Looking for a game (preferably not super graphics heavy) where there is a strong family dynamic in the story
Maybe a family that has to stay together, or a family that's having small fights with each other, things like that
I'm aware of games like God of War and I'm not really interested in that
A couple of games that match what I'm looking for are Harmony: The Fall of Reverie and Yes, Your Grace
Thanks 🙂
I am once again recommending **I was a teenage exocolonist** on this sub. It’s got incredible family moments both for the main character and other characters. Do be warned that as cute as the game looks, it has some violently tragic moments – including potential parental death and child death.
**Open Roads** is a lovely recent walking sim about taking a road trip with mom in the 90s. It has some shortcomings due to the rocky development, but I loved it and felt a lot. And by the same developers there is of course **Gone Home**.
**Tell me Why** by DontNod has a lot of family themes, centered around a pair of twins who are the player characters. It’s a messy family with lots of skeletons in the closets, but ultimately they can be happy and thrive.
What remains of Edith finch – this game is about a family secret that curses each generation.
It’s basically a walking sim so it’s not super intensive or requires much from you. I really enjoyed it and it’s about 4 hours long so you can knock it out in a night.
Hades? You spend the entire game sparring (verbal and physical) with your dad whilst getting help from anyone even vaguely related to you in order to try and gain his approval 🤣
A Plague Tale: Innocense and the sequel Requiem are not generally graphic heavy but I don’t know your specific standards. It’s still a very beautiful story and a fun game to play, where you play as a girl keeping her brother safe.
venba
a short story game about food and family. i really loved it :3 just about 1-2 hours and made me cry
Children of Morta.
* Mutazione
* Wayward Strand
* Cattails
* Sumire
* Venba
* **Upcoming:** Albatroz (TBA, but has a demo on Steam)
* **Upcoming:** Rooster (Q1, 2025)
* Unpacking
* **Upcoming:** Fishbowl (TBA, but has a demo on Steam)
* Minabo
* Summer in Mara
* A Walk With YiaYia
* Later Alligator
* Pinstripe
* Brothers: A tale of two sons (Note: get the OG. Remake is terrible)
Gonna sound weird, but Thirsty Suitors. It’s more about how familial relationships can influence romantic ones.
Long shot, but maybe Dragon Age 2? You play as the older sibling in a family with your mother and twin siblings. You’ve been the “responsible one” since the death of your father.
Although, spoiler warning, it’s a Greek tragedy in nature and bad things can happen depending on your choices and some do happen regardless of your choices. It’s not really a happy story.
In Crusader Kings 3 you build a literal family dynasty.
And then disinherit your golden heir son because he became a raging alcoholic.
“Fuga, Melodies of steel” 1 and 2. Kids during a war banding together to survive with the help of an overpowered tank. You’ve got orphans, twins, big bro/little sis, and they all form a recomposed family together.
“Brothers: a tale of two sons” of course, who has an interesting gameplay twist. There is a remake who recently came out.
“Fire Emblem Fates”, where you got to be part of a whole royal family depending of the scenario. But it might be hard to find.
Op please try As Dusk Falls. It’s short but family dynamics are at the core of the story. The art style is also an interesting concept, it’s like looking at paintings but when you get so into the story you swear every scene is fully animated.
Before your eyes
You are the child in a family and you get to make decisions that changes how the story goes in terms of growing up, family dynamics etc. You will cry.
Rusty Lake: Roots maybe, it’s a chill puzzle game
Spiritfarer
hmm not family but 2 brothers? Brothers – A tale of two sons. IIRC, they are on a quest to find something to save their dad or mum.
I haven’t finished it because the topic hitted a bit too close from home; Tell Me Why. (By the same creators of Life Is Strange if I remember correctly).
Gonna try to explain the synopsis from the top of my head: Twins come back to their childhood house to sell it, now that their mother is dead. By exploring it, memories come back, happy ones showing their connection, and horrible ones like when their mom threatened to kill one of the twin for being a trans guy. There, the twins not only discover telepathic abilities between them, but also contradicting objects in their mom’s room that makes them confused on her true intentions towards her trans son. Their attempts to learn more about it will only make them question way more things that happened with their mom in the past.
It shouldn’t be visually graphic, but you guessed it by the studio making it, it is intense emotionally and it will be a miracle if you make it trough the first chapter without crying. And about that, I saw people recommending Spiritfarer too. I agree with that, you will know pretty quickly that you have a personal connection with the first spirit on your boat, but it is extremely heavy psychologically ! It was recommended to me as a cozy farming game, but it is literally about helping spirits grief their life until they are ready to finally cross the gate and rest in peace. It can be an extremely difficult task to be the one to assist numerous spirits at a time trough grief, and then being the one accompanying them one by one to the gate for a final good bye. Be aware of this if you haven’t played it yet, and enjoy the beauty of it once you’re ready. Stay safe ! <3
Life is Strange 2 has one of the best depictions of brotherhood in gaming I know of. However outside of the brotherhood the rest of the family dynamic is contentious.
I’ve also been looking for that sort of thing but haven’t had much luck. Harmony has been on my play,ist but I didn’t know it was that kind of game! I’ll have to check it out.
Thirsty Suitors! You can even cook with your mom or dad and the conversations during are great a lot of different range of emotions
In stars and time. >!The protagonist eventually calls his party members family!< It’s a 2D game similar to Undertale so the graphics aren’t heavy and the story is really interesting. And it definitely has a family dynamic in it
Sea of Stars has a siblings & found family dynamic that I found very touching. Themes of coming of age, growth, betrayal, loss, and sacrifice. Really really cool game and very woman-friendly (no oversexualization, strong female/nb characters).
Life is Strange 2
Maybe Venba? It’s a short cooking game about a small Indian family that lives in Canada I think
Hades
Max Payne 💀
**Wayward Strand** is about a single mother-14yo daughter relationship and is very touching and introspective.
Hades! Repair your father/son relationship while forging bonds with the rest of the family.