Summary
Apple TV’sSeverancehas proven itself to be one of the most intriguing and exhilarating shows of the 2020’s. Its science fiction premise is expertly crafted, centering on the corporate employees of the company Lumon, who have surgically separated the memories of their work and home lives into two separate consciousnesses. Through this central idea, the show constantly engages viewers with themes of identity and morality, whilst also providing endless mysteries and shocking twists.
Between the twisting corridors of the severed floor, endless charts of numbers on computer screens, and moments of offbeat office humor,Severanceprovides a distinctly odd atmosphere anda confusing sci-fi world that would make for an amazing video game. As fans await the next season, there are plenty of great gaming experiences with similar themes and science-fiction concepts that they can keep themselves busy with.
Created by a single developer,Antichamberis an underrated puzzle platformer with a strange visual styleSeverancefans would find familiar. Much of the game takes place within long winding corridors which twist and turn in architecturally impossible ways, similar to Lumon’s severed floor. The boxed instructions found around every corner contain plenty of cryptic clues to decipher.
The actual narrative of the game is intentionally ambiguous, with bright colors and eerie, quiet music throughout. The new abilities and laser mechanics added later on create a rewarding experience when completing certain difficult puzzles.Antichambergives players the feeling of being trapped in an endless maze, and provides plenty of head-scratching moments to keepSeverancefans guessing.
Inspired bythe widely influential creepypasta,Escape the Backroomsallows players to explore the fictional “backrooms” in all their unsettling glory, with plenty of desolate white hallways to entice fans ofSeverance’s underground office space. Horror and gruesome detail are the central focus here, creating moments of tension as players hide and run away from the hideous-looking monsters found in every level.
Tight hallways, harsh lighting panels, and environmental puzzles only add to the eerie atmosphere of it all.The multiplayer component adds the notion of shared entrapment,similar to that of Lumon’s severed employees, as they work together to see the outside world. For fans ofSeverancewho love a fun horror challenge, this is a perfect pick.
Providing an intriguing mystery/detective narrative,Disco Elysiumis a great experience for anySeverancefan to try, with strong similarities from the beginning. Memory and identity are key themes, with the detective’s initial amnesiac state giving players the opportunity to follow whatever personality type they choose.
One of the game’s central mechanics,called the Thought Cabinet,allows players to categorize the information they discover about themselves. They can choose which traits or ideologies they will suppress or focus on, in a way that mirrors the internal conversations ofSeverance’s “innie” and “outie” personas. With a slow-burn narrative filled with interesting conversations and information,Disco Elysiumwill have players invested until the end.
InJob Simulator, players are given the opportunity to experience the working world in all its satirical mundanity. The game features a similar level of offbeat humor to the workspaces on the severed floor, andoffers an engaging VR simulated experience.As the player loads in, they get four occupations to choose from. Each one comes provided with their own set of necessary tasks to complete and time-wasting opportunities to distract themselves with.
In particular, the “office worker” section offers some great moments of enjoyment when throwing paper airplanes or shooting staples, whilst also mirroring the setting of Lumon with its own tongue-in-cheek “SRS Business Inc.” There are generic motivational posters surrounding the entire office, and even simplistic computer screens like those found in Macro Data Refinement. It makes for a fun, light experienceSeverancefans would find amusing.
Set in an abandoned research facility far beneath the ocean surface,Somacreates a tense and thought-provoking horror narrative, takingSeverance’s themes of identity and mystery to their extremes. As players explore the dark corridors and cramped ventilation shafts of PATHOS-11, they will find themselves running from terrifying monsters and artificially intelligent beings. Both of these start to createmoral conundrums and that are bound to stick with playersfor a long time.
There’s plenty of tension as players uncover this world’s mysteries, and multiple environmental puzzles for those wanting even more to keep their brain occupied. It’s difficult to discussSomawithout spoiling its best narrative moments, but its strong focus on identity and what it is that makes a human are sure to keep anySeverancefan gripped.
Widely considered among the best science-fiction games ever made,Portaland its sequelPortal 2share much of the same science-fiction DNA asSeverance, with added puzzle mechanics and artificial intelligence. The setting of Aperture Science echoes Lumon Industries through its white-panelled walls and elevators, adding to the eerie world-building through the broken and dilapidated state of the factory the player explores.
Through the games’ challenging puzzle platforming sections, players will also find similar notions of human testing and work through the “tests” they complete. The robot antagonists GLaDOS and Wheatley makeplenty of dry comedic remarks at the player’s expense,working similarly to conversations with the severed floor’s unsettling management team. ThePortalgames are essential for any gamer, and perfect forSeverancefans.
Famous for its satirical meta-commentary on gaming as a medium,The Stanley Parablepresents players with many of the same central components asSeverance,with themes of identity, dry humor and office-based exploration.From its first moments, the desks are empty and any questions about what the player character’s job is are left intentionally unanswered.
Perhaps the best part of the game is its snide narrator who directs players’ route around the office. When his instructions are ignored, this narrator lashes out in moments of comedic frustration that mirror Lumon’s upper management. In fact,Severancecreator Dan Erikson cited the game as a major influence on the show. It’s a great experience that fans shouldn’t miss out on.
Through its unconventional setting and reality-bending story,Controlis an experience that any fan ofSeverancewould adore. In the game,the player has free rein to explore the Federal Bureau of Control,a governmental agency with an abundance of desolate office spaces, large meeting rooms, and hoards of paranormal entities to encounter and incapacitate.
Through the mundane-appearing “objects of power” and the game’s trippy visual style,Controlexcels in creating an atmosphere shrouded in mystery, adding to its world-building through the optional item pick-ups littered around every room. Open documents are found on empty desks, detailing past events and paranormal tests gone wrong.Informational videos recorded by Dr. Darlingoffer endearing moments amidst the madness, giving plenty forSeverancefans to find themselves utterly captivated by.
