8 Cozy Video Games That Feel Like Reading A Book

2 years ago 114

I got my archetypal console successful my aboriginal 20s, and astir video games I played were level games. I yet ended up expanding my gaming choice, exploring different games similar Professor Layton and Legend Of Zelda, but it wasn’t until past twelvemonth that I discovered however intricate and story-driven video games could be.

I’m a scholar done and through, and speechmaking is, by far, my main hobby. But getting mislaid successful games similar Firewatch — I speech astir it much beneath — made maine realise games genuinely tin consciousness similar speechmaking a whole-ass book. Plot-wise, character-wise, storytelling-wise, I came crossed astonishing stories successful video crippled signifier lately, and I can’t hold to research akin games I person connected my TBP (To Be Played).

If you’d similar to get into gaming without losing that speechmaking feeling, oregon if you’re already a gamer and are simply looking for much games that consciousness similar reading, present is simply a database I enactment unneurotic for you. Trust me: they connection precise antithetic playing experiences, and they’re precise overmuch worthy your time. They whitethorn adjacent help you autumn backmost successful emotion with reading, successful lawsuit you are struggling with it close now.

cover of the videogame Firewatch

Firewatch by Campo Santo

This was the archetypal crippled I played that made maine go, “Wow, games tin consciousness similar this?”

Firewatch takes spot successful a nationalist park, and you play a antheral who has taken a occupation keeping ticker for fires.

But unusual things are happening successful the park, and with the assistance of different parkland employee, you volition locomotion crossed the scenery trying to fig retired what is truly going on. In the meantime, your ain idiosyncratic struggles and doubts commencement coming to light.

The communicative is intricate, the artwork is beautiful, the dialogues are voice-acted and truly well-executed, and though I was raging astatine it from clip to clip (the paths you person to locomotion are not precise well-defined, which I deliberation is meant to truly springiness you the feeling of being mislaid successful the park), I ended the crippled with a feeling similar I had work a superb story.

Another akin crippled to this play-wise that conscionable came retired is Lake by Gamious.

cover of the videogame Coffee Talk

Coffee Talk by Toge Productions

If you person ever dreamed of being the not-really-bothered-about-money proprietor of a nighttime café, you volition beryllium delighted to play this!

The ambiance is ace cosy, and passim the respective nights this crippled plays in, characters travel and go, requesting drinks but, mostly, sharing their stories.

It’s queer, with a bully crippled that focuses heavy connected diverseness and fitting in. The full ambiance truly helps recreate those cosy java store books we each love.

The information that your ain quality is simply a mysterious barista lone adds to it.

A 2nd installment is coming retired this year.

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cover of the videogame What Comes After

What Comes After by Fahmitsu

In immoderate ways, I consciousness similar this crippled should beryllium a abbreviated story, oregon adjacent a abbreviated movie.

In it, you play a miss who takes a bid location and falls asleep. When she wakes up, she realises she is present connected a nighttime bid taking the souls of the dormant to the different side.

Across each carriage — she needs to enactment successful the bid until the extremity of the travel to beryllium capable to instrumentality to the onshore of the surviving — she talks with respective characters, uncovering retired their beingness stories.

It is simply a crippled successful the consciousness that you bash play it successful a console, but each interactions truly conscionable necessitate you to property 1 button, which astatine immoderate constituent volition marque you consciousness similar you’re not playing the game, but speechmaking an emotional, sad, but besides hopeful story.

From the creator of Coffee Talk.

cover of the videogame Spiritfarer

Spiritfarer by Thunder Lotus Games

This crippled volition interruption your heart.

You play a caregiver who is successful complaint of taking attraction of end-of-life patients until it is clip to usher them to the different side.

This is simply a crippled wherever you are engaged travelling successful your boat, collecting resources successful bid to supply for your patients, but the storyline carries a heavy emotion for storytelling: each diligent has demons to fight, and businesses to decorativeness earlier dying, truthful you get to spot their characters make — sometimes adjacent alteration — arsenic you implicit tasks for them.

Alongside their stories, your past is revealed arsenic well.

Be warned: you volition emotion immoderate characters, beryllium annoyed by others, and you volition astir decidedly cry.

cover of the videogame Little Misfortune

Little Misfortune by Killmonday Games

Little Misfortune is simply a full vibe. It’s a abbreviated crippled and, overmuch similar What Comes After, it relies a batch connected storytelling.

You play the relation of a small miss called Misfortune who is convinced by a dependable with nary look to permission her location and spell connected an adventure. As you travel the voice, you’re led to marque decisions, which person consequences.

The dependable acting is great, and the dialogues are hilarious, since Misfortune has nary filter but is precise naïve.

There are 2 imaginable endings, and you’re not acceptable for either.

Misfortune’s motto is thing respective of america volition subordinate to: Yikes Forever. She is besides successful emotion with a fox and has the cutest accent. Dark humour astatine its best.

cover of the videogame What Remains Of Edith Finch

What Remains Of Edith Finch by Giant Sparrow

Storytelling is everything successful this large escapade wherever you volition play Edith, who returns to the household location — a household with a curse she is trying to fig out.

Every clip you deliberation determination are nary much rooms to explore, and the communicative is coming to an end, a caller doorway opens, a caller nook reveals itself.

The ambiance successful this 1 is immaculate: gothic, dark, and mysterious. There is astatine slightest 1 portion that is weird arsenic hell, and the monologue is really, truly good.

It’s 1 of those stories that volition drawback you disconnected defender astatine the end, and you volition privation to perceive it each implicit again.

If you play and bask this game, you volition find a akin gameplay successful The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter.

cover of the videogame Hades

Hades by Supergiant Games

Those who person played this crippled volition reason that it does not consciousness remotely similar you’re speechmaking a book, and I recognize why: this is simply a warring game.

However, for those who bask Greek mythology, this crippled volition feel, successful fact, similar speechmaking astir it, and it whitethorn adjacent assistance you amended than immoderate publication to memorise the divers stories astir Greek mythology and their gods. There is besides a batch of dialogue.

Since you, too, play a God, and each of your interactions are with different gods, dealing with their shenanigans volition truly consciousness similar you’re cramming Greek mythology near and close — successful the champion of ways.

Hades II is successful the making.

cover of the crippled  unusual  horticulture

Strange Horticulture by Bad Viking

This crippled is for those who bask puzzle books, due to the fact that puzzles are arsenic important present arsenic the communicative surrounding them.

You play the proprietor of a section works shop. Residents travel by to inquire for plants to cure their ailments, and with the assistance of a publication astir plants, you person to correctly place and supply them with the plants they need.

But determination is simply a heavy enigma astatine the centre of each this, and your assistance volition beryllium required to lick it.

You volition travel, cod caller plants, and you volition marque decisions that volition person a large interaction connected however the communicative develops and, ultimately, unfurls.

There are 8 imaginable endings to this game, which makes it amusive to replay and messiness astir with your choices. A small similar take your ain adventure, if you will, with a gothic ambiance and precise absorbing characters.


I had loads of amusive discovering each of the stories successful these games, and I anticipation you bash too! Looking for much posts connected books and video games? Book Riot has a whole archive with tips for you!

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