10 Incredibly Emotional Video Games That Will Totally Break You

9. Firewatch

Dealing with life's individual hardships makes them subjective topics to tackle in a video game, but from its effectively subdued intro to all manner of plot twists that happen along the way, it's because Firewatch is such a deeply personal tale, that you end up getting swept along for the ride.

Playing as character Henry following a turbulent series of events, he takes a job atop a watchtower in the middle of the Wyoming wilderness, where the game's really unique feel starts to unravel.

See, whilst the surrounding forests are forever cloaked in a gorgeous orange glow thanks to Olly Moss' sublime art direction, it's paired off against Henry's isolated mindset, allowing you to build a relationship with fellow 'fire-watcher' Delilah. Through contextual dialogue options you'll dictate how close this relationship becomes, before the game juxtaposes this carefree trip with the parallel tale of the Goodwins; a father and son combo who also spent time in your vicinity.

There are bumps in the night, mystery elements that reinforce how tranquility can turn to "too quiet" on a dime, and some of the most bone-chilling reveals and jump-scares in gaming, all serving to re-route back into that opening 10 minutes, before rolling credits and letting the player digest everything they've just seen.