Hello. I have been playing Hades the past few days and have been enjoying it a lot more than I expected. I was looking forward to completing it but recently I have been experiencing pain in my palms and fingers. I'll be seeing a doctor soon but in the meantime I was advised not to overexert my hands lest I damage it further in case the pain is caused by straining my hands. I'm quite bummed that I can't continue playing Hades for the moment but I decided I'll just play other games in the meantime.

TL;DR: I'm looking for singleplayer games that don't require extensive hand/finger movements. Games that I already own are preferable, but I am open to buying new games in the current sale if there are good recommendations. :) Games that aren't currently on sale are welcome as well, since I'm always searching for new games to look out for.

I'll just list some qualities to make it easier since I think "doesn't require much hand movement" might be pretty vague.

Good:

  • Already own/currently on sale (not a requirement, however. It's just a plus for me ^^)
  • Controller support (It's easier for me to hold a controller than the mouse for an extended period)

Might be difficult for me:

  • Requires a lot of clicking and/or mouse movement
  • Time-sensitive (I have to rest my hands every once in a while)

Here is an offering to thank you for your time.

Thanks to everyone in advance. ^^

3 years ago*

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Its not a game, but also important: get proper equipment!
You can always check ergo recommendations, but i would start with a proper mouse: probably a vertical one is a good start and if possible get one for each hand and use your other hand whenever possible. Seating posture is also a main factor for either carpal tunnel syndrome or other repetitive stress induced issues.
While you might feel its just an inconvenience now, you are on the wrong track already. Tread lightly and you can prepare for extended periods of severe pain.

Hope you will get better and take good care!

3 years ago
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You're right, that's probably great advice. XD Admittedly I really am looking at it as a temporary thing, but it might not be so. Do you have any recommendations for an ergonomic mouse? I've been looking into a few but I don't really know much about them and how they're different from regular ones. Thanks for responding! ^^

3 years ago
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Hey. i tried quite a few different styles: trackball, elevated mouse, vertical mouse etc, but for me the only thing that worked was vertical mouse COMBINED WITH regular switching of hands.
The good news is, once the pain/inconvenience is gone you wont need to switch hands that often as proper posture and vertical mouse will help you avoid it coming out again. If you will switch back to sg not ergonomic (normal mouse) it takes only a few days until the pain comes back.
The exact type of vertical mouse that will work for you i can't tell as your hand size, your posture and possible your other preferences are the deciding factors. I used very expensive vertical mouses and cheap vertical mouses too, what i can tell it is not the price that's gonna help you choose a good one. There are pretty good vertical mouses in the lower prices as well. You need to try them to find the comfortable for your hand.

3 years ago
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Ooh, I see. That makes sense. I've been looking into it as well and I think it'd be great for long-term even if my current situation is only temporary. I'll try to search around and hopefully I'll find one that works for me. ^^ Thank you so much for the advice! :)

3 years ago
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3 years ago
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3 years ago
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I don't know your taste but i recommended this https://store.steampowered.com/app/632470/Disco_Elysium/
I hope you can recover and enjoy

3 years ago
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Ooh, that's actually at the top of my wishlist right now. :D I was contemplating buying it but I was a bit hesitant to continue with the purchase. XD Thanks for the recommendation, I will consider it!

3 years ago
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Looking at our common games... maybe not 100% working for you but you've got some unplayed Telltale games, where you often just sit and watch until you to some button clicking and mouse moving sometimes. I just got done with The Wolf Among Us today and thought the gameplay was really easy. The time sensitive segments are really short and don't have any complicated moves. (I really recommend it for the story too, what a unique setting)

VNs maybe, many of them have autoplay for the text if clicking is too harsh. Just don't read any NSFW ones if you have trouble moving your hand. You own Danganronpa V3 but haven't played it yet and that's a disgrace, but since you've played the other ones you probably know whether or not you'd be able to take it :p

3 years ago
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I was thinking Danganronpa too, but for the exploration part you might need to do some clicking.
I also own V3 and haven't played it yet, but mostly because i'm in the middle of the first one yet and can't carve out enough time from my family to advance fast. I hope it doesn't count as a disgrace ;)

3 years ago
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Noooo, take your time, the games are long and you'll get there eventually :D It was a bit of a joke comment (or maybe not because the DR games don't deserve to stay in backlog hell). OP is probably working at them too if they've gotten that far in the series lol

3 years ago
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Ah, this reminds me that I should play A New Frontier! I was also actually thinking of VNs for a bit, but I forgot about autoplay and thought it would need a lot of clicking. XD I wanted to play V3 but I got stuck playing Ultra Despair Girls because of the difference in play style + I kinda don't like the protagonist. (Still a disgrace though, haha! T^T) I think I don't need to finish that one but I just wanted to play it before V3 for the additional background story but never got around to finishing it...

Thanks for the recommendations! ^^

3 years ago
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You would kind of need UDG for the DR3 anime, but for the V3 game... no, I don't think there's any backstory from that game in particular you would miss. V3 is kind of its own thing compared to the other games. Playing it now should be fine

Hope you get better!

3 years ago
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I see. :o Then hopefully I can get around to finishing UDG in the future as well. Thanks! ^^

3 years ago
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The only game (which I've played) in your Library that fits into that is 100% Orange Juice since it's a board game and thus you only really need to do a handful of clicks per turn (with a lot of downtime while the other players are doing their turns) and the game even has the option to automate some of those clicks.
(The other kind-of-option is One Finger Death Punch, since it only uses two buttons and is played with one hand, but because you say that both of your hands hurt, it would be a bad choice since it is a very intense game.)

As someone else said above, it's probably a much better idea not to play anything at all until you get your hands checked out by a professional.

3 years ago
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Depending on exactly what the problem is, you may want to consider a trackball instead of a mouse. Takes a bit of getting used to, but it eliminated the wrist pain I was suffering.

3 years ago
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Ohh, I've never tried using it before. :o (except maybe the old mice that had trackballs LOL but I searched it up and it looks different) Is it a lot different from using regular mice? They seem to have the same shape so I thought using them would be kinda similar.

3 years ago
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The trackball doesn't move around like a mouse, instead your thumb moves the ball. Can be easier on the wrist and forearm since you're not moving, but it's more work for the thumb, so depends on exactly what kind of pain you're having.

3 years ago
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Ahh, I see. That makes sense. Maybe I can try it out first if I can find a cheap one and see if it works for me. Thanks for the recommendation ^^

3 years ago
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Perky Little Things

i pretty much hate all point n click hidden object games but this one is funny enough to keep my attention for .5 at a time. and i think its still on sale.

3 years ago
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If you like card games, Slay the Spire and Cultist Simulator are both super fun. Not a lot APM required

3 years ago
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And Monster Train, Darkest Dungeon.

3 years ago
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Most racing games should be ok imo

3 years ago
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anything turn based or slow paced in general should be fine.

Looking at your games that you haven't played, there's Civilization 3, Civilization 5, X-Com, Cities XL, Galactic Civilizations 2, Fallout,

3 years ago
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I'd say avoid action games. How about point-and-click and adventure games in general, maybe also simulation and non-real-time strategy games.

3 years ago
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Depending on how extensive finger movements we're talking about, Crypt of a Necrodancer could still be enjoyable. 1 hand required (only 4 keys - up, down, left, right), which can be accomplished with 2 fingers in 1 position, and 1 finger moving between up and down. Other than that, no mouse, no wrist, no 2nd hand.
One caveat is that game is layed to the beat of the song (time sensitive), but can really be stopped anytime, or even abandoned mid-run without any real loss (roguelike). There's also a player character that abandons the requirement of playing to the beat (though that's where the joy of playying this game comes from)
Is currently on sale and can be played with controller according to Stam store description, but I haven't tried that myself.

3 years ago
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You could try games with voice control on Itch or Steam or with only one-button input on itch.

From your library, I'd recommend the visual novel Analogue: A Hate Story; it's pretty well written, explores social issues, and you get to play detective. The story can be pretty heart breaking though.

3 years ago
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Thanks for the recommendation, that sounds interesting and quite right up my alley too. I will consider it ^^

3 years ago
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Rosebonbon talked about voice control, I see that you have "There came an echo" in your library. It can be controlled by voice if I remember correctly.

3 years ago
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That's a bummer.

Be careful and try to rest your hands even if you do play more chill games, don't do extended sessions and get a proper vertical mouse. My girlfriend had to have physical therapy for years because of the hours she spent playing Medal of Honor without a proper mouse or controller.

I'd recommend taking a look at your whole library here:
Filter Your Library by Tags
and looking for games with tags like "point and click", "adventure" or "relaxing".

Good luck

3 years ago
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Yup, I've been looking into ergonomic mice since I've read that they're a good help even for those who don't have existing conditions so it'll be good for me even if the pain turns out to be just a minor injury or something. I've been feeling considerably better after a day of rest but I'm being cautious about not straining my hands.

Thanks for the advice! ^^

3 years ago
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You got a lot of good games and looking through your list that you haven't played, Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Zesteria are both great games that don't require much timing-based movements or rapid strikes, and can be played using the controller.

Hope you get your hand checked out soon and try to not over do it. It's usually a good idea to work on range of motion with passive stretching of the hands/fingers/wrists using the other hand. You can always try some gentle heat or ice cooling to see if either helps. Good luck!

3 years ago
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Deckbuilder roguelikes have been my go-to for low hand movement if my wrists are acting up. Both Slay the Spire and Dicey Dungeons have been good good and I believe both are usable with a controller in addition to mouse. Both are currently 50% off on Steam and neither of them require fast reflexes or should be too demanding with quantity of clicks. Hope that helps

3 years ago
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The two truck simulator games can be played with a controller, and they're both on sale.

Euro Truck Simulator 2
American Truck Simulator

3 years ago
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Have you thought about getting some arthritis compression gloves such as https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076CG3C8Q?. They're supposed to help for arthritis, carpal tunnel, RSI, etc. Might help your situation. You should ask your doctor about it.

3 years ago
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Thanks for the advice! :) I'll ask my doctor about it when I go. ^^

3 years ago
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Oh, that does look quite nice. :o Thanks for the rec ^^

3 years ago
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Warsim: Realm of Aslona, keyboard only, just the number (0-9) keys.

3 years ago
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Sunless Seas/ Sunless skies, and use the autopilot/full steam

3 years ago
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3 years ago*
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If you like strategy games, you can play [name of any turn-based strategy game]. And i hope you get well soon.

3 years ago
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You can play: Home, Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Party Hard, Tales of the Neon Sea, Bright Days in Quarantine.

3 years ago
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Thanks for the recs! I will check them out. ^^

3 years ago
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Closed 3 years ago by mikotomaki.