Guide: Games with stories that make you reflect on life

Games that challenge conventional narratives have the power to make us reflect and question various aspects of life. Titles that mix everyday elements, supernatural elements, or that leave the player with more questions than answers can provide unique and memorable experiences.

Below, I’ve made a list with some recommendations of games that fit this description. They usually have deep and engaging stories that can lead us to fascinating discussions and reflections.

Deadly Premonition was released in 2010 with a mix of survival and investigation elements in a suspenseful and horrific narrative. The game quickly caught the attention of players, who noticed similarities to the Twin Peaks TV series.

Francis York Morgan, an FBI agent, deals with schizophrenia and has an imaginary friend with whom he frequently discusses 1980s cinema. As the game progresses, the story also explores various parallel realities.

Although the narrative is complex and challenging to follow, the game stands out for its open world and for presenting realistic 24-hour cycles. Over time, Deadly Premonition has gained a cult status, especially due to its plot and innovative gameplay.

However, at the time of its release, the game wasn’t a great success and, to this day, it’s recognized by Guinness as the "most controversial survival game".

The game is based on real events and tells the story of three people living in an apartment complex in the former USSR during the 1980s.

Bright Lights of Svetlov did a great job of showing this grim reality, blending the banality of everyday life with a hidden current of fear and uncertainty. The game was made by a developer named Vladimir Cholokyan, who, interestingly, wasn’t alive during that time.

To complement the nature of the game, you rarely play outside the four-room apartment that’s your home. Aside from going outside once, to the garage, and once to the basement, everything takes place within those same four walls, which helps create a claustrophobic atmosphere well-suited to the story that unfolds in the game.

You perform everyday tasks to progress from chapter to chapter. Tasks include cooking soup, wallpapering your daughter's room, taking out the trash, and dusting. Despite the tedious nature of these tasks, the game never feels boring, always leaving a lingering sense of uncertainty about what's happening in that environment. Despite the lack of action, there's always a slightly menacing atmosphere where we never truly feel comfortable walking around.

The author did an excellent job recreating a typical neighborhood of the former USSR, specifically the two-bedroom apartment itself. Small things like Riga balsam, rags, basins, iron buckets, textbooks; All of this enriches the game and resonates with the soul.

The game isn't long, it can be completed in an hour and a half, but as events unfold, we’re faced with a tragic and highly thought-provoking ending.

Dear Esther is a first-person game that invites players to explore an abandoned island, which can result in very different experiences for each player. The protagonist is a man who constantly remembers his wife, Esther, who died in an accident.

With a dark atmosphere, a melancholic soundtrack, and a sad narrative, the game may evoke negative feelings in some players, while deeply touching the hearts of others.

At first glance, it may seem like an ordinary game, but its emotional depth and the way the story is told make it unique. As you explore the deserted island, fragments of a letter are read by the main character, and since these excerpts are chosen randomly, each playthrough offers a new perspective on the story and the protagonist's emotional state.

Exploring the island is done in various ways, and with each new playthrough, you discover new details that help you better understand what happened to Esther.

Originally created as a Half-Life 2 mod, Dear Esther stands out for its engaging narrative and the unique experience it provides.

Catherine stands out for its engaging narrative and mature themes. The story revolves around a man tormented by dreams and nightmares, reflecting his need to confront responsibilities, maturity, and feelings.

These elements transform into a true puzzle, where the challenges the character faces are directly related to their dreams.

The game's approach is unique, combining an eroticized vision with a supernatural narrative, which makes it difficult to summarize. Catherine has garnered a dedicated fanbase over the years, which explains its resilience in the market.

Pathologic is a Russian-origin game released in 2005 for PCs, notable for its artistic style. The narrative revolves around a mysterious disease affecting the inhabitants of a small village. Players can choose between three different characters, each tasked with surviving and discovering the origin of the illness.

Although at first glance it may seem like a conventional RPG, it stands out for its multifaceted narrative, which presents different points of view depending on the chosen character.

This feature, along with the need to complete missions within a limited time, provides a unique experience. Despite being a game with a heavy storyline, it’s highly valued for its engaging plot and the singular experience it offers players.

Although it didn't achieve great commercial success, the game generated controversy due to the various interpretations that its abstractly told story allows. In The Path, the narrative revolves around six girls who get lost in a forest and are attacked by wolves.

For some critics, The Path is seen as a metaphor for growth and each player's personal journey. However, many others interpret the narrative as a representation of girls falling into situations of sexual exploitation, a connotation that may’ve contributed to the distorted perception of the game. This interpretation is reinforced by the images of violence present in the narrative.

But the game stands out not only for its artistic approach and heavy storyline, but also for provoking profound discussions on sensitive topics, reflecting the complexity of the gaming experience and the different ways players can connect with the story.

The Void is developed by Ice-Pick Lodge, the same studio responsible for Pathologic, and was released in 2009, focusing on the PC gaming audience. In it, the player takes on the role of a lost soul in a void between life and death, in a predominantly monochromatic world. Color, in this universe, functions as a currency and also as a meter of the player's energy.

Players can expend this energy by giving color to other characters, but this action can result in the protagonist's death. On the other hand, if the player chooses not to give up color, they’ll find it difficult to progress in the game, which makes the experience quite intriguing.

There are characters called Sisters who demand color in exchange for help, but giving them color can anger the Brothers, who attack the player if this happens. The narrative of The Void doesn't present a clear good or bad side, allowing each player to interpret the story in a unique way. This interpretive freedom is one of the characteristics that makes the game interesting and engaging.

That Dragon, Cancer is an interactive autobiography that portrays the Greens' experience raising their son Joel, diagnosed with terminal cancer at twelve months old. After being diagnosed with an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, doctors gave Joel only four months to live. However, he defied expectations and lived for another four years, even developing seven additional tumors. Joel's condition resulted in delayed mental development, and he was unable to speak at age two, requiring constant care and numerous visits to doctors and hospitals for palliative care and chemotherapy.

In early 2014, Joel's health deteriorated, leading the Greens to temporarily relocate from Colorado to San Francisco to participate in an experimental drug trial. Unfortunately, the new treatment didn’t bring relief, and following medical advice, they decided to remove his feeding tube. Joel passed away on March 13, 2014, at the age of five.

The idea for the game came about when Joel was four years old. Ryan and Amy Green felt that the extra years with him after his diagnosis were a miracle. Before That Dragon, Cancer, Ryan had created smaller games with an emotional focus, such as Giga Wife, which explored relationship interactions in a way similar to a Tamagotchi-type game. He wanted to share his experiences as Joel's father with a wider audience and believed that an interactive video game would be an effective way to convey a message of hope and grace. Ryan commented that, through video games, "you can create a world and invite the player to live in it and love what you've created."

The game's title was inspired by a story the Greens told their other children about Joel's struggle with illness, using the metaphor of a brave knight facing a dragon called Cancer. Players will experience the highs and lows of this journey in a point-and-click format, leveraging interactivity and immersion to tell the story in ways a film couldn't. Initially, the game was developed to reflect Ryan and Amy's personal experience as they dealt with the uncertainty of Joel's health, but after his death, they restructured much of the game to include their interactions and moments with Joel.

That Dragon, Cancer was released on January 12, 2016, coincidentally on Joel's seventh birthday. The game was widely praised as an example of video games as an art form and a raw autobiographical experience, challenging players to confront difficult emotions. Alongside the game, a documentary titled Thank You for Playing, which documents the last years of Joel's life and the development of the game, was released in 2016.

Video games have the power to transform us, whether through an experience in a fictional game or one with a real story. After trying some of these games, your perception of certain aspects of life will surely change, as it changed mine!

Do you know of any other games with profound themes that make us reflect? Comment below!

I hope this small selection of games inspires you to play some of them. Until next time!