Patient Gamers

TL:DR at the bottom for the impatient.

When I sit down to play a game, I want to be completely immersed. I want to completely forget about the world I'm in, and believe, for just a few hours, that the world I'm experiencing in the game is genuine. I want to care so much about the characters and environment that I feel actual emotion as the story progresses because in that moment, it's all really happening. And no game has ever accomplished this in the same way that OneShot does.

Somehow OneShot achieves this with a fairly short, 5-10 hour session. The game is a pixel-style top-down RPG that details the adventures of a young child named Niko that has been trusted with the sun of a dying world. The mission you're given is to make sure Niko arrives home safely. Her memories are gone, so her only guide through this land is you. Together, you and Niko must return the sun and restore life to the world.

Now, if what I described sounds pretty underwhelming, it's because that's not even 10% of what the story has to offer. I will attempt to refrain from any spoilers, but OneShot is a game best experienced completely blind. If you're even a tiny tiny bit interested, stop reading now and go buy it. It's currently $6 on Steam.

Throughout the story, the game continues to demonstrate that the world is not just a game. Niko speaks about motives and desires with a naivety that I'd expect from a real human child, while the game continues to remind you that she is, in fact, very real. As the game progresses, it becomes more and more alive, until the program itself is breaking boundaries and lashing out through the screen. All of this is done in an effort to make sure Niko goes home safely.

The game culminates in a terrible choice that will leave you crushed. And if the game ended there, then I'd say this was an amazing, 9/10 game that you should really play. But the game doesn't end there. You're in fact, only halfway done with a story that will make you question everything you thought you knew about what a game can be. And once you complete that, then you've completed what I believe to be one of the greatest games ever made.

TL;DR: OneShot is a game that will throw you for a loop by saying and doing things that I guarantee you've never seen in a video game. Immersion is not something that is talked about a lot in the medium, but it goes a long way in selling how truly real a world feels. In that respect, OneShot is easily the most immersive game I've ever played, with characters and plot threads and dialogue that will have you question if what you're experiencing is just a simple game. OneShot is tied with Stardew Valley for my favorite game of all time, so of course in my book this game is an absolute perfect 10/10. You'll never look at pancakes the same way again.