Games that hit harder the older you get

If you've been gaming for a large part of your life, you've probably noticed that your taste has changed somewhat. Maybe you used to enjoy the fastest hack and slash games but find that your reactions don't seem as quick as they used to be, or you've turned away from long RPG games lately because you just don't have time for them.

There are also those games that just don't quite hit home at first, when played as a child, but become much more emotionally resonant when you experience them later in life. The premise, themes, and gameplay of these titles really seem to hit harder the older you get.

7

Spirit dangers

A moving, arresting journey

The role of Spiritfarer, which our heroine takes on early in this adventure, is beautiful, emotionally charged. On the surface, the game is a management title with charming visuals, where you collect materials to upgrade your boat and make it comfortable for those on board. You will listen to their thoughts, feelings and concerns, feed them, do your best to calm them down and keep them busy by working on the loom, the workshop or whatever they prefer.

However, the core of the relationship with each guest is your sacred duty. You help prepare them for their journey to the other side and ferry them to the Everdoor when they are ready. While they are guests on board, you learn a lot about their life experiences, regrets and precious memories, and it is always so deeply moving when you say goodbye to each one. As we grow older, it is a tragic inevitability that we will lose loved ones, and anyone who has experienced such grief will feel the real impact of Spirit dangers. It's a great experience to share in co-op as well.

6

The old man's journey

The journey of life

Many games tell their stories through long cutscenes and drawn-out conversations. Sometimes, however, the visual approach is just as effective. The old man's journey takes that very approach and paints a picture (almost literally) of a full life. It opens with the main character looking out over the sea in a beautiful storybook world, when he receives a letter that clearly contains some touching news. Without further ado, he sets out on foot. The game revolves around the idea of ​​helping the old man go from road to road, a bit like jumping between panels in a comic book.

At certain checkpoints he will pause his journey, which can cause the scene to shift to a closer and more detailed perspective (think the scenes in Supergiant Games' Bastion) as he remembers special moments from his entire life. There is a dreamlike quality to these moments of reminiscence, as well as to the transitions as the man moves from scene to scene, giving the impression of a kind of “production” of his life. The happiest and saddest scenes occur, with the sailor taking to the sea and leaving his family behind. His journey is one of redemption in the most difficult of circumstances, and the more life experience you have, the more impactful it can prove.

5

Pig

The impact of grief

Pig is a great game, and to see it in motion is to instantly understand the case for video games as an art form. The animation of every little movement from the main character and NPCs, the small details in the backgrounds and the use of color are all amazing to watch. However, it is not just a question of images. The music is subtle yet emotive and like the studio's equally amazing but rather underrated Nevathe story that unfolds is incredibly emotional, speaks volumes with not a word of dialogue needed.

The puzzles in the dreamlike world protagonist Gris's faces can be seen as representative of her inner struggle, to cope with the loss of her mother. The themes of joyous, poignant vocals cutting through the silence, of light illuminating the darkness, are profoundly profound and will resonate with any player who has felt the sting of sadness. A beautifully crafted platformer, and so much more at the same time for those who appreciate nuance.

4

Before I forget

The power of memories

The older we get, the more we remember, and life is always so mixed up. The wonderful things we've achieved, the moments we've shared with family and friends, all mingle with the pain of loss, the regret of opportunities we don't take and the mistakes we've made. These are all part of the rich tapestry of life, as they say, and this is what gives Before I forget such emotional impact: What if we started to forget these memories, the best and the worst of them?

The game explores the effects of Alzheimer's disease through the lens of Sunita Appleby. A famous glass-ceilinged cosmogist who struggles to retain the memories of her life, the player controls Appleby as she walks through her home, punctuating the journey with comments that reflect her feelings. It is a sharp, honest and important portrayal of the disease and the impact it can have. In one case, for example, Appleby will note that she cannot remember receiving a certain bill or letter, but when she passes an umbrella, a wonderful memory of sharing a rainy walk with a companion will arise. Developer 3-Fold Games depicts Appleby's apartment as a place with a changing layout, both familiar and unfamiliar. This underscores the fact that Appleby is still the same strange person she's always been.

3

Final Fantasy 9

Address the big questions

Final Fantasy 9with its unique and charming fantasy visuals, has something of a carefree and more light hearted feel than the other PS1 titles Final Fantasy trilogy. Its predecessor lacks the quirky and unique creature design, and at no point does the regent of a powerful nation turn into an insect in these two games.

Despite all this, though Final Fantasy 9s exploration of life, death, belonging and the drive to support others hits very hard, and perhaps more so as an adult than for those who played as children already at the time of its release in 2000. The happy-go-lucky Zidane's tragic backstory of his “purpose” and origin on another planet is a slow-burning journey to find a party and find himself in the same way and find a party. a place where they belong. Amaranth and Quina seems more of an afterthought in that regard, at times, but the philosophical discussion about life and how to use the time you have seems to become more and more real with each rerun. This is the essence of Vivi's legend: The little black magician who could inhabits a fantasy world that may seem absurd compared to real life, but his worries and doubts are heartbreakingly real and profound.

2

To the Moon

Creating amazing memories

“YOLO” is a term that many have offered as a reason for rash decisions, but there's no denying that there's some truth to it as well. We can carry a burning desire or ambition through large parts of our lives, and when we don't have time to achieve it, regrets and regrets begin. IN To the moon, Johnny Wyles had a desperate desire to travel just there, and even though he is nearing the end of his life and physically unable to do so, two doctors from the Sigmund Corporation have devised a way to satisfy him that he has been to the moon.

Wyles has experienced an immense amount of sadness in his life, with the tragic loss of his brother in an accident and of his eventual wife River, to whom he once made a lifelong promise to meet again on the moon should they be separated. The Doctors are able to make this promise a reality, altering his memories of the past and, in the process, the timeline, so that there is a reality where he “believes” he traveled there as an astronaut with his beloved. It is a unique concept that revolves around memories, regrets and the progress of life, but in a more direct sense than a title such as. The old man's journey. The older we get, it seems, the more relevant all these worries and missed moments become in our lives. There is no combat at all in this indie title, but endless emotions.

1

What Remains of Edith Finch

Family mysteries develop

A house that has been in a family for a long time is not just a home, it is a vessel of memory. The good, the bad, the mundane and everything in between. If those walls could talk, as they say. What Remains of Edith Finch is an exploration of that very concept, with Edith revisiting the family home and compiling a diary detailing a series of unfortunate deaths that befell the finches in the past. The twist is that Edith's son, Christopher, has returned to the house, and it is actually through his eyes that we experience Edith's adventures. There are certainly things you might want to know before playing for the first time, but what an experience.

Poignant, dream-like sequences follow, each detailing more about the supposed curse on the family and the fate of various members. The gameplay is constantly varied, from a slow exploration of Great Aunt Edie's dusty bedroom to a serial visualization of Barbara's gruesome murder. It's stylized and unpredictable, leaving the player to question exactly what happened to the family and what is fiction, but the sense of connection to an ever-widening family past is something we often feel more and more with as we get older.