Games Where Homosocial Psychical Spaces Become Purgatorial Physical Spaces
criteria for this esoteric list:
1.) the primary relationships in the game, be they what they may, need to necessarily be homosocial (meaning, directly relational between same gendered cast)
2.) the setting is itself purgatorial, literally or metaphorically, and in ways that are communicative of the insularity and focus towards whatever particular set of relationships exist vis a vis rule 1.
3.) it doesnt have to be ~fruity~ but that helps; if its not, ideally there is something legible and textural here that communicates some idea, filtered as it may be, abt relationships at its core, even if theyre purely violent ones.
1.) the primary relationships in the game, be they what they may, need to necessarily be homosocial (meaning, directly relational between same gendered cast)
2.) the setting is itself purgatorial, literally or metaphorically, and in ways that are communicative of the insularity and focus towards whatever particular set of relationships exist vis a vis rule 1.
3.) it doesnt have to be ~fruity~ but that helps; if its not, ideally there is something legible and textural here that communicates some idea, filtered as it may be, abt relationships at its core, even if theyre purely violent ones.
unfortunately no suda games on this list cuz women are always pretty integral, but theyre all honorary inclusions.
big thanks to ludzu for the help on this one, rly killed it with the back and forth suggestions
31 Games
MMMM let me be clear this is an edge case. this and wktd are of sort of inverse situations regarding one particular character and their depictions in regards to their relationality to the rest of the cast and in thinking somewhat about their gender identities but i felt it was worthwhile to include due to both its marketing and pitch, as well as its approach to that ambiguity. same basically goes for wktd. also for those who havent played mamiya is basically "mamiya when they cry" tbh its very structurally attuned to ryukishis style.
partial inclusion in that its not really purgatorial spaces in the same way some of the others are, but given ffx's subject matter and the levity after grieving that ffx2 presents i think this counts. its coming out of purgatory basically. one of the least gay entries here.
the least gay entry here, and generally the most disconnected, but TOTALLY applicable.
martian soil as purgatory, devoid of relationships outside of violence.
i swear i include this and ringo on every other list pls dont mind me. but it applies!!
per ludzu this applies... gotta play for myself
backloggds no. 1 sweetheart
a stand in for this whole subseries lmfao when u really unpack this one its deeply deranged
ringo on french existentialism and ennui
gay but in a yr already dead way
like blue reflection, school as purgatory
buddy complicates this but i mean its def true of this game for most of it
preemptive inclusion but this ones real "dudes rock" and whats more purgatorial than isekai
kinda mid and almost didnt include cuz the prof but ultimately hes rly tiny and like the main relationships are mc, bestie, and mom.
14 Comments
need 2 issue a correction. ridley metroid is somehow male . awful. changes everything. ive been lied to for year.
kewlest list!!!!!!!! thinking abt s.t.a.l.k.e.r., sayonara wild hearts, senran kagura estival vs.... mmmmaaaybe drakengard 3 although the disciples might oust it
STALKER IS SUCH A GOOD ONE!! big oversight on my part. really nails the purgatorial part too... is sayonara wild hearts monogendered? i played but i didnt rly think abt that and didnt finish... senran kagura maybe applies tho do u think the setting is purgatorial enough? also drakengard is kind of an edge case but im gonna call it and say no, the dragons are actually as much a deciding factor as the disciples..
I thiiink wild hearts was all ex girlfriends/femmes although i might be mistaken! the ending level v much establishes it as a liminal/purgatorial space of metaphorical processing! the game was not as much of my cup of tea as i wanted so i could fully be wrong lol but i think it fits the criteria iirc
senran kagura estival vs specifically is like... bizarrely purgatorial imo, its very ember island "let the waves wash ur baggage clean" shit, all the big jugs ninjesses have their own semi supernatural character growth moments manifested by the power of the island, and the primary plot is literally about the importance of seeking communal support to find closure when grieving a loved ones untimely death i am not kidding! I think if DOA extreme fits here it could also belong--also maybe snk heroines although i havent played that one lol
i admire how abnormally specific this is
what about, i dunno, umihara kawase? you're basically a girl with a fishing rod in a platforming void and the only other living creatures are fish enemies. your relationship is just fishing. fish
cooking mama? she's the only character and the entirety of everything is in her kitchen. cooking mama. it's in the title, and that's the purpose
deception iv? i think its cast is all female but i haven't gotten far enough. the gameplay is just killing unsuspecting men/women who stumble into your death trap castle in ridiculous ways
knuckles' chaotix? every character's male and every stage feels like an aimless void to bounce around in until you hit a goal. i certainly felt like i was in purgatory until i was finished
also maaaybe gears of war? hard to get much further into purgatory than the feeling of shooting soulless grey monsters in monochrome brown world. and if there's any female characters in that game... well i sure as hell don't remember them lmao
oh and, maybe it's just cause i'm playing it right now, but i also wanna possibly shout out digimon world? at the very least i'd definitely recommend it. i haven't felt like i was in such a weirdly cozy void of a world since i played moon, and from what i can tell the only characters are either male or gender unspecified
were the title and description of this list meant to be understood?
seems like everyone here understands it but you champ
@ pansy: damn ok i didnt realize that abt sayonara but ill add it then it applies... and same re senran, sounds real.
@ chandler: omg thanks for all the ideas hahaha. alright it def sounds like deception and gears of war and knuckles chaotix apply hahaha. i think umihara sounds kinda edge case amd HONESTLY i like the vibes of cooking mamas kitchen too much to call it purgatorial lmao. digimon world another edge case but honestly might go for it, the digital world is kinda liminal and supernatural..glad u appreciated my obscurity tho :)
@ pkmudkipz: lol
I would like to suggest both Nights of Azure games. Nights of Azure 1 does have male characters but they are mostly played for comic relief and to accentuate the homoromanticism between Arnice and Lilysse on their deliberate ignoring of them, so I don't know if that disqualifies it, all other relevant characters including the antagonist are female and in the sequel the organisation Arnice works for is shown to be explicitly matriarchal. The first game's setting is an island known as Ruswal where no one sleeps, and is the border between the human and the demonic, where the Knight must sacrifice the Saint to delay the eternal night so it's appropriately liminal in accordance with the gothic conventions the game chooses to follow.
NoA2 follows all the same ideas as the original and has no male characters either (but it is sadly also a worse game).
NoA2 follows all the same ideas as the original and has no male characters either (but it is sadly also a worse game).
forgot to add that this is now my favourite list on here
LOVE those for recommendations, thank you very much :)) i will add them they sound literally perfect for the list regardless of quality lmao
how are you so good at making lists
Adore this list ;;
mellorine
1 year ago