in that game, where the premise is that you get sent into an RPG game where the Hero is wrecking havoc by killing monsters for experience points and you have to solve puzzles to collect Love, which lets you survive longer as the game runs on a Stamina meter where once it's out you die.

 

[shoptroll]

Oh! Can't forget the GOAT



Do Hotline Miami and Katana Zero count?





Also, Zeno Clash probably too?


And last one for now: David Lynch Teaches Typing

 

[Deleted member 23046]

 

[collige]

I stan for notpron: http://notpron.org/notpron/

It's essentially a (free) very difficult and obscure ARG puzzle game where you finding the password to the next level can involve anything from googling historical facts to downloading pictures off the site and photoshopping them. I got about halfway through the game with a few friends over the course of a few weeks before giving up, but it was a pretty unforgettable ride.

 

[cyrribrae]

I don't think I'm thinking deep enough lol, but is Hypnospace still on Game Pass? Genesis Noir just came out on it..

 

[Ferrio]

Jazzpunk, of course

Jazzpunk: Director's Cut on Steam

Jazzpunk is a comedy adventure set in an alternate reality Cold War World, plagued with corporate espionage, CyberCrime, and sentient martinis. Gameplay is inspired by spoof comedy films and cartoons of yesteryear, with a focus on weird gadgets, exotic locales, and open-world style exploration.

store.steampowered.com

Click to shrink...

JazzPunk should be played by anyone that has a sense of humor and needs a laugh.

 

[Zutrax]

Oh yeah if you're into Weird Shit that tugs at your heartstrings definitely get Moon: Remix RPG Adventure on Switch. It's an Adventure game by the director of Chibi Robo and is a prototype of a lot of the ideas seen in that game, where the premise is that you get sent into an RPG game where the Hero is wrecking havoc by killing monsters for experience points and you have to solve puzzles to collect Love, which lets you survive longer as the game runs on a Stamina meter where once it's out you die.

Click to shrink...

Moon RPG is awesome, can't wait to get my physical copy. Played a ton of it on my Switch.

 

[Carn]

I really enjoyed Kentucky Route Zero.

 

[Feign]

Oh yeah if you're into Weird Shit that tugs at your heartstrings definitely get Moon: Remix RPG Adventure on Switch. It's an Adventure game by the director of Chibi Robo and is a prototype of a lot of the ideas seen in that game, where the premise is that you get sent into an RPG game where the Hero is wrecking havoc by killing monsters for experience points and you have to solve puzzles to collect Love, which lets you survive longer as the game runs on a Stamina meter where once it's out you die.

Click to shrink...

Throwing my vote to this, too. It's not as short as some of these other surreal games can be, but it's clashing art styles and world exploration fit the bill. Everyone is voiced by television clips from different different languages mixed with static. And I will never not be terrified by the American father's neck.

 

[Aranjah]

This doesn't release until May, so I can't report whether or not it's good, but it seems to fit the bill.

An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs on Steam

An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs is an open-world comedy adventure game. Talk to stock photo dogs. Solve their problems. Catch your flight. And call it Dog Airport Game when you get tired of saying the full title, like I did three months ago.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Weiss]

I don't think I'm thinking deep enough lol, but is Hypnospace still on Game Pass? Genesis Noir just came out on it..

Click to shrink...

Hypnospace Outlaw is still there, yeah.

 

[Twig]

How about The Eternal Cylinder?

Click to shrink...

Also some of their other games!

Zeno Clash 1 and 2!


It's a bit jank, but back then it was the best first-person melee combat you could find, by a LOT. Much to my GREAT SHAME, I never did play 2. ):

To a lesser extent, Rock of Ages 1, 2, and 3!


Very Monty Python esque which definitely fits what you're asking for very well to me.

To a probably(?) even lesser extent, Abyss Odyssey!(?) I mean, to be honest, not really, but...


...Honestly I'm mostly mentioning this one because I loved it and I think it didn't get enough attention. It's a roguelite-ish fighting game thing. Characters all feel and play as fighting game characters, instead of normal action platformer characters. Nothing super complex, but things like air dodges, fast falling, parrying, move decays, attack cancelling. Specials are more like Smash than traditional fighting games, though. Just neutral, up, and down. Anyway that's enough rambling. I apologize. D:

Also this thread is totally made for me, so thanks.