I'm looking for games that make me feel small and insignificant
Pretty much, I'm looking for a game where I'm not the hero, I'm not the protagonist, I'm just a pawn in the big picture.
Preferably a game with a big open world too, one that feels real and isn't just a predetermined path for my player.
I also like games where you aren't clearly stronger than all your opponents like you're some sort of God so they actually feel intimidating and there is a fear of dying
All suggestions are welcome
Thanks :>
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Subnautica!
You feel pretty damn small when that reaper grabs you
Real life
Respawn sucks though.
Cheat code pcp for god mode.
Did you try being born ultra rich? I've heard it helps. I wish someone told me sooner.
You just described Shadow of the Colossis.
One of the best games I've ever played.
Can't believe how long it took to find this answer
Perhaps Outer Wilds? You zoom around in a small space ship in a solar system and when you approach different phenomenas and see how big they get it gets pretty amazing.
I’m playing this right now (no spoilers please!) and find this game kind of scary! Fear of the unknown, etc.
There's 0 danger in the base game (aside, you know, the sun...), so you can progress, fail, and retry without any stress.
The DLC though, it radically changes that and there are actually jump scares. It's a whole different vibe.
There's an option to turn off the jump scares. I didn't think it detracted from the plot.
Wasn't it called "reduce frights"? Unless is has changed in the recent weeks, that option doesn't turn off jump scares. They would have to redesign half of the DLC to be able to turn that mechanic off.
It is and I think it makes them into not jump scares. But here's a good description. Slight spoilers for a small section of dlc.
You can, but I still think that the last third of the DLC is too different from the base game, and really stressful. It soured the ending for me :(
Same here, I tried getting into this game and I love the concept but actually playing it gives me too much anxiety!
Sometimes it can feel that way, but try to keep pushing if you can. It's a very rewarding experience and left me with good memories.
Dark Bramble is somewhat anxiety inducing (especially at that one point), but the rest it's more just learning to ignore the timer. There's no rush ever. You can always come back.
Kingdom Come: Deliverence. Heard so much good about this game. Open world, you need to train to actually become decent or good at anything at all. Might be a perfect fit.
You start out as a medieval bum, and you are as good at life as a medieval bum would be. Even if you are a god at the combat system, you ain't winning fights against tough opponents until your character gets skilled. You start out illiterate as well, and have to learn to read, just like a medieval bum
Whew boy, yup this one fits. Great fun, but your just a small cog. Get to training!
Haven't played it, but from what I heard, I'm surprised this isn't the top answer.
You literally start out as a medieval peasant.
You perfectly describe Rain World!
You’re a small and insignificant creature in a dangerous and unforgiving ecosystem. You’re not saving the world. Even the enemies are playing by the rules. Evading enemies is often the safest option, but sometimes you must do a risky confrontation. It’s rare you even take down an enemy at all. Deaths are punishing. It’s open world, but the random placement of enemies often dictate the path you’re taking.
It has also one of the most intricate AI systems in any game. There’s YouTube videos describing it in detail, but I recommend to not watch them and go into the game clean.
Straight to my wishlist. Thank you kind stranger.
I second Rain World, this game is letter for letter what you are describing, and best experienced COMPLETELY blind. I really hope you decide to give it a try, because I've spent countless hours enjoying the world.
Came here to also say Rain World. Amazing game
Outer Wilds
What are the chances... I'm waiting for the game to load for the first time when I saw this comment. Perfect timing. Alright, diving in right now!
Don't read anything about the game.
Just keep at it. It doesn't hold your hand at all, and you might get frustrated. Just give it time. If it clicks for you, you'll experience one of the best gaming experiences of your life.
You read my mind... I just spent an hour learning the basics and finally took off for the first time. Landed on a planet, got off the shuttle, walked on a wall and died a few steps in without even knowing why. The lack of quick save option is also a little frustrating. But I'll keep at it for a while. Hopefully it pays off!
Trust me, there's a reason for that!
I don't think I've had a more rewarding video game experience than with Outer Wilds.
Elite Dangerous is like that. You're small in a literal sense, it has a 1:1 recreation of the entire Milky Way galaxy. You can land on a planet and walk into any direction for hours and see nothing but rocks. In terms of gameplay it fits your description as well, there is no predetermined path, you're just one pilot and you can try different professions and make a fortune, but you will not change the history of the galaxy.
How do you land on planets? I never found a way to get out of the spaceship except at ports
As your ship gets closer to ground, there should be a marker at some point, you press whatever button it is and it auto lands. Try to slow down as you lower the ship
Landing on planets used to require the Horizons expansion. Since 2020 it's included in the standard edition. Maybe you tried it a long time ago without the expansion ?
Nowadays getting out of vehicles to walk around requires the Odyssey expansion.
Seconded elite dangerous, especially if you have VR. If you also have the joysticks for 6DOF control it is super super super fun docking at stations and having dogfights.
It's a shame that they half-assed VR support for Odyssey. Elite really shines in VR.
How has Kenshi not been mentioned
Yeah, Kenshi is pretty much the answer unless OP has already played Kenshi so much that they're a god now and they're hoping for the next thing.
Kenshi really is a good fit for OP's ask. You'll feel real small and insignificant when you're being cooked into a stew by cannibals.
Should have also mentioned Mount & Blade, Warband is the old but gold with lots of great mods (Prophecy of Pendor is excellent if you want some low fantasy) but M&B2: Bannerlord is coming along.
Rain World. You are a little slugcat in a hostile ecosystem. You can fight but the predators will brutally kill you most of the time so evading combat is often better. The locations you visit are beautiful and it's easy to get lost, and the other creatures keep interacting even if you aren't there
Another different: NaissanceE. You explore incredible vast locations in a lonely monochromatic world. It's a mix of puzzle with platformer that will make you feel really small with structures that appear to repeat to the infinity. It's free on Steam.
If you like naissance, check out kairo. One of the first games I got on steam, and I found naissance looking for something like it.
A few more recommendations in the same vein: Fibrillation HD, Antichamber, Manifold Garden
Sounds like you'd enjoy a good play through of Outer Wilds.
OP, this is the answer! It is exactly what you’re looking for.
Well I feel like have to kick this off with
Rain World
No Man’s Sky does this for me, especially the older versions.
It's the opposite for me. It makes me feel like that universe was created for me.
Tbf...>!it literally was. It's just gone completely tits up!<
Btw the spoiler tag doesn't seem to work.
I do remember that in the beginning I thought I was just some corp quasi-slave pleb that was being left for the dead (I went in quite blind). But once I found out that the universe was pretty much mine to explore (I think around the time I left the first world) I began to feel that way. It doesn't help much that the universe itself is rather empty in terms of the characters and there's essentially no depth to most npcs you meet in single player.
Ah, must be client side then. Well, tbh the spoiler isn't even something from the game - it's something we only learnt about way back in the Waking Titan ARG
It's very much a game that's built around finding other people and building a community - that's why the various player made factions are given the official thumbs up and everything. Just a big ol' sandbox.
If you want something with more character and story, I'd go to the expeditions - they're unfortunately time limited (though HG usually reruns all of them at the end of the year), but they all offer a self contained story outside of the main plot that takes place in a smaller space and usually contain more characters and give your character a role that's actually integrated with the larger world (like for example, in one of them we were explorers with the cartography guild out to document a worm cult). Also they're usually full of interesting gameplay restrictions to use and abuse which is fun. Imo it's the most interesting thing the game has to offer.
Spoiler tag worked for me with Sync client.
Might be the app I'm using. I'll see if I can drop them a message.
Try Outer Wilds for a healthy dose of existential crisis.
And don't look up ANYTHING! No googling whatsoever. The only barrier and enjoyment is knowledge. If really stuck, ask for help in a community. The one on the old site is very good.
I cried for about thirty minutes after I beat that game. It was wonderful.
Space Engine. It's not quite a game, but rather an accurate simulation of the known universe. Anything beyond what we know is procedurally generated. The first time I played it it made me feel so small.
I started at Earth and flew around the solar system, then picked a star and flew towards it. You have to increase your speed by multiples of the speed if light to get them to move. The stars started moving and then moving past, me, but the star I chose wasn't moving. I realised it was actually different galaxy, so increased my speed by many many multiples of the speed of light until eventually it dwarves to move. I flee over to it, and then slowed and explored a few star systems there, I found a binary star system, that was really cool.
Then I had a realisation. If I didn't use the search function, and I just flew around trying to find my way back to Earth, I just never would. I could play it for the rest of my life and be certain that I wouldn't find it. The odds are that small. That thought scared the shit our of me and I closed the game and couldn't okay it again for a few days.
Don't know if that's what you're looking for but I do recommend the experience!
Thanks for the existential dread in addition to my depression!
X3: Terran Conflict - Ignoring the story plot and just playing sandbox ("custom game") makes you nothing more than a citizen in a universe that doesn't care if you succeed and success is a long, hard road to the top of whatever avenue you pursue. One of the best space games there is. It's also moddable and there are some awesome mods out there to make the game even better.
Mount & Blade: Bannerlord - Basically the same as above; but in a medieval wargame/RPG... It's pretty unique in gameplay so I'm not sure what to really call it. You start off as just a dude and can work your way up to becoming a king and conquering the entire country. The combat is part large-scale strategy, part 4X and part action sim as you move units around a world map for positioning and getting to cities and outposts, and battles put you in control of your singular dude swinging your weapon with some nice mouse controls, while also able to command your literal thousands of men in moment to moment tactical decisions.
Dwarf Fortress - Specifically Adventure mode in the pre-Steam version (since Adventure mode is not yet in the Steam version). You're literally whatever character you create living in a fantasy world. It's a simulation more than any other kind of genre. You can basically do whatever you can think of. You can be whatever you want up to and including a literal god if you work hard enough. There is no story other than the history of the world, which the game records and even after you die and make a new character in the same world, any mark that previous character left continues to exist and can affect others. Like say you steal from a guy, get into a fight and end up killing him. His son might seek revenge on your character, succeed and then fall into a depression. It's kind of a mad lib of sorts so you have to have some imagination, but it's the most complex game that exists right now.
Kenshi - Nobody likes you, you own nothing, you're weak as shit, the world is massive, and you can also basically do anything if you work at it. Command huge armies. Become a robot and forego the need to eat. Build cities. Conquer the planet. Not only is the game play incredibly fun and rewarding, it has a super interesting world with plenty of cool lore. Plays kind of like an ARTS and has complexity that comes close to Dwarf Fortress's.
Kenshi is without doubt the answer to OP.
I stopped playing and disliked the game because I felt too small and insignificant, all the time.
I eventually became a cyborg and destroyed every settlement in the game with an army of the undead. It made me feel like God. But it was hard as shit and took many hours of being beaten and forced into slavery.
Every game I mentioned is like this. Kenshi just straight up uses it as a descriptor on the store page lol
Super heavy agree with Kenshi, it's probably as close to what's being requested in OP as it's gonna get
I think you'd like the Souls series by FromSoft. I only have played Elden Ring, but I think it fits your description really well. And from what I've heard, the rest of the Souls games would fit
+1 for elden ring
Since you mention FromSoft, I think Armored Core...
Kenshi pretty much fits that request a 100%
Second kenshi. Even at high level you aren't really individually important. Especially your limbs.
Have you tried "Life"?
I second Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Seems like it ticks all of OP's boxes.
Seconding the Souls games. Even though you’re on a quest to do something important and big, the game does absolutely everything it can to make you feel worthless. I saw a good quote, something around the lines of “most games ask you to beat them. They’re designed to be beaten. Dark Souls tells you it’s impossible and dares you to try” which sounds like what OP is wanting
That just paints DS as dishonest, since it's designed to be beaten too. There are entire genres of games far less fair and forgiving than DS, such as roguelikes, where death means starting over from scratch and bad RNG can screw you over in a heartbeat no matter how well you play.
in Elden Ring you do get a battering, but you also feel like you are a protagonist.
You're literally addressed as the "Chosen Undead" by a goddess in DS1 and tasked with saving the world.
Yet that doesn't matter much as the two endings of the game are that you either refuse to link the fire and walk away, leaving the world to die, or you do link it to keep it going for a little bit longer but in the end it won't matter much as it will die down eventually.
You could say that about any other story where you save the world. You only ever save it from the present danger, you never make it safe for all time. Otherwise there could be no sequels (of which DS has received a couple). "Happily ever after" is figurative.
No Man’s Sky. The main story will make you feel insignificant in the universe.
Any chance you haven't played Dark Souls? It checks all your boxes
Disco Elysium (currently on HB Choice), you're a drunk cop trying to solve a case while trying to keep yourself together
Just pirate the game if you want to play it though, as the creators encourage.
Wait, what?
Probably this.
Literally my first thought too. Such a great unique game. You as the player character are insignificant but you're not boring or bland.
Arguably, Spec Ops: The Line.
It’s a game where you’re a protagonist, but whether you’re a hero or not is a different story - and I can’t say any more without major, major spoilers.
I would say anything multiplayer that dumps you into a cruel world of 10-year veterans of incomparable skill and/or wealth. Persistent survival especially for avoiding matchmaking in favor of unfair encounters.
Eve - huge space game has a reputation. Something something nullsec, space pirates. Foxhole - you're a grunt in a huge war machine. Good luck surviving the grenade spam, artillery, tanks, machine guns, and that bayonet guy who can dodge bullets. Rust (also Tarkov, DayZ, etc) - you're too poor to afford decent guns and armor, but you have to risk it anyway to stand a chance in the PvP hellhole of players who shoot on sight. They're better shots than you. They see you first. And they brought more friends. Ark: Survival Evolved - try the persistent official servers, face Kaiju ultra-dinosaurs that have been bred to perfection since launch. Try PvP clusters, and clans speed run to the cheesiest endgame content then wipe your base on day 2. I'm a gaming masochist and this game was too much for me.
The weird thing is that there are hero players. The ones who win 1v3s without a sweat. They're just not you. You're fighting them. You won't be them until you've dedicated 2000 hours to git gud.
Katamari Damacy. You play as a puny prince, constantly mocked by your disapproving father.
Any S.T.A.L.K.E.R game
With a touch of S.T.A.L.K.E.R Anomaly too. And heavily modded to make your experience even more punishing and immersive
Quite literally the game, Grounded.
Just finished it and it's very much longer No Man's Sky or Submautica. It's very good.
There's an interesting little game called Insignificant I've been keeping an eye on for a while that does a similar thing if not as graphically-rich. There's also Smalland and Moss.
Did that once, can't recommend
Hear me out on this one, but Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order created that feeling for me.
You might think, "jballs, you're crazy! You play as a Jedi who hacks through hundreds of bad guys with a lightsaber, all while growing your power to incredible levels where you become nearly unstoppable. How is that a game where you're insignificant?"
And I would respond, "I don't know how to use Lemmy spoiler tags. So you're just gonna have to trust me on this one."
> !just like this with no spaces! <
Daggerfall. Once you've played that everything else has the volume turned down.
And on gog there's a version for free that comes with a highly modded daggerfall unity that looks and plays much more like a modern game.
So, I just looked this up and found two versions: a regular version and a Unity GOG Cut. I assume the highly modded version you mention is the latter of the two?
Thanks for putting this out there!
Dark Souls?
You're just one of the many undead who try but eventually fail. One of the first characters you meet makes sure you know this. :)
DS1 isn't very large, but there's no predetermined path at all, especially if you get the master key. DS2 isn't as open, but you still have multiple choice of routes. DS3 is limited in this regard, though.
That's the hallmark of the Soulsbourne series as a whole.
EVE Online makes you feel very small, literally and figuratively. You can do whatever you want but it usually doesn't really matter because you're just one ship in a vast galaxy of unknown danger and player-led mega corps.
I feel like Valheim fits this to a certain degree
Permanently Deleted
Outward is really good for this. You aren't the chosen one, you aren't special, you're just a person trying to get by and the game really makes sure you know it haha
Seconding this, going into this game with a hero complex will get you dead quickly
Absolutely. For me it was waay too much old school. No fast travel, unforgiving combat and lack of real map or meaningful ways of navigating the world was a turn off for me.
This is a game I've been holding off because I don't wanna feel too small and insignificant.
Everything by David OReilly
Elite:Dangerous star map size is staggering, it is roughly the size of our galaxy, after you make acquaintance with such scale if it happens that you look out of the night sky IRL and see some nice stars think again, for some of the celestial bodies you see and think they are stars might be instead, for many are indeed, other galaxies entirely, as big as our or even larger, but so far out in the universe that we can perceive their light from here just as a pin of light.
Also read here: https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Total_Perspective_Vortex
Came in to say Elite as well. Unfortunately I personally find the gameplay to be way too grindy and uninteresting to "progress". But in a way progress is somewhat irrelevant in Elite. I found a carrier hosting a tour of the galaxy and had an amazing time in my crappy little ship just looking at things. Few games do scale better then Elite.
World of Warcraft Classic. You start as a no one. Everybody around you seems to know what to do. Your items are shit. You look like a peasant. The silliest enemies force you to rest and are able to kill you.
It‘s challenging but so rewarding. It makes you feel grateful for every single lvlup, item and skill you can get.
Even after spending literal days of your life, there always will be people who are better than you. Everything is said and done. Still this game manages to pull me back in from time to time. It’s so much fun.
Everspace 2
The scale of the in-game universe is quite vast. Beautiful game too.
You know I haven't played that game in many years. I had forgotten that it never made you out to be like the nations hero or anything. You just were like some person out here doin stuff and that's it.
I wonder what it's like now.
Does Don't Starve fit your bill?
Also second Submautica.
probably rain world you are the protag in that game, but you're also just one part in this huge procedurally simulated ecosystem not to mention, the game is really hard
Fear and hunger.
It has enemies that are tougher than they should be. You are just a small part of the story. It's pretty good.
Maybe No Man's Sky? It has been updated a lot since it was released and fixed most of the issues.
There was a Tom and Jerry game for super Nintendo. Granted I was 7 and sick, but that Bitch made me cry.
NaissanceE is really good at providing this feeling in the Eldritch sense, I don't know if it's up your alley as it's a pretty linear game about walking through a mega structure that looks like the eastern bloc itself went on an acid trip, but I came away with my time from it feeling like an ant on the sidewalk
It's a fantastic game. The feeling of lonelyness is incredible. Best liminal game ever.
One word Pathologic
the last federation? dark souls? X4? Dwarf Fortress?
Rimworld and Kenshi. You are a part of the world, not some foretold hero. You can lose everyone in those games and it feels like the world won't even notice.
Lots of survival games have a feeling like this.
This War of Mine State of Decay Ark: Survival Evolved but that is something you need to spend 100’s of hours in Mount and Blade: Warbands/Bannerlord
kinda a weird game but it definitely fits your request : everything
ETA: This review from polygon explains it well!
I love how multiple gaming magazines do clickbait when this game goes on sale. Articles titled "Everything on Steam is 60% off for the next week!"
Omg right? I've bought this game on switch and steam and still get tricked on both
Some might disagree with me but I feel like The Last of Us falls under this, it's also just an excellent game with an excellent story.
Thief The Dark Project.
Haven't played, but I've heard Tyranny has this feel. Though it's a very different style of game, and you're essentially playing as the bad guy instead of the hero.
Or there's always the Dark Souls games, where you have to claw your way through each encounter.
Pokémon: Legends of Arceus. Those alpha Pokémon will fuck you up
You quickly become a hero though. And most of the game is easy.
The Alphas continue to be a menace even as you get stronger and you can actually die, unlike other Pokémon games
I get this feeling when playing older god of war games. although you're literally a god, you come across some ginormous enemies or landscapes that make you feel tiny. make sure not to miss the origins collection too
Wandersong. The whole plot is about the protagonist being a nobody and having no chances to change anything. It's not an action game or anything but I loved it, it was beautiful.
Arma 3
Project1999.
Playing through Baldur's Gate 3 at the moment and this feels most appropriate.
Sidenote: love your name
I don't know what the full story of Baldur's Gate 3 is at the moment, and don't tell me if you do, but I'm pretty sure we're heroes, or something special. Most RPGs you're at least a little more special than average, if not much more.
Hmm, don't worry I won't spoil things for you.
Running with Rifles, Ravenfield, Arma/Operation Flashpoint, Foxhole, This War of Mine, Kingdom Come Deliverance, Intravenous, Rimworld etc are ones I can think of. I hope you find what you're looking for!
League of Legends
Jungle main. Let's go.
Daggerfall Unity fits this almost perfectly. You can become hilariously OP if you want to, but exercising some self-restraint on the custom class and enchantment screens can lead to a very challenging experience.
Dyson sphere and satisfactory. You are just a cog in a very large piece of machinery.
Elite dangerous, you're just a pilot in the galaxy.
try Champions of Regnum. Easily 20+v20+v20+ RvR open pvp. You do feel somewhat like a small cog in a big war machine, but with still opportunity to shine if you can perceive it.
Star citizen