Games with a lonely vibe that have you explore. The Metroid series is what pops into my head. What are some other examples?
It's not very lonely, but Outer Wilds (the definitive BEST game of 2019) is entirely exploration based.
@3SuspiciousTurtles#16049 I should get back to that. Very much enjoyed what I played. I think it would feel more lonely/isolated if the time loop wasn’t there, but then the game would be quite different.
Death Stranding, maybe a little obvious? if you want to talk lonely… it‘s got a big ol’ dollop of that. And for exploration; It‘s a big empty natural landscape and the map is (deliberatley?) pretty obscure so finding what routes do and don’t work is pretty much up to your own memory and exploration. It teaches you to learn the terrain, which parts of this river can I safely cross, which route is easiest to climb… etc
16-bit style indie game from a few years back called Lone Survivor very much has that vibe.
The first phase of a civ game
SOMA for sure. exploring an undersea lab as the last living thing on earth
edit: last living human, whoops. oversold it
those old tomb raiders were good for this too
noctis IV
http://anynowhere.com/bb/layout/html/frameset.html
good idea for a thread btw I love this shit
@tapevulture#16061 oh damn, I kind of forgot about SOMA. That realization with the mirror is one of my favorite Video Game Moments ever.
@tomjonjon#16047
yeah the easy answer is definitely Death Stranding for me, and mostly because it's still fresh on my mind. The first Dark Souls game also can have a lonely vibe if you ignore the online features.
ICO and Shadow of Colossus come to mind as well.
Some big examples that immediately came to mind for me were Demons' Souls and Dark Souls. You are not the only survivor in the world, but you are generally in a “post-history” type environment left to wander around in the ashes.
Another, perhaps less popular example that I thought of is The Talos Principle. Less pure exploration as the main gameplay loop is more of a puzzle room environment, but the way the world and story are presented as you progress through the game gives a very strong Lonely Exploration vibe. I loved it, and highly recommend people check it out. It is often on sale these days. (If you've been keeping up with the free games on Epic, it was offered for free there at some point so you may already have it?)
Years later the thing I remember most about Shadow of the Colossus is wandering that barren landscape wondering what was just beyond my field of view. I somewhat feel that the fidelity of the remake ruins that lonely atmosphere.
Scanner Sombre, it's like the Unfinished Swan without all the dumb twee bullshit
very lonely and has a certain claustrophobia by virtue of being in a cave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmxE4VRwk0k
worth playing, 2-3 hours and $1.50 on steam
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@yeso#16062 those old tomb raiders were good for this too
i still play that first one/anniversary; the platforming mechanics are more or less perfect and spelunking has rarely been more relaxing.
@robinhoodie#16081 there definitely is a beauty to the PS2 occasionally limping along trying to render such an expanse.