Absolute embodiment of less is more. Controls are simple but intuitive, you can beat it in one session, there's no major payoff in the end. It's just a game about the journey and the friends made along the way.

I still remember having my mind blown that the other figure I met after the tutorial level was not just an NPC, when I noticed their movements were too deliberate and they were solving some puzzles for me.

I made it all the way to the end of the game with that person. Never knew who they even were until their name showed up at the very end. What a cathartic experience. I've also never been able to achieve anything similar since then.

Antichamber

and maybe Portal

Bastion is amazing.

A short hike! Very pleased to see this one mentioned. What a game. The best kids game IMO

Quick, go through their post history and see if they’ve mentioned any Neil Breen films

ENA: Dream BBQ

objective

MEDIA APPRECIATION DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY, GOOD NIGHT!

No shit that’s awesome!

I am here to question Elden Ring's quality

Outer wilds

Clair Obscur has been the best game I've played in a long while, absolute masterpiece

Mega Man X

I added the buddy I ran through the game with and he's still on my friend list decade or so later, amazing experience

Doom (93) I guess ?

Also HL and HL2

Steins;Gate my man cultured AF

Super Hexagon

It's about as simple as a 'modern' game can be (I read there was even a port of it to Commodore 64.) but it's a finely tuned machine. When you lose - and you will, a lot - it feels like mostly your own fault and not the game's.

The difficulty levels very accurately start at Hard for the easiest one. There are 6 total levels, the next 5 difficulties are Harder, Hardest, Hardester, Hardestest, and Hardestestest.

With much time and luck I can beat the first level (unlocking the 4th). On a lost save I had unlocked the 5th level by completing the 2nd, and have only ever seen the 6th in videos from other people. I would have to beat the 3rd to see it myself, and that's not happening.

The criteria to beat a level is "last for 60 seconds".

The Spyro the dragon trilogy for me is just an absolute masterpiece.

Final Fantasy VII, IX and X are three master pieces

Metroid prime and fusion

Fatal Frame trilogy on the PlayStation 2, Forbidden Siren, Silent Hill 2, Resident Evil 2 are amongst the best of the best

In my opinion, Portal 2’s difficulty curve was off. It started in a good place and ended in a good place but was too easy for most of the game.

The two player section was fantastic though.

Super. Hexagon.

It's hard to explain the relief I felt upon beating the last level. I can fairly easily survive for 300s in the first one, but I've never gotten close to beating the last one again.

The most important tip I can give: if you have a 60Hz monitor, turn off VSync. Makes a huge difference.

There's also a "spiritual successor" called Open Hexagon that's extendable by the community if you want more, though I haven't played it myself.

This game will forever live in my heart as an absolute masterpiece. I cry every time I play it because something about it just completely sucks me in.