What are some good games with *zero* replayability?

I want to try and play some more games. That feels more fulfilling if you play games that you can finish and be done with.

So what are some good games that have zero (or close to zero perhaps) replayability? I’ll start with my own suggestions:

  • Return of the Obra Dinn: Amazing mystery/detective game. However once you’ve played it, you basically can’t play it again as you remember the solution already and the challenge of the game is trivialized.
  • Chants of Sennaar: Really great game about deciphering languages. However, once again, by playing the game once, you’ll remember the languages and the game has no challenge any more.
  • Outer Wilds: Mystery adventure game. There is some replayability as there are perhaps areas that you can still explore, but largely once you figure out the mystery and complete the game, there’s not much more to experience. Some people speedrun the game though.

All of the above games I value extremely highly even though I only played them ~8-10 hours.

Do you have any others?

iheartneopets,

If you liked chants of shenaar, check out heaven’s vault. I think it does what chants of shenaar does, but better, and it did it years before. It was a bit strange to me to see chants of shenaar get so much hype, but have heaven’s vault stay slept on.

SorteKanin,
@SorteKanin@feddit.dk avatar

I considered it as well, but this review made me reconsider. Would you say it is as bad as that review makes it seem?

iheartneopets,

Funnily enough, what that review said is basically what I said in my review about chants of shenaar, except without the glowing praise. Lots of tedious running across maps and very surface level language-puzzling, whereas I don’t remember any tedium with heaven’s vault at all. I guess different strokes for different folks?

I would say, it’s such a unique and well-executed concept that I would give it a play yourself to see what you think. It’s one of those games I haven’t found a replacement for, even with chants of shenaar.

SorteKanin,
@SorteKanin@feddit.dk avatar

I’ll give it a shot!

swordsmanluke,

Well - I played both and I quite enjoyed Heaven’s Vault as well.

I played HV through twice - once for the story and then a second time to see how far I could alter that story with different choices. My wife even played a third time to try for a really particular set of events.

The translation game in HV goes much harder than Chants’. After the first playthrough, you get longer and more challenging texts to decipher.

Also - there’s no backtracking really required. The game is pretty strict about telling you where you can and cannot go and reacting to what you found or didn’t find. You can cut whole plot lines in HV and it’s no problem.

Which makes it one of the better games for replayablity in my mind.

It is - for sure - slow paced. Almost meditative.

yamanii,
@yamanii@lemmy.world avatar

The remake of shadow of the colossus since they removed the time attack mode with awesome unlocks.

De_Narm, (edited )

They don’t exactly fit with your theme of short mystery and puzzle games, but based on your initial question most JRPGs and most story-focused games came to mind. Let’s go over a few of them I’d recommend to everyone interested in those games:

  • Persona 5 Royal: It’s about a 100h and very story-heavy. There are some twists and turns which keep you engaged and you build relationships with a wide cast of characters. Besides the story and actual combat, there’s a ton of side activities, all of which you only do a few times. It’s probably my favorite game I’ll never replay, because all these things are an absolute slog to play again. The same goes for Persona 4 and maybe 3, haven’t played that one.
  • every Etrian Odyssey: They are old-school dungeon crawlers originally released on the 3/DS and got remakes on steam and the Switch. You draw your own maps of every layer the dungeon has, which is a large puzzle in itself. However, once you know the dungeon, there is literally no point in exploring it again. You know every trap, every worthwhile detour and of course the path to take.
  • Like a dragon 7/8: They combine an open world with lots of mini-games, funny and/or touching side stories and an epic overarching main story to follow. There are tons of interactions with your companions, all of them interesting. It’s just, similarly to Persona 5, all these mini-games and interactions only carry themselves for the short burst you get them in and while they are fresh. Replaying them? It’s an absolute slog. You know every punchline, you have optimized most mini-games and probably remember most of the great backstories each character has - you’d be skipping most of the content and the non-optional combat system isn’t fun enough to carry itself on its own.
yamanii,
@yamanii@lemmy.world avatar

Can’t you have fun in dungeon crawlers by trying other party compositions? Or is EO badly balanced where you can only succeed with an specific composition?

De_Narm,

You absolutely can! There are classes, subclasses and equipable skills depending on the game. All with different builds. You can win with all of them and swapping around can be fun. However, you can also do this within a single playthrough. At least in my opinion, the dungeon is the main draw here - but of course, as with all games here, there are certainly people who like to replay them.

Phelpssan,
@Phelpssan@lemmy.world avatar

I’d argue it’s the opposite, EO games have so many interesting builds to try that they’re among the most replayable dungeon crawler games.

cafuneandchill,

I love Etrian Odyssey V (especially the music), but I suck at it lol

B0NK3RS,
@B0NK3RS@lemmy.world avatar

It’s quite an open question. Most games I play are “one and done” even though I think most people go back to them. Even with replayability it doesn’t mean that you have to and I’m happy to leave things be once the story is over.

Mafia trilogy sticks to the story and will take a decent amount of hours.

Inside is short but fun.

MarcomachtKuchen,

+1 for inside, I love this game

AstralPath,

Don’t forget about Limbo!

ifGoingToCrashDont,

Stranded Deep - one of the only survival/crafting/procedural open world games that has a defined objective and an actual ending.

10/10 don’t need to play it again but I might anyway because it was so great

Stamets,
@Stamets@lemmy.world avatar

I want to like this game but I keep making stupid decisions and being so confused at the start that I just gave up. The game is fun but doesn’t do a fantastic job at explaining how to get going.

Carighan,
@Carighan@lemmy.world avatar

I would also put Subnautica here - and personally say it is worlds superior to Stranded Deep but of course personal preference can give either hte advantage.

Infynis,
@Infynis@midwest.social avatar

Subnautica is replayae just because the world is so beautiful

FilterItOut,

I enjoy replaying it, but the contrast between first time and any repeat is mind-boggling, and nearly enough to say that replaying it isn’t worth it. That first time… wow, it just hit so well.

Rhynoplaz,

What Remains of Edith Finch. A psychological horror game that REALLY sucks you in. As you play, there is a lot of stuff that doesn’t make any sense, but there’s a secret (disturbing) meaning behind it all.

I spent a good chunk of a Saturday going through it and there’s no need to do it again, but it was a great ride!

cloudless,

I am thinking of replaying Edith Finch because I must have missed a lot of details by the time I realised what the story was about.

Aviandelight,
@Aviandelight@mander.xyz avatar

And if you do want more try out Unfinished Swan.

Rhynoplaz,

Thanks for pointing that out, I had never heard of that one. I looked it up and I’ll definitely check it out.

Coelacanth,
@Coelacanth@feddit.nu avatar

The Unfinished Swan is such a hidden gem, honestly. I never hear anyone talk about it. Very unique style and mechanics and an endearing story. Some beautiful environments too. And pretty short, so not a big commitment.

It’s a great, great game.

frickineh,

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a little older but it kind of reminds me of Edith Finch in vibes. It’s also really beautiful.

einlander,

Also take a look at: The Suicide of Rachel Foster

It’s currently 90% off on steam at 1.79USD

swordsmanluke,

Oh man - I loved WRoEF, but the bathtub segment has ensured I can never play it again.

Rhynoplaz,

Oh yeah. They aren’t subtle in that one, you know what’s coming and I think I just muttered “oh no. Oh no. Oh no.” through the whole thing.

bionicjoey,

Funny OP, you named the exact 3 games I was planning on naming here.

SorteKanin,
@SorteKanin@feddit.dk avatar

Great minds think alike 😜

Deestan,

Antichamber - clever first person puzzle game. I played it exactly once and I loved it.

SorteKanin,
@SorteKanin@feddit.dk avatar

Good suggestion, I played it many years ago as well :)

Gork,

I’d place Superliminal in this category as well.

Cethin,

Superliminal was cool, but I just didn’t enjoy it. It was fun for a bit, but I feel like the mechanic overstayed it’s welcome for how simple it is. There’s not very many unique ways to use it. That’s probably why Valve abandoned the idea too.

Still, it’s interesting and worth a shot. Plenty of people love it.

smeg,

You can replay it to find all the extra secrets though

the16bitgamer,
@the16bitgamer@lemmy.world avatar

I replayed it after many years. It was fantastic, now I need to wait another many years to forget the solution.

agent_flounder,
@agent_flounder@lemmy.world avatar

The older you get the more often you’ll be able to play!

Broken_Monitor,

This goes for most of these first person puzzle games. Once you solve the puzzle its not very fun to do it again.

Portal 1 and 2, the Witness, Talos Principle 1 and 2, Manifold Garden - all worth a play through. Next on my list to try is Viewfinder.

SorteKanin,
@SorteKanin@feddit.dk avatar

I kind of got bored of manifold garden. I guess it was the lack of any story. I just had no motivation to continue.

jqubed,
@jqubed@lemmy.world avatar

I play through both Portal games every few years; maybe every 5 or 6. I think I’m due again soon.

Donjuanme,

I feel portal could be replayed if you focused too hard on the puzzles the first time through, there were quite a few secrets worth exploring in that world, though none too deep unfortunately

sxt,

I feel like portal 2 can get by on a playthrough every so many years based on the writing/VA making it enjoyable even if you half remember the puzzles.

Donjuanme,

Copying my comment from elsewhere in this thread

I was going to write anti chamber, because I never want to play it again, but %'s 30-90 of the way through the game I was itching to start over. It had me so hooked, but then the ending just took the wind out of the sails so hard. Heck maybe 10-98% of the game had me itching to replay it.

Zozano,
@Zozano@lemy.lol avatar

Awesome game. I was high on cannabis when I played it, and managed to beat it in one sitting about 10 years ago. I want to play it while high on shrooms, that would be even crazier.

SharkyAttack,

Firewatch. Road 96.

SorteKanin,
@SorteKanin@feddit.dk avatar

How “bad” is the walking simulator aspect in these games? Is it mostly just walking or is there actual gameplay?

cloudless,

Bad if you hate it, good if you like it.

I like walking simulator and Firewatch is great. Lacking gameplay doesn’t mean it is bad.

What Remains of Edith Finch is even better.

SorteKanin,
@SorteKanin@feddit.dk avatar

I haven’t really tried a walking sim before but I suspect I’ll find it boring - considering the reviews on What Remains of Edith Finch, I’m statistically unlikely to dislike it though, so I guess I’ll give it a shot and see what I think :)

wccrawford,

If you like exploration and discovery, good “walking simulators” are actually really compelling.

If you don’t like games without action, they’re going to feel rather boring.

I definitely recommend trying one, at least.

cloudless,

Try changing your mindset when you approach the game, treat it like an interactive exploration or a digital toy. You might get into it more easily doing that.

I would not recommend Road 96 although some people seem to like it.

Instead, I would suggest “As Dusk Falls”.

Carighan,
@Carighan@lemmy.world avatar

Personally I thought What Remains Of Edith Finch was boring as hell as none of the emotional points hit and the super-low-fi sequences made the game feel almost buggy and as a result ruined a lot of the atmosphere.

OTOH, I loved Firewatch, a great short interactive story about someone working in isolation and trying to get away from their life.

Cethin,

I hate the term “walking simulator”. It’s totally missing the point. They’re never about walking, but about discovery. Outer Wilds is a “walking simulator” in that there’s no combat and traversal is the only “action” you take. That’s definitely not what Outer Wilds is about though, right? That term should probably die.

yamanii,
@yamanii@lemmy.world avatar

Road 96

Huh? The point of that game is being a narrative roguelite, everytime you start out different and have different choices to make.

tsonfeir,
@tsonfeir@lemm.ee avatar

Same with firewatch.

TheLowestStone,
@TheLowestStone@lemmy.world avatar

Firewatch has 1 ending and only pretty small changes depending on dialog.

Potatos_are_not_friends,

I felt like the gimmick in Road 96 wasn’t worth it.

It feels more like window dressing. Turning night into day. Or instead of looking for a walkie talkie, it’s batteries.

The beats are too specific and if you had one motorcycle minigame, you had them all.

rainynight65,

Road 96 has quite a bit of replay ability as you’re unlikely to get 100% of all stories on the first playthrough.

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