The format of these posts is simple: let’s discuss a specific game or series!
I’m in quite a bad place mentally at the moment, so I wasn’t really feeling like making a post. But then I thought, I could combine this in the form of a special discussion topic:
Let’s discuss your favorite Uplifting Games. What helps you when your feeling down or stressed out. What game series has comforted you in harder times. Are there certain genres that work better for you in these times? Feel free to share anything that comes up and react to other comments. Let’s get the conversation going!
If you have any recommendations for games or series for the next post(s), please feel free to DM me or add it in a comment here (no guarantees of course).
Previous entries: Final Fantasy, Visual Novels, Hollow Knight, Nintendo DS, Monster Hunter, Persona, Monkey Island, 8 Bit Era, Animal Crossing, Age of Empires, Super Mario, Deus Ex, Stardew Valley, The Sims, Half-Life, Earthbound / Mother, Mass Effect, Metroid, Journey, Resident Evil, Polybius, Tetris, Telltale Games, Kirby, LEGO Games, DOOM, Ori, Metal Gear, Slay the Spire
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Well, I personally have several “types” of game that help me feel comfortable when things are tough:
- Puzzle Games: in relatively small doses, a good and somewhat challenging puzzle game can help by requiring focus, while not being stressful.
- Deckbuilders: Slay the Spire and Monster Train are similar games that require mental engagement, without being to stressful.
- Immersive Games: Games with an interesting mystery or otherwise immersive experiences. I am currently playing Killer Frequency and Hacknet, both for that reason.
I’m not sure if I would really say it’s that uplifting, but if you like puzzle and card games, you’ll love Inscryption
Might I recommend Journey and Abzu? They’re both wonderful experiences with a healthy dose of zen if you decide you want to just pause and appreciate the environments.
If you like hacknet, you should give Uplink a try sometime. It’s the inspiration for the series, and a wonderfully immersive hacking game.
There’s also a modern UI mod for it.
I think you should try “outer wilds” as it is a puzzle game and also quite immersive. I am not done yet with this game (only 15h or so) but it is a master piece. If you never heard of it, do not look any video or guide on the internet !
It is literally my favorite game of all time ;) great suggestion though!
rarely, i like to play a fluffy, feel good game with no real stakes. enter: Flynn, Son of Crimson
there is absolutely no chance of anything really bad happening in the game, the worst that happens is your powerful guardian diety dog loses his powers at the beginning of the game (but it’s OK, he just rests until you reclaim his powers and he feels better). you never really feel like anyone is really in danger, you get to play a pretty fun 2d action platforming game, and it has some really fun sections later on that make you feel awesome
it wraps up nicely in probably 20 hours too, if you want to 100% it, so it doesn’t overstay its welcome and lets you experience all of its content with low demands. really a lovely little experience. it’s not pushing the envelope at all, but if you want basically 20 solid hours of lighthearted fun, this is a great way to get it
I found Iconoclasts to be pretty uplifting to play. The ending is marvellously satisfying.
The Shantae games are good.
Disney Illusion Island fits in here too.
ooblets is one of my favorite in this genre. it’s got a great soundtrack, the humor is spot-on, and it’s got an anti-capitalist message.
Love Ooblets! The dance battles are a fun little replacement for regular creature collecting fights, and they also scratch that deckbuilder itch.
Pokemon Emerald: I used to play it a bunch to escape reality. Now my mind just associates it with safe spaces. It never fails to cheer me up when I hear the ost or see pokemon from that gen. Only bad part is that I can’t play for longer than 20 mins without feeling so cozy I fall asleep.
Guilty Gear Strive: Strangely relaxing once I got a hang of the controls. I just play a few rounds against the AI for a pick-me-up. Not sure if it’s still uplifting at higher levels.
Muse Dash: The music and cutesy artstyle are so overwhelmingly positive, it’s hard to stay negative when you’re in the zone and grooving.
Celeste!
It’s about overcoming internal struggles to achieve something. (something I’m still fighting with in real life, bad place mentally here too.)
Listening to the soundtrack always makes me feel a bit better though.
It’s cute, fun, and challenging (although never difficult in a frustrating way)
Excellent game. Still never quite finished it. I think have 3 screens left.
I see a bunch of mentions of Journey. Recently, I’ve been playing Sky: Children of the Light for the first time, which is made by the same devs. It is beautiful, and feels like a spiritual successor to Journey, to me. It is also free to play, so it is easy to recommend trying it out.
What’s the monetization like?
I just read the top review on Steam and it answered this question well: TL;DR it’s a shame this is a F2P game since the seasonal cosmetic FOMO is diametrically opposed to the message/spirit of the game, but if you can ignore the cosmetics, then it’s a fantastic experience that’s completely free.
Seems like it is just some cosmetics? Seems like many items you get by interacting with NPCs and others are somehow paid, but I haven’t looked at how that works.
I’m gonna go with Forza (Assetto Corsa also works to a lesser extent). Sure the focus of the game is on racing, but it can be extremely relaxing to hop into any car you want from any era and just take a cruise and look at the scenery
I like Forza, but have caution with the online players. Most of them love ramming people
I’m well aware. I enjoy the game all the same. Besides, I think people overstate how bad rammers are. Yeah it happens sometimes, but most people want the same thing you do: a clean race
Sometimes I chill after work by driving around the Nurburgring in a touring car in Automobilista 2.
Alternately, for more driving games:
- Art of Rally has a free roam mode, which is pretty chill.
- I’ve been playing Sledders, a snowmobile game. It is super early in early access, but it can be fun to just roam around (and learn how to drive a snowmobile).
I find Widelands to be slow and relaxing; but also challenging and engaging.
Sorry to hear things are rough, I hope you get some reccs you like ❤️
I thought In Stars and Time was really uplifting, but it does deal with mental health issues throughout the game. One of my absolute favorites and something I go back to in rough spots tho :)
Fields of Mistria is similar to Stardew. Its still early access, but there is a lot to do in the game as is. Traveller’s rest is similar to Stardew, except you have a tavern.
Tiny Glade is good if you like sandbox games. Minami lane is also alright.
For adventure games, I thought Caravan SandWitch was fun, kinda bittersweet. I havent finished Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, but i would be shocked if it wasnt uplifting. Islets and Crypt Custodian are also nice metroidvanias. I thought they were both funny and cute.
Like everyone else Journey was the first thing that popped into my mind.
Id give a shout-out to Death Stranding, too. The game is far from perfect but it’s basically a hiking simulator which I find soothing. You also carry things so you could say it’s uplifting in the literal sense haha!
Journey is a beautiful game with excellent music and visuals. It’s coop where you can only make a ping noise and run around each other so no possibility of negative interactions. There’s a little challenge and adversity at times but the ending is phenomenal and joyous.
Sayonara wild hearts is a playable music album about a lady learning how to love herself. It’s got simple game mechanics but the mechanics all compliment the music and the music is so so good.
A friend of mine has (had?) most of the world records in Sayonara Wild Hearts; it’s not as relaxing if you’re going for high scores since you need to get close to collisions for bonus points, but if you just play to beat levels and chill, it’s great.
That’s impressive. My wife got all the achievements for it and that seemed very stressful. But just as something to experience is a really chill game.
in about 201X I was having a terrible time trying to get through the thesis period of a master’s program
picked up some bundle of the OG 2DS (black & blue variant) and Pokemon X and loved it
a world where I could pick my friends, people were pleasant, my next career moves were obvious, and my work was rewarded? To this day, this is my escapist fantasy.
Wandersong: that game has so much character, it’s insane. The game can feel very emotional without heavy themes, idk how it did it.
What do you find uplifting about Doom? Is it the bit where demons enslave the Earth?
I think you might have misread the post?
It’s the bit about RIPPING AND TEARING them to bits and rebuilding the Earth at the end.
“previous entries” are previous entries in the discussion thread series.
but atleast for doom 1, 2 and 2016 i can say that the ost gets me pumped, so there is that :D
