What Remains of Edith Finch, and The Unfinished Swan
Patient Gamers
A gaming community free from the hype and oversaturation of current releases, catering to gamers who wait at least 12 months after release to play a game. Whether it's price, waiting for bugs/issues to be patched, DLC to be released, don't meet the system requirements, or just haven't had the time to keep up with the latest releases.
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I'm not sure if it quite fits but the first game that came to mind was Minami Lane
I haven’t played it myself, but Boku no Natsuyasumi is a game that recently entered my radar, which fits your description quite well. It’s a game I want to play sometime, but I have had other priorities. It’s for PSX.
It’s about a boy in a summer vacation with his family.
Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any official English versions of the game, but hopefully you might find a solution if you think the game looks interesting enough to play it.
Have you enjoyed any of the recommendations OP? I like your original list/taste and am wondering what else fit the aesthetic
Just saw your message. I ended up replaying the old spyro games in the remastered version and loved the nostalgia trip.
Tried to get into Outer Wilds again, stopped almost instantly because I just can't figure out the movement.
Then I saw that Oxenfree 2 had released at some point, played that but wouldn't recommend ( if you played the first game you already know the big "mystery" and the new smaller mystery isn't that interesting)
I played chants of sennaar, loved it, fit the vibe perfectly. Would absolutely recommend!
I played planet of lana, it was somewhere between okay and good. Visually perfect gameplay a bit boring. Even for a short game it felt too long at the end.
Then I made the mistake of opening rimworld again and this became my (gaming) life again.
I don't know if I played it before my post or after but Talos Principle 2 was perfect just like the first one.
Thanks for the breakdown!
Surprised TOEM isn't on your list, given the premise is pretty much exactly what you describe. Last I checked it comes up on the first page or something if you sort steam by highest rated.
Lunacid might also be a good game. I think it fits your criteria for me, but that might just be for me.
I don't remember coming across TOEM, maybe I immediately ruled it out for being black and white. Lunacid looks a bit to dark and cold for me, judging by the screenshots. But I'll take a closer look at both, short previews might not transport the vibes perfectly
"What Remains of Edith Finch" could work. And "Man eater." What's more summer than a a shark?
A lot of nice suggestions already, I'd like to add the Sorcery! games if you don't mind reading and enjoy exploring.
I personally really loved the world it portrayed and the tried so many different ways to finish the story.
Also, it has great maps, and I love maps :)
Never heard of it, looks amazing, I'll check it out, thanks
Maybe the Atelier games would fit the bill? The recent entries, mostly the Ryza trilogy ("Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout", yeah, the title is a bit clunky) don't have the time limit that used to be a staple of the series. Instead, it is incredibly chill, a JRPG in a relaxed, colorful environment with an actually really fun, puzzle-like crafting system (called synthesis, their take on alchemy), which feeds masterfully into combat and resource collecting. It is very fun, and the game feels like going on a summer holiday with friends as a kid. :)
Ryza could be perfect!
The first thing that comes to my mind is Summer in Mara. It's a chill, relatively shallow farming sim with fetch quests and exploration.
Some more based on other games you liked:
- Arida - short-ish adventure game with a bigger emotional impact
- Nuts - probably most similar to Firewatch; core gameplay loop is taking pictures of squirrels, but there's some plot development
- A Juggler's Tale - side scroller adventure with some feels
- Deponia - funny point and click adventure series; if you like the genre, try The Darkside Detective (less "summer adventure" more "weird mysteries")
- Manifold Garden - more chill than The Talos Principle or The Witness, with less feels than the first; decent, trippy puzzle game
I'll check them out, thanks. I've heard positive things about manifold garden already. Mystery stuff might be perfect for fall
Castle Crashers
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
It's perhaps a bit child-oriented, but is pretty fun, chill, and you can't do more "summer vacation" than that.
Bulwark, The Falconeer Chronicles. You can't get much more chill and low stakes than this steampunk airship city building game.
Try Stranded Sails. It's a tight little adventure game.
Here Comes Niko, "the cozy 3D platformer for tired people." You play an adorable sprite leaping around a tropical island chain. I don't think it has failure modes, in general.
Looks super cute
Stanley parable ultra deluxe there was a bit in the desert so it fits.
The looker as you played the witness I really recommend this parody
E: +1 to a short hike
I'll 100% play the looker