There's so much more to games than shooting bad guys and playing FIFA. The ever-growing industry is hugely diverse and constantly evolving to incorporate titles of all shapes and sizes and tackling topics such as racism, mental health issues, self-identity, and the future of mankind and the environment. While casual observers may see games as the inferior cousin to the film industry, so many video games offer the kind of emotional resonance, maturity, and carefully crafted narratives associated with the big screen.Pixar has built a reputation for crafting powerful, nuanced, and accessible tales of self-discovery, hope, and redemption, as well as boasting some of the most beautiful and striking effects around. However, there are plenty of games that evoke the same kind of effect in an interactive medium.
Unpacking Is a Relaxing Zen Gem
Sometimes the beauty of a game lies in the unerring simplicity of its premise. In Unpacking, players are presented with nothing more than a room and some boxes. They must unpack each and place the items on or in the appropriate locations, whether than be in shelves, drawers, cupboards, or elsewhere.
The secret of Unpacking is that it creates something ordered and strangely beautiful seemingly from nothing at all, each room becoming more vibrant, lived-in and authentic as more and more items find their ways to their respective homes. As a relaxing, almost meditative experience, Unpacking is a soft, kind illustration of everything falling into place, reminding players to take the time to cleanse the world and, by extension, one's mind and soul in the process.
It Takes Two Is a Heartwarming Journey of Healing and Rediscovery
Video games have become better at exploring complex, mature, and often dark subjects with nuance and innovation. It's easy to think of the gaming market as nothing but casual violence and cheap thrills, but the industry has evolved to tackle issues relating to environmental disaster, mental health and, in the case of It Takes Two, the trials and tribulations of love and marriage.
It Takes Two centers on Rose, a young girl whose parents, Cody and May, are planning to divorce. Distraught, Rose's tears imbue a pair of dolls resembling her parents with life, trapping her mother and father inside the dolls and forcing them to overcome a series of tasks to return to their human forms. Aided by Dr. Hakim, an anthropomorphized therapy book, Cody and May learn how to work together to return to Rose and fix their fractured bond. A testament to the unique power a game can have to convey a meaningful message, It Takes Two has the beauty, wonderm and sincerity of the finest Pixar offerings around.
Ori and the Blind Forest Is a Treat for the Senses
It hard to find many games that come close to the sensory experience conjured by Moon Studio's Ori and the Blind Forest. Following the adventures of a young orphan's quest to save their forest home from the darkness, Ori combines platforming with a range of mechanics to deliver a smooth, flowing gameplay experience.
Visually sublime and featuring a mesmeric soundtrack courtesy of Gareth Coker, who would go on to win an Ivor Novello for his work on the game's sequel, Ori is a mystical, almost spiritual experience that stays with one long after the lights have dimmed and the music has ceased. Followed up by an equally gorgeous sequel in the form of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Ori proves that games can be just as engaging, engrossing, and evocative as their big-screen counterparts.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits Feels Like a Classic Pixar Adventure
Ember Lab's debut game was an underrated gem of 2021, drawing players in with gorgeous game design. In Kena: Bridge of Spirits, player take control of a young spirit guide with various magical abilities as she searches for a sacred Mountain Shrine. With a variety of fun mechanics, including use of a staff for melee attacks, a bow for ranged attacks, and some engaging puzzles, Kena often feels like an endearing cross between Tomb Raider and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The beauty, wonder, and charm of Kena make it the closest players can get to immersing themselves in an actual Pixar movie.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Is an Eye-Poppingly Good Time
As graphics and hardware continue to evolve, the realm once reserved for bleeping bloops and fuzzy pixels now boasts titles of quite eye-watering visual fidelity. Released on the PlayStation 5 to commercial and critical acclaim, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart threatened to shatter the established order by presenting a visual feast so arresting that it really did seem like it was challenging the major movie animations studios for primacy.
Fortunately for Ratchet & Clank fans, Rift Apart plays as well as it looks, providing gameplay that's as tight and rewarding as ever and easily one of the best chapters in the series to date. With great characters, a solid script, and plenty of authentic heart, Rift Apart sets out to match Pixar in many areas beyond the merely aesthetic.
Little Nightmares Is Reminiscent of Pixar's Dark Side
Pixar movies may be primarily child-friendly affairs, but there's nothing more pertinent to the child's experience than the feeling of fear and helplessness in an overwhelming and intimidating world. From the dark, surreal imagery of the Toy Story movies to the exploration of emotional nuance and mental health in Inside Out, Pixar is often at its best when delving into the darker recesses of childhood.
Few games capture this distorted sense of misplacement and uncertainty more than the Little Nightmares games, a pair of genuinely creepy but expertly crafted puzzle-platformers from Bandai Namco Entertainment. Neither title is scary in an overt or grisly sense, but the warped, strange worlds they craft are perfect evocations of every bad childhood dream we wish we could forget.