What are your favorite single player games to go back to often?
- Minecraft
- Furi
- Mario 64
- Super Mario World
- GTA SA and Vice City
It’s kinda rare for me to go back to a single player game and replay it, but there are some games that are nostalgic in the same way place or smell can be nostalgic.
I know them so well that I can’t help but want to go back and visit and I never really get disappointment by the experience. Sure, I don’t get as immersed as the first time, but I definitely still enjoy the games.
Stardew valley. I stopped playing it earlier this year but picked it back up this week. I forgot I made a new game that went with joja instead of the community center and I feel disgusting playing it but I need to see how it shakes out lol
I love me some Stardew. Have you tried out Dave the Diver? It’s got a similar quirky feel to it.
It looks so good!! Definitely gonna grab it on the next sale. Man these indie dev pixel budget games are so much better than the AAA ones.
Oblivion, Skyrim and The Witcher 3 are my favorites
I loved The Witcher 3 and I know it has tons of replayability… But heck, I don’t see myself finishing it again any time soon, it took me a bit part of my life to finish it once lol.
I got myself skyrim for a birthday when it first came out, and I love going back to it. It has a lot of flaws, but it also has a lot of character.
Thank you, I think I’m going to start a playthrough soon because of this comment
Morrowind and FTL. Both I revisit every couple of years.
I suspect Stardew Valley might become something like that too, but I only had one cycle of stopping and coming back with it so far.
Stardew valley is definitely one for me and rimworld. Cyberpunk and witcher as well. Skyrim and fallout also but I rarely stick with them for a full playthrough they usually just kill time until I have something else to play
I feel a bit bad, but I abandoned rimworld basically as soon as I found dwarf fortress. I have about 200 hours in rimworld, got at least that in dwarf fortress before the steam release. Up to 50 hours on the steam version now, I would definitely have a lot more hours on both but work and some side projects have been keeping me busy
portal Subnautica
Games without frequent changing updates:
4X:
Civilisation V, Civilisation VI
CMS: Anno 1602 (1998), Factorio
Open world RPG: Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 4
Tycoon: OpenTTD (FOSS)
Farming Simulator (2009, too bland), 2011, 2013, 2015
Games with changing updates:
Roguelike: Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead (FOSS)
Sandbox: Minecraft, Minetest
Castlevania SOTN
Super Metroid
Wario Land 1
Chrono Trigger
Bonus: Playing final fantasy 6 and getting past the Figaro part and rafting mini game and quitting the game right after
Tetris GB
This game has occupied so many hours of my life. I play a ROMHack called “Rosy Retrospective,” where modern features have been added, like pressing up to drop and being able to save pieces. Probably don’t need to explain this game :D
Super Punch-Out!
Nostalgic pick because the SNES was my favorite system. I’m not really into boxing games, but this adds a puzzle element to it where you memorize patterns of ridiciulous over-the-top fighters (one of them kicks, so the boxing is loose here). I can easily pick this game up and play the time-attack mode to refight a boxer that I’ve defeated before. There is a lot of satisfaction completely owning a boxer. However, there are still boxers in this game that I can’t beat.
NYT Crosswords
Love doing a crossword with friends. I highly recommend their app screenshared to your TV; NYT has done a fantastic job optimizing the experience for screens. The grid and the clues are very visible, as if everyone was crowded around you on a table looking at the print version. NYT has quietly done a great job diversifying their games business. Spelling Bee and Werdle I don’t play as much, but I know a bunch of people who do. If you don’t have a sub, you can play on Downforacross with friends, the Google sheets of crosswords.
Solebon Solitaire (iOS)
An app that has many variants of single-player card games on there. My favorites include Klondike, Golf, Monte Carlo, Yukon, and La Belle Lucie, but FAR and away the game I play the most is FreeCell. There is a randomness to Solitare where some deals just aren’t winnable. However, with FreeCell, with the ability to have 4 reserve spaces to move cards around, the game is more forgiving and every deal is winnable.
868-HACK
A hacking roguelike on iOS. Love the graphics and concept. You play on a randomly generated grid of tiles and walls that you can hack. Hacking results in enemies appearing on the grid. You have to plan your way to the level exit, while also maximizing the rewards (abilities) you get from hacking.
Enyo (iOS)
A tactical roguelike on iOS. Grid based. You have to dispatch the enemies on the grid with your sword, hook, and shield. Enemies progressively have better abilities and become more numerous, so you really have to plan your route through the grid-based terrain. You can use your weapons in interesting ways, especially the hook and shield. The hook pulls most enemies toward you, so you can sometimes dispatch by pulling them into water. Other times you can swap places with them so you deploy your shield to push them.
Donkey Kong GB
Wonderful puzzle platformer originally released on the GameBoy. Nostalgic pick that I can easily pick up and play for a couple of minutes or a longer session if needed. Mario runs, jumps, and uses hammers to get through 50+ themed levels. Simple and very replayable. Very easy for kids to learn to play.
Hades
For longer sessions, Hades is my go-to roguelite. An isometric dungeon crawler that seemingly has almost endless replayability with your choices of random Greek god-powers and paths through the Underworld. All the things you dislike about roguelites are smartly dealt with. There is an actual storyline between deaths. I have never heard a single line of dialogue repeated. Ever. The game will give you options to make it easier if it notices you are dying a lot. So anybody can make it through this game and progress the story.
Bloodborne
The first FromSoftware game that clicked for me and forced me to ‘git gud.’ Something about the gothic horror environment and the weapon fighting is so satisfying to me. You can go through this game with different weapons and builds and have a completely different game experience (a staple of FromSsoftware games). I have this whole game memorized and have beaten it multiple times and yet, I can still get my ass kicked by a random enemy if I am not careful. Every March, a bunch of gamers on Reddit replay the game in celebration of it’s launch, but I like to play it around Halloween. Sounds like that is coming up soon!
How does hades give you options if you die a lot? I’ve just started playing.
God mode. You can turn it on and every time you die, you get a little stronger. I remember the game asking me if I wanted to turn it on.
That’s pretty neat!
when you get good at crosswords join the dark side with the Guardian Cryptic XW
Haha, how good? On my own, I can probably solve a Tuesday, maybe if lucky a Wednesday on my own with no cheating. The proper nouns get me all the time.
They’re cryptic crosswords, so there’s more of a puzzle to the clue. e.g. with a proper noun
1D: Confused ham set London flower? (6)
Answer: Thames. (Confused Ham set = “this is an anagram of ham set, which is Thames”; London flower = a thing that flows in London = Thames)
e.g. without a proper noun
5A) Perhaps hawk’s attempt to catch rook (4)
Answer: bird. “Perhaps hawk” is a bird; another word for attempt is “bid”, if “bid” captures the rook - for rook in chess notation you’d write “r” - so bid capturing r is bi + r + d = bird.
I like to go back to crpg’s like the Pathfinder or Pillars of Eternity games.
I love trying out different story paths and finding the little things I’ve missed on previous play-throughs.Sekiro. After a couple runs, you figure out the best route to take across the game, and it’s a quick weekend worth of gameplay. It’s also quite exhilarating being able to first try bosses that took me 5-6 hours to beat the first time around. A feeling of familiarity in the execution (🤫).
Lady Butterfly’s “You’ve… Gotten stronger… Wolf” warms my heart.
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God of War
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Red Dead Redemption
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Banished
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Oxygen Not Required
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Horizon Zero Dawn
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Fable 2 and 3
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Mod-friendly games with large mod communities like Skyrim or Mount and Blade 2. The ability to play a game like Skyrim in completely different ways keeps it fresh.
I have a bunch but I’ll just mention one because I didn’t see it: Mad Max. It’s just so satisfying to drive around smashing shit and kicking ass. I wish the driving sections of Arkham Knight could have been that fun.
I think someone below also had Mad Max on their list.
But yeah that game is really fun, I should go back to it soon
- Minecraft
- Astroneer
- Skyrim
- Ratchet & Clank 2,3, or ToD
I can’t really describe what it is about R&C that I am just enamored by. I’ve played them on and off since the first game when I was 7+.
Couldn’t agree more on Ratchet & Clank. It’s just so much fun. Progression and upgrades are good, reasonable wit/comedy without being too on the nose or campy. Always has different and interesting guns to smash enemies.
Yes for Ratchet and Clank! Super glad they ported a rift apart to PC, been enjoying it
Do you recommend Astroneer as a multiplayer game? I’ve been wanting to play it with a friend
I haven’t played multiplayer in years so I’m not sure how it is but as far as I can tell it should be fine. If you haven’t ever played, there are some really frustrating bugs that will most likely never get fixed (things like items and vehicles falling through the terrain) but overall it is pretty fun and relaxing
Icewind dale
Baldurs gate 2
Baldurs gate
Starwars kotor
Starwars kotor 2
Starwars jedi knight
Starwars jedi knight 2
Mario 64
Goldeneye
The first 5 of those i have installed on my phone and i play them during lunch breaks and when i have time at home the last 4 i have on switch and are just great games to revisit from time to time. Im probably on my 7th play through of icewind dale since i originally played it all those yesrs ago.
Based on that list, you would love Neverwinter Nights too.
I did but i tried going back to it recently and it feels so clunky. But it was annold favourite. Nwn2 was a big improvement imo
You just opened up a rabbit hole for me lol. I didn’t know there were so many full scale games on mobile. I had seen a couple before, but I didn’t know how deep they went. How are the controls on Baldur’s Gate I and II?
Controls are great. Those games controls translate so well to touch screen. Them being point and click games tapping is very natural. And instead of the arrow keys you just drag the screen around. Pinch zoom for more accurate tapping of small things or to zoom out for a better view of battles.
Its like they were made for touchscreens.
I think they are a little more playable on a tablet sized screen or a foldable phone but i played alot of bg1 on my old nexus 6 phone which had a 6 inch screen.
Kotor 1 and 2 play better with a controller like a playstation/switch/xbox control or better still a control like the gamesir that holds your phone and makes it look like a switch.
I need to correct my original post. Its kotor that inhave on my phone and jedi knight on the switch
Starbound. They’ve had a couple of big story changes over it’s development and it’s not as big as terraria. But I enjoy the soundtrack and having a spaceship and just enjoying space travel (at the expense of stealing fuel from a ghost).
