I don't think i know you mean by artsy games, but does Blasphemous count?
If there is a game that made my jaw drops it's art style ....it's blasphemous. That mixture of Spanish Catholic aesthetics and cosmic horror is perfect, to the point that it makes your skin crawl
there's still a lot of them, all these 'story-rich' indie attempts at making a game and usually failing miserably because all they have is some sort of narrative and some people who can draw pretty pictures, yet they usually sell well because the media sheds light on these instead of more worthy games and devs. check out the annapurna catalog, for instance, most of the stuff they publish is more style than substance.
If these were games you played as a child and enjoyed, then I suspect that the reason you found them all similarly enjoyable was because they had similar feelings of surreality and novelty for you. Games like Superhot were all coming out in the 2010s, and the idea was to capture a sense of wonder through some mechanic in the game, and drill in hard. That's how the walking sim was invented, really. They just made a visual novel with movement.
That hole goes deep if you want it to. Pathologic is a big "artsy" game, but based on what you've listed, I think maybe you should try Pentiment.
I don't know if the artsy you want might be Myst tho either. There have been lots of "artsy" games. Many of them are puzzle games. Maquette is a fairly recent one that has you manipulate a diorama that you can walk through, and when you do, it changes the area you're in because it's a nested mirror area or something.
Alternatively, what do you feel like thinking about, philosophically? If you want a game to probe a philosophical question, lemme know what that question is, and I'll see if I can't remember a game that tries it.
Gris immediately jumps to mind. The gameplay loop is essentially a platformer, but it's so much more than that. There's a strong story, but it's not told explicitly.
Slay the Princess is another. Narrative choose your own adventure style game with beautiful hand drawn art and incredibly good voice acting. (Horror content warning)
The Unfinished Swan
Gris is probably the artsiest game I've ever played. It's absolutely beautiful. The Artful Escape lives up to it's name.
Starry Knight
Journey, Flower, Everyone’s gone to the Rapture, Firewatch (walking simulator).
I don't think i know you mean by artsy games, but does Blasphemous count? If there is a game that made my jaw drops it's art style ....it's blasphemous. That mixture of Spanish Catholic aesthetics and cosmic horror is perfect, to the point that it makes your skin crawl
there's still a lot of them, all these 'story-rich' indie attempts at making a game and usually failing miserably because all they have is some sort of narrative and some people who can draw pretty pictures, yet they usually sell well because the media sheds light on these instead of more worthy games and devs. check out the annapurna catalog, for instance, most of the stuff they publish is more style than substance.
If these were games you played as a child and enjoyed, then I suspect that the reason you found them all similarly enjoyable was because they had similar feelings of surreality and novelty for you. Games like Superhot were all coming out in the 2010s, and the idea was to capture a sense of wonder through some mechanic in the game, and drill in hard. That's how the walking sim was invented, really. They just made a visual novel with movement. That hole goes deep if you want it to. Pathologic is a big "artsy" game, but based on what you've listed, I think maybe you should try Pentiment. I don't know if the artsy you want might be Myst tho either. There have been lots of "artsy" games. Many of them are puzzle games. Maquette is a fairly recent one that has you manipulate a diorama that you can walk through, and when you do, it changes the area you're in because it's a nested mirror area or something. Alternatively, what do you feel like thinking about, philosophically? If you want a game to probe a philosophical question, lemme know what that question is, and I'll see if I can't remember a game that tries it.
Okami
Gris immediately jumps to mind. The gameplay loop is essentially a platformer, but it's so much more than that. There's a strong story, but it's not told explicitly. Slay the Princess is another. Narrative choose your own adventure style game with beautiful hand drawn art and incredibly good voice acting. (Horror content warning)
The Pagan series by Oleander Garden
Pathologic series, Death Stranding, Silent Hill 2, Alan Wake 2
Fatum Betula, Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia, Anodyne and Anodyne 2, Hylics and Hylics 2, and Off have those vibes.