This has been done here three times before by my count, in 2002, 2006, and 2008. Since it’s been over 15 years, can we do it again?
Myst and Riven were the only video games I ever really liked, for all the usual reasons people like them: gentle, self-paced, pretty atmosphere, non-violent, non-grossout, non-action-y. Where are we at in 2024 with similar concepts?
I would like whatever-it-is to be a true game, not a universe you can randomly world-build in for the hell of it. I want stories to figure out, puzzles to solve, once you’ve completed the tasks it says You Win, Game Over. (Or You Lose as the case may be.) Just single-player games, please.
What Remains of Edith Finch - walk around an old house, solve puzzles. A bit horror-y, but in a classic gothic kind of way, not in a slasher film kind of way.
The Talos Principle - walk around ancient ruins, solve puzzles. The puzzles can be quite intricate. Choices matter.
Lost At Sea - walk around an island, solve puzzles.
The Stanley Parable - walking simulator. Wander around an office searching for some kind of meaning. Mess with the narrator. It’s more compelling than it sounds.
Exactly this. Great game in the Myst vein. Here’s the trailer.
This puts some emphasis on the mazes, which is odd, because the game has many more kinds of puzzles. But maybe that’s hard to convey in a quick preview.
I recommend The Outer Wilds (not The Outer Worlds which is more similar to Fallout). - You play an alien astronaut flying around a tiny solar system trying to solve a mystery of a previous alien society. Most of the gameplay is exploring the planets and reading text. The only catch is it’s a groundhog day-like story where every 30 minutes the sun explodes. Great music, great artwork, and frankly one of the best stories I’ve ever experienced in a video game.
12 minutes was fun and quick. Took about two afternoons. A time loop puzzle game with a mystery to solve. Plus it has Willem DeFoe! Free on Xbox game pass.
I would recommend this one. It doesn’t have the charm that Myst does but still good with some good puzzles and meets all the OP’s requirements. There is also a sequel so if you like the first one, you can get more (not necessary though).
A friend introduced me to this and I somehow destroyed the universe almost immediately. Not in the normal time loop way–I actually got a game over screen and it sent me back to the main menu. Apparently, by sheer dumb luck, I managed to head straight for the end-game puzzle, except that I was missing a piece or did it wrong somehow, and both destroyed the sun and ended the time loop.
Anyway, I actually wouldn’t recommend this for the OP. The timed nature stresses me out, personally. No time to just look around and look at the scenery, in contrast to other titles here like The Witness, The Talos Principle, etc.
We haven’t mentioned Portal yet, if you’re somehow one of the few people who don’t own it. It’s a little bit twitchy and platform-y at points, but mostly it’s just puzzles.
I think at some point my playthrough of the Outer Wilds , I just learned to accept the fact that the sun going kablooey was inevitable. Marooned on an asteroid with your spaceship hopelessly drifting off a kilometer out of reach? Better just putter around a little and enjoy the sights. Maybe set up a front row chair for the destruction of the solar system, when the music swells. I found it cathartic.
I’m not sure if the platforming elements and spaceship controls make it too “actiony” for the OP, but the Outer Wilds was also my first thought.
