Which one of these walking simulators is your favorite?
GIVEAWAY #1 - Soul Gambler: Dark Arts Edition (LVL 3+)
GIVEAWAY #2 - Virginia (LVL 5+)
BONUS - The Stanley Parable (LVL 1+) - donated by stlpau
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I decided against including Life is Strange since it incorporates other gameplay elements that arguably take it beyond the scope of most titles featured in the list - time manipulation and dialogue choice, to name a few. Same goes for the spin-off game that came out recently.
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hmm I'm not really not sure what do you mean by this,
anyway voted for Firewatch then :D
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I mean that LiS is an episodic graphic adventure with dialogue choices and additional gameplay mechanics, more complex than your average walking simulator, and for that reason off the poll.
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I woudn't call Soma a walking simulator-it had puzzles and actual stealth sections afterall. I'd say the best "serious" ones were The Begginers Guide/Firewatch and the best comedic ones were Jazzpunk/The Stanley Parable.
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The Beginner's Guide wasn't exactly a comedy. In fact it was quite tragic. :)
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Observer is the one I recently play and it's good though you should include in the list but my most favorite one all time, I would say SOMA. I like story, atmophere, etc well almost everthing
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Forgot about observer, it has been added to the extra list!
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The Long Dark. Simply the best. I spent almost 200 hours in it.
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But that's a survival game, not a walking simulator, right? the fact that you do a lot of walking in the game doesn't make it a walking simulator. ^^
Still a very interesting game, and as soon as i finish some other games, i have to give it a try. Was planning to do so for quite some time now...
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You can spend like 15 minutes of real time walking from one place to another, thinking about something on your mind or about something related to game world :) That's why
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i really cannot name one definite favorite. but i will tell you which ones i liked most:
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- Firewatch
- The Fidelio Incident
- What Remains Of Edith Finch
- Virginia
- The Stanley Parable
- The Beginner's Guide
I would probably vote for The Beginner's Guide, because it's probably the most intense of all those. But I can't, and there is not "other" option. ^^ Voted for Edith Finch instead, which was also excellent (like every game on my list). Virginia is heavily underrated, if you ask me.
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I didn't play most of the games listed, but I still can see that lot of the games you're mentioning are not walking simulators. You seem to put adventure, survival and puzzle games all in the one bag with walking simulators but there are differences. Walking simulator is a type of a game that lacks the common gameplay elements, mostly traditional interactivity, win/loss conditions, scripting and certain progression. In your typical walking simulator the only gameplay elements are exploration, observation and movement, i.e. walking. The only interaction in these games are only very basic and consist mostly of getting a background information (triggering a narration, playing and audio file, reading a note etc.) that has no impact on the gameplay itself. Proteus, Dear Esther and Gone Home are good examples of walking sims. But SOMA for example is an adventure, Long Dark is a survival, Firewatch, Kona, Miasmata are all both, again, an adventure games. Due to this discrepancy, I'm forced to vote for Bad Rats ;)
edit: I get it and already edited my post, you can now stop messaging me about Firewatch! :) It's a walking sim and it's a great one!
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i disagree. Firewatch is definitely a walking sim. So is Fidelio Incident, which also has a few puzzle elements to it. The core element in both these games is still walking through the story. See it from a different angle - a hardcore adventure gamer would never accept Firewatch as an adventure game. ^^ Walking sims are relatively new and currently evolving. It's only natural that different elements get mixed in. As long as the core experience is true to the genre, you can still consider a game a walking sim. I agree that some of the games you mentioned are not quite what I understand as a walking sim. But Firewatch - definitely. :)
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I guess Firewatch is either very bland adventure or action packed walking sim but I agree to a certain degree that Firewatch has many elements of a walking sim and I wouldn't mind categorizing it as such. But I stand by the rest.
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Disagree on Long Dark and Firewatch, and that is why they are featured in the main poll. Some of the others you mentioned do have conflicting elements, and for those reasons are featured as extras. Like the person below mentioned, no serious adventure fan would consider Firewatch to be one, or SOMA for that matter.
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Long Dark is a first-person survival game. It has crafting, enemies, fighting/shooting mechanics, a goal and win/lose condition. Those are all aspects excluding it from being a walking sim, just like The Forest or Stranded Deep are also not walking sims.
SOMA is a first-person horror adventure no matter if this "serious adventure fan" likes it or not... I mean, what kind of argument is that even. Genre is specified by characteristics, not by opinions. And yes, SOMA has some elements mutual with some games from the walking sim genre but itself is not. Just like Amnesia or Outlast are not walking sims as well. Don't mistake inability to shoot/fight with walking simulator.
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Fair enough, I see how that makes sense, but in the end as I explained in the OP, it's a young genre, and elements do cross over sometimes. While SOMA isn't the case, TLD has been featured in numerous walking simulator articles from across the media spectrum, despite its survival elements, which was one of the reasons I included it.
I also expected many people to be unhappy with the poll options, but since we cannot edit polls, it's bound to happen :) A productive discussion and a few new games to look forward to is what I am aiming for anyway :))
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Yes, it's young and still not generally considered a genre of its own. Which is probably not, as it's rather in a sub-genre of adventure game which is why we can easily mistake one for another. And it's the journalists that mostly spread these misconceptions... I've also read articles in the past that included both SOMA and TLD amongst the walking sim games but media can be often wrong just as well as critics. That's why Martian was a best comedy because there were few jokes in the script, ABBA is in the rock'n'roll hall of fame because who the hell knows and Long Dark is walking simulator because you walk in it :)
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It doesn't help that most journalists aren't really very well informed about genre nuances, and that Walking Simulator is still regularly used as a pejorative, despite it having been appropriated into a proper genre label. Or that many individuals not savvy in genre determination are eager to match intuitive sounding labels with basic concepts- ergo, any game with cooperative elements becomes co-op, and any game with walking becomes walking simulator.
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Exactly. You hit the nail on the head with the co-op games. You only need to be on the same side for the game to be labeled as co-operative, even when it only means you stand next to another player when you shoot. Just as every game that where you try not to die is survival and every game other game is now MMO because "lot of people play that, don't they?".
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While I won't argue that some of the selections seem iffy (see my comment below), Firewatch is considered a shining example of how the Walking Sim genre can have depth to it, and arguably has less mechanical involvement than Ethan Carter does (so if you consider Ethan Carter one, you really gotta include Firewatch as well). Likewise, I've never heard it not considered part of The Walking Sim genre, so it really seems a fair pick for the list.
As far as it having dialogue choices, I don't recall the absence of such being part of the definition of Walking Simulators- they're not a 3D form of Kinetic Novels, after all; they already have basic gameplay elements (even if those elements are based primarily in walking and basic object interaction). Players already have been given the ability to have unique playthroughs in several Walking Simulators depending on what elements they interact with (or don't); dialogue choices are just a more straightforward expression of that design.
Walking Simulators can really be considered any game where the emphasis is in atmospheric, narrative-based exploration, where the primary gameplay elements involve walking and object interaction; Meanwhile, exploration games tend to lack the narrative elements and have more mechanical gameplay components (and in recent years, an emphasis on procedural design), and adventure games tend to have less involved environments, more involved narratives, and more involved dialogue or object interaction mechanics. Given how vague the overlap with certain genres is (especially with atmospheric horror games), there's always going to be some games that can fall into Walking Simulator as well as another genre.
Generally speaking, though, design emphasis on things like dynamic mechanics (eg, as you'd use for platforming or combat), involved object interaction (as per many Point and Click games), involved dialogue interaction (as per dialogue-based adventure games), and procedural design elements should all generally suggest that a game isn't actually part of the walking simulator genre. On the other hand, if none of those elements are fully invested in and stand out as part of the core gameplay, and the atmospheric, narrative-driven walking is still the highlight of the gameplay, then a game should still categorize as Walking Sim, regardless of its particular nuances in approach.
[For example, The Long Dark is, ostensibly, primarily a survival game, and thus any walking you do in the game is contributory to the survival elements; the survival elements aren't minor additions to an atmospheric walking narrative leading to a preset narrative endpoint. Ergo, it's a survival game, not a walking simulator.
Meanwhile, Ethan Carter has rich detective and supernatural interaction mechanics, but the primary emphasis is still on the atmospheric, walking-based narrative. While it can still be considered an adventure or mystery game as well, it does meet the expectations of the Walking Simulator genre.]
Then again, given that the OP did put Bad Rats on the risk, joke or not, it's hard to take the intent of the poll seriously at all. :P
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Bad Rats is featured as an ''other'' option, which is clearly stated above ;) TLD was featured because it made its way into so many articles on walking simulators that I felt press coverage alone pushes it into the top 20. In hindsight, a better choice would have been The Beginner's Guide, for example, but oh well, SG polls.
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Coulda gone with The Graveyard, to stay on-genre; Then again, we'd find that one person who actually did find it a profound Walking Simulator experience, that'd complain about it being used as such. :P
I read that, yes, I was just pointing out that Bad Rats is generally used to indicate absurdism. :P
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I was looking for a game with a weird name like ''Other'' or ''Another'' to feature instead, but went for the obvious bad joke in the end :) Would be nice if these multi-game polls had an option for that actually.
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It would, but as you noted, SG polls are rather underdeveloped.
Well, you could always just type 'Potato' into it and select the most amusing result. :P
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Hellblade is not a walking sim. The combat is very heavily part of the experience, and you'll be doing nothing but combat when it comes to interactions.
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no, Hellblade is absolutely not walking sim. i know some people say that, but it's just typical internet bullshit. it is an action-adventure with a hack 'n slash combat system comparable to DmC and other games of that genre. and on top of that it's absolutely brilliant. most atmospheric game of the year so far for me. :)
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While I haven't played it, from what I understand of it The Long Dark shouldn't be on this list- a Walking Simulator is a game that reveals a preset narrative through walking and player interaction with environment; regardless of how much walking there may be in TLD, unless the story mode ended up being rather bland, the survival mode is too procedural and mechanically interactive to qualify for the genre, and as death isn't guaranteed in the survival mode, it lacks the clearly defined endpoint that is also a characteristic of walking sims.
Similarly, I've never heard of Kentucky Route Zero being referred to as a Walking Sim [and unlike the others, it doesn't even have that in its Steam user tags], and some of the other games listed seem to more properly fall into other adventure or exploration genres, instead.
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The Long Dark is on the list though, did you just miss it :) ?
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..right..
Okay, so I was aiming more for an explanation as to why you thought it qualified as a walking sim, not confirmation that it's there on the poll. :P
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You originally wrote ''should be on the list'', that's why I got confused.
I've explained it in the OP above, but in general, it has enough elements IMO to be featured, despite the survival elements. It is frequently mentioned in articles on the subject, and based on all that I decided to include it into the poll proper, as opposed to the extra list. Kentucky is a bit trickier perhaps, but in any case, there is an other option and plenty of games to vote for :)
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In any case, there is an other option and plenty of games to vote for :)
Diluting people's recognition of the meaning of a word is how we get people labeling Team PvP games as co-op, and what makes Steam tag-searching a complete nightmare of genre misappropriations. Likewise, the exploration genre existed well before the more nuanced Walking Simulator genre, so TLD would still properly fall under the first genre, rather than the latter, as the first is still a much better genre fit.
Anyway, I googled, and I can't find any indication that TLD is considered by anyone to be a Walking Sim [there's all of one comment and one article musing over if it shares elements with the genre, and not one that outright classifies it as such (likewise, both seem to be referring to elements of the story mode specifically); further, the developer in fact outright indicates they don't consider it such, but consider it an exploration-survival game instead]; that said, I really was asking for the sake of clarification, not correction.
The OP really doesn't seem to have any explanations about anything within it, and certainly not why you consider specific games to be Walking Simulators, when they're seemingly not considered to be such by anyone else. Mistakes happen, and differences in perspective happen. Both are perfectly legitimate. It's through discussion that we figure out which occurred, and mutually learn. If you want to dismiss the topic, that's fine as well- again, I wasn't trying to go out of my way to correct you, just to understand your perspective (and perhaps correct any misconceptions I may have had). Past that, I do think it's important for "introduction to a genre" threads like these to be accurate, for the reason I mentioned at the top of this comment.
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Know I absolutely get it, but mistakes like that will also happen often, unless we create a separate topic where we nominate games first, and then do a poll later. My apologies on that, though I guess enough people are confused enough to consider TLD at least part of the genre, given the # of votes it has gotten.
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Nah. On polls like these, people generally just pick their favorite game, without worrying about distinctions. There's no doubt TLD is a popular game- in fact, if people did feel more confident about it being part of the genre, it'd likely not be trailing the lead quite as heavily.
unless we create a separate topic where we nominate games first, and then do a poll later
As Winny noted, it's about learning the objective considerations which define a genre. That's true for gaming and music both- some genres do overlap, and there are a seemingly infinite number of niche genres out there, but you can still make clear distinctions in content and objectively determine which genre is more appropriate for a selection. For example, trying to separately define even broad genres like metal and rock to someone only familiar with instrumental or jazz is going to be hard at first- it takes a while to develop "an ear" for things.
Games don't need to be voted on, it's only the genre framework itself that ever needs to be clearly defined. When disagreements of definition can't be resolved, that's generally when we get additional genres out of something- eg, how a Myst-Like is a point-and-click, but entirely different from other point-and-click subgenres; likewise, how a Diablo-like is properly a rogue-lite (which in turn is a derivative of a rogue-like), but is distinct as its own genre. And of course, why we have a bazillion and three different metal subgenres. :P
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I thought Firewatch had it covered based on the early votes, but now Stanley has rushed into the lead. Surprised to see so few votes for Gone Home, Ethan Carter, Rapture, Edith Finch. The first two in particular have been out for a while, highly rated, I guess people like others more.
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Some good choices, but I chose Submerged. I fell in love with that game, and it is one of my favourites of all time.
Layers of Fear is also amazing (and scary!).
One game that is not on the list (but should be) is Home Is Where One Starts. I really enjoyed that game. The same Dev also made The First Tree (another great game I need to finish and that should be on this list).
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I truly don't get the hype around Firewatch. It had a strong narrative, with really amazing interactions and choices, but it all falls apart in the ending. I literally walked past the stupid audio log, because I thought they actually came up with an interesting ending. Games are about escapism, spending 2 hours on a build up of a story, that never happens is disappointing.
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I think The Long Dark has enough survival elements and inventory management so it does not feel like a walking simulator. From the other I would say Stanley Parable then as it's the most unique and hast different endings and awesome level design, narration.
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Have to play most of these but Stanley Parable seems the king so far
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Certainly far from the genre, but definitely a simulator... of what though?
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Haven't played any of them yet but some look really nice :)
Have a bump
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Here's a giveaway for your thread :)
level 1, ends Monday
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Thank you so much, I will feature it above in a second!
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thanks
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Mine is Dear Esther. I've enjoyed others (e.g. Gone Home, Stanley Parable) a great deal, but Dear Esther was my first and each time I play it it evokes an incredibly strong emotional response from me. ( i cri evertim ;_; )
The landscape is remarkably similar to where I grew up and the themes resonate strongly with me. I also adore the soundtrack. In fact, I'm travelling to the UK in January just to experience Dear Esther Live! It promises to be a unique night. Tickets aren't too expensive either, so check it out if you're in mainland UK.
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Mine is not on your list.
It's The Old City: Leviathan
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I really liked Stanley Parable, but The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was the best Walking Simulator I played so far. ABZU is a great game too, but it's more a Swimming Simulator than Walking Sim
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It's a gloomy, gray afternoon where I am, so I thought why not lighten it up with a good ole' discussion and poll? Today's question is...
⭐ What is your favorite walking simulator game of all time? ⭐
Walking simulators are a relatively new genre, but one that has been gathering a lot of critical acclaim and media attention recently. They come in all shapes and sizes - from the ironic meta-commentary of The Stanley Parable to the mystery-solving confusion of Everybody's Gone to the Rapture or Gone Home, there is something for all tastes and preferences.
For the purposes of this poll I tried to narrow down the list as much as possible, and I will include an extra 'Other' option, so everyone can share their favorite game in the comments. Some titles do feature elements from different genres, but I tried to pick those that most fit the description, based on media coverage, as well as gameplay features.
Please remember that this is a relatively young genre, and as such, some confusion is bound to happen when deciding what fits and what doesn't. Two titles have been problematic so far - The Long Dark (arguably a survival game first), and Kentucky Route Zero, which is more of an adventure than anything else. My apologies for perhaps including those too prematurely, since they don't really fit the genre definition that well. In hindsight, The Beginner's Guide and TimeFRAME would have been better for those two spots, but oh well.
⚠️Side-note ⚠️
In order to keep the nice logos in the poll, I had to include Bad Rats: the Rats' Revenge as an option to vote for 'Other' games. If you end up choosing it, please drop a comment and let us know what your favorite title is!
Personally, my favorite would have to be The Stanley Parable, on game structure and narrative development alone, never mind the voice over and overall sense of humor. From the others I have played, Gone Home, Virginia, Journey and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture are the standout titles, though I've also enjoyed Lifeless Planet, TimeFRAME, and Kholat. Hard to describe moments without spoiling, but the closet in Stanley and the ending in Gone Home are two that immediately come to mind. TimeFRAME had some nice narrative and world-building ideas, even though it's almost a student project in terms of length and complexity.
I have a few games in my backlog that I am yet to find time for - Kentucky Route Zero, Submerged, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, ABZU, Layers of Fear, all good and highly rated ones unfortunately!
So, what is your favorite moment, which game left you speechless, what title was underwhelming, what possible sequel are you most looking forward to?
Here is a short list of titles that didn't make it to the top 19, feel free to suggest anything else and expand our knowledge of the genre :) Some are not specifically walking simulators, but do contain certain elements that bring the close enough, IMO.
⭐⭐⭐ GIVEAWAYS ⭐⭐⭐
As a bonus, I will add a pair of giveaways to the thread a bit later, once a discussion gets going and enough votes are in. One will be a higher-level GA of an unbundled walking simulator, the other will be a lower level consolation prize.
Of course, if anyone wants to donate a game for a giveaway - ideally a walking simulator - please do so, it will be greatly appreciated! 😉
EDIT - first invite-only giveaway is here 😎
EDIT 2 - stlpaul has generously donated a copy of The Stanley Parable as a bonus GA! 💖
EDIT 3 - my non-bundled GA is now live as well - Virginia!
Soul Gambler: Dark Arts Edition(LVL 3+, ends at 18:00 CET on 24/11)Virginia(LVL 5+, ends at 18:00 CET on 25/11)The Stanley Parable(LVL 1+, ends at 18:00 CET on 27/11)Comment has been collapsed.