I have to admit, I'm a bit soppy. I identify strongly with characters in books, movies and games, and what happens to them often feels like it is happening to me. These two games that I played recently have both affected me in such a way, and have done so brilliantly.
Briefly, Gone Home is a tale of exploring your family home after returning from a long trip and discovering what has happened to your parents and sister. Brothers is a tale of two brothers exploring a world to find a cure for their sick father.
They are both games that, more than any others I have played before, deliver a narrative that is more important that the gameplay, although they do it in different ways. Gone Home delivers its story though letters, notes, and voiceovers found while wandering through the house. There is interaction with objects in the house, but not in a 'gamey' way - it puts you in the shoes of the protagonist very well, and I did feel as if I was exploring, not playing.
Brothers is more of a game in the traditional sense - there are simple puzzles for example - but the way it delivers its story is through the mechanics - you control the two brothers simultaneously with the two analogue sticks of a gamepad. Through this device you get a strong sense of the connection between the two brothers far more than is conveyed by the action on screen.
Both games made me feel very strongly for the characters I was controlling and events in each story really struck home with me. I would recommend both games if you are looking for a new way for narrative to be delivered. We so often treat games like a competition - completion is the thing. With these games, like a good book, you know that the journey is far more important.
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