Topic: Weird and Wonderful Games

Can anyone recommend any really weird and wonderful games to play? I want to get Donut County and similar games, I have heard of Stick it to the Man and Jazzpunk, and played Goat Simulator. Can anyone recommend any others?

Thanks in advance for all your recommendations!

Edit: I am not really looking for text-based games, something in more of a 3rd person RPG vein would help, but thank you so much for all your posts so far anyhow.

You can't go wrong with Donut County and Jazzpunk. Stick it to the Man, Stikbold, Oxenfree, Undertale and Sayonara Wild Hearts should all fit the bill too.

Beautiful and weird experiences I recommend: Gorogoa and What Remains of Edith Finch

Gorogoa is only a two hour experience or so, so a really easy recommendation.

@Shigurui What type of game is Undertale? Is it text-based?

@Kidfried What sort of game is Gorogoa?

@Draco_V_Ecliptic - Dialogue is text, the game is a RPG.

@Draco_V_Ecliptic Undertale is pretty much a tribute to EarthBound, if you know that game.

Gorogoa is kind of a more abstract spin on a point and click adventure/painting.

@Shigurui @Kidfried Thanks all, I'll be sure to look into those games now.

@Draco_V_Ecliptic

Kentucky Route Zero is really weird. Story based/adventure game with Twin Peaks vibes. I didn't actually really like it all that much, but I think I was an outlier and it reviewed well so I'll recommend it anyway.

Speaking of Twin Peaks vibes, Virginia is a really cool, odd little game in which you play an FBI agent trying to solve some sort of crime or other but it's silent and there's no text explaining what's going on. I really liked that one and it's only a couple of hours long.

If for some reason you don't want a game with Twin Peaks vibes, you could always try Inside. I reviewed this one back in the day and I gave it a ten which I think is the only time I did that. It's a sweet puzzle platformer, again wordless, leaving much up to your interpretation. By the people who made Limbo.

If none of these are floating your boat and you want something a bit more jolly then you could have a bash at Yoku's Island Express. It's a metroidvania pinball game starring a dung beetle and it's actually really good. I reviewed that one too. Think I gave it in 8. Maybe.

Depending on what kind of game you want I could recommend more. I got the impression - I don't know why - that you were after more leisurely games so I didn't suggest anything too taxing. But there's all kinds of mad stuff out there worth a look.

Kentucky Route Zero is the best kind of weird. If I was @johncalmc I would have given that game a 10 instead of Inside.

@Kidfried I didn't review it which is probably for the best because I probably would have scored it low and then Googled it and found out it was a modern classic and I looked silly and then I would have had to go into hiding in the woods.

@johncalmc Or go into hiding in the jungle with your new best buddy, you know him well, who's finally back to kick some tail.

Well if you’re willing to go a little further afield then there’s LSD on PS1 which is brilliant, unsettling and absolutely bizarre all in one.

There’s Yume Nikki on PC, which is completely free to play on PC and would run on even the starchiest of potatoes. It’s one of the few games that still gets under my skin but it’s more due to the just plain weirdness of it all.

I guess there’s Katamari Damacy, which is the quintessential weird game and one of my favourite games of all time. Just sheer fun and a great soundtrack.

A few more PS4 games spring to mind. Hatoful Boyfriend and Octodad are both pretty bonkers. Flower, REZ and The Unfinished Swan are solid enough. Going to older consoles there's Deadly Premonition, El Shaddai, Noby Noby Boy, Echochrome, Linger in Shadows, The Puppeteer, Shadows of the Damned, Tokyo Jungle and quite possibly the greatest weird game ever made (imo), Killer7.

I'll second the endorsements of Virginia and Katamari Damacy (the latter of which is getting a remastered version on PS4 next month).

@johncalmc I mostly like RPGs or games with RPG mechanics like God Of War & Dark Souls, something like those where there is a decent amount of third-person rpg sword-slashing but in a weird and wonderful setting would be good. I know that I may be limiting you somewhat as a lot of these games are text-based with a heavy point-and-click or 2D influence, but the third-person RPGs are what I'm really looking for, or even a fps if it's weird and wonderful? Thanks in advance, Draco.

Death Mark is my vote for this category of game, very strange in a wonderful way.

@Draco_V_Ecliptic Okay. That changes things a tad.

Nier Automata is fantastic third person action RPG with a fun combat system and an ambitious structure and story that can only be fully experienced in multiple playthroughs.

Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is an action strategy JRPG which you can generally pick up for cheap on PSN. It's an excellent game based in a fantasy World War II. Combat is a turn based third person shooter which is weird, but it's a legit classic game.

Vampyr is a divisive game but I liked it a lot. It's a third person RPG in Victorian London and you're a vampire. The combat is rubbish, but the charm lies in talking to the locals, becoming friends with them, and then potentially chomping them if you want fancy a drink for loads of XP. It's also on Plus right now so FREEBIE.

@Draco_V_Ecliptic I guess weird and wacky can mean different things to different people, but if you’re especially wanting something in line with your tastes for third person action rpg, I can second @johncalmc ‘s recommendation for Nier Automata. The combat is not Souls-like — it’s not particularly strategic and more hack ‘n slashy, but it has difficulty setting so that you can crank up the challenge quite a bit. But it’s sword play along with some light shooting and use of special attacks with an emphasis on combos. The combat feels great though. The “weird and wacky” part of it comes in regarding the storyline. You play through multiple routes to get to the true ending, and it’s really satisfying and mind blowing in my opinion. Unlike most of the “weird and wacky” games that have come up so far, it has AA to AAA polish to the game, rather than being an indie.

Another recommendation of a similar thought would be Death Stranding. The combat is pretty basic compared to what you’re use to, but has decent third person shooting and stealth strategy in an open world. Again, the wacky part is the unconventional narrative and unique gameplay mechanics of building a shared world online with asynchronous multiplayer structure construction. You’ll spend most of your time making deliveries, but the way you have to plan your trips and balance your loads is addicting and the story is bonkers. I mean, you carry a live baby in a jar attached to your chest the whole time! 😂

And lastly, maybe look at Gravity Rush and Gravity Rush 2. The story and characters are quirky as all get-out, and the in-game language is a weird gibberish, but the gameplay is really unique and strange, as you fly through the air manipulating gravity. It’s third person and light rpg stuff.

Another weird and wacky series is Danganronpa. I’m playing the 4th game right now and it’s great. It’s more like a visual novel and light dating sim mixed with a puzzle, mystery solving game though, so it would be really far off the beaten path of what you usually play.

Great suggestions so far, I'd second those suggesting Undertale, Nier Automata, and Danganronpa.

I'll also suggest Yuppie Psycho. It's about someone arriving at the office for their first day of work. They'll do the usual activities like getting an ID badge, logging in to the corporate network, and brewing up some coffee. However, most of the co-workers are deranged, and there's clearly something sinister going on in the shadows.

Weird and wonderful? I'd say The Wonderful 101! It has RPG elements, huge swords and characters like this: