I need some suggestions on what to play. Single Player games only. Most of the games make me feel lonely and alone. In most of the games, the protagonist has to deal with the problems on their own, like Control, Crysis, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War (I liked the original 6 more than the new ones, even though the new ones had companions), horror games like Outlast, Echo and Alan Wake, and many others.
I want something that won’t give me anxiety. I really enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy, having those teammates by my side always made me feel “safe”. I also liked Spider-Man and Deadpool because the humour makes me feel comfortable. In old Harry Potter games, Ron, Hermione and Harry were usually together, so, I never felt alone while playing those either. In Indika, that one hand man was with me for most of the game.
Open world games also give me less anxiety, like most Assassin’s Creed games, Ghost of Tsushima, Just Cause series, etc.
I think you all get my point. So, what do you suggest I should play?
Bioshock Infinite - Elizabeth as a constant companion is a big theme in the game.
Beyond Good and Evil - A lot of great supporting cast like Pey’j.
Baldur’s Gate 3 - Massive emphasis on the relationships you have with your companions.
Brutal Legend - A quasi-RTS where caring for your bandmates and roadies is the only way to win.
Disco Elysium - Kim Kitsuragi, enough said.
Firewatch - Story driven rooted in character relationships, about being alone but trying to stay connected.
Hi-Fi Rush - Great cast of characters who are heavily involved with story and often around or talking to you.
Just Cause 3 - Probably the best in the series, for threading the comedy/action needle and giving you characters that are really lovable.
Katamari Damacy - Feel the love of the King of All Cosmos!
Life is Strange - Rooted entirely around your relationships with close friends and classmates.
Mad Max - Your own personal Gollum!
Nier Automata - You’ll always have your PODs.
Portal 2 - Wheatley will keep you good company.
Psychonauts / Psychonauts 2 - How can you be lonely when you’re inside someone else’s mind?
SkateBIRD - Make friends with birds!
Terraria - There’s always some new villager to find.
Fun fact: Chumbucket has a bit part in Furiosa.
That’s a neat fun fact I didn’t know, thanks! Looking it up now.
My pick as well. It’s well written with a nice relationship at its center.
Which typically culminates in rolling up everyone on Earth by the time you get to the final stage, no less. If that’s not a group hug, I don’t know what is.
Edit: I’m also going to second the Psychonauts recommendation, especially the second game. Despite the gameplay itself inevitably lending itself to the protagonist performing every little bit of work by himself, there are strong themes of teamwork all throughout the game’s story and the excellence of its final sequence cannot be understated:
Ding dong.
Whale-O-Gram.
I wanna wad you up into my life / Let’s roll up to be a single star in the sky
Such a killer fucking happy/upbeat soundtrack, too.
To your edit, similarly the final sequence of Nier Automata is so deeply rooted in not being alone, and encouraging one another, and being there for one another. A chance to break the cycle.
If I recall correctly, Yoko Taro had said he had been somewhat inspire by this Coca-cola campaign the “Small World Machines.”
Psychonauts didn’t come to mind but it’s actually a really good suggestion.
I felt oddly alone in Psychonauts, though.
Also, is your PFP yellowboze?
Excellent list. I was wondering if BG3 was too obvious a suggestion, but it fits the bill, right?
Edit: maybe some of the Yakuza games would work?