The ability to reduce players to tears is not unique to one genre. Each different type of game has the ability to pull on those heart strings, leaving players as blubbering messes. Indeed, while Triple A games are often some of the most emotionally charged experiences on the market, it is the indie scene that has mastered the art of the tear-jerker. With that in mind, here are some of the best indie games on the market that are sure to make players cry.
8 Kentucky Route Zero
Kentucky Route Zero is a magical realist odyssey through the shadowed highways and rivers of Kentucky, as well as the subterranean network of tunnels known only as The Zero. Players will take on the role of a number of characters throughout this five-part story, though the plot is often told from the perspective of Conrad, and his loyal old dog. Kentucky Route Zero focuses on the effects of decay, the ruin corporations leave in their wake, and the people left to pick up the pieces.
As players travel The Zero, they will meet orphaned children, lost office workers, and old restaurant owners all with a story that could reduce anyone to tears. That, combined with the evocative art style and heart-wrenching music, makes this an indie game that will certainly bring players to tears.
7 Disco Elysium
ZA/UM’s irreverent CRPG, Disco Elysium, is often hilarious, more than often political, and sometimes completely heartbreaking. Players take on the role of an amnesiac detective, suffering perhaps the worst hangover in gaming history, as he and his partner Kim search for the perpetrator of a murder in the city of Revachol. Much like the previous entry in this list, the tears in Disco Elysium come from its characters and how they respond to the challenges the world throws at them.
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Despite being set in a fictional city, this game puts a mirror up to the real world and forces players to consider the reflection. Each character has unique and, mostly, valid perspectives on the history of Revechol, bringing with them heartbreaking stories of loss and determination. One especially tear-worthy tale simply follows a woman and her husband, who has not come home in a few hours. Despite being a completely missable quest, it is truly one of the saddest stories in gaming. Undoubtedly, this is one to play for those who want to laugh and cry.
6 Journey
Journey is an indie game of legend at this point. Its simple beauty is, forgive the dramatics, enough to reduce players to tears. Combine that with an original score that is up there with the greatest gaming has ever produced and an artstyle that means the game still looks brand-new today, and players have a really special experience.
What makes this game special, and certainly has the potential to make players cry, is its multiplayer mechanic. As players journey through, well, Journey, they will meet with unnamed people who are also experiencing the game. Together, players and their anonymous companions travel through the world experiencing its wonder together, only to be separated when the game comes to an end.
5 Pathologic 2
Pathologic 2, a well-known but rarely-played game by developer Ice Pick Lodge, features many of the staples of an indie game with the potential to make gamers cry: a great score, wonderful characters with complex motivations and backstories, and emotional stakes that really add weight to the player’s decisions. However, there is another aspect to Pathologic 2 that will bring a tear to the player’s eyes.
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This is, without a doubt, its relentless difficulty. This isn’t difficulty for difficulties sake, however. Rather, the challenge of Pathologic 2 compounds every emotional beat in the game, making the mistakes players make and the character losses hit even harder. This is a game that many avoid due to its difficulty, but it’s this challenge that makes it and will mostly lead to a tear of sadness, or perhaps rage, fall from the player’s eyes.
4 Outer Wilds
The Outer Wilds has quickly become an indie darling since its original release. This game has everything one would want if they are looking for a little crying session. The epic and overwhelming expanse of space, a soundtrack so emotionally moving it can make one cry on its own, and a story of an ancient people lost to time.
Exploring the solar system in Outer Wilds, slowly discovering the secrets of these long-lost people and then seeing it all consumed by the sun at the end of a cycle is really something to behold. It’s more than enough to pull on those heart strings.
3 Ori And The Blind Forest
Ori and the Blind Forest is famed for its beautiful visuals and heartbreaking story. Despite now being part of Microsoft’s line-up, this beautiful platformer began as an indie title, and it certainly has the potential to make players cry.
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Throughout this Metroidvania style game, players take on the roles of Ori and Sein as they attempt to bring balance back to their home. This story features characters all with unique perspectives and backstories, with every one having the potential to bring tears to player’s eyes.
2 This War Of Mine
11 Bit Studios’ 2D wartime simulator, This War of Mine, is a game worthy of this list, having the potential to make even the most stoic of players weep. In this game, players are forced to manage supplies for a group of survivors in a fictional war-torn city.
Like many of the games on this list, This War of Mine takes the realities that so many people go through and puts them front and center, making for an extremely saddening experience. Ultimately, this is a stark recreation of the pain that war can cause.
1 Papers Please
Not many games have the potential to cause as much conflict and pain on the player’s behalf as Papers Please. In this indie title, players act as a border officer who must choose whether to allow visitors, immigrants, and refugees into their country. With each decision the player makes, the latter choices become tougher and more complex.
This is a harsh and unfaltering realization of the world we live in, portraying the gut-wrenching ordeals that thousands of displaced people go through every single day. This game can be a very difficult experience and is more than likely to make players cry.
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