I really really enjoyed the gameplay loop in Half Life 2 where you have a vehicle and traverse the map in a linear way. You travel, stop, solve puzzles, fight and again travel (and get upgrades along the way).

You kind of form a relationship with your vehicle. It was such a great feeling. It feels like a journey and was oddly satisfying and scratched this specific itch.

Any game suggestions that can trigger a similar feeling? Bonus if there’s some survival stuff thrown in like hunger, fuel, vehicle maintenance etc. :)

EDIT: Just to add, I get a similar feeling when I play FTL. You have a ship that you continue improving, and you are going from point A to B with adventures along the way.

  • There is a great indie game called Dredge where you are a fisherman who has to manage an upgrade their boat by catching different varieties of fish, while following a story. You start going up against these lovecraftian creatures on your journeys, gets very weird and cool. Also the art style and graphics are gorgeous.

    Sounds very up your street in terms of forming a relationship with the vehicle, there are survival aspects on how long you can be out at sea for and things. Plus lots of fun stuff on the way to discover