The 10 best games that don't tell you what to do
There seems to be a common overlap between darker, somewhat macabre games and those that refuse to hold your hand. Whether they are platformers, actio...
There seems to be a common overlap between darker, somewhat macabre games and those that refuse to hold your hand. Whether they are platformers, action-adventure role-playing games, or metroidvanias, it doesn't necessarily matter; they all tend to lean a bit more towards the horrific.
Perhaps it is because the horrific aspects of life are difficult to cope with and therefore present a challenge that can be physically represented through challenging gameplay. Whatever it may be, these types of games often refuse to hold your hand and offer little guidance on where to go, what to do, and what is happening.
10 Dark Souls
The Dark Souls franchise, developed by FromSoftware Inc., is so notoriously difficult that other challenging games with darker storylines revealed through exploration are referred to as souls-like. A key factor in determining souls-like games is also the Bonfire mechanic, which serves as the only save and refresh point in the game.
Fortunately, these points are often located near bosses and shortly after them, which is a lifesaver given the tough mechanics in each battle. Souls games do not hold your hand when you fight, and they will not give you instructions on where to go when exploring outside of vague clues.
9 Bloodborne
Although Bloodborne is definitely in the same style as the Dark Souls games, as it was developed by FromSoftware Inc., it has slightly different mechanics. It offers a faster-paced experience that you may find more difficult than Dark Souls, or easier, depending on how you want to play.
As with other games from FromSoftware Inc., one is not hand-held when it comes to fighting and learning mechanics, nor is one certainly told where to go when exploring. However, this allows for experimenting with different builds and playstyles to discover what one truly enjoys.
8 The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a beautifully macabre game that can be explored. However, it warns from the outset that it will not hold one's hand. It is up to you to solve puzzles and find the smallest, perhaps most uninteresting clues to piece together the mystery of Ethan Carter.
This game encourages exploration and experimentation to figure out what works, although it doesn't hurt to have a pen and paper in real life to help you solve the puzzle. Despite the frightening beauty of the environment, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is definitely a horror game that puts your detective skills to the test.
7 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a post-apocalyptic survival game from a first-person perspective. It is set in an open world environment where you can essentially only explore and try to survive the creatures lurking in the irradiated wasteland. This game does not create difficulty through puzzles, but through the survival and FPS elements that you must navigate.
Strangely enough, it is an imitation of what a real post-apocalyptic situation would look like, where you are released into an environment and world with little knowledge and guidance. The only way to survive is to figure things out as you go and proceed step by step.
6 Darkest Dungeon
"Darkest Dungeon" and "Darkest Dungeon 2" are generally considered some of the most difficult games on the market. As gothic roguelike titles, these games focus on the psychological impacts of adventuring and traversing the darkest corners of dungeons and evil.
No adventure will be the same as another, as adventures are procedurally generated, and the best way to progress is to experiment and try again. These two games will not hold your hand while you experience adventures, so it would be best to have these manuals at hand.
5 Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is somewhat infamous for being a difficult Metroidvania game, despite the "cute" bug characters you encounter. At first glance, it is generally not grotesque or menacing, but everything in Hallownest is more dangerous than it seems.
You will be released into the world without much knowledge of what is going on or what you should do, and no one is there to push you in the right direction. It's up to you and you alone to explore the secrets of Hallownest and delve into some of its most challenging aspects.
4 Silent Hill
The difficulty of Silent Hill really shows when you try to solve the puzzles, which for some may lie on the unintuitive side of things. Whether you find the puzzles intuitive or not, the game is challenging. Particularly, the sequel does not hold your hand while you play.
Justly so, this contributes significantly to the horror ambiance, as one remains unaware of what is transpiring and must allow oneself ample time. If one is uncertain of where to proceed or what actions to undertake, the only recourse is to survey one's surroundings and engage in experimentation.
3 Limbo
"Limbo" is an extraordinarily arduous and surreal platformer, featuring both somber elements in its narrative and landscape. The game's description is ominously simplistic, concealing the insidious difficulty of advancing and uncovering secrets therein.
It is incumbent upon your own abilities and skills to triumph each stage of the game, and you must excel. As it is a platformer, you must remain composed and exercise patience and astuteness to solve every puzzle. Remember to take a few deep breaths while playing.
2 Don't Starve
"Don't Starve" is a wilderness survival game that employs slightly Gothic, almost Tim Burton-esque graphics. It thrusts you into the wilderness with very little explanation, compelling you to discern what is happening and how to survive. The sole means of weathering each night is to experiment and tinker with the various mechanics and items.
As with most other survival games, it falls to you to determine how to survive, but that does not necessarily mean that it will be facile in this game.
1 Fear & Hunger
"Fear & Hunger" is another survival dungeon-crawler game that not only deals with the macabre and horrific, but thrusts you headlong into it. One could label it as dark fantasy, but the emphasis lies heavily on the "dark" aspect, for you will not emerge from this game unscathed.
Here's the rephrased and improved version: