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Outer Wilds. (Not to be confused with Outer Worlds which came out around the same time.) While the game is non-violent in that you never actively harm anything,

Outer Wilds. (Not to be confused with Outer Worlds which came out around the same time.) While the game is non-violent in that you never actively harm anything, your character will die, a lot, in maybe concerning ways (crushed, out of air, crashed, etc). It also has a story with themes that may be over your kids’ heads. Look up reviews to see more.

rizoma_dev 4y ago
Damn, I was about to write this
hesdeadjim 4y ago
This game was an amazing experience and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
- scott_s 4y ago
  I’ve been playing games most of my life, and it quickly became an all-time favorite. Exploring that solar system and piecing together the story was an incredible experience that I still think about, over two years later. The ending was also profoundly moving for me.
cableshaft 4y ago
Just chiming in to concur. A technical masterpiece and lots of fun piecing together the knowledge needed to progress. Blew me away that such games exist. Only other game that gave me a similar feeling was The Witness.
- the__alchemist 4y ago
  Tangent: The Witness is an outstanding non-violent game as well, but unfortunately for recs here, doesn't fit due to lack of story.
  - mattbaker 4y ago
    I loved it too. I actually don’t agree there’s a lack of story, but it’s certainly subtle. More “poem” than “novel” in a way.
    - uejfiweun 4y ago
      I loved the Witness, but the story seemed straight up pretentious. I just stopped listening to the audio logs after a while because they were just too long and the VAs went too hard, it was distracting and had 0 to do with the gameplay.
      - loevborg 4y ago
        The cassette tapes and clips in the movie theater were my favorite part of the game (still haven't unlocked them all)
        uejfiweun 4y ago
        That's fair - to each their own. For me personally my favorite thing was finding those lines of "tutorial puzzles" that teach you how certain rules work, and suddenly realizing how other puzzles could be solved - I got goosebumps from that a lot of times. One thing can be said for certain, it's a great game - unfortunately not the best replay value though IMO, because you tend not to forget the puzzle rules once you figure them out (similar to Outer Wilds in this aspect).
        loevborg 4y ago
        Agree, the game is like a meditation on the nature of learning and perception. These realizations ("Is that just a tree or ...?") also gave me goosebumps.
baxuz 4y ago
Just wanted to say this. Probably one of the top 3 games I've ever played and I started back in 91.
Elinvynia 4y ago
To make the confusion a bit worse, there is also a game called "Outer Wonders".
gww 4y ago
I wish I could forget this game and play through anew. It does contain spoilers but the games creator wrote a masters thesis on this game[1]. [1] https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/Share/o7d2vbuapqgd2mkjke8j752608o27m15 https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/Share/o7d2vbuapqgd2mkjke8j752...
- NikolaNovak 4y ago
  Wow, so that was six years before release date. It's fascinating to think that a such a single dedicated endevour can be one's focus for a decade + :)
Fire-Dragon-DoL 4y ago
Just finished this game and recommend it. There is one spot which is somewhat spooky. Also, skip the DLC together. Dying is not depicted in bloody ways, should be acceptable even for kids of certain age. A masterpiece indeed
orangecat 4y ago
I seem to be the only person who was less than thrilled with it. The concept is clever, but always being on the clock quickly became frustrating. I kept spending half the available time getting to the area I was investigating, then frantically running around trying to find something new, and if at any point I made a wrong turn or the timing wasn't right I'd have to wait until the next cycle and redo everything.
PheonixPharts 4y ago
It's hard for me to express just how incredibly brilliant this game is and how beautiful it is to play. What's incredible to me is that the successfully make a game where all of the progress is through information gained while exploring, there are absolutely zero artificial barrier to progress. Once you know the world, you can finish in one play through. Most games cheat regarding exploration by tying exploration to unlocks in the game. As a huge metroidvania fan, this is can still be amazing. It's just nearly unbelievable that the team behind Outer Wilds achieved this all through clever construction of the world they build. On top of this you get a very emotionally compelling narrative and music that instantly gives me chills when I hear it. Honestly the perfect game.
- UnchartedSystem 4y ago
  Riven is another brilliant game that shares the structure of using information about the world as both the purpose and the means to exploration. Outer Wilds excels with creative planets full of adventure, while Riven is a slow paced affair that is impressively dedicated to creating an intricate world wordlessly. Without written aids ala the logs in Outer Wilds, gleaning insights from disparate information in Riven often means scrawling down notes & looking for patterns. While I highly reccomend Riven for fans of the structure of Outer Wilds, Riven is now a dated game that operates at a glacial pace. I played it recently at a time that I was taking a break from more modern games and I think that did wonders for helping me adjust to its conventions & pace. If you give it a shot know that it'll demand your patience before it'll absorb you into its world. https://youtube.com/watch?v=bsh_vyAfMuE https://youtube.com/watch?v=bsh_vyAfMuE
  - tsuujin 4y ago
    Riven is an absolute masterpiece in visual storytelling. I remember playing it when it came out and just being blown away by it.
    - eskatonic 4y ago
      I still listen to the soundtrack on repeat when I'm doing work that requires intense concentration, like coding.

rizoma_dev 4y ago

Damn, I was about to write this

hesdeadjim 4y ago

This game was an amazing experience and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

scott_s 4y ago
I’ve been playing games most of my life, and it quickly became an all-time favorite. Exploring that solar system and piecing together the story was an incredible experience that I still think about, over two years later. The ending was also profoundly moving for me.

cableshaft 4y ago

Just chiming in to concur. A technical masterpiece and lots of fun piecing together the knowledge needed to progress. Blew me away that such games exist. Only other game that gave me a similar feeling was The Witness.

the__alchemist 4y ago
Tangent: The Witness is an outstanding non-violent game as well, but unfortunately for recs here, doesn't fit due to lack of story.
- mattbaker 4y ago
  I loved it too. I actually don’t agree there’s a lack of story, but it’s certainly subtle. More “poem” than “novel” in a way.
  - uejfiweun 4y ago
    I loved the Witness, but the story seemed straight up pretentious. I just stopped listening to the audio logs after a while because they were just too long and the VAs went too hard, it was distracting and had 0 to do with the gameplay.
    - loevborg 4y ago
      The cassette tapes and clips in the movie theater were my favorite part of the game (still haven't unlocked them all)
      - uejfiweun 4y ago
        That's fair - to each their own. For me personally my favorite thing was finding those lines of "tutorial puzzles" that teach you how certain rules work, and suddenly realizing how other puzzles could be solved - I got goosebumps from that a lot of times. One thing can be said for certain, it's a great game - unfortunately not the best replay value though IMO, because you tend not to forget the puzzle rules once you figure them out (similar to Outer Wilds in this aspect).
        loevborg 4y ago
        Agree, the game is like a meditation on the nature of learning and perception. These realizations ("Is that just a tree or ...?") also gave me goosebumps.

baxuz 4y ago

Just wanted to say this. Probably one of the top 3 games I've ever played and I started back in 91.

Elinvynia 4y ago

To make the confusion a bit worse, there is also a game called "Outer Wonders".

gww 4y ago

I wish I could forget this game and play through anew. It does contain spoilers but the games creator wrote a masters thesis on this game[1]. [1] https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/Share/o7d2vbuapqgd2mkjke8j752608o27m15 https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/Share/o7d2vbuapqgd2mkjke8j752...

NikolaNovak 4y ago
Wow, so that was six years before release date. It's fascinating to think that a such a single dedicated endevour can be one's focus for a decade + :)

Fire-Dragon-DoL 4y ago

Just finished this game and recommend it. There is one spot which is somewhat spooky. Also, skip the DLC together. Dying is not depicted in bloody ways, should be acceptable even for kids of certain age. A masterpiece indeed

orangecat 4y ago

I seem to be the only person who was less than thrilled with it. The concept is clever, but always being on the clock quickly became frustrating. I kept spending half the available time getting to the area I was investigating, then frantically running around trying to find something new, and if at any point I made a wrong turn or the timing wasn't right I'd have to wait until the next cycle and redo everything.

PheonixPharts 4y ago

It's hard for me to express just how incredibly brilliant this game is and how beautiful it is to play. What's incredible to me is that the successfully make a game where all of the progress is through information gained while exploring, there are absolutely zero artificial barrier to progress. Once you know the world, you can finish in one play through. Most games cheat regarding exploration by tying exploration to unlocks in the game. As a huge metroidvania fan, this is can still be amazing. It's just nearly unbelievable that the team behind Outer Wilds achieved this all through clever construction of the world they build. On top of this you get a very emotionally compelling narrative and music that instantly gives me chills when I hear it. Honestly the perfect game.

UnchartedSystem 4y ago
Riven is another brilliant game that shares the structure of using information about the world as both the purpose and the means to exploration. Outer Wilds excels with creative planets full of adventure, while Riven is a slow paced affair that is impressively dedicated to creating an intricate world wordlessly. Without written aids ala the logs in Outer Wilds, gleaning insights from disparate information in Riven often means scrawling down notes & looking for patterns. While I highly reccomend Riven for fans of the structure of Outer Wilds, Riven is now a dated game that operates at a glacial pace. I played it recently at a time that I was taking a break from more modern games and I think that did wonders for helping me adjust to its conventions & pace. If you give it a shot know that it'll demand your patience before it'll absorb you into its world. https://youtube.com/watch?v=bsh_vyAfMuE https://youtube.com/watch?v=bsh_vyAfMuE
- tsuujin 4y ago
  Riven is an absolute masterpiece in visual storytelling. I remember playing it when it came out and just being blown away by it.
  - eskatonic 4y ago
    I still listen to the soundtrack on repeat when I'm doing work that requires intense concentration, like coding.