Videogames have transcended the purpose of simply being a fun way to pass the time. They have become a viable and more respected art medium designed to evoke a broad range of emotions. While most developers aim to draw out positive emotions, there are those who decide to go the Renegade route, and many of them can be found within theindie gaming scene.
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These games are meticulously crafted to evoke feelings you may wish they didn’t. The themes are thought-provoking but also grim, heavy, and definitely not for kids. Once the end credits roll, chances are high that you will be left conflicted and maybe even have a tinge of regret for willingly pushing yourself down the proverbial rabbit hole.
11Spec Ops: The Line
Starting with a 2012 game whose reputation has certainly preceded it, Spec Ops: The Line can be mistaken for the typicalaction-heavy shooterthat dominated the market during the late 2000s and early 2010s. However, hiding underneath the loud and bombastic mishmash of over-the-top explosions, gunfights, and machismo lies the genuinely unsettling horrors of war.
Without getting into the shocking and disturbing twist, Spec Ops managed to run a knife through the misplaced and somewhat romanticized power fantasy of war games. The game will undeniably leave you as broken as its main character’s psyche.
10This War of Mine
Switching from one side of war-themed games to another, This War of Mine is a survival game that does not shy away from the grim realities of war by depicting it from the civilians’ perspective. Developed by Polish game company 11-Bit Studios, the game is heavily inspired by the real-life atrocities that transpired during the Siege of Sarajevo in Bosnia.
This War of Mine will force you tomake tough moral decisionsthroughout. Will you rob a family of their food rations to keep your group alive or scavenge outside and run the risk of running into hostile enemies? This is just one of the many trials you will face in this bleak and realistic survival game.
9Drakengard
Drakengard is an underrated action JRPG series fromYoko Tarothat shocked a lot of fans back in 2003. Published by Square Enix, most were expecting more run-of-the-mill fantasy fanfare that the home of Final Fantasy was known for during that time.
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Instead of quirky and lovable characters, you will be introduced to characters that have a large number of complex issues and can be deemed unfit for society. In true Yoko Taro fashion, Drakengard also holds multiple endings, all of which are nightmare fuel candidates.
8Doki Doki Literature Club
You can be forgiven for thinking that Doki Doki Literature Club is a typical cuteromance visual novel, as everything at first glance points to that conclusion. However, the colorful aesthetic, cute anime girls, and traditional “slice-of-life” clichés are placed to hide a far more sinister face that can easily traumatize unsuspecting players.
Developed by American indie game company Team Salvato and released as free-to-play in 2017, Doki Doki Literature Club is a downward spiral into literal madness. With its themes tackling existentialism, mental illness, and love in its most twisted form, it goes without saying that a trigger warning is in effect for those brave enough to peek.
7Downfall: Redux
With a gritty black-and-white, high-contrast art style, this 2016 point-and-click horror adventure from Harvester Games manages to set itself apart from the pack. Downfall: Redux is a remake of the 2009 game of the same name, with most of the changes coming in the form of an updated visual style.
The game puts you in the shoes of Joe Davis, a mentally ill man on the run and looking for redemption. The story is heavily inspired by Silent Hill 2, and that alone will give you an idea of how dark it can get. To further complicate things, Joe is an unreliable narrator, which will make you question everything as the macabre tale unfolds.
6The Cat Lady
Another one from Harvester Games that opened the doors for the remake of Downfall: Redux, The Cat Lady is an emotional and harrowing story of Susan Ashworth, the titular Cat Lady. The game heavily revolves around themes of depression, isolation, and revenge, delivered in classicpoint-and-click gameplay.
The Cat Lady also features a black-and-white, melancholy art style that complements the overall ambiance that the game is aiming to deliver. Despite the upsetting dark themes that make up the bulk of The Cat Lady, it still manages to deliver a subtle hopeful message in the end. A light in the dark, if you will.
5Terranigma
When talking about classic SNES games, mature and serious themes are the last things you expect to drop into the discussion. Well, Terranigma is one of those rare SNES JRPGs that wasn’t afraid to push the envelope in terms of its story. This is an action JRPG that starts in typical fashion with a hot-blooded protagonist named Ark looking for adventure.
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As the plot moves forward, so do the stakes, and you, as Ark, will be in the middle of it all. The story shines a light on the sacrifices made to make significant advancements. The phrase “you’re able to’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs” comes to mind constantly throughout the game.
4One Chance
A cult classic from the heyday of Newgrounds, One Chance is aflash gamewhere you play as a scientist named John Pilgrim who discovers that the world will end in six days. It is up to you to determine what to do with your precious remaining time on Earth, which will lead to one of multiple endings.
The game fully embraces the concept of cause and effect and the severe repercussions that a fleeting decision can lead to in the future. The game also expanded upon thepermadeath featureby implementing it directly into the story.
3Emily Is Away
Emily Is Away is a visual novel game set in the early 2000s. The game features branching storylines wherein you will play as yourself as you navigate through your relationship with a girl named Emily via online chat.
The relationship that you will form with Emily will span five years, with the outcome depending on your choices. For a lot of people, Emily Is Away hits too close to home with how heartbreakingly realistic it depicts relationships in the modern era.
2Fear & Hunger
Fear & Hunger is a dungeon crawler game set in a grim, dark world drowning in despair. Think of the manga Berserk by the late Kentaro Miura, and you’ll get the gist of Fear & Hunger. The atmosphere is oppressive, and the danger is relentless as you control one of four characters, with several more available for recruitment over the course of the game.
It also implements rogue-like mechanics, an unforgiving Soulslike difficulty, and a gory twist to the traditional turn-based mechanic. The developer of the game, Miro Haverinen, made it his mission to create a game that would throw you into a pit of hopelessness, and judging by the reviews, he succeeded.
