I was in the supermarket earlier in the week when I heard the latest Band Aid single. Christmas has officially begun, and I despair. For those of you who hate Christmas as much as I do, I’ve compiled a short list of sad games that will make even the jolliest of fat, hairy old men with sacks exclaim ‘Bah! Humbug!’. Here are six games that will pour some much-needed misery on your season of good will.
This ambitious indie gem from Starbreeze slams its cards on the table from the off when the game begins with a dead mother, a dreadfully ill father and two vulnerable children. Desperate to cure their father, the two brothers embark on an astonishing journey across a land populated with trolls, griffins and invisible giants. With gameplay and scope reminiscent of Ico, the two brothers have to climb and solve puzzles in order to get closer to reach the tree that holds their father’s salvation. It’s a game without dialogue which manages to portray heart-wrenching loss, grief and childish naiveté.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
The first time you play Shattered Memories, you think its just a standard horror game that’s a bit short on scares. The second time you play it, you realise its actually a truly heart-breaking story of death and denial. After crashing his car on the edge of the infamous Silent Hill, Harry Mason is forced to scour the town in search of his missing daughter Cheryl. The game is laden with clues which point towards the true nature of the story, and once those jigsaw pieces fall into place, you’ll be sobbing into your hanky come Boxing Day.
Possibly the most affecting and upsetting game ever made, Spec Ops: The Line tells the story of a misguided soldier, clearly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, who leads his three man-troupe into the heart of darkness and beyond. It’s an unflinching analysis of the attitudes towards violence in modern gaming in the guise of a standard, third-person modern warfare shooter. What starts out as a simple scouting mission soon snowballs out of control as the protagonist decides he wants to be the hero, only to find himself the villain. Spec Ops is by far the saddest game on this list.
“At times we must purge things from this world because they should not exist. Even if it means losing someone that you love”
No, I will never stop banging on about this game. Deadly Premonition is a terrifying, addictive, funny, hypnotic and (rather fittingly for this list) mournful third-person Japanese horror game. To some, it’s a glitchy, poorly presented Twin Peaks rip-off. To others, its one of the best games of all time. The trick to this particular game’s misery is to ensure that the player adores the quirky protagonist, York, only to put him through the emotional wringer. From his tragic back-story to the game’s gut-punch of an ending, it grips the player and doesn’t let go.
Tomb Raider
Crystal Dynamics triumphant reboot of Tomb Raider won’t make anybody shed a tear, but it does manage to be relentlessly depressing. Seeing a young and inexperienced Lara Croft get shipwrecked on an island full of murderous cultists, who proceed to beat and brutalise her with every given chance, is dismal. It’s a constant struggle against the odds, and it seems that with every inch of progress she makes, she has to endure some savage violence, whether that be a severe burn or a nail through the stomach. It does fall apart a bit towards the end, but for the most part, Tomb Raider is an incredibly miserable and immersive experience.
Don’t Look Back
Available for free on the Ouya, on mobile devices and in browser, Don’t Look Back is a stark and minimalist adaptation of the Orpheus legend from Greek mythology, which takes the form of a challenging platformer. Despite its humble visuals and lack of dialogue, I found it to be a deeply moving experience. It begins with a man staring at the grave of his wife (I assume), before he decides to descend into the underworld to save her. It perfectly encapsulates the desperate fantasy of someone who has lost somebody dear to them and cannot accept their reality, and no amount of mulled wine and gaudy decorations can plug that kind of hole.
Don’t Look Back can be played for free here.
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A jaded horror enthusiast, I get my kicks hiding in cupboards from whatever hideous creatures happen to be around. However, I'm more than happy playing a wide range of genres on both consoles and PC. Apart from writing for Z1G, I'm also a History student.
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