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[Mizhara]

So I'm a bit of a games collector with a wide and varied taste. My Steam library is getting very close to four digits, even without developing too much of a backlog. Of course, most of it turns out to be average dross, but out of so many games there's some that are just absolutely beautiful pearls very much worth playing for some reason or another. I just had a major flashback to one of the best games I've ever played (gameplay wise just good, but as a whole presentation absolutely stunning) and it occurs to me that perhaps it's time to have a single thread celebrating the few very exceptional games that for some reason or another you've invested a lot of emotion, thought or just sheer appreciation in. So without further ado, let's start my list with one very select item to begin with. Be warned, there'll be potential spoilers but I'll keep them somewhat out of context or they'll be the kind the game throws at you very early on anyway. 

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

In your sword still beats... a heart. This game came out in late 2017, as Ninja Theory tried an "Indie and a Half" or "Double A" model for a game, Triple A quality, technology and polish but relatively indie in scope, size and price. It is, to this day, the game I feel is the most beautiful of them all. There's better graphics in some games, certainly. Some games have slightly better music or audio. Some games even have better writing. None combine them all so well as this game. Senua's story, Senua's journey and trials is the most  gorgeous and heartwrenching thing I've ever experienced in gaming.

On top of the absolutely unbeatable presentation, the story tackles the incredibly difficult subject of mental illness in a way that's yet to be matched I feel, and there's a lot of people who feel the same. People who've shared Senua's mindbreak in real life.

As she descends into her hellscape vision of a Norse afterlife to take back the soul of her love, you get to experience the finest combination of writing, sound design, graphics design, cinematography, voice acting and more that I have ever seen in one place. I'll grant you the gameplay isn't the most amazing out there, but it's more than good enough to keep me very entertained and engrossed, and it never outstays its welcome. The combat is satisfying, fast, brutal and solid. The puzzles are challenging but reasonable. And it'll never stop being beautiful.

"And you wanted to surrender? Abandon him to find peace with the Gods? No. The Darkness won't allow it. So you will walk into the lair of the beast, look it in the eye and you will go to war."

So, that's my first offering and I've got many more to come, but someone else throw their choice into the pot and tell us why it deserves a spot on the list. Is it a beautiful white forest spirit? Is it a child traveling ever coastward in her sail engine? Is it a dark and dreary tale, beautiful in its wistful yearning ending? Is it a colorful underwater adventure? What game do you feel deserves the moniker 'beautiful' and has earned a spot on this list, and the games library of other readers?

[Samira Kernher]

There's a lot of games out there with beautiful elements, whether music, graphics, style, or story. Rare is it though that a game can hit everything. Most have some amazing parts, but fall short in some other area (like clunky gameplay, functional-but-uninspiring graphics, etc). There's only one game I can think of that aces every single category: Ori and the Blind Forest. A masterpiece of artistic and emotional storytelling, no other game has had me in awe from title screen to finish like that has. Every piece of the environment is handcrafted individually (no two trees in the game are the same), the music is unbelievably moving (only Battletech's soundtrack compares IMO), the gameplay smooth and flawless (and very exhilarating once you get the ability to ability to shoot between specific objects/creatures), and it has a very sweet story. The experience of playing the game is just magical in my eyes, and it's my favorite platformer of all time.

I mean, just look at it (intro, or gameplay (spoilers)).