Looking for games that feel like a summer adventure
I have this loosely defined made-up genre I call "Summer Games".
It started a long time ago subconsciously. At some point I realized that during the hottest time of the year I gravitate to certain games that I mostly play on a small device (laptop/switch/steamdeck), laying in bed, late at night, when I have trouble sleeping because it's too hot. A friend of mine once said that the reason she loves super high temperatures so much, is that what you experience leaves more vivid, burned in, memories. I think she has a point.
The criteria aren't super rigid but I hope you get the "vibe" and might know some games that fit:
Low-stakes/chill gameplay. I'm already sweating, I don't need sweaty gameplay right now
a warm aesthetic/color palette and/or setting. My outside experience shouldn't feel too different to the games inside experience aesthetic-wise.
It feels like a road trip, adventure or vacation. I want to get a summery memory out of this.
the game leaves some kind of impact.
Games I played in the past that evoked that vibe perfectly:
Kentucky road zero
oxenfree
road 96
firewatch
sable
rime
steins: gate
life is strange
Games that have fit okay-ish
tunic
journey
citizen sleeper
nightcall
no umbrellas allowed
the talos principle
the solus project
the witness
the vanishing of Ethan Carter
If anyone has a recommendation, I'd be thankful.
This year I have started to play chants of Sennaar and it seems to fit the criteria so far.
Maybe the Atelier games would fit the bill? The recent entries, mostly the Ryza trilogy ("Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout", yeah, the title is a bit clunky) don't have the time limit that used to be a staple of the series. Instead, it is incredibly chill, a JRPG in a relaxed, colorful environment with an actually really fun, puzzle-like crafting system (called synthesis, their take on alchemy), which feeds masterfully into combat and resource collecting. It is very fun, and the game feels like going on a summer holiday with friends as a kid. :)