I especially love how they both happen in the same universe. Hell, Control has a DLC which is all about Alan Wake basically.
Really gotta play Alan Wake one of these days.
GeForce Now barely has any issues at all. Have you ever even tried it? I could play a game like Destiny 2 and have no noticeable input lag.
Of course you need a decent connection, but anything above ADSL will do
Dude I felt your statement right to my soul. The incessant whispering messes me up. A friend was playing Control alone at home. He came online to join our Discord server because the game caused him to need company urgently. Dude jumpscared and fired off shots because he caught a fleeting glimpse of what turned out to be his own reflection in a mirror. Great game.
I didn't think remedy would involve the story/lore from control so much. I was so excited seeing the OOC's and FBC involved. I was able to follow the references and explanations of things so much easier since I played control a few times.
Idk why it shocked me so much that a game company decided to involve another one of their games to be linked to a different title lol, but I was extremely satisfied by it.
control is one of my all time favorite games. I ended up reading all of the lore, all the stuff in the game you could listen or read I did! I’m normally a big content cut scene skipper but the is one really hooked me. Gameplay was really fun and inventive too.
For very different reasons, I think Pathologic two makes its mindfucky atmosphere from more technical and mechanical realizations (constantly aprinting around town, running out of time, starving, dying, etc. where pathologic has a much more bizarre and unfriendly atmosphere to it, with with the graphics, dull color palette, more contradictory music (electronically played tribal rhythms and whatnot) and how the constant walking will send you crazy.
Soma is such an underrated game, for me it's one of those games that stick around for a while in your head, pops up in my thoughts fairly often ever since I played it when it came out
TBH I never see anyone talk about it or even recommend it like when someone asks for horror game recommendations. It may have been more popular at release but now It's clearly one of frictional games lesser known titles that deserves more love imo.
It's so obvious that I'm not even sure it was intended as a big reveal. By withholding information and missing out certain choice elements the writers could have made it into a twist, but the way they played it out makes me think they wanted you to know something that your character doesn't (or just doesn't want to accept)
This gave me a really big feeling of anxiety and I didn't play the game for a long time because of it. Here is a tip for anyone in the same boat who is turned off of playing the game: >!it's a lie, they will never delete your save. It's just there to build tension.!<
Dude people will avoid playing the game if they know they'll lose the save file by dying too much. Them knowing it's a bluff may get them to play it. Besides, it's not like a Google search won't tell them. I legit did this before commenting.
Alan Wake. You'll have that feeling constantly after the first half hour, play with headphones.
Prey 2006, not 2017.
Outer Wilds will give you this feeling multiple times. Go in blind. Fans of this game will ALL tell you the exact same thing. Like we all made a silent pact to never tell anyone about the game. It's that important. All you need to know, it's the best damn space adventure game out there.
I don't like it, personally.
They give us so many unique mechanics, throw so many things at you that're completely unique to Prey 2006. I'm just salty we never got closure for the sequel.
But, fits the bill, probably definitely gets this job done for most.
Holy fuck, I get it was a more popular game, but it wasn't a better game, get over it. You got shadow monsters that play prop hunt with you and a gloo gun. Downvote me more.
Prey 2017 is great as long as you didn't play Prey 2006. Don't go into Prey 2017 expecting a Prey game, you will be disappointed. They really should have just titled it something else.
Prey 2017 is a MUCH better game than Prey 2006. You're crazy to believe otherwise; 2006 was legitimately in the realm of mediocrity, especially when compared to more modernized gaming standards. 2017 holds up as a great game today, as it's truly a successor to Deus Ex 1 and System Shock (both of which the Creative Director of Prey 2017 worked extensively on before going to Arkane).
Hell, both of those games, even being way more ancient than Prey 2006, are better games than it. Honestly I found Prey 2006 to be boring at best.
Then again, you boiling the game down to "prop hunt and shadow monsters" shows you don't know how to approach an immersive sim with player agency and emergent systems as rampant as that game has. For instance, opening locked doors with nerf darts and finding other creative uses for bypassing enemies, saving humans. It allowed for a karmic system which impacts endings in an interesting way, etc. Think about all of the ways your interactions with the (fake) chef can playout, and that's such a minor character. The game offers so much more depth than Prey 2006 - full stop.
But do tell, what did Prey 2006 offer us that was more fun? Do you enjoy it for being a linear first person shooter with braindead, dated, and straightforward shooting mechanics?
I did mean the first. I agree with 2, I've had a 20 minute rock ballad stuck in my head for 2 weeks, but 1 at least should be played first and I thought the atmosphere was better in. 😬
I’ve seen Outer Wilds mentioned so many times, I’m really intrigued. And I recall playing a bit of it at one point (maybe it was on GamePass at one point), not having a strong opinion one way or the other, and not getting back to it. But it is constantly getting love from people. I’m going to have to give it another go.
To OP’s question, Alan Wake II is quite good as well. They take the general gist of the first game (remarkably awesome for a 2010 game) and add the David Lynchian vibes of Control, and as far as atmosphere is has a lot creeping tense scenarios. Scenarios made more tense since so much of the game is a puzzle, and it’s quite easy for get turned around and lost and dealing “issues” and dwindling supplies..
I've seen about 8 of these posts come up in my feed, and just that game matched all the vibes people were looking for... It's also just a masterpiece, after you get off the first planet, it's just the "tutorial" feels sludgy to some. It's a complete game, with mechanics wholly unique to it, and experiences you can only get in that game. It'll put you on emotional rollercoasters as well, with the most phenomenal story.
Like I said.
No one will tell you a single detail about the game though. It's just the kind of experience it is. It literally makes players do that. Idk how to explain it.
Can I ask, what is outer wilds?
I keep getting confused between this, and the outer worlds (?), and it's putting me off both of the games because I don't know either of them
Completely different game. But I can't say anything aside from Outer Wilds being a story driven space adventure game. Outer Worlds is more like... a typical space game... I'd play No Mans Sky over it. It was very unfortunate they came out at the same time. Outer Wilds got heavily overshadowed by an inferior game.
But Outer Wilds is an entire experience, with a ridiculous amount of stuff that can only be appreciated when you see it and some of it has to be a surprise to be more impactful, like stuff you will ONLY experience in this game, and the game as a whole, is a very complete story that can only be played once and will wow you every step of the way, and put you through multiple emotional roller coasters.
When I say there's a silent pact where the fans of this game refuse to tell you anything about it, I mean it. That's the kind of impact this game leaves.
It's got a 10/10 score on Steam with almost 50k reviews if that helps.
The game kinda throws you in as a new space explorer, and things are a little hard/janky at first, but I promise that you will get the hang of your ship/exploration after a little bit. At first fly to any planet or moon that looks cool to you and just explore :) If you ever hit a roadblock somewhere and don't know exactly where to go DO NOT LOOK IT UP, keep exploring! Have fun!
I wanna add to this that every player I ever known clearly distinguish their gamer's life as a "Pre Outer Wilds" and "Post Outer Wilds".
It's a once in a lifetime experience, unique and unrepeatable so far.
Have fun Traveler!
I almost took mushrooms before I sat down to really play that game the first time. I'm glad I didn't, and by about halfway through I felt as though I had. I love that game.
> Death Stranding
BT areas are so suspenseful if you don't have the means to just clear the whole damn zone (and know how to do so). Rationing weapons brings a special kind of suspense, especially when the enemies are invisible ghost-like things that try to grab you if you're spotted.
Also, it's a Kojima game, and the story is somewhat horror themed, so... yeah. The intro sequence does a pretty good job of showing off the game's atmosphere. You can probably find a video of it online if you're hesitant to buy.
Excellent for the niche of "similar to the Stanley Parable".
Choices matter, a significant number of options to explore, a cryptic and unhelpful narrator, and an unusual setting.
The premise is simple, you are on a path in the forest. At the end of that path is a cabin, in that cabin is a princess. You are here to slay her. If you don't, she will destroy the world.
Have fun.
Sanitarium. Its an older point and click game but its very weird. I can’t describe it without ruining the game or twists but you should play it for yourself.
I was hoping someone would say Outer Wilds! For me it sits in such a weird spot in terms of vibes. In some ways it's wholesome and warm, the NPCs are all really friendly, and there's no combat. But then at times its super existential-crisis-y, and you really feel the void of space, and the inevitability of... everything.
It's incredibly well-made. I would never sit down to play it if I was feeling a bit emotionally vulnerable lol.
And I haven't even played the expansion yet! 🙈
Shocked I haven't seen this more often in these replies.
Also, listen to every recording that you find right away, and take a moment to hold off running around while you do so. Those recordings add so much depth to the world.
My favorite thing about this game and it's reception was how many people are release thought it was just another bland military shooter. It definitely subverts the genre, including the previous titles in the series it gets it's namesake from.
Would be nice to see a next Gen remake of this polished up for new people to "enjoy" the story.
Definitely Antichamber. Most similar suggestion here to your example of the Stanley parable too, except it’s a puzzle game not story based. Big mindfuck space is really weird and doesn’t fit your perception thing going on though
There is profound experience to be had within the digital space of a “game” called “Everything” for those who are willing to find it. On everything except Xbox I think, around $5/$10. Also take shrooms if you really want trippy.
While it doesn't quite fit what OP is looking for, starting a game with a player who has lost limbs, or ending a game where you kill every living thing in the world are both pretty dark.
This browser game im working on (in between browsing reddit for light relief) : [https://argondevilguiderods.itch.io/room](https://argondevilguiderods.itch.io/room) You can play it now.
PC version is coming out this week
Did something significant change in the gameplay or lore in the last couple years? Because last time I played, it definitely wasn't a mind fuck. Just having ancient space gods and antagonistic and evil alien races doesn't necessarily mean "mind fuck" to most people.
Gotcha...yeah, pretty sure you misunderstood the question. OP was asking for games that are unsettling AND mindfuck-y. So like horror, suspense, that kind of thing. The Amnesia games, the Alan Wake series, Control, etc.
Constantly getting bad rolls on loot drops is frustrating, I've been there. But I can (almost) guarantee it's not what OP was asking about.
9 people 9 doors series. It combines sci-fi with real life history/science and has a truly mindfucking story that gets progressively more mindfucking. Only weak part is the puzzles
Alan Wake and Control, both from Remedy.
I especially love how they both happen in the same universe. Hell, Control has a DLC which is all about Alan Wake basically. Really gotta play Alan Wake one of these days.
If you want the mindfcuk, you need the Control DLC. Turns 'huh, wierd' into '...waitaminute...'
I’ve been playing Control lately because my system can’t gracefully handle Alan Wake 2. 🥴
GeForce Now
Nah. I’m a patient gamer. I’ll wait till I eventually upgrade in the next couple years. 👍 Totally enjoying Control tho!
GeForce Later*
GeForcEventually
Latency is a thing and it defeats the purpose
GeForce Now barely has any issues at all. Have you ever even tried it? I could play a game like Destiny 2 and have no noticeable input lag. Of course you need a decent connection, but anything above ADSL will do
Came here to say control. The voices constantly whispering alone gets to me pretty quickly.
Dude I felt your statement right to my soul. The incessant whispering messes me up. A friend was playing Control alone at home. He came online to join our Discord server because the game caused him to need company urgently. Dude jumpscared and fired off shots because he caught a fleeting glimpse of what turned out to be his own reflection in a mirror. Great game.
I didn't think remedy would involve the story/lore from control so much. I was so excited seeing the OOC's and FBC involved. I was able to follow the references and explanations of things so much easier since I played control a few times. Idk why it shocked me so much that a game company decided to involve another one of their games to be linked to a different title lol, but I was extremely satisfied by it.
control is one of my all time favorite games. I ended up reading all of the lore, all the stuff in the game you could listen or read I did! I’m normally a big content cut scene skipper but the is one really hooked me. Gameplay was really fun and inventive too.
Pathologic 2
And Pathologic 1 (HD)
For very different reasons, I think Pathologic two makes its mindfucky atmosphere from more technical and mechanical realizations (constantly aprinting around town, running out of time, starving, dying, etc. where pathologic has a much more bizarre and unfriendly atmosphere to it, with with the graphics, dull color palette, more contradictory music (electronically played tribal rhythms and whatnot) and how the constant walking will send you crazy.
SOMA
Soma is such an underrated game, for me it's one of those games that stick around for a while in your head, pops up in my thoughts fairly often ever since I played it when it came out
How is it underrated?
Many people have not heard of it, and if they have, have not played it
I don't think it's as highly rated as it should be. I find people rarely mention it.
Soma is not underrated. It’s a massively popular game lauded for its story and atmosphere.
TBH I never see anyone talk about it or even recommend it like when someone asks for horror game recommendations. It may have been more popular at release but now It's clearly one of frictional games lesser known titles that deserves more love imo.
It's not really mindfuck, just pure depression and existential crisis.
Yeah I clocked the entire plot almost immediately, but it was still really depressing to watch it play out.
It was the last game I finished. I really enjoyed but I was actually hoping that there was some sort of twist to the seemingly obvious plot.
It's so obvious that I'm not even sure it was intended as a big reveal. By withholding information and missing out certain choice elements the writers could have made it into a twist, but the way they played it out makes me think they wanted you to know something that your character doesn't (or just doesn't want to accept)
The twist is the ambiguity about the nature of consciousness.
WTF does "clocked the plot" mean?
Close enough 😉
After you finish the game you need couple moments to collect your mind. To comprehend are you a copy in real life matrix or original sentient being.
Hellblade:Senuas Sacrifice
Second to Hellblade. No game has ever fucked my mind quite like that one.
I've finished it and the fact your save deletes itself if you die too much builds such pressure I've never felt so immersed in my life
This gave me a really big feeling of anxiety and I didn't play the game for a long time because of it. Here is a tip for anyone in the same boat who is turned off of playing the game: >!it's a lie, they will never delete your save. It's just there to build tension.!<
I heard that this was a bluff. You won't really lose your save file
Knowing it breaks the whole anxiety dynamic and the intended experience, please don't spoil that for others
Dude people will avoid playing the game if they know they'll lose the save file by dying too much. Them knowing it's a bluff may get them to play it. Besides, it's not like a Google search won't tell them. I legit did this before commenting.
Valravn ^^^valravn ^^^^^valravn
This game is amazing. The audio alone is genius. Especially with headphones. You hear her insanity.
Sooo good, big hopes for the sequel!
it's on xbox game pass for pc, I might give it a go
oof, That game will mess you up Q_Q
this
Alan Wake. You'll have that feeling constantly after the first half hour, play with headphones. Prey 2006, not 2017. Outer Wilds will give you this feeling multiple times. Go in blind. Fans of this game will ALL tell you the exact same thing. Like we all made a silent pact to never tell anyone about the game. It's that important. All you need to know, it's the best damn space adventure game out there.
Honestly, Prey (2017) might fit the bill too
I don't like it, personally. They give us so many unique mechanics, throw so many things at you that're completely unique to Prey 2006. I'm just salty we never got closure for the sequel. But, fits the bill, probably definitely gets this job done for most. Holy fuck, I get it was a more popular game, but it wasn't a better game, get over it. You got shadow monsters that play prop hunt with you and a gloo gun. Downvote me more.
Prey 2017 is great as long as you didn't play Prey 2006. Don't go into Prey 2017 expecting a Prey game, you will be disappointed. They really should have just titled it something else.
Prey 2017 is a MUCH better game than Prey 2006. You're crazy to believe otherwise; 2006 was legitimately in the realm of mediocrity, especially when compared to more modernized gaming standards. 2017 holds up as a great game today, as it's truly a successor to Deus Ex 1 and System Shock (both of which the Creative Director of Prey 2017 worked extensively on before going to Arkane). Hell, both of those games, even being way more ancient than Prey 2006, are better games than it. Honestly I found Prey 2006 to be boring at best. Then again, you boiling the game down to "prop hunt and shadow monsters" shows you don't know how to approach an immersive sim with player agency and emergent systems as rampant as that game has. For instance, opening locked doors with nerf darts and finding other creative uses for bypassing enemies, saving humans. It allowed for a karmic system which impacts endings in an interesting way, etc. Think about all of the ways your interactions with the (fake) chef can playout, and that's such a minor character. The game offers so much more depth than Prey 2006 - full stop. But do tell, what did Prey 2006 offer us that was more fun? Do you enjoy it for being a linear first person shooter with braindead, dated, and straightforward shooting mechanics?
Astronomically shitty take. Wow.
🤓
Way to add to the discussion, champ
I second this. Just go and play Outer Wilds
Played it for maybe 5 minutes and I couldn't take the goofy aliens seriously and it looked like a kids game. Does it get deeper?
Once you lift off the game starts and it's a nosedive into the mariana trench
It gets freaking amazing
Oh my dear loooooord Alan Wake II was so damn amazing and had all the atmosphere I could ask for in a horror thriller.
I did mean the first. I agree with 2, I've had a 20 minute rock ballad stuck in my head for 2 weeks, but 1 at least should be played first and I thought the atmosphere was better in. 😬
I’ve seen Outer Wilds mentioned so many times, I’m really intrigued. And I recall playing a bit of it at one point (maybe it was on GamePass at one point), not having a strong opinion one way or the other, and not getting back to it. But it is constantly getting love from people. I’m going to have to give it another go. To OP’s question, Alan Wake II is quite good as well. They take the general gist of the first game (remarkably awesome for a 2010 game) and add the David Lynchian vibes of Control, and as far as atmosphere is has a lot creeping tense scenarios. Scenarios made more tense since so much of the game is a puzzle, and it’s quite easy for get turned around and lost and dealing “issues” and dwindling supplies..
I've seen about 8 of these posts come up in my feed, and just that game matched all the vibes people were looking for... It's also just a masterpiece, after you get off the first planet, it's just the "tutorial" feels sludgy to some. It's a complete game, with mechanics wholly unique to it, and experiences you can only get in that game. It'll put you on emotional rollercoasters as well, with the most phenomenal story. Like I said. No one will tell you a single detail about the game though. It's just the kind of experience it is. It literally makes players do that. Idk how to explain it.
[удалено]
Can I ask, what is outer wilds? I keep getting confused between this, and the outer worlds (?), and it's putting me off both of the games because I don't know either of them
It's a cute and sometimes brutal exploration and puzzle game. I suggest it heavily
Completely different game. But I can't say anything aside from Outer Wilds being a story driven space adventure game. Outer Worlds is more like... a typical space game... I'd play No Mans Sky over it. It was very unfortunate they came out at the same time. Outer Wilds got heavily overshadowed by an inferior game. But Outer Wilds is an entire experience, with a ridiculous amount of stuff that can only be appreciated when you see it and some of it has to be a surprise to be more impactful, like stuff you will ONLY experience in this game, and the game as a whole, is a very complete story that can only be played once and will wow you every step of the way, and put you through multiple emotional roller coasters. When I say there's a silent pact where the fans of this game refuse to tell you anything about it, I mean it. That's the kind of impact this game leaves. It's got a 10/10 score on Steam with almost 50k reviews if that helps.
Oh, well this definitely seems like a good game lol, I'll check it out, thank you
The game kinda throws you in as a new space explorer, and things are a little hard/janky at first, but I promise that you will get the hang of your ship/exploration after a little bit. At first fly to any planet or moon that looks cool to you and just explore :) If you ever hit a roadblock somewhere and don't know exactly where to go DO NOT LOOK IT UP, keep exploring! Have fun!
Go in BLIND!!!
I wanna add to this that every player I ever known clearly distinguish their gamer's life as a "Pre Outer Wilds" and "Post Outer Wilds". It's a once in a lifetime experience, unique and unrepeatable so far. Have fun Traveler!
Fuck whoever downvoted this. Legit concern.
This! ⬆️
I got spoiled so I'm not playing it lol
Spoiled on Outer Wilds? Sadge. Still play.
There's always the DLC, my guy. It's as amazing as the base game, in case you haven't been spoiled on that.
[удалено]
Silent Hill 1-4
Why is this so low lol
Came here to say this
Superliminal
Was coming to say this. Cool puzzles and such a strange atmosphere.
I almost took mushrooms before I sat down to really play that game the first time. I'm glad I didn't, and by about halfway through I felt as though I had. I love that game.
Control, Death Stranding, Cruelty Squad
> Death Stranding BT areas are so suspenseful if you don't have the means to just clear the whole damn zone (and know how to do so). Rationing weapons brings a special kind of suspense, especially when the enemies are invisible ghost-like things that try to grab you if you're spotted. Also, it's a Kojima game, and the story is somewhat horror themed, so... yeah. The intro sequence does a pretty good job of showing off the game's atmosphere. You can probably find a video of it online if you're hesitant to buy.
I will never stop suggesting Cruelty Squad it's just so fucking good.
Is it? I never actually played it but it looks really cool. Is it really like Deus Ex and other immersive sims?
It very much is like that but extremely weird. It’s like schizophrenia made into a video game. Phenomenal experience.
I wanna suggest soma to you. More of a philosophical mindfuck plus horror
Scorn
"Unsettling" is kind of an understatement for Scorn...
This is definitely the answer. If anyone doubts it, just look the game up.
I was so hyped for the atmosphere but the slowness and no-gameplay killed it for me.
Killer7
Love this game
Killer7 has a very special place in my heart. But almost nobody I recommend it to like it, even if they liked other suda games.
I can see why it's hard to get into. Personally, I like how even the limited gameplay adds the game's strangeness.
i have n no mouth but imust yet scream
That's more like a soul searing though
You meant: “I have no mouth and I must scream”. Quite a terrifying game 👍
The original short story messed me up as well
Antichamber
Still one of the best indie games I've ever played. In terms of fps puzzling, this game is legitimately up there with Portal.
it not terrifying, it thought provoking
Stories Untold
And Observation, made by the same studio
I want more games like this
Silent Hill: Townfall is being made by No Code, the devs behind Stories Untold and Observation
LOVE this game, wish it got more attention
YES!
I would say Death Stranding
Golden light
Me and my friend play this time to time together and our heads genuinely hurt after playing for 30 minutes
Ones I'd add: - The Swapper - Axiom Verge - Forgot City - The Witness Ones I'd second: - Returnal - Talos Principal - Outer Wilds - Antichamber
The Swapper has nice mindfuck moments.
Slay the Princess
Excellent for the niche of "similar to the Stanley Parable". Choices matter, a significant number of options to explore, a cryptic and unhelpful narrator, and an unusual setting. The premise is simple, you are on a path in the forest. At the end of that path is a cabin, in that cabin is a princess. You are here to slay her. If you don't, she will destroy the world. Have fun.
Returnal. Also, remnant 2 at first because my starting world was N’erud.
Sanitarium. Its an older point and click game but its very weird. I can’t describe it without ruining the game or twists but you should play it for yourself.
Came to see if someone mentioned Sanitarium.
Sanitarium is the best when it comes to "wtf?" in a game. Definitely aged by now but when it first came out? Amazing
Outer Wilds (seemingly peaceful, but believe me, there is plenty of psychological terror, specially in the DLC). Also, Inscryption.
I was hoping someone would say Outer Wilds! For me it sits in such a weird spot in terms of vibes. In some ways it's wholesome and warm, the NPCs are all really friendly, and there's no combat. But then at times its super existential-crisis-y, and you really feel the void of space, and the inevitability of... everything. It's incredibly well-made. I would never sit down to play it if I was feeling a bit emotionally vulnerable lol. And I haven't even played the expansion yet! 🙈
Killer7 and killer is dead
The Forgotten City. Mystery game with a twist, very little combat, mostly conversation based. It felt like someone was watching you the whole time.
Really? I didnt feel that way at all.
Bioshock. It won't feel that way in the start but eventually you will question everything.
Shocked I haven't seen this more often in these replies. Also, listen to every recording that you find right away, and take a moment to hold off running around while you do so. Those recordings add so much depth to the world.
hypnospace outlaw, especially if you know the olden days of the internet.
Immortality and you can even try it for free on tablet if you have Netflix subscription
Not sci-fi like the last part of your post mentioned, but as far as “unsettling mindfuck” goes, Silent Hill 2 is pretty high on that list.
Spec Ops: The Line. Cheap... And it changes your perspective on some things
My favorite thing about this game and it's reception was how many people are release thought it was just another bland military shooter. It definitely subverts the genre, including the previous titles in the series it gets it's namesake from. Would be nice to see a next Gen remake of this polished up for new people to "enjoy" the story.
Outlast
The Beginner's Guide Hellblade (a little)
>Beginner's Guide Came to say this. if you liked stanly parable you have to play it.
Doki Doki Literature Club
Alan Wake 2. Seriously, just play it. It’s a masterpiece of unsettling mindfuckery!
Did you play 1 first?
Absolutely! Still own it.
Killer7 and killer is dead
Definitely Antichamber. Most similar suggestion here to your example of the Stanley parable too, except it’s a puzzle game not story based. Big mindfuck space is really weird and doesn’t fit your perception thing going on though
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
I would say Death Stranding
Ever heard of the evil within series
Portal 1 and 2 Control
The begginers guide
MyHouse.wad
Havent seen this in comments yet. Disco Elysium
Dead Space. You seek Dead Space.
Take you to it, I will. But first, we must eat. Come! Good food, yessss!
Make us whole
The only answer that matters
Superliminal, Manifold Garden, SOMA and maybe Outer Wilds?
Oxenfree was fun
The 999 trilogy
Alan Wake 2 just released
Amnesia. 19th century gothic Invisible demons and going crazy in the dark.
Frog Fractions: Game of the Decade Edition.
The "Lisa" trilogy.
I couldn’t finish Soma, it was that problematic to my existential concerns. Has an easy mode too if you’re not into scares.
Manhunt and Manhunt 2
Returnal
Superhot. Pony Island. I'll say no more, just play them.
Original X-Com
This. Playing X-Com listening to Art Bell in 1995 was one amazing experience.
The Talos Principle Portal Entropy Centre Stray
There is profound experience to be had within the digital space of a “game” called “Everything” for those who are willing to find it. On everything except Xbox I think, around $5/$10. Also take shrooms if you really want trippy.
Outer Wilds
Evil Within
#Oxenfree
The Evil Within is a solid one that can be a bit unsettling. Has a sequel aswell
Manhunt
Hellblade Senua - play with headphones.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories was def a mindfuck
In Sound Mind
Bloodborne. The best Lovecraft game.
Diablo 1.
Subnautica should be mentioned here. The progression of the story is one of the most unique and fascinating I have ever experienced
Quake 4
Kenshi
Every thread :D Might as well throw Skyrim out there. So mindfucky!
I found it immersive in first person. Definitely has atmosphere.
While it doesn't quite fit what OP is looking for, starting a game with a player who has lost limbs, or ending a game where you kill every living thing in the world are both pretty dark.
This browser game im working on (in between browsing reddit for light relief) : [https://argondevilguiderods.itch.io/room](https://argondevilguiderods.itch.io/room) You can play it now. PC version is coming out this week
Any game made by activision and Destiny 2
I think you misunderstood the question...
Look Man I fucking hate activision and bungie now and destiny is a mind fuck
Did something significant change in the gameplay or lore in the last couple years? Because last time I played, it definitely wasn't a mind fuck. Just having ancient space gods and antagonistic and evil alien races doesn't necessarily mean "mind fuck" to most people.
No but grinding iron banner and crucible and raids for a single piece of armour with a shit stat roll is a mind fuck
Gotcha...yeah, pretty sure you misunderstood the question. OP was asking for games that are unsettling AND mindfuck-y. So like horror, suspense, that kind of thing. The Amnesia games, the Alan Wake series, Control, etc. Constantly getting bad rolls on loot drops is frustrating, I've been there. But I can (almost) guarantee it's not what OP was asking about.
Happy game
Sons of the Forest is the only game that really has that effect for me
Transference is a crazy VR game that makes you feel uneasy. It’s just spooky in a way I’ve not experienced before
9 people 9 doors series. It combines sci-fi with real life history/science and has a truly mindfucking story that gets progressively more mindfucking. Only weak part is the puzzles
Off not sci-fi though
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker
Dredge
I haven’t played Scorn but I’ve seen videos and it’s a disgusting mindfuck.
Silent Hill 1-3 (especially 2) and the PT