Best Linear Games With Immersive Atmospheres

Summary

Despite being linear, many such games offer immersive experiences with tight gameplay.
Half-Life’s immersive storytelling and dated graphics create an atmospheric experience.
Night In The Woods combines emotional music and storytelling for an engaging, immersive adventure.

There are many great games out there with an immersive atmosphere. While experimental or open-world games can be successful in immersing players, linear titles tend to be more focused in their approach, offering streamlined experiences that rarely get in the way.

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8 Best Indie Games That Are Immediately Immersive

Players won’t have to wait long at all to get fully sucked into the immersive worlds of these incredible indie games.

All of these titles are linear in their approach, offering clear-cut experiences with a laser focus on tight gameplay and immersive settings. Thanks to a general lack of grinding and complex mechanics, these games give players plenty of room to soak in their immersive atmospheres.

8

Half-Life

Old-School Action & Immersive Storytelling

Systems

Released: November 19, 1998
ESRB: M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language

Half-Life is a retro FPS that innovated with its immersive approach to storytelling, allowing players to walk through its environments and experience the narrative first-hand. More importantly, the game’s unique set-up and slow teasing of narrative beats results in a truly atmospheric experience despite relatively dated graphics.

Best Single-Player Indie FPS Games (Featured Image)

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The game’s action is fairly standard, with typical weaponry and gunplay that’s relatively limited. However, the immersive chaos and lightweight horror present throughout Half-Life’s environments elevates the experience dramatically.

7

Dishonored

Immersive Open-Ended Level Design In A Rich Setting

Released: October 9, 2012
ESRB: M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language

Dishonored is a first-person adventure that blends action and stealth with elements of the immersive-sim genre to great effect. Supporting the immersive gameplay, however, is a rich steampunk setting painted with tremendous detail.

It’s Dishonored’s attention to detail that fills out the world, working in tandem with the music, design, and art-direction to provide an atmospheric experience. Though its narrative is fairly simple on paper, Dishonored is elevated by its interactivity, in turn providing players with a more immersive adventure.

6

Night In The Woods

A Heartfelt Story Elevated By An Emotional Soundtrack

Released: February 21, 2017
ESRB: T For Teen // Blood, Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Developer(s): Infinite Fall
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

Night In The Woods is an atmospheric story game that excels with its rich small-town setting, charming art style, and heartfelt narrative. Elevating the overall experience is an emotional soundtrack, supported by a diverse cast of memorable characters.

The grounded setting and the harsh realities its people suffer from make for an overarching sense of defeat, and yet Night In The Woods rarely feels downbeat. Again, this is thanks to its deftly written characters, immersing players in an emotional roller coaster by making them care, or at the very least asking them to. The music, with its delicate touches and clever motifs, does much of the heavy lifting, working with the immersive sound design to provide a world that practically begs players to stop and watch the birds, or the autumn leaves.

5

INSIDE

An Eerily Quiet Dystopian Adventure

Released: June 29, 2016
ESRB: M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Violence
Developer(s): Playdead
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

INSIDE is a narrative-driven puzzle platformer that takes players on a dark and mysterious journey through a dystopian future. Taking on the role of a child fleeing from menacing pursuers, INSIDE excels with its near-constant tension, weaving together intense chases, stealth sequences, and clever puzzles to great effect.

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The minimalist presentation works well for the game’s atmosphere, helping to create a creepy undertone via a subdued color palette and characters that lack basic expressions. The subtle soundtrack and ambient sound effects elevate this further, imposing an overarching sense of dread throughout much of the game.

4

BioShock

A Rich & Well-Realized Sci-Fi World

Released: August 21, 2007
ESRB: m

BioShock is an FPS action-adventure game that excels with its nods to the immersive-sim genre and, more importantly, its unforgettable underwater setting. The doomed metropolis of Rapture, from its cinematic reveal to its detailed interiors, is packed with moments of awe.

The variety of locations and the subtle world-building sprinkled throughout the experience makes for an immersive adventure, supported by a fitting soundtrack that blends an original score with licensed vintage tunes. Though it tries its best to inject variety and strategy into its gameplay, BioShock can feel like a bog-standard shooter at times. However, the game’s excellent presentation, mysterious narrative, and immersive setting make it a journey worth experiencing.

3

The Wolf Among Us

A Tour De Force In Magical Realism

Released: October 14, 2013
ESRB: M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Tobacco
OpenCritic Rating: Strong

In keeping with Telltale’s traditional formula, The Wolf Among Us features very little gameplay outside of narrative choices and quick-time events. However, it succeeds nonetheless with its stylish presentation, deftly woven narrative, and immersive atmosphere.

The game’s story is a little messy, and it’s not the smoothest of Telltale’s releases. However, the rich and mysterious atmosphere of The Wolf Among Us runs throughout the entire game, providing an immersive backdrop via an excellent soundtrack and stylish cinematography. Elevating the experience is an ensemble cast of characters, whose talented performances also help to breathe life into the seedy underworld of Fabletown.

2

Kentucky Route Zero

A Surreal Americana-Infused Road Trip

Released: January 7, 2013
ESRB: T For Teen due to Language, Use of Drugs
Developer(s): Cardboard Computer
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

Almost pure narrative fiction, Kentucky Route Zero is a linear adventure game that offers players an atmospheric and surrealist road trip through – and underneath – a magical-realist depiction of Kentucky. The expert mise en scene, aching sense of nostalgia, and overarching tragedy of its many enigmatic characters present players with a raw and emotional experience.

Players who buy into the game’s premise and exercise some patience with its slow and methodical approach to storytelling will likely find themselves immersed in its strange world. This is especially thanks to the sheer and at times overwhelming emotion that spills from Kentucky Route Zero’s heart, elevated by a superb soundtrack that blends bluegrass and ambient synths to great effect.

1

The Walking Dead

A Quiet, Contemplative Trek Through Post-Apocalyptic Landscapes

Though technically an extension of the show, Telltale’s The Walking Dead is able to project its own unique personality via its distinctive, melancholic atmosphere. There’s an overwhelming sadness oozing from each scene, each character. Not surprising, given the zombie apocalypse setting, but it’s more than just simple violence and downright misery; it’s a constant ache that something bad, something truly tragic, is or has or was going to happen.

With the stylized visuals, the somber, emotional soundtrack, and the frequent body horror, The Walking Dead’s atmosphere is multi-faceted. However, it’s the writing of its ensemble cast and the emotion that they bring to the table that grounds The Walking Dead and allows players to immerse themselves.