The Pandemic from COVID-19 has hit very hard across the Globe especially. The situation is so bad right now that it is a huge risk to step outside even with a mask. So please stay safe and play video games to pass the time!
Best Video Games To Play During Lockdown! 🎮
At such a time, we wanted to bring you a list of games that you can totally get in and play! These games are so beautiful and immersive that you get lost inside and forget that there is a pandemic outside to cope up with. The list is in no particular order.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a Nintendo Switch exclusive and a part of the “Legend of Zelda franchise.” Players control the lead character, Link, in this story set in the beautiful kingdom of Hyrule. In this game, you are the ultimate weapon. No, I am not taking a motivation class here. The truth is you are thrown into the open world, and you are free to take the story wherever you see fit! In fact, you can innovate, and experimentation is rewarded in this game! For example, metal attracts lightning which is known to many. So, when you wear metal when it is raining in-game, you are prone to get hit by flashes of lightning. However, you can use this to your advantage. What happens when you throw a piece of metal at your enemy when it rains? Thoughts like these are what make this game a must-play. Play this game for its non-linear story and endless possibilities which you can explore.
2. The Witness
The Witness is an open-world game of puzzles! Yes, you read it right! You play as an unnamed person who just woke up on an island. To go to the next section of the island, you have to solve a puzzle. Likewise, for unlocking subsequent regions of the island, you have to solve more complex puzzles. The island is riddled with around 650 puzzles, with each varying in nature and type. As you go further into the island, the aspect of exploration is also used to find puzzles, and some of these can be solved only by exploring the island properly and noting patterns in various things. There are environmental puzzles too in this game. Without anyone else with you on the island to help, this game does not have a tutorial as well! You are just thrown into the game as you are! If you think you are intelligent and your brain packs a weighty punch, jump into this game, and you will be stuck here for months together!
3. Subnautica
Imagine getting stranded in a forest with no supplies! Sounds terrifying, right? Subnautica takes this a few notches higher and leaves your pod crashing on an Alien planet without any resource. Thinking to survive the planet by scavenging resources, if you come out of your pod, all you find is water! Yes, the alien world is full of the ocean! Scavenge for resources in this beautiful, predominantly underwater game where you have to dive deep into the sea to scavenge for resources, craft, and build tools and equipment you need to survive. Exploration is the key as you discover new regions and caves with various underwater wildlife to see! Beware though. Not all sea creatures are friendly like the Orcas. This game just takes you away with its breath-taking beauty, and you don’t want to come out of it.
P.S. Subnautica Below Zero is a direct sequel to Subnautica and has been released recently. It is critically acclaimed as well. Hence, you might want to check that out too!
4. Control
What happens when you get stranded inside a building searching for your brother but realize that there is something sinister out there trying to get you! To top it, the building itself seems to be alive and kicking, and you can find new paths at its will! Adding to the absurdity, you are made the director of this Paranormal unit all of a sudden as all other units are dead! All these absurdities combine to give you a beautiful tale with great gameplay. Even though the entire game is set up inside one building, the building’s insides are splendidly constructed, that no two levels are identical in the building. Since the building also has a life, the same levels of the building become new to the player during the second visit! Play this mind-bending game if you are a fan of Sci-fi thrillers, and you won’t be disappointed!
5. Death Stranding
“Beach Things” or BTs are creatures from the place between life and death which cause “Timefall,” a rain to age and destroy all things it hits! This affects the United States of America as expected in all games, and people get into safe places called “Knot cities” in the then “United Cities of America.” Set in such a bizarre apocalyptic world, the protagonist has to carry a pre-mature baby with him at all times in a pod, and he delivers communications supplies between cities! The setting is unique, which you might never find in, say, another “never” number of years! This queer game is directed by Hideo Kojima of the Metal Gear franchise under his own banner Kojima Productions, and the world inside the game is a beauty! This is a game you might think the heck is this about and start enjoying it eventually. Go for it if you think this absurd setting is good! No, that doesn’t say anything about you.
6. God of War
Have you been to the Jotunheim and Niflheim at least once in your life? Fear not; we are not asking you to die! We are just asking you to play the game God of War. God of War takes you to astonishing locales where you can meet Elves, dwarfs, sea serpents, and Gods! The game is based on Norse mythology, and you explore six of the nine Norse realms searching for eternal peace for your dead wife. You also have a son who looks up to you. So, you have to train him in your own ways. But beware, the Norse gods are behind you since you are a Greek god in their realm! The setting of the game is a semi-open world in which you can traverse across realms but need to be restricted to one realm at a time! Stunning visuals, engaging combat gameplay, and a good story make this game a great one to pass the time with.
7. Vampyr
Amidst an epidemic, Jonathan Reid is bitten by a Vampire and turns into one! Now, he has to manage his cover as a doctor in the day to drink blood in the nights! The game strains your mind to make moral choices. You can be weak yet a model citizen by not drinking citizens’ blood and restrict yourselves to rats or be a blood-thirsty Vampire who drinks the citizens’ blood and keeps growing stronger! As Dr.Reid, you have to heal the people’s ailments by hearing their stories and fixing up medicines for them. The more you know about a person before drinking their blood, the more the experience points you get for killing them. This means faster leveling up and more abilities! As Reid does this, he also has to find the perpetrator who turned him into a Vampire to exact revenge (I would have thanked him, though). This semi-open world game entices you with its setting, and you can lose hours without noticing in this game.
8. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
This game is set up in the intriguing universe of the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien between the events of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The player plays as Talion, who merges bodies with the wraith of the Elf-lord Celebrimbor as they both set out for revenge against the death of their loved ones. Along the way, they liberate some captured Uruk soldiers as well. The land of Mordor is not a wasteland yet. It is filled with mysteries, and Talion’s melee abilities coupled with Celebrimbor’s magical abilities cook this delicious game to serve you on a platter! If you are a big fan of the Lord of the Rings, don’t miss this open-world game as you battle against Sauron’s forces!
9. Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogs is the Chinese version of the GTA franchise published by Square Enix. The setup is similar to GTA, with the vast city of Hong Kong at your service. The protagonist Wei Shen is an undercover police officer who tries to infiltrate the Sun On Yee Triad. To do that, he has to start from scratch to go up to the top of the tier by completing tasks for the Triad. However, he has to help the police as well, as that is what he is! He is caught in between and has to make sure that he doesn’t overdo things for a faction and get into trouble. Oh! And there is romance in between too. The game lets you do everything from riding motorboats to buses, and the mission variety is fantastic. If you want to drown in a mafia-based story with the flavor of China, this is the game to play.
10. Forza Horizon 4
Forza Horizon is a series exclusive to Microsoft and is available only for PC and X-box consoles. Forza Horizon 4 is the latest installment in that series. If you think Forza Horizon 4 is just a racing game, you are mistaken! Believe me when I say Forza Horizon is an open-world game! In addition to offline and online racing between four different modes, it includes four seasons that change regularly for everyone. Forza Horizon 4 also has a campaign mode called Horizon Life. The Horizon Life mode features a brand-new mode of gameplay where you can buy a house and take up non-racing jobs! You can purchase items and decorate your home and live a life inside the open world of Forza Horizon 4. If you are a fan of racing games and are bored of games that offer just races with nothing else to do, then go for this. You can always have some quiet in between the races and live in your own world!
Nikhil is an optimist who believes that tomorrow is always a better day. He is a nerd who loves books, games, comic books, and movies in the same order. He aspires to be an author of fiction someday.