Two initially jump to mind for me.
Outer Wilds took me three attempts to get into, but when it did…wow. Its a game that I is definitely more than the sum of it’s parts, and one that I’d argue is genuinely beautiful in it’s story and how it tells that story.
That said, once you’ve worked out the games mystery; it’s story, it’s tricks, timing and logistics, I wonder how more pull the game would have.
Return of the Obra Dinn is a game that I spend a lot of my time thinking about. The music, the atmosphere and of course, the games moment to moment gameplay.
Those puzzles will likely (hopefully) melt from my mind at some point, but even then I fear that initial sense of excitement and intrigue will be lost.
As much as I plan on going back to it at some point, I’m not sure a game of it’s nature is all that well suited to additional playthroughs unfortunately.
Full Throttle.
Kick ass soundtrack Main character has good quips (I’m not putting my lips on that) Good old SCUMM interface Crazy motorcycles Comedy, drama, and most importantly motorcycle fights on desert roads.
I played this as a kid but didn’t actually do the full game until I was in my 20s. It’s SO good.
I played the demo on my computer but it would crash. I had to edit the files to make it barely run.
My buddy always had a better computer than me and his brother ran a warez ftp so he always had the latest games. We would play that and Under a Killing Moon after school. Good times.