I can think of a handful of games that, despite being games that I’ve enjoyed, never really became part of a “genre”. Do you have any like this, and if so, which?
Are they games that you’d like to see another entrant to the genre to? Would you recommend the original game as one to keep playing?
Outer Wilds
If you’re a naturally curious person, the odds are you will probably enjoy Outer Wilds. No other game I’ve played has ever had quite the same blend of mystery, conquering the unknown, and semi-realistic space exploration.
Could someone make another game like it? Not impossible, I suppose, but I think you would be hard pressed.
Should you keep playing the original? You really can’t, one time through is all you get. Once you have discovered all the secrets and uncovered the mysteries, that is your journey through it. Still fun to visit every once in a while, though
My best recommendation for “replaying” the game is to get the mod “Quantum Space Buddies” and play it alongside a friend. I did this and it allowed me to play it vicariously through them, letting them make all of the decisions and just offering up tiny tidbits of assistance where necessary.
The mod has some bugs, but it’s way more full-featured than I was expecting, and it’s frequently updated to iron out more bugs
That is exactly what I ended up doing! It was a blast, definitely would also recommend
Echoes of the Eye does at least give you a sort of second playthrough
I think Tunic is probably the closest feeling to Outer Wilds I’ve gotten so far. The moment-to-moment gameplay is quite different, but the broad scale feels close
You might like Fez and Animal Well too.
Yeah, Tunic is a great game. I’ve also heard Return to the Obra Dinn is supposed to be similar.
I reaallly need to play this game
Outer Wilds spoiler
Deathloop is the same genre