Embrace the Thrill: Top-5 "High on Life" Alternative Games

Video games are more than just recreational products; they're a medium of art. Whether it's the exhilarating visuals, intriguing narratives, engaging gameplay, or the sheer thrill of adventure, out-of-the-box games are making a significant impact on the gaming community. Highlighting this shift are the ever-increasing range of "High on Life" alternative games that provide unique experiences, which go beyond the traditional gaming setting. This piece breaks down the top 5 games that let players experience the magic, adventure, and exhilaration that non-traditional games have to offer.

#1 Life is Strange

A compelling amalgam of adventure and interactive storytelling, Life is Strange stands out with its thought-provoking narrative and engrossing gameplay.

Gameplay

Created by Dontnod Entertainment, Life is Strange is a graphic adventure game with episodic structure. The game is heavy ondecision-making and dialogue but features puzzles less frequently. Gameplay focuses on decision-making and communication with non-playable characters; decisions made will change the story's course, making every player's experience unique.

Story and Setting

Set in a fictional town of Arcadia Bay, the game explores the life of Max Caulfield, a high school student who discovers she can rewind time. This tale of teenage angst and supernatural thrillers interweave with themes of friendship, fate, and consequence, providing a heady mix of high school drama and sci-fi.

#2 Firewatch

Up next is Firewatch, a vividly beautiful game that emphasizes solitude and reflection over conventional action pressing tensions.

Gameplay

Firewatch is a first-person adventure game that is cleverly crafted around a communicative gameplay mechanic using a handheld radio. Exploring this colorful wilderness, with its interactive environment, is a sublime and compelling experience.

Story and Setting

Developed by Campo Santo, Firewatch follows Henry's character, a fire lookout assigned to the Shoshone National Forest. Struggling with his personal dilemmas, Henry stumbles upon strange happenings around his post, which unravel into a larger mystery. By combining exceptional storytelling with atmospheric setting and artwork, Firewatch offers a topsy-turvy adventure in isolated wilds.

#3 Subnautica

Subnautica proves that tranquillity and action can exist in harmony, taking players on an underwater adventure teeming with wonder and potential dangers.

Gameplay

A survival adventure game at its core, Subnautica invites players to explore an alien underwater environment filled with vibrant marine life and hidden threats. The gameplay engrosses into gathering resources, constructing equipment, and navigating submarine vehicles.

Story and Setting

Developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, this game prompts players to step into the shoes of a survivor of a spaceship crashed on an alien planet. Amidst vivid coral reefs, treacherous deep-sea trenches, and lava fields, the players unravel the planet's hidden secrets.

#4 Death Stranding

Death Stranding, a game that tosses conventions to the wind and challenges the players with its unique and boldly experimental gameplay.

Gameplay

This game blends elements of action, stealth, and exploration, set in an open world. Players control Sam Bridges as he navigates across treacherous terrain, evades spectral creatures, and ensures safe cargo delivery between isolated colonies.

Story and Setting

Created by renowned game director Hideo Kojima, Death Stranding is set in a post-apocalyptic United States. The narrative, although complex, revolves around metaphysical aspects of life and death, connection, and loneliness.

#5 The Stanley Parable

Rounding up is The Stanley Parable, an interactive storytelling and walking simulator that breaks the fourth wall to deliver a unique gaming experience.

Gameplay

The gameplay is seemingly simple: players take on Stanley's character, they walk around and interact with their surroundings, and make decisions based on the narrator's instructions. However, this can lead to contradictions and different realities.

Story and Setting

Developed by Davey Redden, The Stanley Parable offers an intricate and metafictional narrative experience. It challenges conventional storytelling and gameplay mechanics, leading to various endings based on players' choices.

Each of these "High on Life" games engage and plunge the player into their world and narrative. They promise an experience that shakes off traditional gaming conventions and transcends what video games can be. With their remarkable stories and interactive gameplay, they not only entertain us but make us reflect on our lives, drives, and choices.