Best Games That Make You Feel Like A Fish Out Of Water

by

It’s often enjoyable to play a game set in a world the characters already know, but there’s a special appeal to starting in a completely unfamiliar place. Being thrown into the unknown – essentially being a stranger in a strange land – means you begin with no prior knowledge. When developers build a game around this concept, it can create a really immersive experience, evoking a wide range of feelings in the player as they progress.

Exploring a world full of mystery can be a bit daunting, but it also motivates players to be more curious and discover the story as it unfolds. If you enjoy the feeling of being challenged and stepping into a completely new experience, you should definitely check out the fantastic games listed below. It’s perfect for those who like to be pushed outside their comfort zone and embrace the unknown. These games offer a truly immersive experience.

Outlast

Miles Suddenly Finds Himself In An Eerie Asylum Full Of Brutish Inmates

At the start of Outlast, the main character, Miles, arrives at Mount Massive Asylum thinking it’s largely empty, but he quickly discovers how mistaken he is. Players can initially wander a few areas, but are soon locked in a cell with only a camera and some batteries. Throughout most of Outlast, you’ll be frantically trying to find your way out of the asylum while dodging dangerous patients. Since you don’t have any weapons, being caught while trying to escape is almost certain to happen.

The tension is made even worse by the fact that the violent inmates who live in the building have a complete understanding of the asylum. They can quickly move through hidden passages to surprise players at any moment. So, while the main gameplay involves fighting enemies and finding batteries, a key part of Outlast is also learning the asylum’s layout. This helps you avoid the Game Over screen after being caught too many times.

Fallout 3

Once That Vault Door Opens, The World Becomes A Mystery

While Vault 101 feels like a safe and comfortable place to begin Fallout 3, players quickly have to leave and venture into the ruined world outside. Once the Vault Gate opens, you’ll find yourself completely alone in a landscape destroyed by nuclear war. This is what makes exploration in Fallout 3 so thrilling – you never know what people, Ghouls, or creatures will appear, or if they’ll be helpful or dangerous.

Because the player character spent their entire life inside the Vault, they won’t be familiar with the customs and traditions found on the surface. This detail adds to the Fallout 3 world’s believability and realism, letting players fully immerse themselves by discovering how society functions after the apocalyptic event.

Far Cry 5

Players Find Themselves Traversing Through A Land Ruled By Joseph Seeds’ Goons

The initial goal in Far Cry 5 is straightforward: arrest a dangerous cult leader named Joseph Seed. However, things quickly escalate into a much worse situation. After losing most of their allies and becoming trapped in Hope County, players are relentlessly pursued by Joseph Seed and his fanatical followers. Similar to other games in the Far Cry series, Far Cry 5 focuses on collecting weapons, tools, and resources. This allows players to transform from prey into a predator, but reaching that point is a significant challenge.

Hope County, the expansive open world players can explore, is divided into three main regions, each overseen by one of Joseph’s lieutenants. Each area boasts a noticeably different look and feel, reflecting the personality and history of the person in charge. While these individuals firmly control their territories, players can fight back by destroying enemy outposts and diminishing their power, creating a consistently enjoyable and engaging gameplay experience.

Resident Evil 7

Ethan Definitely Didn’t Plan To Spend The Night In The Baker’s Creepy Mansion

Most Resident Evil games put you in the shoes of a character who goes into a dangerous place filled with zombies and other bio-organic weapons, or B.O.W.s. Thankfully, these characters usually have some fighting skills and know how to use weapons so they don’t become zombie food immediately. However, Ethan, the hero of Resident Evil 7, faces a different challenge: he’s trying to save his wife, Mia, from a large estate controlled by the Bakers. This family is so twisted and powerful that simple weapons like handguns or shotguns won’t be enough to defeat them.

Because Ethan is created as a regular person with little to no gun experience, Resident Evil 7 effectively makes players feel completely unprepared for what’s coming. It creates a strong sense of being in a place you definitely shouldn’t be, which heightens the feeling of dread and horror. Unlike characters like Leon and Chris, who are well-equipped to handle any mutant, Ethan is far more out of his depth, making him a much more vulnerable protagonist.

BioShock Infinite

The Awe-Inspiring Columbia Isn’t Quite What It Seems On The Surface

At the start of BioShock Infinite, Booker DeWitt seems like a quick-witted, overconfident mercenary-perhaps a bit too sure of himself. However, his attitude shifts dramatically when he’s unexpectedly launched into the sky and lands in the floating city of Columbia. Despite being cut off from the rest of the world, Columbia still maintains its own customs, standards, and way of life. As players discover within the first hour-navigating a strange carnival that quickly leads to trouble-Columbia quickly identifies outsiders. Those unfamiliar with its rules and laws are immediately seen as threats and treated as enemies.

However, Booker doesn’t get a chance to explore the city because he’s focused on a critical mission: rescuing Elizabeth, who has been imprisoned in a tower for most of her life. It’s incredibly fun to travel around Columbia using the Skyrails, quickly moving between different areas. It’s also thrilling to encounter the strange monsters and machines that the people of Columbia built to protect their city from intruders.

Metro Exodus

The Surface World Has New Masters Now

Throughout most of the Metro series, gameplay largely involves navigating the gloomy and dangerous underground, with occasional trips to the radiated surface to gather resources. However, in Metro Exodus, the survivors have successfully reached the surface and survived, allowing players to freely explore famous locations now completely overrun by mutants and creatures. Therefore, while players might recognize some familiar sights, they should remember that this land is now dominated by the monsters living there, not by humans.

Gathering supplies is crucial for survival, but it’s rarely simple. Enemies will aggressively pursue players on sight. Since mutants have likely spent a long time exploring the area, players need to rely on their instincts and available resources to navigate safely. Avoiding attacks from hostile creatures is key to keeping the gameplay consistently tense and immersive throughout the entire experience. Players must carefully consider where to go next, ensuring they don’t become overwhelmed by packs of beasts. Survival depends on smart choices and quick reactions.

No Man’s Sky

A Vast Set Of Galaxies That All Contains Unique Planets, Stars, And Creatures

No Man’s Sky is a truly enormous game-some even say it’s the largest open-world game ever created-thanks to the virtually endless number of planets players can explore. It’s understandable to feel a bit lost when you first start, but that’s actually intentional. No Man’s Sky focuses on the thrill of finding new and different planets, each filled with its own resources, creatures, and places to see.

Looking at the vast galaxy map really highlights how small the player is in comparison to the game world, making them feel like a single piece of something much bigger. That’s why exploring a strange planet and building a base on it is so rewarding – it lets players feel like they’ve truly mastered a new area through their own exploration. However, it’s important to remember that even a fully developed planet is just a small part of the huge space adventure that awaits all players.

Read More

2025-10-02 07:36