Very specific topic, I know, but I often like to dapple in what my brother teasingly call "artsy" games, where the selling point, as in the title, is the narrative, the presentation, and the artstyle.
One I played recently, a PS3 game (streamable on PS5) by Japan Studio and Acquire from 2013, called Rain, is a sweet and short 3 hour adventure about two kids, a boy and a girl, trying to escape a nightmarish world where only what the rain touches is visible.
With an opening cutscene presented in watercolor, and a story purely told in single sentence text boxes without voice acting that appear regularly as you venture through the rainy streets of Paris to a sombre but atmospheric soundtrack, you rely solely on the kids' actions and body language to get to know them and let their blooming friendship grow on you, for you to care about them making it through to the end.
The puzzles are very light and few in variety, ranging from pushing objects to giving the girl a boost so she can reach a higher place and send a ladder down to the boy. The game also constantly leads you on with camera placements, highlights objects or places you need to interact with, and blatantly spells out "climb" or "push" when you get near, leaving very little brainwork left for you.
But none of that handholding mattered to me. For once in my gaming carrier, I viewed the handholdiness as purely a narrative/aesthetic choice, and regardless I was so engrossed in the narrative that I didn't care either way.
The ending had me flat out crying.
----
Another I played last year, unfortunately exclusive to people with PS VR, two Move controllers and a camera, is an absolute gem of narration and world building known as Déraciné. This time made by Japan Studio and FromSoftware in 2018. I say unfortunately because the setup required means many haven't played it, but in 2025 where a PS4 VR setup is more affordable than ever, this game alone is more than worth the entry fee.
Without spoiling it sees you in the role of a newborn invisible fairy, one day appearing before a host of kids at what looks to be a boarding school. It starts off bright and whimsical, but as the story progresses dives deeper into something out of a Grimm's Fairytale.
The gameplay is a sort of 3D point n click (which is why I, who quickly get motion sick, was able to play it, as you don't walk around but "zap" around), and the gimmick is that time is on pause while you go around exploring. When you solve one of the game's very light puzzles, time then resumes for a brief moment where you see the kids react to what you just did, making them aware of your presence.
The kids all have warm well-mannered personalities, making you quickly grow to love and adore them and, like with Rain, want to see them make it through to the end (without spoiling), as the plot involving time travel plus the fairy's ability to transfer life between objects, quickly set about a chain of events spiralling out of control.
Like Rain, the game is rather short, clocking in at 6-8 hours, but is again well worth that time, with a powerful story told in a very short amount of time accompanied by an atmospheric soundtrack that sets the tone perfectly.
One side of me wishes it was made for regular hardware so that more people could have access to it, but having played it myself, I'd say that VR 100% is part of what makes the game's world tick.
One I played recently, a PS3 game (streamable on PS5) by Japan Studio and Acquire from 2013, called Rain, is a sweet and short 3 hour adventure about two kids, a boy and a girl, trying to escape a nightmarish world where only what the rain touches is visible.
With an opening cutscene presented in watercolor, and a story purely told in single sentence text boxes without voice acting that appear regularly as you venture through the rainy streets of Paris to a sombre but atmospheric soundtrack, you rely solely on the kids' actions and body language to get to know them and let their blooming friendship grow on you, for you to care about them making it through to the end.
The puzzles are very light and few in variety, ranging from pushing objects to giving the girl a boost so she can reach a higher place and send a ladder down to the boy. The game also constantly leads you on with camera placements, highlights objects or places you need to interact with, and blatantly spells out "climb" or "push" when you get near, leaving very little brainwork left for you.
But none of that handholding mattered to me. For once in my gaming carrier, I viewed the handholdiness as purely a narrative/aesthetic choice, and regardless I was so engrossed in the narrative that I didn't care either way.
The ending had me flat out crying.
----
Another I played last year, unfortunately exclusive to people with PS VR, two Move controllers and a camera, is an absolute gem of narration and world building known as Déraciné. This time made by Japan Studio and FromSoftware in 2018. I say unfortunately because the setup required means many haven't played it, but in 2025 where a PS4 VR setup is more affordable than ever, this game alone is more than worth the entry fee.
Without spoiling it sees you in the role of a newborn invisible fairy, one day appearing before a host of kids at what looks to be a boarding school. It starts off bright and whimsical, but as the story progresses dives deeper into something out of a Grimm's Fairytale.
The gameplay is a sort of 3D point n click (which is why I, who quickly get motion sick, was able to play it, as you don't walk around but "zap" around), and the gimmick is that time is on pause while you go around exploring. When you solve one of the game's very light puzzles, time then resumes for a brief moment where you see the kids react to what you just did, making them aware of your presence.
The kids all have warm well-mannered personalities, making you quickly grow to love and adore them and, like with Rain, want to see them make it through to the end (without spoiling), as the plot involving time travel plus the fairy's ability to transfer life between objects, quickly set about a chain of events spiralling out of control.
Like Rain, the game is rather short, clocking in at 6-8 hours, but is again well worth that time, with a powerful story told in a very short amount of time accompanied by an atmospheric soundtrack that sets the tone perfectly.
One side of me wishes it was made for regular hardware so that more people could have access to it, but having played it myself, I'd say that VR 100% is part of what makes the game's world tick.
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