I think alot of people "Sleep" on this game but for me,
HeXen
That was the most mind bending for me.. at least for the time anyways from an oldie but goodie.
I've spent like an hour or two trying to solve this massive head-scratcher.
I am surprised that no one has listed Eternal Darkness yet.
I can't really think of too many non-horror mind-benders. The only thing that comes to mind are the games that featured portals, like Prey and Portal 1 and 2.
As a joke, Sid Meier's Civilization 5 is always a mindfuck to me. It has so much depth and such a steep learning curve that just when I think I get decent at it, some great and powerful wizard comes along and mops the floor with me.
To answer your question @Logan on why Beyond Good and Evil flopped in terms of sales is mainly due to the fact the game was released around the same time games like Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Jak II, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time came out and those are established franchises whereas BG&E was a completely new IP so it had some fierce competition it unfortunately lost against.
I just thought about an unusual game – AI War: Fleet Command
Initially you might think that it is just another strategy game: collect resources, build an army, fight, etc... But if you approach it as just another strategy game, you'll lose... It makes you think not about maintaining your power against your opponent's power (AI), but rather about what your opponent thinks about your power... That's because your opponent is not limited by resources at all, and by default it's infinitely more powerful than you... It can destroy you at any time if you show it that you are really a threat (oh, and by the way, that's exactly what happens when you play for the first time)... This game encourages very unusual, mind-bending, strategy...
this is best score evaaarr, definetely did not put 500+ hours in game as a 12 year old ( ok maybe)
When is the Shodan T Shirt going to be back in stock? I need it! D:
Bully's soundtrack is pretty freakin amazing. Also the best game Rockstar has ever made.
As for mind fuck games, well i just played through Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number. That was pretty trippy. (especially the very last part)
https://soundcloud.com/search?q=Jesper%20Kyd%20-%20The%20Battle%20for%20Freedom
Slightly better quality ^
The entire sound track by Jesper Kyd ( 18 tracks ) are great. But the above is one of my faves, fits in with Teksyndicate no ?
Also Turrican on the Commodore c64 needs mentioning (showing my age ) :)
Most mind mending game for me is Dead Space, 1 or 2.
OR
Fear 1 with the expansion packs. -shudder-
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The most mind bending game was (Sonic Adventure DX). How could they release such a broken game as a finished product.
I can't decide one, so here's a list
- Chrono Trigger
- KOTOR
- Spec Ops The Line
- The Stanley Parable
- The Metal Gear series ( the humor, the bosses, the story)
- Bioshock
Stanley Parable defintly tops the list for me. A friend told me it was really fun exploration game, but said I shouldn't watch any trailers or read about it before I play. It defies all expectations and has some of the funniest writing I have come across in any medium.
Antichamber is probably the most mind-bending even if you know what to expect. Fantastic puzzler that fully exploits the expectations of the player.
Portal was similarly mind-bending. I had picked up the orange box because I wanted to play HL2 and thought Portal was just some little mini-game. My god was I pleasantly surprised.
Gone Home plays with expectations in a similar manner, but to a much more narrative driven end.
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Portal is definitely mind bending, as in you have to stop thinking about which way is the ceiling to get through it.
And thanks, now I'm going to listen to RED ALERT music all day... so many Summer hours in that game, listening to that music. Gives me chills when I hear the marching and the dude yelling whatever he's yelling. Now I just conquer code instead of little bit men and tanks.
Portal, Soma and Antichamber are the top spots. Not sure about Slime Rancher...
Life is strange most recently. That game sent me through all of the emotions at once. Heavier than heavy rain. Hands down
Recently it was Dropsy and Undertale ...kind of on a lo fi rpg kick right now.
Dropsy because the whole setting is cute yet it makes you feel uncomfortable, then figuring out the main character is an alien makes things make more sense but during the whole game you keep getting surprised (well, first time you play it, of course). There's only one ending, this was both postive and negative because re-playing makes you end up with the same ending though you can complete more quests to understand the ending better (building the robo mummy for instance, meeting the ''aliens''...) The game was a mindfuck in the sense that i didn't expect it to hit so hard emotionally. Until i played it. (was on the fence for long)
Second, Undertale. Man... i know it's a bit of a hyped game, but it deserves the hype. Clever, cute, funny, surprising.
The biggest mindfuck in this game was not the story outcome or anything for me personally, but all the little things making you stress about something being difficult then the game just makes fun of you completely wiping the mission away. Or the other way around, fights ending up being more though than you thought. It works in both ways. A game that humors itself and the player. I like it. It tickles your mind.
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Life is strange has it's mind fuck moments.
Metal Gear 4 is pretty mind fucky.
Stanley Parable has it's mind fuckery as well.
Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain.
FEAR
To the Moon and Silent Hill 2.
But overall there's not really a "Donnie Darko of video games". Most games aren't really mind-bending in any way. The surprise factor that is supposed to get you is usually done exclusively through narrative and even then those ideas aren't very original even when they're well executed. In case of games like Bioshock, the twist is at the very end so the overall experience isn't that mind-bending. It's just that one twist in the story. To the Moon and Silent Hill 2 are completely mesmerizing. The ideas and their consequences that you can contemplate stretch from start to finish. The impact isn't limited to one moment in the story.
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Best mindfuck in a video game? There are a lot of options out there, but here's ones that is a little outside the box.
Thumbs to the eyes of Poseidon - God of War 3
You have to understand the context. There was an AMAZING amount of hype behind this game when it came out. God of War fans had been clamoring for this sequel for years, and we knew it was going to be brutal, but the level of brutality and straight up violence in this game shocked me very early on. The entire opening stage is a boss fight (kinda) and it isn't very long. It does a great job of making you feel like an unstoppable killing machine while still being challenging.
When Poseidon's final moments arrive, Kratos is wiping the floor with him and my adrenaline is pumping... I'm preparing myself for some kind of cheap escape from Poseidon when all the sudden R3 + L3 pops up on my screen, so I push them both in with a satisfying crunchy click...
The controller slips from my hand and onto the floor. My jaw drops open and I mutter "oh my god". Kratos looks into my (Poseidon's) eyes and shoves his thumbs into them. One god dead... 5 to go.
Yea these are quick time events, but by this time you've already won the fight, so I look at it as more of a little reward for winning than part of the actual boss fight.
Ah Red Alert 2, good times
how about Street Fighter II?
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In all honesty, Metal Gear Solid 2 by a long shot