What are your favorite games that do this well?
My recent favorite is Celeste (spoilers below)
Madeline, the protagonist, decides to climb Celeste Mountain. It's always been a dream of hers, but never mustered enough courage for her to follow through on it. This is because of her own apathy and lack of drive, and feeling like she's not capable to accomplish such a feat; up until one day when she decides to embark on this journey, against her better judgment. The journey also becomes a figurative expression of Madeline dealing with her own personal struggles and how she grows from them: her relationship with her mother, constantly trying to help others while neglecting herself, and more broadly, her own self-doubt. The game's design and difficulty is contextualized this way as well, in the seemingly insurmountable physical and mental obstacles Madeline has to overcome.
This becomes more nuanced when the game turns into Tween Peaks (I'm sorry) and Madeline's self-doubt manifests itself as a doppelgänger and increasingly hinders Madeline in her journey. The game's design reflects this, escalating set-pieces, level gimmicks, and even building on one another, eventually leading to Madeline falling down the mountain, exacerbating her mental condition and leading her to think her efforts were all for nothing. It's there where Madeline decides to confront her doppelgänger, and essentially her own fears. She decides to acknowledge them for what they are and learning to live, and more importantly work, with them, rather than letting them dominate who you are. It's only when she stops suppressing these feelings and letting them linger inside her when she realizes she can climb the mountain. It's simple yet powerful, especially when the game's mechanics and levels are so gracefully interwoven within this sensitive exploration of one's self. It leads to an emotionally cathartic payoff; a triumphant platforming challenge to the top of the Mountain. Another game that does something similar to this is Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy, although at a more meta level.
My recent favorite is Celeste (spoilers below)
Madeline, the protagonist, decides to climb Celeste Mountain. It's always been a dream of hers, but never mustered enough courage for her to follow through on it. This is because of her own apathy and lack of drive, and feeling like she's not capable to accomplish such a feat; up until one day when she decides to embark on this journey, against her better judgment. The journey also becomes a figurative expression of Madeline dealing with her own personal struggles and how she grows from them: her relationship with her mother, constantly trying to help others while neglecting herself, and more broadly, her own self-doubt. The game's design and difficulty is contextualized this way as well, in the seemingly insurmountable physical and mental obstacles Madeline has to overcome.
This becomes more nuanced when the game turns into Tween Peaks (I'm sorry) and Madeline's self-doubt manifests itself as a doppelgänger and increasingly hinders Madeline in her journey. The game's design reflects this, escalating set-pieces, level gimmicks, and even building on one another, eventually leading to Madeline falling down the mountain, exacerbating her mental condition and leading her to think her efforts were all for nothing. It's there where Madeline decides to confront her doppelgänger, and essentially her own fears. She decides to acknowledge them for what they are and learning to live, and more importantly work, with them, rather than letting them dominate who you are. It's only when she stops suppressing these feelings and letting them linger inside her when she realizes she can climb the mountain. It's simple yet powerful, especially when the game's mechanics and levels are so gracefully interwoven within this sensitive exploration of one's self. It leads to an emotionally cathartic payoff; a triumphant platforming challenge to the top of the Mountain. Another game that does something similar to this is Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy, although at a more meta level.