LogFAQs > #977481914

44. Her Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaHw97l7-Lc

You've gotta admire Sam Barlow's commitment to bringing back live action games. Her Story benefits from being his first game to really put this style into the public eye. It's one of the only games (maybe the only game) where I've actively felt compelled to take notes while playing. Legitimately, I had Notepad open the whole time to keep track of important words and what they meant in the context in order to keep deepdiving into the story. And goddamn, what a story this is. It's complex and absolutely fascinating, enough so that I played the entire thing through in one sitting when not intending to because I legitimately couldn't put it down.

43. Abzu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2G54w8H4oM

I think Abzu kind of spelled the end for thatgamecompany in a way. Some of the best talent that made Journey the hit it was went on to form Giant Squid, creating Abzu as a sort of spiritual successor to the uniquely gorgeous visuals and music of Journey and Flower, and by the time another thatgamecompany game finally released, it would be the microtransaction-riddled and uninspired Sky: Children of the Light years later. Abzu, though, is truly beautiful. So much so that there was a moment, maybe 2/3 or so of the way into the game, where I was swimming with some manta rays and listening to whale songs and thought, "man, this is specifically why I like video games."

And that completes this tier! Only 3 more left