Viking

All good. But due to the combination of artistry, world persistence, strategic building physics, and strategic terrain sculpting, Valheim tops them all in sense of agency and immersion.

I share your sentiment, except that I'm not so sure it is that popular.

I don't want to follow a prescripted character through a predetermined world, with optional side quests thrown in to claim "open world" status. What I want, is an interesting world for my character to be dropped into--a character not so special, except that through easy suspension of disbelief, it is *me* and malleable. I want agency in a world unpolluted by unbelievable distractions like magic, superpowers, and suspension of physics. I want Kenshi or Valheim.

But, a virtual life, like a real life, requires an extensive virtual grind to feel real. That is where artistry comes in.

I can with great pleasure wander for hours through the meadows of Valheim picking up sticks and hunting game, because the music that I live in is sublime, and the visuals are not faux-realistic, but like a painting I don't want to stop staring at. I can spend all day cautiously elevating my character through the swamps and caves of Qud, because the background music is hauntingly alluring, and the randomly cobbled-together but detailed textual descriptions are perpetually made coherent by *my* imagination. I want a virtual life that only ends when my virtual life ends, or when my real life puts it on terminal pause.

But most people, I'm afraid, just want a movie with a vestigeal gamepad. And so we get inundated with technically open worlds that have no in-game purpose, aside from tourists who decide to stop playing just so they can look around at what the game designers have sculpted--optional walking simulators as background to nonagentic cinema speckled with mindless trial and error arcady action.

In short, I am an adult. A week-long sequence of 10 minute runs of high res Space Invaders is a suitable distraction for my young kids. But with gaming, I'm looking for for something MORE than the alteady enormous library of masterfully-crafted books and video provides. I'm looking for fiction with sense of agency.

Realism is a mistake. It always falls short of its obvious target, and so is constantly reminding you that there is something wrong with it--that it is just a game. That you are living in an age of very limited technology.

Artistry is better, but perhaps more difficult. It certainly is more likely to pass the test of time. I'll take the imagery of Sable, Valheim, and Don't Starve over failed attempts to imitate film any day.

Valheim has the most interesting and immersive building, since it requires strategic engineering with materials and structures that conforms to world physics.

Games like Minecraft and Enshrouded, where you can leave walls permanently floating in midair, and different materials only impart different esthetics are like pointless external CAD diversions that remove you from the game. It was the most disappointing "improvement" in Nightingale when the devs removed building physics and suddenly everybody's Victorian bases became absurdly tall.

Graphics, art style, voice acting, and animation are excellent. Runs very smoothly. Didn't notice any bugs.

But linear handholding games that wish they were movies are dreadfully boring. And a bit irritating, since I can't even multitask any work like I can with a real movie. Lost interest in about an hour. Went back to Necesse for another 4 hour run.

Art style trump's realism every time. I've played pixel art games more visually alluring than top AAA ray traced games. But you are right--Elden Ring excelled in both art direction and graphics fidelity.

I've restarted Astroneer 4 or 5 times since it's release, and I still can't figure it out. I restarted NMS and Subnautica several times over several years before I finally figured them out and thoroughly enjoyed them (NMS today is more approachable than it initially was). V Rising I kind of figured out after a couple of restarts, but can't get used to the weird camera controls for gamepad (initially it didn't support gamepad at all, so was not for me). I've forced myself to play as far as building a rudimentary base, but it just isn't an immersive game. Grounded I've restarted a few times, even forced myself to play for a few hours, but just can't get into it.

Games I was able to enjoy after only a single restart with several years interim: Project Zomboid, Don't Starve Together.

Valheim I was hooked into hundreds of hours of playtime from day one. Instant grok and immersion. This is the gold standard for ease of entry with full immersion.

Other games I immediately got into include Conan Exiles, Enshrouded, Cult of the Lamb, Kenshi, Ark Survival, Small Land, Dysmantle, Dredge.

For me, being able to play and enjoy well before knowing most of the mechanics of the game is key. Also, having to struggle figuring out basic controls, or requiring going to the help screen just to get started kills the immersion, and I lose interest. Intuitive basic mechanics, and continuous in game instructions that don't require memorization are how a game keeps a new by involved.

I tried. But most of my time was spent on cut scenes. Then I seemed to be hopelessly trapped in some inter-dimensional tar that I couldn't get through, and couldn't go around, because it seems this is actually a linear game.

Some game developers appear to actually want to be film developers instead. I wish they would just do that and leave gaming to those offering the audience something that only gaming can--a sense of agency. I don't need my movies filled with frustration and endless repeats.

I just started playing Nightingale after trying the new demo. I had avoided it because of the bad reviews. Its Steam reviews must be some kind of conspiracy. I have no idea how such a quality production can get torn to shreds like this one did. Good for me, I suppose, since I only had to pay $16 for game that beats most $60 yawn fests.

Agency. I seek a sense of agency.

In real life, lack of agency drives even well-provided people to depression, nihilism, and anomie, while agency drives even destitute people to hope, inspiration, and enterprise. Whether or not it can even exist at a fundamental physical level, a *sense* of agency is central to human joy, motivation, and flourishing. A well-crafted open world survival game can provide some degree of such a feeling in a way that a book, film, visual novel, or hand-holding linear narrative never possibly could.

My favorite remains Valheim. Subnautica had me enthralled, until I saw someone go into creative mode and conjure up everything my future had in store. I never went back into the game after that. The illusion was permanently shattered.

Sable is a beautiful experience--a work of art. I don't know why a studio with such talent has not put out more games.

Elden Ring can be explored for many hours with very little stress or combat, since the open world and stealth allow you to mostly avoid conflict, with very few boss gateways between major sections of the map.

Except for base attacks, Valheim can be a peaceful experience where you seek out interesting random landscapes to terraform and base build upon.

Enshrouded has a beautiful world to serenely explore with mostly very easy combat until you are ready for a challenge.

No Man's Sky is perhaps the quintessential cozy exploration game, if that is your choice. The suprise combat is easy, and usually something you can just fly away from, or duck into the safety of a space station.

It is a great game, and could be the foundation for many great future games as well. It is a categorical improvement over modern AAA games.

My wishlist starts with building structural physics that vary with different materials, and base attacks to give it purpose. Although at this point, with all the construction already existing in the game, I suspect thst would have to wait for Keen's next project.