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5. That Dragon, Cancer
The game That Dragon, Cancer is more than just a video game; it is an interactive and experimental piece of art developed collaboratively by Ryan and Amy Green, based on their personal experience in raising their son Joel, who suffered from a serious illness and tragically passed away at the age of five.
The game aims to put players in the position of parents as they deal with Joel’s diagnosis, making the experience highly emotional and difficult to bear for many. The game is definitely a moving and beautiful tribute to Joel, but it is sure to leave most players in tears after completing it.
Naturally, it may be wise to be prepared to watch or play something light and cheerful after this experience, as it will leave a deep impact on the psyche and will stay with you for a long time if allowed to do so.
4. Spec Ops: The Line
The genius of Spec Ops: The Line lies in its deceptive concept, as it was marketed as just a regular third-person military shooter game, only to later reveal itself as a sharp critique of the war entertainment industry.
What starts as a traditional war game quickly turns into a horrifying portrayal of the true cost of war, whether in terms of innocent lives or human spirit. Yager Development strips the game of the cinematic combat glamour, and reimagines it here in a dull and disturbing way, drawing a clever parallel between soldiers who blindly follow heinous orders and players who pursue objectives without critical thinking.
This culminates in a chilling revelation in the game’s later stages, where it becomes clear that the player character is just an empty shell of their former self, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Regardless of your aggressiveness in fighting to reach the end, you are indeed a victim of war.
More than anything else, the game requires players to think about the ethics of turning war into entertainment, making the experience of playing Call of Duty seem completely different since then.
3. Undertale
Undertale is a unique and unexpected RPG game experience unlike anything else, where despite the combat options available, it heavily judges players if they choose to kill characters.
Players control a child who falls into a world known as The Underground beneath the surface, which they must traverse to reach the surface. During the journey, they will encounter many enemies, most of whom you can either kill, escape from, or form friendships with.
Since most RPG games encourage players to kill to gain life points in this case EXP and LOVE, many have killed characters in Undertale without thinking about the consequences.
However, late in the game, it becomes clear that EXP stands for “Execution Points” and LOVE stands for “Level of Violence.” To drive the message home, characters appear to criticize you for your unnecessary violent behavior, and while Undertale is not a serious commentary on violence in video games like Spec Ops, it takes a strange pleasure in embarrassing the player over their quick jump to killing.
2. The Last Of Us Part II
The Last of Us Part II may be a remarkable achievement, but it is also one of the harshest and most depressing games ever. Creative director Neil Druckmann sticks to a dark and serious tone throughout the game, making every encounter – especially those against humans – gruesome and uncomfortable.
Even killing the most mysterious characters in the game makes you feel uneasy, as you often have to listen to their last breaths drowning in blood, and perhaps hear one of their comrades calling out their name in concern. There is nothing light or superficial here about killing human lives, even though it is often necessary.
In terms of the story, the clear message is that “revenge is extremely bad,” which is evident when the futility of Ellie’s mission to avenge Joel’s death at the hands of Abby is revealed in the end.
With genius and though it causes a split among players, Druckmann puts you in the middle of the game as Abby, forcing players to understand her motives and even confront Ellie as a sort of hunted antagonist in the end.
While most players were initially eager to get rid of Abby, by the end of the game, this rush towards killing becomes meaningless, cleverly depicted by Ellie’s refusal to kill Abby in the end, and the price she pays by losing some of her precious fingers that she used to play the guitar with.
Despite the insane level of development and amazing production value the game possesses, The Last of Us Part II serves as a strong response to games that make killing just a minor annoyance.
Going through over 20 hours of this game is a psychologically and emotionally exhausting exercise, and no one can be blamed if they do not wish to return to this bleak world for a long time.
1. Cart Life
Just like the game Papers, Please, the game Cart Life evokes a sense of realism and empathy through ordinary daily life, where players control one of three itinerant vendors simply trying to make a living and take care of their families.
Whether selling cakes, newspapers, or coffee, each scenario forces the player into a repetitive routine. While the stakes may not seem “high” as in most video games, this deep personal scope makes the experience feel urgent in its simplicity that many can empathize with.
Cart Life excels over most other video games in conveying the extent of mental and physical exhaustion that can result from simply trying to survive.
For anyone who has felt exhausted or underpaid, this game represents a devastating yet therapeutic experience, and that is precisely the point. Cart Life may not be “fun” in the traditional sense, but it captures a moment of daily life with a rare level of insight.