Not as good as the examples you listed but subnautica imo
- Snatcher
- Policenauts
- King's Field (any of them, even Pilot Style)
- Halo 1-3 + ODST and Reach
- Yakuza 0
- Silent Hill 2 (the original, Enhanced Edition for PC is still the best way to experience SH2)
- Life is Strange (only the original game, completely ignore the fanbase, theyre all toxic)
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic (too bad BioWare doesnt have a single good or competent writer anymore)
- NieR, both Gestalt and Automata
- Rule of Rose
- Dark Souls 1-3
- Elden Ring
- Kuon
- Armored Core (all of them, but the controls are hard to deal with before Nexus)
- Steel Battalion (only if you can find and afford the controller, otherwise dont bother)
Return to the Obra Dinn, you are a insurance auditor
Morrowind.
I mean, it's a 22 year old game, but since you asked nicely... 🤷♂️
Seeing that silt strider just outside Seyda Neen after the intro to what looked like your run of the mill D&D style fantasy RPG was a surprise, to say the least...
... and it was just the beginning.
It's a real shame later Elder Scrolls games mostly lost that otherworldly feel.
Silent Hill 2 and SOMA
Frog Fractions
Undertale
BioShock. It really depends on playing it blind in order to have an impact.
God of War 2018. I played all the original games but I was still just a casual fan. I heard about the new game coming out but didn't really pay much attention to it. I eventually play it and holy crap I didn't know it was going to be what it was. Before playing it, I had RDR2 as my game of the year but GOW really stole it in the end.
Bioshock.
SOMA! Just play it.
The Beginner's Guide
The Zero Escape Series. I wish I could play it again without knowing anything.
Same with Professor Layton games (for the big plots).
Chants of Senaar - You interpret alien languages.
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- ~~Jade Empire~~
- Observation
EDIT: Jade Empire doesn't really fit, so I'll go with Observation instead. I'll still argue you're better off not knowing anything about KOTOR aside from being an RPG in the Star Wars universe.
I can confirm that when you know "the thing" about KOTOR ahead of time, it ruins a lot of the magic.
+1 for Outer Wilds
Paradise Killer
What Remains of Edith Finch, I think it has a fantastic narrative. Not so much twists, just best experienced yourself.
ANIMAL WELL
Most of the really good games have been posted already, so here are three that you should play regardless if you’ve never heard of them before:
- Frog Fractions
- Duty Calls: The Calm Before the Storm
- GAME OF THE YEAR 420 BLAZE IT
Check them all out because they’re short and free
Oh man, frog fractions! Been a long time but that is an experience I will never forget.
Journey
I feel like the obvious answer would be something like Fallout New Vegas, DLCs as well (especially the DLCs) or any visual novel games like Song of Data or the Danganronpa series.
Though for non-obvious answers, gonna say Brok the Investigator. Story driven with changing how you play affecting the ending you get. Non-obvious because I don't see a ton of hype around it, even though there's a cool looking DLC being developed.
Edit:
Forgot to add just about any puzzle game to the list. I watched someone play a puzzle game (Baba Is You) roughly 4-5 years ago and picked it up last spring. Just long enough for me to remember almost none of the solutions. Definitely much more fun that way. Same reason I loved Portal 2 back when I got it on xbox. Didn't have a clue what would happen or what the puzzle solutions were.
Definitely fear and hunger (the first one)
Also, baldur's gate 3 has an uncountable number of "no fucking way the devs did this" that make a blind run of the game a memorable experience
Same goes with the metal gear solid saga
There isn't a game that exists that isn't better going in knowing very little, if anything at all, about it. I don't even understand reading an entire guide or wiki about a game before you ever even load it up and play.
Dishonored
TBH though, most if not all games are better blind.
I had this kind of moment with Prey.
Outside. Recent patches may affect your starting location.
Omori and Disco Elysium
I actually think an argument could be made for Disco Elysium not being one of these games actually. I've seen people bounce off it because they went in with the wrong expectations. The game doesn't really market itself correctly: it claims to be an isometric RPG and a detective game, but it could be argued the game is actually neither. Also lots of people miss out on a lot because they weren't aware of the fail-forward design principle.
I don't think this one is even vaguely possible anymore, but "I Wanna Be The Guy" would be my suggestion for this question. That first encounter with the game is one of the most special moments in all of gaming.
Factorio and Dyson Sphere Program. At least don't watch people like Nilaus and Dosh Doshington play the game until you've tried to make your own solutions first.
- Katana ZERO
- Undertale
- Kitsune Tails
Cultist Simulator is most fun when you really know nothing about the game and you stumble into things.
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