Hello, in the recent years I find myself willing to spend much less time and energy on games, but I do still enjoy them. Oftentimes I end up quitting a new game I tried out relatively early on, because I’m encountering some block, grind, non-optional boring side quest, empty open world, uninteresting clutter or details that I have to manage, or similar. Like, I just wanna play the actual game play, see how the story continues, and visit those areas that were designed with care. Not worry where on the map I can sell the glimbrunses I collected so I can buy a 37% stronger glarpidifice that I’ll need to beat the next glutrey after which I’m allowed to continue the main story.

Sorry if this turned into some kind of a rant, but I hope it’s understandable what I’m looking for and what I meant by fluff. Some games that have fulfilled this for me during the last years:

  • Stray
  • Skyrim (there’s a lot of fluff you can worry about in Skyrim, but the thing is you don’t have to worry about it, you can also just walk in any direction and see what situation you wind up in, at least for the first 10-20h of a playthrough, which IMO is enough time for a game anyway)
  • Life is Strange
  • Some Pokémon ROM hacks where the difficulty spikes were not too harsh

Looking forward to hear your suggestions :) Games where there is some fluff but you’re allowed to just ignore it are also fine, but not having any fluff is preferred. Bonus points for anything on the Xbox game pass.

  • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    I really like the Ys games, and I think Y’s Origin meets those requirements. The boss fights are difficult, but no crazy difficulty spikes, provided you’ve been killing things properly along the way. I only had to grind for a few min for one boss, and that’s back because I actively avoided the mobs and ended up underleveled.

    Zelda games tend to also be really well designed, pretty much any will do.

  • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    If you haven’t already tried Oblivion Remastered, that’s a no brainier.

    Avowed was pretty straight forward with a decent story. It’s more linear than Skyrim, and sometimes I had to reload a save because I walked into a situation I wasn’t ready for, but all in all, I made quick consistent progress.

    I played both on Gamepass.

    Also, there’s no shame in turning that difficulty bar down when it’s available. I’m in the same boat as you. I don’t want to master the game, I just want to enjoy it.

  • truite@jlai.luEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    I don’t understand fluff in this context, what does it mean? I searched in dictionary but I’m still not sure.

    Anyway:

    • Spiritfarer: I don’t remember so much grinding in this game, and it’s a beautiful game, not too long, not too hard
    • The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
    • Slay the Princess, but you don’t really play, you make choices. It’s a masterpiece of narration. If you dislike body horror, don’t play it.
    • alaphic@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      Obviously I’m not OP, but I took them to mean content that might be considered superfluous or otherwise not as meaningful to the overarching narrative in and of itself

    • iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      Spiritfarer is awesome and I also recommend it, but I think I would concede there’s some “grinding” aspects. You’re going to be going out of your way to collect certain things.

  • JeeBaiChow@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    Death’s door. Didn’t think the difficulty spikes were that bad, and after doing the umbrella run, the bosses were almost easy the next playthrough

    Edit: also just played Arranger and the cat quest trilogy.

  • Schwim Dandy@lemmy.zipEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    It sounds like you’ve found some games you like but are turned off of by some difficulty bottlenecks. If that’s the case, considerhttps://www.wemod.com/. It’s a trainer for a ton of games that allow you to “cheat” in singleplayer games(god mode, speed hacks, etc.)

    I still love playing games but as I get older, my tremors get worse, making it impossible for me to get through one on my own. WeMod allows me to explore all of the game world without being stopped by something as simple as clicking on something quickly.

    • greybeard@feddit.onlineEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      A neat feature in the new Death Stranding game is a “Pretend I Won” button on the death screen for bosses. It’s nice when games recognize that skill checks can be a problem, and what makes some games fun for some users isn’t being challenged.

      It does, however, have a ton of fluff and filler.

  • Björn@swg-empire.deEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 could be what you’re looking for. The main story areas are significantly easier than all the side content.

    You’ll want to do the side quests because how can you not play that game with cool sunglasses and a baguette on your back?

    But you can easily get through the game without doing any side quests. And if you are afraid of being overpowered when you do play the side stuff, they recently added some nice controls to bump up the difficulty.

  • rowinxavier@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

    I only finished it for the first time this year, after about 20 years of giving it a go, getting part way through, then forgetting about it. ADHD is evil. Still, it was fun, there were no long boring parts, nothing was grinding or luck based, and it felt really tight as an experience. Very well thought out, honestly I would consider it a masterpiece.

      • rowinxavier@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        I have played a bunch of them, Twilight Princess was an absolute no for me for some reason, but I liked Ocarina and Majora when I was younger. I plan to play a decompilation of both of those soon, native resolution and performance etc. I enjoyed Link’s Awakening as well, finished that on my original Gameboy back in the 90s, and Windwaker looks fun though I have only recently gotten onto a computer able to render it nicely, so that is on my play list.

  • Swordgeek@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    Portal I and II.

    Psychonauts I and II, with the caveat that there used to be a HUGE skill spike in the penultimate chapter of #1. I gather they’ve softened it, but don’t know how much.

    • Omega@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      I know Portal isn’t a shooter. But Portal made me think of them. I feel like a lot of FPSs would fit OP’s question. Half-Life 2 and most of the Halo games come to mind.

  • zerofk@lemmy.zipEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    The Wolf Among Us, and I imagine other Telltale games (but that’s the only one I played so far). It felt a lot like Life is Strange in gameplay and storytelling, even though it’s also a lot different.

    In a similar vein, point and click adventure games like The Whispered World, The Book of Unwritten Tales, or Syberia. The modern ones usually don’t have a failure state (as opposed to the infamous Sierra games), but unlike LiS you may get stuck on a puzzle.

  • lime!@feddit.nuEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    oh also, a less popular one: Wandersong! non-violent adventure platformer about a bard who wants to make the world a better place. a beautiful, mostly linear story in a colorful world. very easy to get sucked into.

  • nova@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    If you liked Life is Strange, I strongly recommend Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. Made by the same team.

  • Tonava@sopuli.xyzdeleted by creatorEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    Have you tried sandbox-like games, or just games that basically have no story line? Or is the more “adventuring” type of gameplay the one you enjoy the most? Personally I seem to find most games kinda boring outside puzzlegames and sandbox-things, since the typical stuff always has at least some form of grinding and I don’t really like fighting either.