Favorite 'Art-house' Games

[RiffRaff]

I finally started playing GRIS yesterday (thanks D-Volt!) and after the first couple hours I am blown away. The marriage of sound, music, and art style are just breath-taking. Poetry in motion I'm sure it is a game I will be happily replaying many times to delve deeper into and try to understand the symbolism and simply just to enjoy the atmosphere again.
Got me thinking about what games are similar. For lack of a better term, let's call them art-house games. Games that put less emphasis on challenging gameplay (though not exclusively) and make more of an expression through strong art and music direction and/or poetic narrative. It's a pretty open, vague tag.
For me some examples would be Journey, Dear Ester, Disco Elysium, Bastion, Papers Please, and Fez.

 

[Scrustle]

You mention a bunch of my favourites. I really like Journey. Such an amazing mix of visual art, music, and pacing that is really moving. I came to it quite a while after all the hype around launch, but it still totally lived up to all the praise it gets. Although I have to say it does depend a lot on finding another person to share your journey with. I've played it three times through now, and one time was alone, and it was much more lonely and definitely took a lot away from the experience.

I really like Fez too, although I haven't played it since it first came out. It has such a cool atmosphere and feel to it, and a genuine sense of uncovering some kind of esoteric secret. I like it a lot, and the soundtrack is great.

Which brings me to Hyper Light Drifter, which is practically my favourite indie game. Soundtrack by the same guy (Disasterpeace), and it is his magnum opus. Might be the best soundscape I've heard in literally any piece of media. Amazing pixel art too, and a beautiful world to explore, with tight combat, and a really raw nerve running through the whole experience grappling with death and pondering on its meaning. An intensely personal work that is hard to really put in to words. It feels larger than the sum of its parts, even though each part is still really impressive. Still waiting on the physical edition of the Switch version...

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is another favourite that I think is pretty important from a game design point of view, that I think deserves more attention. It does a fantastic job of linking gameplay design to the story in an integral way, on a more fundamental level than almost any other game. The more you think about it, the more you see how each aspect is linked. It turns muscle memory in to character development. Also it's another game with a great mood and tone to it. With a kind of eerie, dark fairytale feel inspired by Scandinavian folklore.

But of course I can't end this without mentioning Shadow of the Colossus, and the works of Fumito Ueda in general. The games that inspired a lot of these "art-house" games in the first place, and which still stand up as being among the best. The bleak beauty of SotC, the stunning soundtrack, the minimalist focus, and the way it turns normal game narrative dynamics on their head, especially back when basically no one had done that, still makes it stand out as one of the best things games have produced. Not that this is news to anyone.

Honourable mentions: Bastion, RiME, AER, El Shaddai, Eastshade, and maybe the Nier games sort of count at a stretch. Also I want to try out GRIS but haven't got around to it yet.

 

[RiffRaff]

You mention a bunch of my favourites. I really like Journey. Such an amazing mix of visual art, music, and pacing that is really moving. I came to it quite a while after all the hype around launch, but it still totally lived up to all the praise it gets. Although I have to say it does depend a lot on finding another person to share your journey with. I've played it three times through now, and one time was alone, and it was much more lonely and definitely took a lot away from the experience.

I really like Fez too, although I haven't played it since it first came out. It has such a cool atmosphere and feel to it, and a genuine sense of uncovering some kind of esoteric secret. I like it a lot, and the soundtrack is great.

Which brings me to Hyper Light Drifter, which is practically my favourite indie game. Soundtrack by the same guy (Disasterpeace), and it is his magnum opus. Might be the best soundscape I've heard in literally any piece of media. Amazing pixel art too, and a beautiful world to explore, with tight combat, and a really raw nerve running through the whole experience grappling with death and pondering on its meaning. An intensely personal work that is hard to really put in to words. It feels larger than the sum of its parts, even though each part is still really impressive. Still waiting on the physical edition of the Switch version...

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is another favourite that I think is pretty important from a game design point of view, that I think deserves more attention. It does a fantastic job of linking gameplay design to the story in an integral way, on a more fundamental level than almost any other game. The more you think about it, the more you see how each aspect is linked. It turns muscle memory in to character development. Also it's another game with a great mood and tone to it. With a kind of eerie, dark fairytale feel inspired by Scandinavian folklore.

But of course I can't end this without mentioning Shadow of the Colossus, and the works of Fumito Ueda in general. The games that inspired a lot of these "art-house" games in the first place, and which still stand up as being among the best. The bleak beauty of SotC, the stunning soundtrack, the minimalist focus, and the way it turns normal game narrative dynamics on their head, especially back when basically no one had done that, still makes it stand out as one of the best things games have produced. Not that this is news to anyone.

Honourable mentions: Bastion, RiME, AER, El Shaddai, Eastshade, and maybe the Nier games sort of count at a stretch. Also I want to try out GRIS but haven't got around to it yet.

Loved HLD to bits! The color pallate especially! And great call on Brothers. The ending of that game....
SotC is a game that I hate with all my heart as well as love to bit! The camera and controls are just bad. Very very bad. But the vision and art/music direction are unparalleled. It's kind of like that with all of Ueda's games.
And man, El Shaddai really deserves a PC release or a release on modern hardware. Such a hidden gem!

 

[Kerrik52]

The only game that fits the bill for me would be Flower. Very chill and pretty. Being so simplistic, it makes good use of motion controls as well. The music is also really good.

 

[Dangus Taargus]

I just finished Anodyne 2 so it's definitely on my mind. It doesn't concern itself with 'beauty' the way the games listed so far do, but it excels at everything else you'd normally attribute to an 'art-house' game. It's more somber, more meta-referential, existential, etc. The visuals and sound are amazing though.

Other recent games that come to mind:
- Kentucky Route Zero
- Thumper
- Abzu
- Everything (this one's loose for sure)
- The Witness
- Proteus
- SoTC

I feel like this list could get long actually. But these are some of the games I like for sure, and while a lot of people draw the line at 'beautiful' works like Journey/flower and those types of experiences, I think any title that tries to showcase the visual/audible/contextual qualities of the medium can count. This can seep into aspects of the AA/AAA space, but largely those games don't make this their focus (which isn't a negative obviously).

 

[RiffRaff]

I just finished Anodyne 2 so it's definitely on my mind. It doesn't concern itself with 'beauty' the way the games listed so far do, but it excels at everything else you'd normally attribute to an 'art-house' game. It's more somber, more meta-referential, existential, etc. The visuals and sound are amazing though.

Other recent games that come to mind:
- Kentucky Route Zero
- Thumper
- Abzu
- Everything (this one's loose for sure)
- The Witness
- Proteus
- SoTC

I feel like this list could get long actually. But these are some of the games I like for sure, and while a lot of people draw the line at 'beautiful' works like Journey/flower and those types of experiences, I think any title that tries to showcase the visual/audible/contextual qualities of the medium can count. This can seep into aspects of the AA/AAA space, but largely those games don't make this their focus (which isn't a negative obviously).

I really enjoyed Anodyne 1 (which I would also consider an art-house game) and really need to get on 2.

The last time I did the pot I played Proteus Really chill experience!

and Thumper.... That game ruined me and gave me an existential crisis.

 

[Sam]

Literally just typing up some trash this morning about Killer7, which I'm replaying and revisiting for its 15th anniversary, and I think that may be my answer...

If arthouse is to distinguish something as trying to transcend its medium (commercial medium; you don't have "arthouse" watercolors or "arthouse" literature because, I think, those are inherently artful mediums [?]), Killer7 does that totally and deliberately!

As a game it's basically a shoot-em-up, rubbing shoulders with Sin & Punishment, Wild Guns, etc. Very much games that are about the entertainment factor. But Killer7 has aspirations beyond just entertaining gameplay, and goes for telling a story and giving you an audio/visual experience unlike anything else.

I love this game so much...

Honorable mentions include Shadow of the Colossus (which I think is pure genius and so influential in a good way; sort of normalized reduction in games, emphasizing "less is more" and allowing that mentality to bleed over to mainstream/"not arthouse" games), Katamari Damacy, and I'mgonnasayit, Death Stranding.

And I'm scratching my head thinking "what are some Nintendo 'arthouse' games...?" but I think the art of Ninty stuff is in the mechanics. Like, a Ferrari is a work of art. Super Mario Galaxy is 3D-platforming perfection, fine-tuned and carefully crafted (which isn't to say arthouse games can't be precise in their construction, of course) to maximize fun. Nintendo are the Ferrari of fun.

 

[RiffRaff]

Nintendo are the Ferrari of fun.

I love that quote!!!

 

[Scrustle]

Literally just typing up some trash this morning about Killer7, which I'm replaying and revisiting for its 15th anniversary, and I think that may be my answer...

If arthouse is to distinguish something as trying to transcend its medium (commercial medium; you don't have "arthouse" watercolors or "arthouse" literature because, I think, those are inherently artful mediums [?]), Killer7 does that totally and deliberately!

Similarly, I was considering mentioning No More Heroes myself, or maybe Grasshopper in general. I thought it didn't exactly fit though. I guess there is room for the argument that they are arthouse, but I figured they would be closer to something like grindhouse. Or alternatively, "punk", as Grasshopper put it themselves.

 

[zatoseyes]

Art, style, and feeling all combine to make me appreciate the games I love. I've been replaying Hollow Knight again lately and I'm always marveling at the depth of many of the backgrounds in the game, and all the tiny details there are to be squinted at on my Switch in handheld mode. The sound design is amazing from the squelchy sound effects of enemies dying to the gorgeous soundtrack that is as intense, sorrowful, or haunting as it needs to be in any given situation. It's not a perfect game, but I think it's damn close.

 

[Sam]

Similarly, I was considering mentioning No More Heroes myself, or maybe Grasshopper in general. I thought it didn't exactly fit though. I guess there is room for the argument that they are arthouse, but I figured they would be closer to something like grindhouse. Or alternatively, "punk", as Grasshopper put it themselves.

See I think No More Heroes toes the line, because it's a parody,--in a lot of ways--of action games and anime, but also an amalgamation of mechanics and styles (minigames, side activities, etc). But it's ultimately true to its genre of being an action game.

Same for Suda's esoteric Silver Case games. As thought-provoking as they are, they are visual novels and largely adhere to that genre. It's a little bit like saying water is wet, I think.

But Killer7, as a shoot-em-up, more than subverts the expectation of that genre and becomes something wholly unique while still using the basic skeleton of those games. I think as visually-dazzling as the game really is (I'm playing it now, not even remastered, and it's insane how good this game looks) that's only secondary to the fact that it carves out its own path in how it unfolds, in terms of play and expectation.

Like, if every good-looking game were to be labeled "arthouse" we'd be calling God of War or Borderlands that. It's a pliable and subjective term, it seems, so just my two cents!

 

[sweaty dungus]

MGS2 was an early example of games as postmodern art imo

 

[RiffRaff]

It's not a perfect game, but I think it's damn close.

Wrong! Hollow Knight is perfect!!!!

 

[RiffRaff]

Was trying to think of an AAA game to put in the art-house tag and I think Death Stranding fits the bill. Risky, strong marriage of outstanding art and music direction, lots of symbolism, not particularly made for the hoi polloi, etc.

 

[Xeo]

I really enjoyed Gone Home. I know not everyone did, but I was absolutely enthralled with that game during its short run time.

 

[✨ Matt ✨]

I'm very much an action-oriented, meat and potatoes kind of gamer, so art-house games usually aren't my thing in the slightest. But Monument Valley is an exception, for some reason. Easily one of my favorite games ever! The OST, the art, the story, the gameplay. All just top-notch! So proud of my son.

 

[Scrustle]

See I think No More Heroes toes the line, because it's a parody,--in a lot of ways--of action games and anime, but also an amalgamation of mechanics and styles (minigames, side activities, etc). But it's ultimately true to its genre of being an action game.

Same for Suda's esoteric Silver Case games. As thought-provoking as they are, they are visual novels and largely adhere to that genre. It's a little bit like saying water is wet, I think.

But Killer7, as a shoot-em-up, more than subverts the expectation of that genre and becomes something wholly unique while still using the basic skeleton of those games. I think as visually-dazzling as the game really is (I'm playing it now, not even remastered, and it's insane how good this game looks) that's only secondary to the fact that it carves out its own path in how it unfolds, in terms of play and expectation.

Like, if every good-looking game were to be labeled "arthouse" we'd be calling God of War or Borderlands that. It's a pliable and subjective term, it seems, so just my two cents!

Yeah, that makes a good case for Killer7. It's definitely something very unique that nothing else has really ever tried.

I definitely agree that "arthouse" doesn't necessarily require something look pretty. Although, even if it was I still don't think God of War would be regarded as such. But anyway, it should definitely mean more about experimentation and a distinctive artistic direction, in a holistic sense. So trying to create something with a specific aesthetic purpose, that is intentionally trying to avoid various aspects of conventional game design. Although I must admit, even in that context, a lot of the arthouse games I like do tend to be pretty.

But if I was to point out an example of something that isn't, I would point towards Lucah: Born of a Dream. It's a strange game, that is really interesting and covers some very unconventional and raw topics, and has a very unique art style that it commits to, for better or worse. Honestly it's a game that I can't really say I definitely like, as it's very obtuse and narratively cryptic, but it's certainly distinctive and compelling.

 

[Startyde]

Papo & Yo for me. As it's true meaning unfolded it was so tragic and beautiful and awful and sad but a game I can never forget.

 

[Lexingtongue]

I'm very much an action-oriented, meat and potatoes kind of gamer, so art-house games usually aren't my thing in the slightest. But Monument Valley is an exception, for some reason. Easily one of my favorite games ever! The OST, the art, the story, the gameplay. All just top-notch! So proud of my son.
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Great game. Pretty much all the recommendations on here are, mind. These are the kind of games that keep my attention these days and that's harder to do as I get older.

 

[Sam]

Yeah, that makes a good case for Killer7. It's definitely something very unique that nothing else has really ever tried.

I definitely agree that "arthouse" doesn't necessarily require something look pretty. Although, even if it was I still don't think God of War would be regarded as such. But anyway, it should definitely mean more about experimentation and a distinctive artistic direction, in a holistic sense. So trying to create something with a specific aesthetic purpose, that is intentionally trying to avoid various aspects of conventional game design. Although I must admit, even in that context, a lot of the arthouse games I like do tend to be pretty.

But if I was to point out an example of something that isn't, I would point towards Lucah: Born of a Dream. It's a strange game, that is really interesting and covers some very unconventional and raw topics, and has a very unique art style that it commits to, for better or worse. Honestly it's a game that I can't really say I definitely like, as it's very obtuse and narratively cryptic, but it's certainly distinctive and compelling.

Yeah I think it just makes sense that the developers who are looking to try something different with the medium have an eye for aesthetics, so you get this very-distinct, often-beautiful games.

I'd add Deadly Premonition to the list of arthouse games that don't particularly overwhelm you, visually. It's a game whose priorities, I think, aren't super-tight gameplay (and even if they were, the budget saw to that dream going up in smoke...) or conventional areas where other games would look to put their resources. Heck, it's a game with real-time beard growth but only opts for a handful of enemies or weapons!