Favorite trippy games?

[ShamefurDispray]

I'm just looking for some fun, surreal/trippy games to play. Preferably retro.

My favorites are:

LSD Dream Emulator: Love the soundtrack. It's aimless but that's part of its charm. There seems to be some kind of underlying logic to the teleportation and triggering certain cutscenes but it's elusive. Like a dream.

Killer 7: Don't know what to say. Incredible art direction, dense story full of symbolism, unforgettable scenes.

The Lost Souls of Tong Nou: By Osamu Sato, the LSD guy. It's a point and click adventure. I never beat it but it's weirdness has stayed with me.

[Squire Grooktook]

Metal Black? It's a better shmup than people give it credit for. Atmosphere and backgrounds are definitely exceedingly trippy and dreamlike from stage 2 boss onward.

Probably not quite what you're looking for, but I've always found the atmosphere of Alien Soldier to be very surreal. Between the explanation-less transitions between areas, and awesome cyber animal character designs, and sometimes tense soundtrack, it's certainly an odd bird of a game (in a very, very good way).

J.J Squawkers also has some very deliberately psychedelic art design. The first stage is lovely but somewhat normal, but everything gets trippy from stage 2 onward.

Cannon Dancer is like Strider meets Jojo's Bizarre Adventure meets Persian Myth meets Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds in the future. Speaks for itself really.

[guigui]

You might consider Deadly Premonitions.

[Obiwanshinobi]

OutRun 2006.

[qmish]

You said Killer7?
I say "Flower, Sun, and Rain" then, also from Grasshopper before they changed*.

For me FSR has best plot in games ever, or one of. And i'm amazed how surreal and trippy it is WHILE it doesnt rely on gore/trash/sex.

I wish someone could fan translate PS2 release coz DS port is so reduced.

*While Goichi Suda stays, most of old crew left company. That's why Killer7 and earlier were like David Lynch and No More Heroes and later were like Rodriguez instead. FYI, some old GHM devs moved to Danganronpa, which gets pretty crazy at times.

[iconoclast]

Is Child of Eden trippy? I dunno, but it's an excellent rail shooter.

[BIL]

Cocoron (FC). Fast-paced and tricky Rockmanesque by ex-Capcom staff, with an interesting character creation system. Employs its dreamworld setting well with lots of eclecticism and non-sequitur.

Panzer Dragoon Orta's seventh chapter "Forbidden Memories" is so ephemerally weird, I woke up the next day wondering if I'd actually dreamed some of it.

Cannon Dancer is like Strider meets Jojo's Bizarre Adventure meets Persian Myth meets Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds in the future. Speaks for itself really.

Real fever dream acrobatic sidescrolling violence!

[sky-13]

Rez is pretty trippy, but it's no touch fuzzy get dizzy

[Satan]

Every Extend Extra Extreme. I enjoyed it, but a good run can last for hours, so I'm hesitant to load it up.

[Jonathan Ingram]

Here's a few of my favorites for the PS1 and PS2:

- Planet Dob
- Fushigi Deka
- Tokyo Wakusei Planetokio (another one by Osamu Sato)
- iS Internal Section
- Lattice 200EC7
- Suzuki Bakuhatsu
- Segare Ijiri
- Zoku Segare Ijiri
- Super Galdelic Hour (NSFW)
- Hanjuku Hero 4 + Tai 3D
- Groove Jigoku V
- Mojib Ribbon
- Otostaz
- Mawaza
- Koufuku Sousakan
- Rimo-Cocoron

[qmish]

Jonathan Ingram, take a look at this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5KHuYTKKpY
It's like a dungeon crawler with Vangers stylistic. Also, was distributed by same company as Osamu Sato's works.

[Udderdude]

Paranoia on PC Engine is pretty surreal. Bonus - it's a shmup. :p

[qmish]

^ What about Lost Sunheart?

[Cagar]

YUME NIKKI

Easily the most disturbing game that I've ever played. It took some time to sink in but slowly I started feeling so uncomfortable that now I'm terrified of the game

[tribal_war]

Vib Ribbon was always a bit strange and good...and Hani in the Sky, which was only average but still fun.

[Jonathan Ingram]

Jonathan Ingram, take a look at this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5KHuYTKKpY
It's like a dungeon crawler with Vangers stylistic. Also, was distributed by same company as Osamu Sato's works.

I came across this one about a year ago on my own. Quit after an hour of playing. Worst interface in a dungeon crawler ever and the garish silicon visuals made me physically ill. Wouldn't recommend it at all.

Vib Ribbon was always a bit strange and good...and Hani in the Sky, which was only average but still fun.

Vib Ripple is even stranger, although not quite as good.

[qmish]

Well, that's a pity. I'd like to see some good acid psychedelic crawler.

[Jonathan Ingram]

Someone needs to write a custom LSD shader for Wizardry.


Jazzpunk is another suggestion for the TC. Not exactly retro as it came out in 2014 for PC, but fits the bill otherwise.

[Captain]

Hellsinker

[Lord Satori]

YUME NIKKI

Easily the most disturbing game that I've ever played. It took some time to sink in but slowly I started feeling so uncomfortable that now I'm terrified of the game

THIS!!!

.flow is an amazing one as well. One of the best YN fangames, imo. I could make an entire list of YN fangames (or RPG Maker games in general, in fact), but I'll only bring up this one for convenience's sake.

Spheres of Chaos - This game is essentially an elaborate and extremely psychedelic version of asteroids, but with a lot more enemies. The sounds are cool as well.

El Shaddai - While this game might not have great writing, and the motorcycle level is ridiculous, the rest of the game is amazing and each level of the game has a unique artistic style to the game.

Sluggish Morss - All of the Sluggish Morss games are quite trippy, but the first one is one of the freakiest. I think the computer generated voices add to the effect.

Hellsinker

Since you bring that one up, I gotta bring up Akashicverse, too. It's not as deep as Hellsinker, but it's just as trippy. Maybe even moreso.

[trap15]

Metal Black? It's a better shmup than people give it credit for. Atmosphere and backgrounds are definitely exceedingly trippy and dreamlike from stage 2 boss onward.

J.J Squawkers also has some very deliberately psychedelic art design. The first stage is lovely but somewhat normal, but everything gets trippy from stage 2 onward.

Cannon Dancer is like Strider meets Jojo's Bizarre Adventure meets Persian Myth meets Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds in the future. Speaks for itself really.

Definitely agreeing with these 3.

[ShamefurDispray]

Jonathan, do any of those games you listed have PS1 English translation for emulation?

Ooh, Yume Nikki is good. I played it a long time ago and always meant to give it more time.

[Ed Oscuro]

maybe related, maybe not:
The latest PCSX2 build here makes Gregory Horror Show playable.

[Jonathan Ingram]

Jonathan, do any of those games you listed have PS1 English translation for emulation?

Only iS Internal Section does, but I can vouch that most of them can be finished without consulting a walkthrough as long as you're willing to put some effort into it. The experience of playing through a game like Planet Dob is still totally worth it even if you do miss out on what I'd imagine to be completely crazy dialogue.

[hkopen]

Doesn't get any more trippy than Jeff Minter

Tempest 3000 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIb8kDK2M6g

I'd recommend the Atari Jaguar version by use of an emulator, as you can see what the fk is going on when playing LOL

Tempest 2000 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NVLXA05Lx8

[qmish]

^ Space Giraffe, too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijpYa9Lx3lU (watch in 720p)

[Strider77]

I thought D2 on the DC had it's moments at times.

[Xyga]

I used to roam the ugly open spaces of Cybermorph on the Atari Jaguar for hours while being high as fuck.
Hypnotized. Hitting a wall to hear "where did you learn to fly?" made me smile.
Enriching teenage times.

[Stevens]

Doesn't get any more trippy than Jeff Minter

Tempest 3000 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIb8kDK2M6g

I'd recommend the Atari Jaguar version by use of an emulator, as you can see what the fk is going on when playing LOL

Tempest 2000 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NVLXA05Lx8

Beat me to it.

[Some-Mist]

while not my favorite, dropsy is a pretty creepy/surreal/trippy point and click hugventure.

El Shaddai - While this game might not have great writing, and the motorcycle level is ridiculous, the rest of the game is

game is beautiful and worth a playthrough, even though I dislike the simplicity of the rock, paper, scissors combat system. I kinda wish it had something a bit more complex. loved the 2D segments tho.