Lynchian Games?

[nellyfrommovies]

I'm trying to find some more games that have a very heavy David Lynch vibe. So far I've played Deadly Premonition, Harvester and Silent Hill 2. Y'all got any other recommendations? The weirder the better!

 

[RustySK]

I can think of four:

Who's Lila? (PC), a very surreal, at times highly unsettling... Point & Click (?) game with very creative gameplay elements that absolutely nails the creepier aspects of Lynchian atmosphere.
Highly recommend this one.

Mizzurna Falls (PSX), a very Twin Peaks-ian, Deadly Premonition-ish open world mystery adventure game that gets more surreal the farther into it you get. This one is less on the creepy side and more on the "people are weird and fascinating" side of the Lynch spectrum.

Virginia (PS4, XBone, PC), a minimalist... mystery (?)... walking sim (?)... I'm not sure what to call it. It's a very linear, cinematically framed first-person exploration game where you play an FBI agent investigating a series of mysterious events in a small town.
Wasn't my kind of thing, but it definitely tries to evoke Lynch vibes.

Kentucky Route Zero (PC)... hoo boy, this one would require quite a bit more space to thoroughly expain... it's another Point & Click with a very dreamlike atmosphere and another one that's fascinated by human nature.
This one borders on being a full-on art project. Its presentation is very theatrical, the game wants you to take your time with it and it's definitely not for everyone and even then not every part of it lands, but the parts that do definitely stick in your memory.

 

[Otosou]

Moonlight Syndrome (PSX) by Suda51. Sadly no English translation but if you know Japanese this is the "Lynch" game to go. Heck, even the bar in the game is called LOST HIGHWAY. :) Very cool game!

 

[RustySK]

Moonlight Syndrome (PSX) by Suda51. Sadly no English translation but if you know Japanese this is the "Lynch" game to go. Heck, even the bar in the game is called LOST HIGHWAY. :) Very cool game!

Oh man, this one and Twilight Syndrome have always fascinated me.
I'm sure it must be practically untranslatable, what with the incredibly dense subtext and social commentary in it, but still, a man can hope for a fan transation anyway.

 

[_oBSOLEte_]

92's Dune from Cryo would be the most Lynchian Alan Smitheeian game you could play I guess. And it's even a good game.

 

[nellyfrommovies]

I can think of four:

Who's Lila? (PC), a very surreal, at times highly unsettling... Point & Click (?) game with very creative gameplay elements that absolutely nails the creepier aspects of Lynchian atmosphere.
Highly recommend this one.

Mizzurna Falls (PSX), a very Twin Peaks-ian, Deadly Premonition-ish open world mystery adventure game that gets more surreal the farther into it you get. This one is less on the creepy side and more on the "people are fascinating and weird" side of the Lynch spectrum.

Virginia (PS4, XBone, PC), a minimalist... mystery (?)... walking sim (?)... I'm not sure what to call it. It's a very linear, cinematically framed first-person exploration game where you play an FBI agent investigating a series of mysterious events in a small town.
Wasn't my kind of thing, but it definitely tries to evoke Lynch vibes.

Kentucky Route Zero (PC)... hoo boy, this one would require quite a bit more space to thoroughly expain... it's another Point & Click with a very dreamlike atmosphere and another one that's fascinated by human nature.
This one borders on being a full-on art project. Its presentation is very theatrical, the game wants you to take your time with it and it's definitely not for everyone and even then not every part of it lands, but the parts that do definitely stick in your memory.

Who's Lila and Kentucky Route Zero have been on my steam wishlist for a while so I've been meaning to check them out for a bit. Mizzurna Falls and Virginia seem really neat too!

Moonlight Syndrome (PSX) by Suda51. Sadly no English translation but if you know Japanese this is the "Lynch" game to go. Heck, even the bar in the game is called LOST HIGHWAY. :) Very cool game!

Oh hell yeah I love Suda! I do not know Japanese but I will attempt to figure it out on a purely vibes based method.

 

[sama_lton]

I think Planet Laika may count. It definitely does have the feeling of a fever dream that's for sure.

 

[iamp]

Kathy Rain, a PC point-and-click adventure.

 

[longestseason]

Gadget: Past as Future (A.K.A. Gadget: Invention, Travel & Adventure).

David at one point wanted to work on a game with the studio behind Gadget (Synergy Inc), but that sadly never materialized.

Post automatically merged: Mar 30, 2025

Oh hell yeah I love Suda! I do not know Japanese but I will attempt to figure it out on a purely vibes based method.

There's a fan translation project in the works, it's just not out yet.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1820543307224920093