Thanks for all the interesting replies! Given the response, I decided to make a whole community around this, hope you’ll consider joining!
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I like time-loop movies, groundhog Day being there most notable. My favorite is probably Triangle. I’ve seen Timecrimes, Happy Death Day (& 2U), Edge of tomorrow,
The Netflix show Russian Doll might be up your alley
I’ll check it out!
Give it a couple of episodes to see if you like it. The first episode spends a lot of time setting things up, but the main character doesn’t come across as very likeable at first IMO. Once you get into the next couple of episodes, and she starts actually using her brain to try and understand what’s happening to her, she becomes a lot more likeable as a character.
Obvious choice: Primer
There’s also a decent tng episode that has this exact premise.
It seems this is an entire genre though, so Wikipedia does have a list of time loop movies. Maybe check if any of those short descriptions seem to fit your tastes?
Bloody great TNG episode, unsurprising that it was written by the director of the new Cosmos series
Looper was a pretty good concept IMO.
Did you try time-loop games yet? Outer Wilds is fantastic. Majora’s Mask, The Forgotten City and The Sexy Brutale are also pretty cool.
No but def something I’ve thought about
I’ve heard good things about Palm Springs from 2020.
I saw it it’s a fun time. Especially if you like timeloops
Predestination. If you haven’t seen it, you might like it.
One of the best adaptations of a sf short story, period.
Run Lola Run and Palm Springs.
Also Boss Level. Dumb but fun. And Source Code. I also love time loop movies.
Try Coherence, and Time Lapse. Two pretty cool, underrated, low budget movies that I rewatched many times.
Try Predestination.
Give the Netflix show “Dark” a try. Incredibly well written, everything fits together at the end, and it touches on this topic in an interesting and unique way!
Seconded (and thirded and fourthed). Dark is superb. Watch in German with English subs though, not dubbed.
Try looper and if you’re ready to think a lot, Primer.
Edge of tomorrow is so fuckin good.
Memento is a time loop of sorts, good movie for sure.
deleted by creator
It’s a rough one but maybe check out Primer.
Also give Paper Girls a try. It’s a graphic novel but Amazon started making it into a show but canceled after one season.
I watched HDD and then 2U on a glowing recommendation I knew it was positioned as a horror but damn I didn’t know what I was getting into and they’re two of the funnest movies I’ve seen in years. My only regret is not seeing them in the theatre as they come across as movies people would be yelling at the screen which is the best kind of movie IMHO
They are both movies that exceed expectations! I really liked them too!
This is slightly different than a time loop, but check out Coherence.
Watched it. Liked it.
I don’t read much fiction, but I quite enjoyed the book Edge of Tomorrow was based on: All You Need Is Kill. The plots only overlap at a very high level, if that, so no worries on having it spoiled for you. It’s fun reading the protagonist’s thought process and I think the book does a far better job at making the aliens scary, the war desperate.
Nice. I like reading
It’s not a movie, but I just binged the anime Erased and it would be right up that alley! It’s only 12 episodes long with great pacing and its what I would describe as a non-anime persons type of anime
I’m going to second Erased! My family (who vehemently dislike anime) binged the whole thing in one sitting!
That’d be cool! I’ve not been able to engage with anime before, looking forward to it!
It’s a DUST short, but check out Iteration One on YouTube.
You might like the movie Arq, was a pretty interesting time loop movie on Netflix
Triangle is such a great movie.
That is correct
Triangle
Napoleon Dynamite voice: It’s pretty much my favorite movie
Love Edge of Tomorrow. Wish they would make that sequel.
If they’d called it All You Need Is Kill, they’d be at least up to part three by now.
Like BelieveRevolt mentioned, it’s based on a Japanese comic called All You Need Is Kill
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is quite fun - some friends discover that a webcam upstairs from them shows the very near future.
Source Code was okay but not great or anything. Of course, there’s also Looper.
I love rock bands with women on the vocals. I like Dead Sara, The Pretty Reckless, Halestorm, The Beaches, The Warning, In This Moment, Metric, The Interrupters, Larkin Poe. Lots more but that’s a good sample.
What other bands/artists might I like?
Edit: thank you everyone for the recommendations! I have so much new stuff to listen to!
Have you tried venturing more towards the metal side like…
- Lacuna Coil
- After Forever
- A Sound of Thunder (probably more rock)
- Arch Enemy
- Epica
- Unleash the Archers
I’ve seen Epica live, unfortunately whoever was on sound that day really fucked it up.
I’ve seen Arch Enemy too, with good sound, but I would trade that experience to see Lacuna Coil… I know they are popular but I still feel like they are massively underappreciated.
My friend and I accidentally ended up at one of their acoustic concerts and got signed posters lol
Amyl & the sniffers is my fav
Hell yeah, good recommendation! I fucking love them.
I would like to ask a similar question:
I very much like the “the beauty and the beast” - styled metal. That’s at least what I read online sometime what it’s called.
The mix of a male voice growling and a female voice singing melodic kinda does it for me, but so far I had very little luck finding stuff that fits, actually just a few songs.
Any recommendations?
A lot of symphonic metal bands are like that. On the top of my head, you could check out Nightwish, Within Temptation, Epica and Unleash the Archers.
I’m sure Epica has that aspect, but I would instead recommend … The Project Hate MCMXCIX!!!
Pretty much all of it is exactly as described, aggressive male, melodic female. They are excellent.
Sorry, here’s a Spotify link, couldn’t find this track on youtube
https://open.spotify.com/track/5yKIKRcUAlSW6H1JFdZIF1?si=8d9c960d206e4820
Oh man, I had forgotten about these guys, they are freakin excellent. The track name is ‘At the Entrance of Hell’s Unholy Fire’
They are awesome. Thanks for sharing the link!!
And ‘Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate’ is a really great album. I would actually recommend listening to that one first.
I found this band by accident because I was looking for Hate.
Tristania - World of Glass, and if you like that check out the two albums before it as well.
Their first two albums are my favorites, just amazing music.
Theatre of Tragedy fits that style. They are older, but worth checking out.
Just their early stuff - self-titled debut, Velvet Darkness They Fear, A Rose for the Dead, Aegis. The stuff afterwards isn’t bad, but it’s not the same genre.
July Talk would be my #1 recommendation. They are fantastic and perfectly fit your description.
There are a few songs around with Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly) and Maria Brink (In This Moment). Not at home at the moment, can’t check my collection, but if you can find them, they’re probably the sort of thing you like.
- Veruca Salt
- The Go-Go’s
- The Bangles
- Wilson Phillips
- Bananarama
- Sugababes
Ok, I’m old and my tastes might be different to yours 😜
The Pretty Reckless
That’s the one fronted by Cindy Lou Who, right?
Haha yes, although it feels a bit weird thinking of her that way considering most fans of the band have seen her boobs at this point lol
It is, or Taylor Momsen as we non-Whos call her.
Well, you’re in luck because we are living in basically the platinum age of women fronting cool rock bands.
Just off the top of my head:
Bones UK, Sniffany and the Nits, Cable Ties, Amyl and the Sniffers, Mod Con, Waax, Gutter Girls, Flagipanis, Panic Shack, Tiger Pussy, The Hellfreaks, The Darts, The Creepshow, The Spookshow, Zombina and the Skeletones, Bat Fangs, La Butcherettes, The Death Valley Girls, Sleater Kinney, The Veleteers, The Julie Ruin, The Bobby Lees, The Coathangers, The Regrettes, The Pink Slips, The Blushes, Bratmobile, LA Machina, Scrunchies, Skating Polly, and The Nova Twins.
I could dig up more if I start scrolling through my playlists, but there are tons of women out there right now making great music. Seems like every time I turn around there’s some cool new thing.
Bad cop bad cop
I’m on a Tulip binge right now.
Her voice is amazing. Give a few songs a listen and you’ll be hooked!
Midnight in the Desert remastered, Bird set free and Dimensional Rift unplugged are great
I really like more melodic stuff, and my favorites are Ad Infinitum, Dark side of the Moon, Enemy Inside, Beyond the Black, Scarlet Dorn
Melissa Bonny does a lot of collaborations with other bands, just search her name on Youtube.
surprised no one recommended Guano Apes yet
I’ll go a bit more into my niche. Might not be what you’re looking for but it’s all female or female fronted rock in a broader sense. Genres here are Stoner, Doom and Death metal.
Blackwater Holylight
L.A. Witch
Hippie Death Cult
Brutus
Archenemy
Throne HammerEva Under Fire fits that list perfectly!
i lovee dazey and the scouts, tiger trap, the regrettes, st. vincent, vial, and gully boys
A few great ones come to mind but they’re a bit more punky than your examples. Like I’m thinking of The Muffs, who are fucking kickass!!!
Halocene, she does a bunch of covers of old rock songs from around the early 2000s. It’s like fresh nostalgia straight into my ears. Her original stuff is also pretty good :)
I wonder if you’d like Sleigh Bells. Twee pop vocals over grungy guitar. A lot of fun
I really liked the song Demons after hearing it on Netflix’s Jessica Jones. But I looked into their other stuff and it felt a bit less my style. Maybe I should give them another go…
Sister Sin rules. Check em out!
V.A Rocks
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
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Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
Crimson Spirit
Blues pills
Maybe you’ll like Dover?
Really surprised no one mentioned The Distillers Some more:
- Ida Maria
- Petrol Girls
- NOBRO
- Sincere Engineer
- Not On Tour
- Paramore
- Vulvarine
You might like some of the output of Elysian Fields (Jennifer Charles, Oren Bloedow). Maybe in particular their earlier stuff, like their Bleed Your Cedar (1996) album:
https://piped.video/watch?v=-x6w5DQ5sLM
They’ve made many a fantastic albums though, worth checking out.
I saw them several times live in the early-mid aughts. They’re great!
Never managed to catch them playing live, so I’m well jealous!
The benefit of living in NYC (I recently moved after living there for nearly 25 years)! I remember one show where they didn’t have a full band and Oren played drums and guitar at the same time. The space in their music allows for that sort of thing, but it still was pretty cool to see.
I liked them a lot before I read this. Now I like them even more (:
I remember getting their newsletter where they would regularly announce live shows in NYC. It’s nice having live music on tap like that.
You might enjoy Devilskin and Gin Wigmore.
The Bird and the Bee, Black Moth, Blondshell, Bent Knee, Buke & Gase, Guerilla Toss, L’imperitrice, Lucifer, The Mysterones, Nico Vega, The Octopus Project, Orchards, Radiation City, No Doubt {first few albums, not the new garbage), Save Ferris, Rubblebucket, Elise Trouw
You have a lot of recommendations already but I’d like to add two of my favorites: Courtney Barnett and Alvvays!
Anything Kristine Hersh has touched, especially 50 FOOT WAVE
Another to try might be Royal & The Serpant
There are a lot of Asian female fronted rock bands, like BabyMetal, Lovebites, Gacharic Spin and Asterism. EDIT: also Hanabie.
The Birthday Massacre is the audible version of rocky road icecream. Try this, either with headphones or decent speakers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iOPS0X3pbk
Also, as already suggested, Lacuna Coil is delicious.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://www.piped.video/watch?v=4iOPS0X3pbk
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
If I love “unreliable shifting cities” narratives, like Dark City, Fallen London and the City of Saints and Madmen books, what similar kinds of settings might I like?
I’m not familiar with those, so this might be a bad suggestion, but the short description makes me think this may still fit, have you read The City & the City by China Miéville?
It’s set in two overlapping cities, whose inhabitants diligently disregard the other city’s until they formally cross the borders, and it’s a crime to do otherwise. It’s a pretty compelling read imo!
I haven’t but it sounds like I should. Thanks for the rec!
Kraken, also by Mièville, is also somewhat of a match; as well as Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.
There was an okay-ish TV adaptation, it’s on Britbox or freevee with ads.
I stumbled across this the other week while trying to find the name of the book invisible cities and gave it a watch because the trailer reminded me of Disco Elysium.
Without knowing the original novel, I thought it was really compelling and entertaining, with my only major critique being the pacing of the final episode, but equally 4 episodes is such an easy commitment that I’d absolutely recommend the show if you aren’t in the mood to pick up a book.
If an unreliable shifting house would work, House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski. The writing is very much love it or hate it for a lot of people, but the idea fits.
Edit: Oh! And House of Windows by John Langan. No relation despite the similar titles.
I did love House of Leaves!
Dark City is amazing, I recommend that movie whenever I get the chance.
Hell yes. Man, the 90s even into the early 2000s we had some freakin great wierd movies. 1999 might be the best year ever for movies.
I don’t think we will ever see an era like that again.
Maybe Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente? Her Orphan’s Tales have some interesting cities too, but that’s a bit of a stretch.
Again, not just one city, but take a look at Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino - it was a direct inspiration for Fallen London.
China Miéville might be worth checking out - go for either the City and the City or for Perdido Street Station.
Have you tried Neverwhere [tv series, novel, comic] by Neil Gaiman?
Just the novel, but yes, it is great! Is the TV series good?
I saw the tv series first (the book came later) and really enjoyed it. I think some of the special effects are dated and … I’m not sure but, like, when I read the book, the tv characters had already been established in my brain as canonical, so I saw and heard those characters as I read the book. In cases where I’ve read the book first, sometimes I have my own version of canonical characters in my brain and it can be hard for me to accept those characters if I really loved the book and the on-screen depiction is very different. And the opportunity for a disconnect (and disappointment) between versions just increases when you’re dealing with a world that varies (yet is so dependent) on our own.
tl;dr: you might find it disappointing because it doesn’t ‘match’ the world you read, or because of some of the effects. But I absolutely loved the series, both at the time and still now - I watched it again just over the summer.
Such a good point about accepting the character in TV and movie adaptation. It can really increase the risk of not liking the adaptation
Neverwhere, the book I think you would like.
Trying to find some other suggestions, maybe the movie Vivarium?
Was sure somewhere in the back of my mind I had something that fit exactly
I had never heard of it before, but I just looked it up and the setting sounds perfect. Thanks!
Maybe Labyrinth or Time Bandits. They both had some 4D changing terrain.
Hazy memory that Clive Barkers NightBreed had similar too.
There was a pilot of a series that was never developed, called Parallels. People travelling in parallel versions of earth through a building. Obviously it ends up on a cliffhanger, but I loved it.
I’m really into sci-fi. Constantly craving new content. Internet searches filled with if you like this sci-fi show, here are others you might like.
Farscape kept getting recommended. Muppets in space, how could I take that seriously?
Finally gave it a shot. Thank you, internet, for suggesting it repeatedly, awesome show.
If you read or listen to sci-fi books i highly highly recommend the latest book from Andy Weir. It’s called project hail Mary and it’s fucking amazing. The main character never swears when stuff goes wrong, which is kinda weird at first until you learn that he was a school teacher, but that is the biggest criticism I have of the book. It isn’t even a real criticism either. It’s an amazing book imo.
The expanse as well. Listening to it on audiobook (sans book 4 which I’m slogging through because the reader changed and he’s terrible).
I listened to the audiobook while driving cross-country. If you like audiobooks this one was very well done!
Which shows have you liked?
HP Lovecraft’s way of conveying old and decrepit settings, threaded with veins of natural beauty that encompass the horrors lurking within them. He had a particular knack for inspiring imagery that is both vividly moving and unsettling. For a specific example, scope out the first few paragraphs of A Color Out of Space
The first couple of paragraphs of The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath serves as a testiment to the sense of majesty he could impart to the reader, but it was also (in my opinion) the last of his older, flowery, and overly-poetic style of writing before he hit a home run and found a new rhythm with A Colour Out of Space and everything thereafter. I personally was not a huge fan of The Dream Quest, but he certainly knew how to describe a triumphant city.
NOTE: I recently watched the new Color Out of Space film immediately after finishing the short story, and in my opinion the short story is infinitely better. It’s more subtle, much creepier, far more detailed, and takes place 150 years earlier (1880s). It has an entirely different vibe that I found to be far more isolating and less obnoxious than the film.
I think China Mieville is the closest I’ve read, though obviously not 1:1.
Have you seen Glorious (2022)? Its a movie that you might enjoy that has very lovecraftian vibes.
What the fuck was that trailer?? That was the last thing I expected hahaha
It’s definitely a weird, but fun, ride.
Where can I watch this? Saw the trailer. Can’t find it anywhere
Yo ho me matey.
My favorite bands are queens of the stone age, sea wolf, M.Ward, big thief, califone, jam2go, iron & wine, and the white stripes. What else should I try? I really struggle getting into new music.
I think it’s become a bit of a meme, but I’d recommend King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. They make music from all kinds of genres.
Having being obsessed with QOTSA for half a year or so, I moved too some of Josh Homme’s other project: Them Crooked Vultures, and Desert Sessions.
Other artists I would recommend are Wolfmother, Death From Above 1979, and Royal Blood.
If you want something thats a bit more rythmicly and melodically playful, I would highly recommend most albums by the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. Their two most recent releases I haven’t enjoyed so much, but the rest is golden. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard is good of you find the right albums. Personally I really like Nonagon Infinity, PetroDragonic Apocalypse, as well as their microtonal series of albums: Flying Microtonal Banana, KG, and LW.
Kyuss was an American rock band, formed in Palm Desert, California,[5] in 1987. The band disbanded in 1995,[6][7][8] and since then, members of Kyuss have gone on to form or play in several notable bands including Queens of the Stone Age, Screaming Trees, Fu Manchu, Dwarves, Eagles of Death Metal, Mondo Generator, Hermano, Unida, Slo Burn and Them Crooked Vultures.
😎
All Them Witches
Check out La Femme, especially Paradigmes and Teatro Lucido
Waxahatchee, Amanda Shires, Father John Misty, yes to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, I don’t love Queens of the Stone age but the rest of your list I like. Are you trying to branch out in genres too? Listen to Sturgill Simpson’s rock album Sound and Fury, to Yola, and Janelle Monae.
Muse, AWOLNATION, and the Black Keys are mainstream but so good too.
Oooh, this is great!
I love Hilda. The Netflix series. It has this feeling of adventure, an ubiquitous optimism and (and this is where it really gets difficult) combines this with a mixture of fast and slow pacing and (almost) traditional 2d animation. I haven’t found anything similar. Friends recommended gravity falls and adventure time, but I didn’t really like the faster pacing and American slapstick humour. The only thing that really ever came close was the ghibli adaptation of Ronja, which had this off-putting uncanny 3d cell shaded look of the characters but which I still enjoyed due to the writing (but which has disappeared from streaming services in Europe since).
Hilda is kind of like star trek tng, with episodes being not too connected and the protagonists mastering their challenges without antagonising their adversaries or resorting to violence as the solution (the final movie being the exception here, which was really weird imho).
And ideas?
Over the garden wall
Ha, good one… Watched that already though. Also doesn’t really match this universal optimism. Over the garden wall was great but is to hilda what American McGee’s Alice is to Disney’s Alice, kind of. That world is morbid. Thanks for the recommendation though!
Steven universe? Just realised I found Hilda when asking the same question as you, but looking for more shows like Steven universe.
The Owl House might be simillar, the world is like a Hieronymus Bosch painting and past the first season the overarching story picks up, but there’s a consistent undertone of optimism throughout.
Didn’t know that one, will check it out! Thank you!
Hilda was great fun, I forgot about that one.
It’s very much aimed at kids, but you might enjoy Sarah and Duck, it has some similarities IMO. It’s upbeat and fun, and just a little bit weird, with some strange world logic. And it’s brilliantly narrated by Roger Allam.
I can’t really remember Hilda but I remember liking it. I think these recommendations are a similar vibe. I also did not like Gravity Falls but should probably give it another try since I didn’t give it a fair shot.
Dara, Steven Universe, Bee and Puppycat would be my recommendations.** I’ve ranted about them below trying to describe them but honestly you should probably just ignore my rant and watch some episodes since they are all short.**
It’s been a while since I’ve watched Dara so I can remember deets but it’s a cute and chill show.
Steven Universe is possibly my favourite show, 12 min episodes so really easy to consume. It’s dorky (especially at first) and takes a while to get going. But when it does it has a lot going for it. Action, adventure, humour, all with an upbeat and warm tone. It tackles some pretty deep topics but can be a little on the nose sometimes. The character arcs are satisfying and the whole plot feels very intentional and comes to a close satisfyingly. Who am I kidding it’s definitely my favourite show. If you’ve seen ATLA I think they are quite similar in plot and episode structure, but SU has more adult themes, better humour & character arcs, and a better plot overall. (IMO, don’t yell at me ATLA fans).
Bee and Puppycat has two runs, a YouTube one then a sort of remake on Netflix, it’s confusing and idk which one to recommend, I like the both though. So far it seems quite similar to SU except much less structured. It’s very cutesy and fun but I feel like there’s some ADHD vibes in terms of writing and the main character (I don’t mean this in an entirely bad way, I have ADHD). It just feels a bit scatterbrained at times. That being said I really like it and I’m hoping the creator gets more seasons approved.
The discworkd series
William Gibson’s books
Neal Stephenson’s books (except Anathem, too looong)
Bartimaeus series by Jonathan Stroud
Dan Simmons books
The Atrocity archives by Charles Stross (just discovered this one, a must read!)
The master and Margarita
Kunderna (the old ones)
Umberto Eco (especially Baudolino)
So basically sci-fi or fantasy in a plausible heavy setting I guess :-D
Edit: forgot the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy OFC!
My mind got jogged so I’ll add Catch 22 by Joseph Heller to the list too. IMO definitely a good read if you liked the HHGTTG.
Discworld is sometimes compared to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. That’s to say they’re both heavily tongue-in-cheek, not “hard” scifi/fantasy. HGTTG is “hard” scifi in the same way Rincewind is Gandalf - ie not at all. They’re running more on Rule of Funny, and it works pretty well. Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams were both English, of course, and have quite a bit of overlap in their humor, commentary and writing style.
Yeah a favourite from my youth, actually got hooked when they aired on Swedish radio!
It’s just so long time ago I forgot them, perfect suggestion!
Plausible, heavy setting - Discworld 🤔
Regarding the first, have you tried the Robin Hobb books?
I don’t know many that are similar to discworld though. Maybe Good Omens by Sir Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaimen
😁 Well people act as (evil, bad, stupid, capricious, vicious, power hungry, but also good in lots of ways) people do and the world itself is quite well built IMO.
Yeah I have one or two Robin Hobb, IIRC it was like okay but a bit meh, I’ll check it out again.
Good omens was okay, not my favourite though.
Thanks!
The Master and the… MARGARITA??
Edit: Bought.
You are in for a great ride. Great read.
We definitely have similar taste.
You’d probably like ‘The City & The City’ by China Mieville
Thank you, just ordered the book 😊.
Try some Vonnegut if you haven’t. hgttg really feels like a derivative of Sirens of Titan in particular. Slaughterhouse 5 is one of my favorites too
I’ll check him out, read some pages of Sirens of Titans and weeelll it feels a tad old if you get what I mean, like even if it was a really good book then, the tropes have worn out now. Will check out though!
- Bobiverse series by Dennis E Taylor
- Starsight series by Brandon Sanderson
- Starship’s Mage series by Glynn Stewart
- Starship for sale series by M. R. Forbes
All of these are very light reading. I think the target demographic for this sort of stuff is teenagers.
Thanks but I’m into more heavy duty stuff :-)
Anything by Ian McDonald.
This is How You Lose the Time War
Black Science, Paper Girls (graphic novels)
The Crow (the movie)
1) Hybrid visual novels (ie visual novels with some gameplay element, be it some basic adventure/exploration/mystery mechanics like the Ace Attorney series, RPG or Tactical RPG elements, management, deckbuilding or whatever) that have very good writing (think something like Roadwarden or Citizen Sleeper) and/or a loveable cast of characters (like Ace Attorney).
2) Sci-fi and/or fantasy books that have good writing (by which I mean not that hollow, mass-produced, repetitive, overly simple YA-style prose —don’t want to offend YA lovers, I’m just tired of it). Bonus points if they have some elements of social criticism, and even more bonus points if they have very compelling worldbuilding and characters. I’m thinking of stuff like Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed, The Left Hand of Darkness and Rocannon’s World, Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Ted Chiang’s short story “Story of Your Life”, most of Jorge Luis Borges’ short stories, Angélica Gorodischer’s Kalpa Imperial, Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice, Dino Buzzati’s short story “The Seven Messengers”, Ursula Vernon’s webcomic Digger, Winston Rowntree’s webcomic Watching, Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler, etc.
3) Logical puzzle games that have the same quality of atmosphere and setting as Return of the Obra Dinn.
4) Turn-based videogames (they can be RPGs, roguelites, management games, visual novels, text adventures or whatever else as long as it’s not action-focused, based on reflexes or time-sensitive without pause) that have very strong setting, atmosphere and writing (if they don’t have a traditional story, at least good writing in the occasional dialogue lines). Some preferred settings are:
-
Decadent worlds (like Darkest Dungeon, Dredge, Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Cultist Simulator, Book of Hours, The Shrouded Isle)
-
18th to 20th century history/alternate history (like The Great Ace Attorney, The Lion’s Song, The Last Door, Amnesia: Rebirth, Return of the Obra Dinn)
-
Sci-fi in general —can be cyberpunk but not necessary— (like Citizen Sleeper, Tacoma, Soma, The Talos Principle, The Red Strings Club, Chrono Trigger, 2064: Read Only Memories, Subnautica, Stellaris)
-
Very current (as in 2020s or close) focused settings (like Unpacking, Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You, one night hot springs, missed messages., What Remains of Edith Finch)
-
Traditional and/or generic fantasy but well written (like Roadwarden, Wildermyth, Final Fantasy Tactics, Legend of Mana, The Banner Saga, Suikoden II, Terranigma, Grandia, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Alundra… many of these I played young so their writing might not be as good as I remember)
-
Other historical/alternate history settings previous to 18th century as long as they’re well written (like King of Dragon Pass, Landnama)
But I’m also open to anything I’m not used to in videogames as long as it has those elements (strong writing, setting, atmosphere), like urban fantasy/new weird/fantastic realism type of stuff like Disco Elysium, whimsical settings a la Undertale/Deltarune or ambiguous mindscapes like in Celeste and Gris.
5) Mechanically speaking, something that reaches the same heights as Slay the Spire. I don’t know what it is, I’ve played many other deckbuilding roguelites and/or roguelites with a tree-style map chasing that same high. And some were better than others (I guess shout-out to Monster Train, FTL, Pirates Outlaws, Griftlands, Roguebook, Iris and the Giant, Dicey Dungeons, Star Renegades). But none have absorbed me like it did despite it having uninteresting (to me) writing and visuals. Maybe it was just because it was my first with those ideas.
6) I was exposed to a lot of anime/manga when I was a teen and even if I never feel like I want to watch/read most of them these years, I still have some lingering weakness for some of its tropes and aesthetics when applied to videogames. I’m talking about trainwreck-style games that are awful and strangely compelling at the same time, like Danganronpa and Zero Escape. Or, to speak of one that feels much higher quality while still having some puzzling choices, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. It’s hard to describe this vibe (maybe “anime aesthetics, very ambitious in some ways but messy and still beholden to certain clichés, occasionally managing to be deep but usually just coasting on pseudo-philosophical anime bullshit”) and I really never feel like actually playing these games but once a year or so when there comes a day I just don’t feel like doing anything I don’t mind laying in my bed watching full no-commentary gameplays of these kinds of games. So if you know of something similar to those I’d like to bookmark that for the future.
On 5, have you heard of Crying Suns? Crying Suns is more in the vein of FTL, so not a deckbuilder, but if memory serves I think it has the branching map to it.
It’s received some praise for its setting from what I gather, but I haven’t gotten around to seriously playing it, so can’t speak much to that.
For 5 as well, there’s a game i added to my wishlist called Brutal Orchestra. I saw someone review it and say its amazing and is kiiiinda similar.
Ursula Vernon’s webcomic Digger
Don’t buy the paperback version. Frickin’ spine started coming apart after one reading…
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If I like whimsical, visually-imaginative adventure films with lots of practical effects like ‘Baron Munchaesen’, ‘Brazil’, ‘Delicatassen’, and ‘City of Lost Children’, what other films might I like?
Well, I was just talking about Dark City in my own sub thread, and to me it’s very similar to Brazil in tone and imagery. Not sure how much of it is practical effects but given the era I’m guessing that most of it is.
You’ve got Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, so how about Time Banidts?
I think these all merit a mention given what you’re looking for. Whether or not they hit square is up to you.
The Fall (2006) - A bit flat in the story department, but this was clearly a film focused on being a feast for the eyes. It succeeds in that handily.
The Great Yokai War - Ever wondered what would happen if Takashi Miike directed The Never Ending Story? This is something like that.
Tuvalu - Almost like if you smashed the aesthetics of Jean Pierre Jeunet and Guy Maddin together. The dialogue is hyper-minimal, but it you can get on board with the overall approach this film is a gem.
With The congress and Eternal sunshine of a spotless mind, you’re in for a treat. I think Tideland checks the box as well. They are not exactly a narrative happening in another world, but the feeling of strangeness is good enough imo.
Honorable mention to the french odd ball named “la planete sauvage”, though it is an animation film.Merci beaucoup! Mes amis aiment les animations francaises, mais je ne trouvais pas les filmes interessantes sans leur assistance. Je suis vraiment excitee!
My pleasure, I’m also very fond of this genre :)
If you are curious of french animation films, I just remembered “Le roi et l’oiseau”. It was my favorite as a kid. And if you liked the city of lost children, it will feel familiar. Sort of the same melancholia.
https://m.imdb.com/video/vi896380441/?playlistId=tt0079820&ref_=tt_ov_vi
I assume it will be hard to find, sadly. There is this version on archive.org, though, if you can understand french or spanish.
https://archive.org/details/LeRoiEtLOiseau_201709If its subtitled, I’ll be okayish. I can partially read Spanish and French.
Off you go then ;)
I love Eternal Sunshine! Thank you for the other recommendations, I am excited :3
Big Fish
I loved to play uncharted (for pc, I don’t have a ps) and I am searching for similar games. I still have not played the second part of the “master of thieves collection” on steam.
Any recommendations? Lara croft is fun, but not as mysterious and does not have such a fun story imo.
And also I loved all of the broken sword games. I can highly recommend them! Any alternatives I could try?
Hmmmm… Adventurous third person action game with a sense of mystery and strong scripting? Is that it?
Horizon: zero dawn or forbidden west? That’s more on the open world side of things though.
What about God of war or maybe shadow of the colossus?
A little shorter and not so much on the adventure side but very mysterious and very intense: hellblade - senua’s sacrifice. That’s quite dark though, missing some of those feelgood indy vibes.
Thanks for the suggestions :)
I will look into them
The last of us is made by the same developers as uncharted and the first game is available for PC. The story is a lot more dark than uncharted though.
Please note The Last of Us for PC is barely functional. Fantastic game. God awful port.
Damn, I had hopes 😭
No recommendations for broken sword 🧐
Control and Alan Wake 2 might be up your alley if you’re looking for heavy emphasis on story and mystery
Control maybe. Alan Wake 2 is not action-y at all.
I recently played Battle Chasers: Nightwar and was reminded how much I enjoy turn based combat where you can see and manipulate the turn order, like in FFX and an Atelier game I played on PS2. Any modern games, preferably available on Switch, like that?
On a similar subject I’m currently playing Tactics Ogre: Reborn, and there aren’t any Final Fantasy Tactics, FFT:A, or FFT:A2 remakes currently out, so I’m looking for anything that uses the same combat system as them, again on Switch.
I’m not familiar with the games you’ve mentioned but I believe Fire Emblem: Three Houses might be relevant (on Switch). My sister in law was playing it one time we were staying at theirs. I was encouraged to give it a whirl. Had several very late nights honing my team.
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is an entertaining love letter to the FFT games. It’s a little rough around the edges but I think it’s worth checking out.
I couldn’t get through it and I can’t remember all the reasons but I recall the main character being totally insufferable.
A big part of the battle system in the Trails series is seeing and manipulating the turn order, but only some of those games are on the Switch, in the West at least.
On a similar subject I’m currently playing Tactics Ogre: Reborn, and there aren’t any Final Fantasy Tactics, FFT:A, or FFT:A2 remakes currently out, so I’m looking for anything that uses the same combat system as them, again on Switch.
Seconded the Fire Emblem and Fell Seal recommendations, and adding in Front Mission, which has remakes on Switch.
I can’t remember if Octopath Traveler lets you manipulate the turn order, but regardless it is in the same genre, available on switch, and is just a really good game.
Anyone know any good books in the same vein as Robinson Crusoe, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Count of Monte Cristo, and Don Quixote?
I tend to really enjoy the old classic adventure novels.
Have you read la morte d’arthur? It’s probably most similar to don Quixote but not as humorous.
Came back to add a few
Journey to the center of the earth
3 musketeers
The lost world-also all of the Sherlock Holmes are great
If you’re up for some very droll British humor adventures I’d recommend PG wodehouse
I liked East of Eden by Steinback. And Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.
A genre of movie that I like I term “Cube”-like movies. " Platform" and “Circle” are included, along with all the “Cube” movies.
Any suggestions?
There’s Exam but it’s not as good as the movies you mentioned. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1258197/
Also, slightly unrelated but for some reason ticks the same boxes in my mind, The Game https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0119174/
I’ve watched Exam, I forgot to include it but you’re right, same genre. I’ve watched The Game but I’m going to rewatch it with my adult son who hasn’t seen it to feel out there similarities you’re getting.
Hard for me to define the similarities. Maybe the feeling that you don’t really know any of the characters’ motivations. The overall vibe maybe
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