games that wow with impressive, original stories hitting all the right emotional notes.
Another adorable game from the combination of DarkChibiShadow and nomnomnami. Intriguing, thought provoking story, warm colors and visuals, and a sweet love story.
A serious, potentially unsettling look into assault and its after effects on the psyche. Told in a drifting, anxious feelling way. CW for emotional abuse, sexual assault, mental illness.
Absolutely gorgeous and sappy little VN about time, space, and nothingness, and also love. Some unique gameplay concepts and a very sweet story.
A beautiful visual novel about morality in tech, the convergence of tech and mental health, and healing from loss, Eliza touches on so many important, hard themes and gives so much to think about. It also has gorgeous artwork and a wonderful soundtrack.
One of my absolute favorite visual novels.
Really sweet, sappy little romance VN that plays well with its metafiction narrative and just. It's gay.
Arcade Party's breezy, sharp writing, paired with DarkChibiShadow's lush, huggable art create a world that is immediately believable, lived-in, and fun to explore.
No matter whether you take the romantic polyamorous path (which is a wonderful tale of the transition from friends to something more), or the paths related to your dad or your new coworker and friend (which are sweet, touching, and full with complex ideas of coming of age), Tomai's tale is one that will leave you happy, fulfilled, and wanting to dream maybe a bit more.
Butterfly Soup is just plain funny and adorable. It is exactly what it says on the cover and it is in every way an immediate exploration of what it means to be a gay teen.
Somewhat goofy and very sweet, Last Minute Love is a short "dating sim" a la puzzle game that doesn't try to be more than something fluffy and heartwarming. Don't be afraid of death - just be sure someone is there with you.
This is a very pretty, fairly short lesbian romance VN with some stunning atmospheric presentation and art. The character art is all very eye popping with tons of luscious lines and beautiful shades. Recommended if you want a little horror in your meet cute.
Poetic, subversive, and strikingly beautiful, Heaven Will Be Mine deals with themes of self-acceptance, trauma, and hurt love in a way that is equal parts decadent and badass.
Probably my favorite game narrative of all time. Deals with themes of choice and agency, has a fantastically developed main character, and tons of emotional nuance. I still figure out new things about it. Killer art and soundtrack to boot.
A wonderful narrative experience about online moderation and corporate irresponsibility. Explores the human elements of Online, while joyfully satirizing it. Disclaimer: Steam version will have Workshop support.
An immersive, fascinating hack-em-up that deals with the actual moral implications of hacking for good or for fun, all while providing plenty of interesting detective puzzles and tests of logic. Has a DLC, Labyrinths, which is only available on Steam.
From the artist of Undertale, this first foray into solo gamemaking is somber and intriguing, with plenty of great art and animation. Short and simple.
A sorrowful and effective post-apocalyptic TTRPG. Not long, and not a lot of effort to set up. Created for sadmechjam.
Fans of Hypnospace may like this one. Very similar playstyles, but with a focus on the dangers of hyper-surveillance and the ways it's very possible to corrupt intent from innocent people. Falters a bit at the end, but tells a compelling, well-paced narrative.
Supergiant's first work. A little unrefined, but still holds up to this day. A fantastic soundtrack and brilliant use of narration, paired with some great combat. Fans of this combat might like their newest game, Hades, which is currently tied to the Epic Games Store but should arrive on other platforms early next year.
One of Supergiant Games' more underrated works, Pyre offers some fantastic sports/action gameplay, even for people who don't like sports game. It also has some fantastically compelling characters and a gorgeous world, paired with some of the hardest choices I've ever made in a game.
