Been thinking about this since I've been playing Rain World. I feel that Rain World is solidly within the genre. There are definitely video essays out there about it being about existing in an ecosystem or whatever. Pathologic is another obvious one. The original Dark Souls is probably paradigmatic of this category.
What traits define this category? I think:
- Difficult, you struggle to make progress
- Inscrutable narrative motivation
- Hidden depth to the world that can be teased out through intensive study
- Possible to find it fun, but much likelier to just bounce off (and watch the video essay instead!)
Is this a valid category?
Those B-movie RPGs from Europe like Two Worlds: II and Gothic. They come so close to being good and have their own quirks.
Another is Indie boomer shooters and mods for the classics like the my house wad. But that could be me because boomer shooters are my favourite kinds of games
That's Slavjank and Eurojank respectively
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I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy: