Vinilla's Den

My favorite video games

These are generally arranged by their genres or the "space" they occupy in my mind, not necessarily by how much I like them. It's hard for me to put things like this into a rigid ranked list!

Hint: Hover over a game to see some of my thoughts about it!

Placeholder Ugh my favorite game of all time I love it :((( Check out my shrine for it!!

Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)

Placeholder An instantly iconic detective game. Edmund Galley lives in my head rent free.

Type Help (2025)

Placeholder Such a deep and fascinating game. Cathal O'Meara lives in my head rent free (he's Edmund's roommate).

The Séance of Blake Manor (2025)

Placeholder I love how weird and inscrutable this game is, I can never stop wondering about its mysteries. You're welcome, Lila.

Who's Lila? (2022)

Placeholder I helped beta test for this game so it has a very special place in my heart.

The Case of the Golden Idol (2022)

Placeholder I really loved the DLC for this game, also the Complex case is so fun to think about.

The Rise of the Golden Idol (2024)

Placeholder I have lots of respect for the developers taking the time to re-release the game with handdrawn art instead of the original AI.

The Roottrees Are Dead (2025)

Placeholder The world of this game is so fascinating, and it's very satisfying to construct really long and complex sentences once you get deeper into the puzzle system.

Heaven's Vault (2019)

Placeholder The plot twists in this game were really interesting, and I enjoyed learning about Roman culture along the way.

Forgotten City (2021)

Placeholder I've never seen a game that has puzzle-solving and mysteries laid out as well as this one. Definitely high on the list of games I wish I could play for the first time again.

Outer Wilds (2019)

Placeholder A beautifully sad game. The short flashbacks are really effective at making you care about someone you know is going to meet a terrible fate in a few minutes.

What Remains of Edith Finch (2017)

Placeholder The earliest games I have memory of playing, I'm sure it has subconsciously influenced a lot of my current day tastes for video games/stories.

The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)

Placeholder I love how this game builds off of the first one, it feels so much bigger and darker. And that ending, man. Fun to theorize about!

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991)

Placeholder I love me some dark Zeldas. I really like that it's a more introspective and mature followup to Ocarina of Time, which was my first introduction to Zelda.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000)

Placeholder No way, another dark Zelda! I'm sad to admit I haven't beaten this one yet, but the only console I have to play it on is a Wii and there really isn't a dedicated home for it in my house right now.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)

Placeholder I learned about this game through Smash Bros and Youtube, surprise surprise. I love how different it is compared to others of the time, while still being genuine enough to not completely devolve into just satire and jokes.

Earthbound (1994)

Placeholder Seems out of place compared to other games on my list, but it's responsible for making me fall in love with the Beatles, so I have to dedicate a spot to it!

The Beatles Rock Band (2009)

Placeholder Another really out of place inclusion, but it is part of one of my fond childhood memories relating to the internet so it seemed fitting to include here on my neocities site.

Papa's Pancakeria (2012)

Placeholder I have this game to thank for a lot of the community I have today, and it's also become an excellent outlet for my creativity through modding.

Stardew Valley (2016)

Placeholder Man I really do like it when those numbers get big

Balatro (2024)

Placeholder I'd never played a game that felt so true to life, and to how people really talked and interacted, before this. I relate to many aspects of this game, and find the story to be very relevant and interesting.

Night in the Woods (2017)

Placeholder I've chosen this as my "ambassador" for the Rusty Lake series because I love all the characters in it. All of their stories are very interesting and I wish we got to see more of them.

Rusty Lake: Roots (2016)

Placeholder I have a soft spot for the trope of "small town but there are weird things going on", and this game gets bonus points for being set in the south, my home region. I'm excited to see how the rest of the story turns out.

Scarlet Hollow (2021)

Placeholder One of the more challenging games I've played, but that made getting all the endings and (most of) the achievements all the more satisfying. Also fun to theorize about.

FAITH: The Unholy Trinity (2022)

Placeholder I like to say that this game is horrible in all the right ways. It feels so hopeless and terrible to play through, which I think is the sign of a very effective horror experience.

Mouthwashing (2024)

Placeholder Another game I haven't finished, but this time it's because I'm a massive wuss lol. I like the philosophical questions and situations it creates though, I find that sort of stuff about humanity really interesting.

SOMA (2015)

Placeholder An imperfect game with a very good narrative. I love how the main monster is weirdly beautiful, but the things it creates are anything but. Still need to finish the DLC.

Still Wakes the Deep (2024)

Placeholder An interesting and sad game. To me, it's the most well-executed game in the "computer creature wants to be your real friend" genre.

Buddy Simulator 1984 (2021)