As committed game enthusiasts, we are always ready to dive into a new world, face new challenges, and explore different experiences. The game "Way To The Woods" gave us a unique take on adventure with a visually stunning aesthetic landscape combined with a thrilling story of survival and friendship. But what happens when you've traversed those woods, finished the game, and still yearning for more similar experiences? We've prepared a comprehensive list of top-5 alternative games that will satisfy your longing for exploring otherworldly adventures similar to "Way To the Woods".
1. Journey
First up on the list is the widely celebrated PlayStation title "Journey". This is the game that marked a stark distinction in how games can be a platform for beautiful storytelling without uttering a single word.
Gameplay, Story & Setting
Journey's gameplay is as simple as its title. It’s a platforming game where players take control of a robed figure traversing through expansive desert landscapes. It doesn’t get caught up on complex control schemes or meticulous combat mechanics. The controls are basic with jumping and singing as your only abilities. The challenge lies within interpreting the visually poetic narrative of the game. The primary distinction of Journey's gameplay is its multiplayer component. Occasionally, you'll come across another robed figure, another player, with whom you can communicate through musical chimes with no direct interaction. The game then, becomes a shared journey with shared objectives. In terms of story, Journey is a tale of life itself - birth, living, death, and everything in between. As players traverse through the harsh desert into the mountain, they're faced with obstacles and trials that serve as a metaphor for life's challenges. The environment, entirely devoid of any language or text, serve as pages of an unspoken novel. Ancient ruins, mural filled walls, and abandoned structures narrate the tale of an ancient civilization that once existed in harmony with nature before falling into ruin, and it’s up to the players to piece them together.
2. Firewatch
Our second pick is an indie title that took the gaming community by storm in 2016; Firewatch. This is a game that marries deep character development, investigative gameplay, and stunning visuals.
Gameplay, Story & Setting
The gameplay in Firewatch is focused mostly on exploration and dialogue choices. Players step into the shoes of a man named Henry, who's taken a job as a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. Guided by Delilah, your supervisor communicating via radio, You navigate through dense forests and climb steep trails to uncover the truth of strange happenings around your lookout tower. The relationship between Henry and Delilah shapes Firewatch's narrative and is developed through your dialogue choices. The player can choose to respond or ignore Delilah's radio calls leading to different outcomes and revelations. Firewatch’s story revolves around these two characters with layers peeling off as the mystery around you thickens. The setting of Firewatch feels alive with vibrant, stylized aesthetics, creating an atmosphere where isolation and beauty co-exist. The Wyoming wilderness feels vast and compelling with rich details encouraging players to explore every nook and cranny.
3. ABZÛ
ABZÛ is a refreshing change of pace for all gamers. Taking experiences and lessons deep under the sea, this game is nothing short of a virtual scuba diving adventure.
Gameplay, Story & Setting
The gameplay of ABZÛ is primarily exploration. Players take on the role of a diver, exploring the depths of the ocean, interacting with marine life, and discovering hidden secrets in the underwater ruins. Every interaction reveals about the history of the ocean and its ecosystem. There are no enemies, only challenges and puzzles hindering your path that need to be overcome. The story unfolds subtly through your interactions with marine life and discovery of ancient murals. It's a tale of balance, about how life thrives through cooperation, and how disruption of this balance could lead to devastating consequences. The underwater narrative of ABZÛ is saturated with vibrant colors, diverse marine life and excellently orchestrated music making every moment in the game a captivating visual and auditory feast.
4. Inside
From the creators of LIMBO, Inside is a dark, atmospheric puzzle-platformer that boasts brilliant game design, captivating narrative and masterful story-telling.
Gameplay, Story & Setting
The gameplay is merely moving, jumping, and interacting with various environmental objects solving puzzles to move forward. There are no spoken words, life-bars or text prompts. Yet, every movement in the game feels impactful. Inside follows a nameless boy who traverses through forest, farms, underground labs and underwater areas to uncover a dark dystopian world. The story is a mysterious puzzle in itself, revealed through environmental cues and player's own interpretations. The setting is minimalist yet hauntingly beautiful. The gloomy color palettes, distinct silhouettes, ambient sounds, and eerie backgrounds fuse together to create a sense of constant suspense and terror.
5. Ori and the Blind Forest
Our final pick is a heartfelt adventure with challenging platforming and intricate art-work: Ori and the Blind Forest.
Gameplay, Story & Setting
The mechanics of Ori and the Blind Forest includes platforming, solving environmental puzzles, and combat using light mechanics. The game is filled with intricate challenges and requires players to be skillful with controls to navigate through the game world. The game goes through the journey of a forest spirit, Ori, and his friend Sein, as they try to restore the dying forest after a catastrophic event. The beautifully crafted narration walks you through joy, sorrow, courage, and redemption. The hand-painted artistry of the game world is exquisitely detailed with vibrant colors contrasting the gloomy backdrop, the result is a bewildering organic environment that feels lived-in and teeming with life.
Bottom Line
These games, much like Way To The Woods, offer wonderfully unique experiences through their immersive storytelling, visually stunning graphics, and captivating gameplay. They prove games can be more than just mindless action and competition, they can be cathartic, spiritual and a platform for telling meaningful stories. So, strap yourself in for a delightful journey into these simulated worlds where every step you take unravels a tale that could be as riveting as the one through the woods.