With the mist-drenched streets of forthcoming saga The Order: 1886 looking as compelling and moody as it gets, it's hard not to contemplate the games that have truly immersed us in their clutches over the years.
From fantastical landscapes to nightmarish ordeals, Mark Butler picks out his 10 most atmospheric games of all time.
Zachary M. Cain said: Shadow of the Colossus is hailed as one of the best action-adventure titles of its time. The game was originally released for the PlayStation 2 all the way back in 2005. It was so good in fact, it got a remastered version in 2018 for the PlayStation 4 and was well received by old and new fans alike. Let’s revisit this iconic classic in 2024 and see how well it holds up to its past reputation.
Daman Shelley from NoobFeed writes - Dragon's Dogma is truly a one-of-a-kind game, and there really is no other game like it, but there are a few that come close. Whether with their fantasy settings, the ability to climb mountains, or just with the overall same charm as Capcom’s iconic RPG. Here's a list of games that will hopefully scratch that Dragon's Dogma itch.
I can still hear the title screen music in my head after nearly 12 years. Loved every minute of it.
I have no issues filling my time til DD2.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink, Infinite Wealth and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will probably me more than enough.
More terrified I won't be done in time.
Try not to burn yourself out before the game releases. This is going to be a long and immersive RPG like the first one.
The games in this article are all great and I believe the people who are excited for Dragons Dogma 2 probably already played most of those games.
For now, I recommend you prepare yourself for long play sessions if you will be picking up Dragons Dogma at launch.
The past few years have seen some excellent open-world titles on top of the existing classics. Here are some of the very best that you should play.
watching the video is better then going through 31 pages of gamingbolt.
Do they explain in the video why there are two numbers 3? Starfield and Tears of the Kingdom?
Journey certainly sticks in the memory for me as particularly atmospheric.
Certainly agree with Bioshock as well - that opening!
From this last gen, some that come to my mind: Demon's Souls, Fallout, Condemned, Shadows of the Colossus, Journey, Bioshock 1 and Bioshock Infinite.
Before it, the most atmospheric games I've played were the PS2 Silent Hill ones.
Demon's Souls being the top 1. That isolated land breathes despair and madness. Actually, it is my top game ever and its atmosphere is my favorite aspect about it.
No Demon Souls or Dark Souls lol. No game is more immersive and atmospheric than those two games. If I had to choose one as more atmospheric it would have to be Dark Souls as more atmospheric since it is more open world with impressive transitions from place to place. Demon Souls is still probably better overall but Dark Souls wins in that aspect IMO
On a side note, it is funny how almost any "atmospheric" game we refer to have dark themes.
I'd like to add Little Big Planet to Journey in the "not soul crushing" atmospheric games. It is very light hearted (LBP, surely) and its universe is filled with its themes. Perfect atmosphere, I say.
Nightsky