Because they don’t plague the screen with UI stats or text boxes, you’re free to get lost in their worlds and in your own thoughts without being taken out of either. Games like Abzu and Journey are both effective at being meditative experiences. It was actually pretty amazing to just unwind while playing the game. Swimming with schools of fish, taking the protagonist to the deepest depths of the ocean, hearing the muffled underwater sounds - all of these things created a surreal, otherworldly vibe that I’ve never really experienced in other games. Both of these titles are two-hour-long affairs that are cinematic and invigorating and refreshing.įor all the sense of wonder that Abzu provided me when I played it a few weeks ago, the thing that stood out to me even more was how calm it made me feel. Abzu, much like thatgamecompany’s Journey, is the type of game you play through in one go. The smooth, flowing underwater gameplay is unlike anything I’ve played before. Aside from looking and sounding amazing, it plays really well, too.
Serene Experiences Feel GreatĪbzu from Giant Squid is another game that’s driven by its audiovisual design. It’s audiovisually pleasant and creates a rhythmic experience that’s very much calming. It’s slightly challenging in a few spots, but the quick respawns and lack of penalty for dying make the game easy to just get into and relax with.
So once I started feeling burned out from the back-to-back action, I switched to Sound Shapes, a platformer filled with excellent music from Beck, Deadmau5, I Am Robot and Proud, and other talented musical artists. The awesome thing about video games is that, like movies, there are basically countless options out there. (That last one wasn’t great, but it was still solid and gave me that reset I didn’t know I needed.) And when I find that I’ve been watching too much horror, I’ll watch American Ultra or A Clockwork Orange or Swiss Army Man.
I love horror movies, for example, but I can’t just watch slasher after slasher, so I’ll throw in a classic witch movie like Suspiria or a tense horror thriller like Green Room. This same sentiment can be applied to almost any form of entertainment.
Sometimes the best way to relax is with a game that’s all about easing tension through serenity and actual relaxation. But sometimes, it’s not about relaxing with an onslaught of gunfire or a big dragon battle. Depending on the game, it’s also a good way to shut off my thoughts for a bit and just let loose in a pixelated world of bullets and blood. Sitting down with an action game is a great way to relieve stress - not just for me, but probably for a lot of other people as well. They provided zen-like moments that I didn’t know I wanted (or needed), but once I played them, I felt especially satisfied and at ease. More importantly, these games helped clear my mind. All of these games are mellow experiences, and I feel as if they were a much-needed reset for me. And I most recently played through Alone With You. After putting many hours into the aforementioned titles, I replayed Sound Shapes, and followed that up with Abzu. That’s why the past few weeks have been especially noteworthy for me. Bot Vice, Super Mutant Alien Assault, Strike Vector EX, 10 Second Ninja X - all of these games deliver no-frills action. It wasn’t long ago that I played a bunch of high-action games back-to-back.