Help me find a good, stand alone pc game
August 17, 2016 8:23 AM Subscribe
Can anyone suggest a good game that runs on a pc and does not require an internet connection for game play?
I will be going on a 17 day cruise and would like to take along a fun game (or games).
I am retired and fairly computer savvy.
Here is what I am looking for:
Runs on a pc (Win 10)
Playable without internet connection. Maybe the game is downloaded from the net, but after that is can be played independently.
The closer to being like Myst the better. I like the wandering around and gathering clues thing. (I hate first person shooter games).
Logic puzzles good. Calmness good. Beautiful good. Tension, fast reflexes bad.
Free is good, but most any price is fine.
Suggestions please?
Thank you.
G
I will be going on a 17 day cruise and would like to take along a fun game (or games).
I am retired and fairly computer savvy.
Here is what I am looking for:
Runs on a pc (Win 10)
Playable without internet connection. Maybe the game is downloaded from the net, but after that is can be played independently.
The closer to being like Myst the better. I like the wandering around and gathering clues thing. (I hate first person shooter games).
Logic puzzles good. Calmness good. Beautiful good. Tension, fast reflexes bad.
Free is good, but most any price is fine.
Suggestions please?
Thank you.
G
GoG has plenty of adventure games with varying prices, but mostly cheap. It's also DRM free, so you can just download the installer and do it whenever - no offline modes that stop working or anything.
suggestions (other than The Witness):
- There's already Myst and Riven there.
- Grim Fandango is perhaps the best adventure game ever.
- Other Lucas Arts games (Indiana Jones, Sam & Max, Monkey Island, The Dig, Loom, etc) are usually very well written, and low on frustration.
- While they are mostly pretty good, Sierra Quest games (Police/Space/Kings/Larry/QFG) have a tendency to kill you because. It's part of the fun, particularly with Space, YMMV. Gabriel Knight is equally good, but also happy to kill you.
-Broken Sword also doesn't mind killing you, but the worst that happens (I think) is having to restart the scene.
- Heard a lot of good things from Telltale adventure games, but never played them.
posted by lmfsilva at 8:41 AM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
suggestions (other than The Witness):
- There's already Myst and Riven there.
- Grim Fandango is perhaps the best adventure game ever.
- Other Lucas Arts games (Indiana Jones, Sam & Max, Monkey Island, The Dig, Loom, etc) are usually very well written, and low on frustration.
- While they are mostly pretty good, Sierra Quest games (Police/Space/Kings/Larry/QFG) have a tendency to kill you because. It's part of the fun, particularly with Space, YMMV. Gabriel Knight is equally good, but also happy to kill you.
-Broken Sword also doesn't mind killing you, but the worst that happens (I think) is having to restart the scene.
- Heard a lot of good things from Telltale adventure games, but never played them.
posted by lmfsilva at 8:41 AM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
I liked Technobabylon as a fun old school adventure game where you talk to people and solve puzzles that aren't overly hard but still fun.
posted by interplanetjanet at 9:01 AM on August 17, 2016
posted by interplanetjanet at 9:01 AM on August 17, 2016
Big Fish Games has a ton of these games. You can play any of them for an a hour for free to make sure you like it and then they are usually $10. Once you download and install it, there no need for an internet connection.
posted by soelo at 9:03 AM on August 17, 2016
posted by soelo at 9:03 AM on August 17, 2016
Related: Real Einstein's Riddles is an awesome logic puzzle game for the phone or tablet.
posted by wwartorff at 9:22 AM on August 17, 2016
posted by wwartorff at 9:22 AM on August 17, 2016
The closer to being like Myst the better. I like the wandering around and gathering clues thing. (I hate first person shooter games).
Logic puzzles good. Calmness good. Beautiful good.
You almost certainly want The Witness as ODiV mentioned. It's the most magnificently well-designed puzzle game I've played in a long time. Myst was obviously a big influence. As a bonus, the graphics are gorgeous. (Caveat: It doesn't really have a story per se.)
(As you can probably see from the trailer, the solutions to the puzzles are entered on standardized panels. How you arrive at that solution is very often informed by environmental clues, though.)
posted by neckro23 at 9:34 AM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Logic puzzles good. Calmness good. Beautiful good.
You almost certainly want The Witness as ODiV mentioned. It's the most magnificently well-designed puzzle game I've played in a long time. Myst was obviously a big influence. As a bonus, the graphics are gorgeous. (Caveat: It doesn't really have a story per se.)
(As you can probably see from the trailer, the solutions to the puzzles are entered on standardized panels. How you arrive at that solution is very often informed by environmental clues, though.)
posted by neckro23 at 9:34 AM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
The only video game I have *ever* played to completion is Plants vs Zombies - the original one, on the desktop. Not only played to completion, but then started over and played through a second time, *and* still play casually on my phone. (Bejeweled is the only game I've played more, and that one doesn't really ever "finish".)
And when you don't feel like playing the main game, or the mini games, there's a plant nursery where you can grow flowers for coins, with cheerful soft music and a snail that will go pick up the coins for you, and there have been days where I have done that for an hour or longer just for how soothing it is. (There's also an aquarium, but I've never quite figured out how it works.)
The subsequent games are crap, pretend they don't exist.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:35 AM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
And when you don't feel like playing the main game, or the mini games, there's a plant nursery where you can grow flowers for coins, with cheerful soft music and a snail that will go pick up the coins for you, and there have been days where I have done that for an hour or longer just for how soothing it is. (There's also an aquarium, but I've never quite figured out how it works.)
The subsequent games are crap, pretend they don't exist.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:35 AM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
My child who loved Myst also loved Lemmings.
I am a fan of SimCity 3000. If you turn off disasters, you need no reflexes. You can even pause the game after you get your annual influx of tax money to decide what do with it and actually lay out new infrastructure while everything is time stopped. SimCity 3000 is currently available on GOG for, like, $10 or less (we got it on a GOG sale recently, I think for $5).
posted by Michele in California at 10:12 AM on August 17, 2016
I am a fan of SimCity 3000. If you turn off disasters, you need no reflexes. You can even pause the game after you get your annual influx of tax money to decide what do with it and actually lay out new infrastructure while everything is time stopped. SimCity 3000 is currently available on GOG for, like, $10 or less (we got it on a GOG sale recently, I think for $5).
posted by Michele in California at 10:12 AM on August 17, 2016
Seconding The Witness. You also might enjoy Braid, which was created by the same guy.
posted by dinnerdance at 10:42 AM on August 17, 2016
posted by dinnerdance at 10:42 AM on August 17, 2016
Thirding The Witness. The Talos Principle may also be relevant: there were a few puzzles that required some minor platforming and movement, from what I remember, but it was mostly puzzle solving with lasers and blocksn and timing.
posted by isauteikisa at 10:54 AM on August 17, 2016
posted by isauteikisa at 10:54 AM on August 17, 2016
Oh man, you're going to love The Witness
posted by Ragged Richard at 12:17 PM on August 17, 2016
posted by Ragged Richard at 12:17 PM on August 17, 2016
Games I played and really liked while waiting for various installations of the Myst series back in the day include Schizm: Mysterious Journey, Schizm: Chamelion, Rhem I and II (I think there might have also been a 3 and 4), and Obsidian. I assume but can't guarantee that they'll behave on modern OSs if you can find them in bargain bins or on eBay.
posted by aught at 12:20 PM on August 17, 2016
posted by aught at 12:20 PM on August 17, 2016
Kentucky Route Zero might also be up your alley
posted by Ragged Richard at 12:22 PM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Ragged Richard at 12:22 PM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
https://www.gog.com/game/firewatch
might work. I haven't played, but I hear mostly good things. I don't know if there is much logic puzzles, but it is apparently a experience.
posted by Jacen at 1:30 PM on August 17, 2016
might work. I haven't played, but I hear mostly good things. I don't know if there is much logic puzzles, but it is apparently a experience.
posted by Jacen at 1:30 PM on August 17, 2016
The Room is great, but I think the full play-through time is about 45 minutes, isn't it?
posted by Lyn Never at 3:53 PM on August 17, 2016
posted by Lyn Never at 3:53 PM on August 17, 2016
You must play Machinarium!!!
There is a demo online you can look at, but I would just skip to buying it.
Relaxing, gorgeous music and artwork, lots of puzzles, and funny.
posted by sacchan at 5:02 PM on August 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
There is a demo online you can look at, but I would just skip to buying it.
Relaxing, gorgeous music and artwork, lots of puzzles, and funny.
posted by sacchan at 5:02 PM on August 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
Everything by Amanita Design - I love Botanicula and the Samorost series (Sam 1 is available for free). They did Machinarium, and the only reason I don't love it as much as Botanicula is a matter of art style preferences; the story/puzzle aspects are wonderful.
Daedelic Entertainment has several point-and-click adventure games; for those, I'd recommend checking reviews before purchasing - the games themselves are well-made, but they cover a broad range of styles. I find Night of the Rabbit delightful; the Deponia series are fun but the protagonist is an over-entitled jerk, so the game is only fun when you're in the mood for watching him annoy his way to eventual success.
Please Don't Touch Anything is a fun "figure it out as you go along" puzzle game. Find out how many ways you can destroy the world!
For pure puzzle games, the Hexcells series are excellent. The second and third are just more puzzles, with a few extra twists available. It's rather like Minesweeper without the randomness - you are always given enough info to solve it without any misclicks, if you're careful. And the music is pleasant soothing.
Do you like hidden object or visual novel games? I don't have solid recommendations for those - I'm just starting to dabble in them and haven't forked over money for the highest-rated ones; the cheap/free ones are mostly mediocre. But they're probably good enough to decide if you like the genres and then go looking for better suggestions.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 5:20 PM on August 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
Daedelic Entertainment has several point-and-click adventure games; for those, I'd recommend checking reviews before purchasing - the games themselves are well-made, but they cover a broad range of styles. I find Night of the Rabbit delightful; the Deponia series are fun but the protagonist is an over-entitled jerk, so the game is only fun when you're in the mood for watching him annoy his way to eventual success.
Please Don't Touch Anything is a fun "figure it out as you go along" puzzle game. Find out how many ways you can destroy the world!
For pure puzzle games, the Hexcells series are excellent. The second and third are just more puzzles, with a few extra twists available. It's rather like Minesweeper without the randomness - you are always given enough info to solve it without any misclicks, if you're careful. And the music is pleasant soothing.
Do you like hidden object or visual novel games? I don't have solid recommendations for those - I'm just starting to dabble in them and haven't forked over money for the highest-rated ones; the cheap/free ones are mostly mediocre. But they're probably good enough to decide if you like the genres and then go looking for better suggestions.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 5:20 PM on August 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
If your trip is after August 24th, Obduction by Cyan (makers of Myst and Riven) is supposedly coming out then.
posted by speicus at 9:14 PM on August 17, 2016
posted by speicus at 9:14 PM on August 17, 2016
I'll take a quick look at my library. If you're into puzzles and similar, here's what I recommend:
posted by andycyca at 11:14 AM on August 18, 2016
- Zachtronics makes great thinking games, but you might want to give SpaceChem a try first. Even though it uses chemical symbols, you don't really need to know chemistry to play it. You'll need logic, lots of it, though
- Desktop dungeons is an interesting take on the dungeon crawling game. It's not the easiest one, but it does reward using your brains, quick reflexes are useless here
- Osmos is interesting, easy to pick up and you can play it for a few minutes at a time
- Lexica is an interesting breed between Sudoku and traditional crosswords. I have no better description.
- Even though they don't make puzzle games, Spiderweb makes very nice old-school isometric RPGs, reminiscent of pen and paper games. I have only played Avadon: The Black Fortress and Avernum: Escape from the Pit, both are great. These are also cross-platform
posted by andycyca at 11:14 AM on August 18, 2016
Wasn't going to comment, but I can't say enough positive about Desktop Dungeons. I don't know if it's what you're looking for exactly (I've described it as dungeon minesweeper before) but I've been playing it since the beta years ago and still fire it up from time to time. It's one of the greatest games I've ever played.
posted by booooooze at 12:40 PM on August 18, 2016
posted by booooooze at 12:40 PM on August 18, 2016
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posted by ODiV at 8:31 AM on August 17, 2016 [6 favorites]