Actively trying to lobotomize myself so I can play Obra Dinn for the first time again

Tunic mentioned

Outer wilds is soooo good, so thank you for reminding me that tunic exists, I'll get that one now.

Disco Elysium!

Noita, but you just suffer along instead of growing

For those looking for more. Fez is a delight and a classic in the genre. The very last puzzle is more interesting from a community lore standpoint than actually being a decent puzzle, though. So be kind to yourself on that one.

"The Long Dark". Knowing the maps by heart and being able to navigate by landmarks is key to survival.

noita

Tunic was incredible, what they did with the manual was just, great.

I tend to not get into these types of games because the progression is often a time-limited loop, and a lot of the time you have to go to the same place or do the same thing multiple times before you can finish it because those are places or actions that don't persist through a loop.

Similarly, games setup like Mario 64 where every level is intended to be played 5 or 6 times to get all the stars instead of just having it designed in a way that you can get everything in one go if you're good enough.

I hear you’re taking reccos. May I suggest The Forgotten City? It’s not quite the same, but has a very similar “learn wtf is happening* as you go” mechanic. Also it’s one of my favorites.

Curiously Deep Rock Galactic is about practical knowhow. At least that differentiates greenbeards from greybeards.

• The oppressor is nearly immune to bullets but melee attacks are super effective
• The Driller will overheat digging about 12 meters (depending on the upgrades used) Digging ten clicks then pausing to cool will prevent overheat
• Cave leeches make a distinct yummy noise before attacking. You can escape by seeking cover again. Cave leech attacks are often facilitated by a distraction such as minerals or glyphid ambushes
• The Scout's grappling hook does not account for safe perch or landing. Scouting to a sheer cliff is a good way to just get hurt. Mind where you're going to land.
• On the other hand minerals embedded in a cliff face often protrude enough to get purchase. This can be facilitated with a flying pickax attack. Practice, practice!
• Likewise, dwarves can scamper up steep slopes like mountain goats with forward movement and spamming jump.
• Then again, gravity is the number one killer of dwarves, seconded by common Glyphid Grunts. Don't underestimate them.
• The Driller's Collette Wave Cooker can defuse unfuzed Exploders when it deals the killing damage (defuse = doesn't explode). The Driller's Cryo Cannon can defuse fuzing Exploders...sometimes.
• Overhanging cliff-sides are the nemesis to the Engineer's platforms. If you dont want to carve out headroom, extend them out a layer or two.
• The Engineer / Scout team (platforms and grappling hooks) can quickly exploit the high-positioned minerals in a cave.
• That said, platforms can make for great bridges. Do so at whimsy for starters and learn where it's useful.
• And yet, the engineer has the most trouble traversing sheer incline, especially in tight quarters. Make sure your Engie can get to the drop-pod safely.
• Speaking of extraction, Simple Mining missions are the most linear and require the most attention regarding preparing traversal back to the droppod. Escort is also linear but naturally comes with a big tunnel which makes it easy (when Dotty doesn't carve a vertical drop). Other missions feature a rounder, unlinear complex and a shorter exfiltration. Sometimes the pod will drop onto a crap place, with the ramp in mid air, or embedded in hard rock.
• Drillers should watch for adjacent chambers to connect by tunnel. Engineers should bridge chasms and seal holes. Engies can also create safe steps to traverse hot slag and slime. Both can level out arenas where fights are expected (say when prepping for a dreadnought or powering up a salvaged drop-pod)
• In escort the Engineer's grenades make short work of rocks and beamers. (The latter needs something that chips into rock, even a scout with a pickaxe power attack). The Gunner's hurricane rocket launcher manages both nicely.
• Dotty, Hack-C, Steeve, lootbugs, Hexawings, Breathers, Cave Vines can all be petted and should be. Bosco can be saluted. Using the laser pointer, other Dwarves can be talked to.

These are all off the top of my head. There are dozens of others one learns on the path to Greybeard enlightenment. Rock and Stone.

Probably not for everyone here but 'I was a Teenage Exocolonist' is one of the best games in that category I ever played. You feel the developer's love in every character and storyline and being able to have so many different outcomes really made it feel special.

Check out chants of senaar

There's an interesting game that's kinda similar called minit or something 60 second* time limit to play a zelda game but you keep some progress iirc.

It's an itch thing.

That skyrim mod turned game umm forgotten city? might also count. Good shit.

The Witness also falls into this category I think. I love these games as well

I love Celeste for this exact reason!

Chants of Senaar mentioned!!!

Thanks for recommendations! Outer Wilds is phenomenal, and Obra Dinn was so-o satisfactory to complete.

I almost feel like you're describing a job.

I'm always having to learn new practical skills for work, and getting into things I know nothing about and having to learn them to be successful.

The difference is that the skills you learn from playing games usually are not transferable to the rest of your life. There's some exceptions to this but most of the stuff you learn from complex games are completely fabricated for the game and have very little bearing on real life.... Though, am argument can be made in many cases, such as kerbal. I haven't played kerbal, but I understand there's some reasonably accurate orbital mechanics and rocket science involved. This is just one fairly obvious example that I know of. Not to be confused with a comprehensive list of games with practical educational value.

For me though, I usually don't want to learn anything useful while playing a game, since that's basically what I do for work. So any game, like our example of kerbal will, in all likelihood, feel like more work to me, which is decidedly not the objective I'm going for by playing a game.

I dunno. Different games for different folks or whatever.

Trying frantically to remember some recs too but nothing that fits exactly comes to mind except those already mentioned. Probably Cultist Simulator? Though it has frustrating moments where you seem to exhaust all available options and hit the wall without noticing some seemingly random option you have to try. Maybe also Sorcery! series — the more branches you try, the more complete picture of the world you get.

Noita and Who's Lila? 🙏

Didn't think while reading and got 'I want to fuck(ing) fellas' and I concur