I’m not sure if this is controversial or not - but I (mostly) don’t like games that are primarily set underground.
There are a few exceptions to this, Dungeon Keeper and The Binding of Isaac spring to mind, but mostly I find it actively discouraging. Perhaps it’s a desire to explore under the sky, perhaps it’s that it feels claustrophobic, or perhaps it’s the gloom.
I don’t have a problem with the dark or claustrophobia in the real world, so it’s not that. Anything that involves dungeon crawling immediately puts me off. I don’t want to go down into the dark! I want to be outside!
I wasn’t a fan of the Metro series until Exodus, I bounced off Recettear as soon as the dungeon element was introduced. Anything that wants me to spend an extended period underground with monsters is just a massive turn-off for me. Sewer levels and the like also have this, to a lesser extent.
Anyone else have this specific dislike?
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I could never get into 3D “dungeon crawler” games that entirely take place in dungeons. I like open worlds where I can discover dungeons and caves to explore.
I think It’s the maze like endless aspect of dungeon crawlers that I dislike. I need breaks to see the virtual sky.
how do you feel about space exploration games?
They don’t have the same problem for me at all. I really enjoyed Freelancer, for example.
Then you may not like Abiotic Factor, even though it’s very large.
It’s like a mix of Half-Kife and SCP, but it’s a survival crafting game that takes place in a huge secret underground research facility. The story is it’s under attack and you need to escape the containment breach.
I remember being outdoors feeling like a relief in the original Half-Life.
In Far Cry, I definitely preferred being outside. Same with Metro.
I think in most FPS games I’ve played, the player doesn’t have the developer ambush them with stuff outside. Maybe that’s a factor.
I blame my ancestors who were mainly miners but I am actually quite comfy underground. Be it in games like Minecraft or real life.
I dream of being able to sleep deep underground in a mine. Warm and completely dark. So dark that you cannot see your hands in front of your eyes. Water dripping in the background. That is my mental safe space tbh.
Do not play Deep Rock Galactic.
I’d also struggle to find anyone to play co-op with anyway!
The human brain is weird about claustrophobia. I coerced a 3D engine out of an 8-bit machine, and it literally did not support ceilings… but I still felt constantly cramped because the HUD was at the top. Scrolling it to the bottom was instantly better.
Mine is snow levels. I feel miserable playing them, like I was sitting outside in Sub-Zero temps.
Same
Games are so real it triggers my agrophobia. Eleden ring in particular. Doing the parkour is scary as heck for me. I can barely stand it.
