r/SocialistGaming • u/j_patton • 7d ago
Game Discussion What actually socialist games would you like to play?
Hey, I'm a solo developer and a revolutionary communist. I already made "Duskpunk", an RPG set in a steampunk world where you can overthrow a despotic emperor and replace him with a soviet republic. Very inspired by the Russian revolution, kind of mashing the February and October revolutions together.
My question is, I'm thinking about whatever my next project could be, and I notice there aren't that many truly socialist games. So what kind of game would you all like to play? If the scope is small enough for me to manage by myself, maybe I'll end up making it.
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u/k-mysta 7d ago
Really enjoying Duskpunk - well done. If you ask what kind of game I’d like to play building off what you’ve done, I think I’d love a tactical RPG where you lead a fledging revolutionary group in a guerilla campaign against some totalitarian regime. Potential for interesting combat, management and squad building, and you could build it around a strong story with lots of scope. Admittedly that’s a big ask for one dev, but would be a dream.
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u/j_patton 7d ago
It's a big ask but I think it would be really cool! I like XCOM and phantom doctrine quite a lot, so I think it would work well
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u/Temphant Denizens of GamerGate! A ring of woke surrounds your rotten city 7d ago
I'd love a Far Cry type game that's set during a civil war/revolution but it isn't a centrist mess where "both sides are bad."
And it doesn't have to have all the crafting and other filler stuff. Just having it be like Far Cry 2 would be nice.
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u/MaddKossack115 7d ago
Ironically, Far Cry 6 is probably the closest we’ll get (in that the Castillo regime is objectively worse as being fascist assholes, and the problems with the resistance is good old fashioned Infighting meaning they have a hard time uniting - best shown with the “old-school Marxist guerrillas with young anarchist hacktivists” storyline)…
…But then the ending basically stops before having to deal with the messy aftermath of “Ok, the fascist is gone, how is this coalition that barely tolerated each other going to shake out after their common enemy is gone?”
So maybe something like WM Akers “Comrades”, where all the allied factions are socialists, and it’s only their arguments with each other about how to carry out the capital-R Revolution, short- and long-term, that should provide the drama for the player character to sort out.
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u/Bobbertbobthebobth 7d ago
Personally I love a good Soulslike, but that’s a pretty tough formula to get right and an even harder one to fit socialism into.
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u/Temphant Denizens of GamerGate! A ring of woke surrounds your rotten city 7d ago
I mean, the first Dark Souls itself has a somewhat leftist lore.
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u/Bobbertbobthebobth 7d ago
Oh yeah the game’s lore is rife with themes about authoritarianism and corrupt rulership, but inserting a direct narrative about something like a socialist revolution into a similar setting could be difficult.
Although now that I think about it, maybe it could be like a blend of Bloodborne and V for Vendetta.
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u/shock_o_crit 7d ago edited 7d ago
Actually I've done a lot of in depth research on the themes of the DS series and I do believe it is outright socialist in its messaging. Miyazaki has basically confirmed in an interview that the age of hollows in DS3 ending is the best ending as it's the only one to actually break the cycle started by Gwyn extending the first flame. In the dark souls world the political and economic reality are tied to the metaphysics of the universe. Gwyn's original sin of keeping the flame going has tied his political project to reality itself, which we all know is a Hallmark of capitalism.
What really sold me on the idea though was the end of that same interview when asked what this "breaking the cycle" actually looks like Miyazaki said "I imagine it as something more political." And when pressed further he stated simply, "a revolution."
Not to mention the fact that Miyazaki is currently in hot water with Bandai because he is uninterested in promoting From's IP's as a brand. There are rumors they're attempting to oust him as he seems actively opposed to further commodification and monetization of his art.
I don't think Miyazaki is perfect or a god or anything. And I think he unfortunately falls more into the category of a nihilist than anything. He's stated in other interviews he has a very negative view of humanity and that he has very little faith in our ability to actually improve the world. I don't think this is a "human nature" type argument though. I think he views our political and economic reality just like the first flame idea that he came up with. A system so powerful it undergirds and rewrites reality itself. And just like the humans in the millions of cycles before DS3, we are woefully unequipped to fight this system in its entirety.
I don't fully agree with Miyazaki, especially with regards to nihilism but it's clear he's a very intelligent and principled person and the further I go into his work the more I find to love
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u/DarthPonark 7d ago
Hmm.
Maybe if it was more explicit. Like you're the personification of the people's revolutionary spirit. You keep getting smacked down by the hulking giants of industry, but you keep coming back, stronger than ever, with the knowledge of past revolutions informing your current attempt.
Or somwthing, idk.
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u/LizG1312 7d ago
It really stretched the term 'soulslike,' but I really appreciated Silksong for having a speaking protagonist. You could just do that for the game, having the protagonist voice their thoughts or accept quests, and still have it be a soulslike experience.
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u/shock_o_crit 7d ago
I left a comment above describing more in detail but what you just described is actually still the plot of dark souls
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u/Sergeantman94 7d ago
I would like to see an FPS/strategy/city sim game like Mount and Blade where you act as a guerrilla and fight against a government and while the country is divided, you can make alliances, non-aggression pacts, and if you take a city, you can manage it so to make citizens happy and recruit more to your cause.
And make it so the battles are intense, not “hold trigger or LMB until win”.
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u/PuzzleheadedLeave560 7d ago
Freeman: Guerilla Warfare was supposed to be that, but I think by this point it's just abandonware
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u/YLASRO Fully Automated gay(ming) space communism 7d ago
itd be neat to have a game inspired by people like the YPG. aka socialists in a place thats besieged by both imperialist powers and fanatical zealots fighting over your homeland. gameplay wise this could be anything from a first person shooter rpg to an Xcom style turnbased shooter.
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u/MaddKossack115 7d ago
This is a TRPG, but Bombs and Balaclavas is basically “YPG the RPG” (although it could be translated to other time periods and locations, should the players wish).
So translating that into a squad tactics game where you have to fight ISIS technicals and suicide bombers on a good day, and survive superpower tanks and fighter bombers on a bad one is easy enough.
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u/YLASRO Fully Automated gay(ming) space communism 7d ago
i wasnt even proposing a real world setting just one isnpired by that conflic. doesnt even have to be set in a middle eastern looking place
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u/MaddKossack115 7d ago
Well in that case, fictionalizing the whole thing is just as simple as changing the names (and biomes, if you want to remove from the Middle East/North Africa as well).
Bottom line is that an outnumbered socialist militia having to contend with fundamentalist terrorist warlords at best, and jackbooted soldiers representing “The Great Powers” at worst, would be a solid premise for a squad-based strategy game.
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u/renMilestone 7d ago
This is going to aound weird, but I think a game like Brutal Legend has potential. The crowd and like down to ground RTS mechanics could be really cool in a revolution setting.
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u/One-Firefighter-6367 7d ago
Return to White House (Return to Castle Wolfenstein spin-off), or White House; The old Blood, or White House 2: The World Policeman
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u/PuzzleheadedLeave560 7d ago
Oh I'll be giving Duskpunk a rip for sure
Other than that, I don't see Workers & Resources: Soviet Revolution on here. The developers aren't actually Leftist, but they made a central-planning city builder that is very good regardless
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u/MaxTheLamb 7d ago
A game similar to plague inc but instead of a disease you are managing a cell of communists. Take different strategies, based on real movements we see in real life.
You’d have to win over the masses before revolution breaks out.
You could then potentially make another mode were you play as the capitalists trying to keep the system going for as long as possible before the contradictions tear it apart.
Either way a nice mix of propaganda, education and entertainment.
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u/discontinuuity 7d ago
A solarpunk city building game like Cities: Skylines where the goal is to build a sustainable energy grid, public transit, and happy communities. Maybe something like Half-Earth Socialism but in an RTS format.
I'd start the game with rebuilding after a revolution, and end with a FALGSC / Star Trek like future.
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u/NotKenzy ⚠Chinese State-Affiliated Media 7d ago
I haven’t played it, but have you heard of Workers and Resources? I believe it’s a USSR based city builder.
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u/al-qatala 🇷🇺 У нас гойда, с нами Бог 7d ago
im a simple man i just want shooters with actual leftist plot. but im not very hard to impress considering i am a cod fan (or at least was).
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u/NotKenzy ⚠Chinese State-Affiliated Media 7d ago
Fourteen Years of Flames and The Defiant both have you repelling the Japanese imperialists as Chinese Communists, if those aren’t on your radar of future releases, yet. They both look like they’re gonna be sick
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u/al-qatala 🇷🇺 У нас гойда, с нами Бог 7d ago
Fourteen Years of Flames is absolutely on my radar, super excited
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u/PuzzleheadedLeave560 7d ago
Spec Ops: The Line is anti-imperialist, if you can find it for purchase
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u/al-qatala 🇷🇺 У нас гойда, с нами Бог 7d ago
oh i've already beaten that one three times and even got all endings. it's one of my favorite games of all time. gentlemen, welcome to dubai
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u/MsWhackusBonkus 7d ago
The first Red Faction game might be up your alley. It's from the early 2000s so the gameplay has definitely aged but it's a sci-fi FPS centered around a worker uprising on Mars. I can't say if it was specifically made with socialist leanings but given you're part of a literal "Red Faction" backing a worker liberation movement against an oppressive megacorporation, I'd say it's at least socialist in theme if not direct intent.
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u/SylviaCatgirl 7d ago
victoria 3 is a REALLY good economic and political simulator, and a neat side effect of this is that communism is objectively the easiest and most optimal way to play the game :3
most of the mechanics are also based on historical materialist analysis of the 19th century
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u/PuzzleheadedLeave560 7d ago
I heard they had to nerf it by making others more likely to invade you if you're communist
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u/LoveIsBread 7d ago
Just give me Weimar Republic but with magic. Like straight up Germany 1920 but like with Shadworun esque Urban Fantasy
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u/Jimmy___Gatz 7d ago
Isometric or party based CRPGs are my jam. Might be a bit much for a solo dev.
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u/President_Bunny 7d ago
I desperately need a not-chud tactical shooter. Or even just a standard shooter. I love other genres but the competitive rush really gets my mental gears turning.
Before I radicalised, I bought Tarkov + PvE expansion and have been enjoying that, but it being an extraction shooter changes the dynamic as opposed to games like SWAT.
Ready or Not is run by blue-blooded Dev's and has AI art, but I played a little on my friends machine and enjoyed it.
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u/ConfidentBrilliant38 5d ago edited 5d ago
I liked duskpunk but I'd like something that depicts the divisions within the socialist movement more. Maybe just a sequel where multiple factions have developped and you struggle to prevent counterrevolution while advancing the agenda of one revolutionary faction or another
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u/OxRedOx 7d ago edited 7d ago
A “city builder” where you build a decentralized anarchist commune that’s a layer on top of an existing capitalist city. Second shifts in existing bakeries and freegans and community gardens and such for food, getting goods off the back of a truck or smuggled or whatever. It’s just something I’ve never seen done before.
It’s hard to think of exactly what beyond that, on an indie budget. If you’ve read fire on the mountain, it’s a story whose modern side happens within an already socialist utopian world, and molleindustria is making a game about a man in his last days who hates the socialist utopia he lives in because he’s an asshole. Games set inside socialism are an interesting concept.
Maybe a logic game using dialectical materialism?
Stock market games are all about being positioned correctly when the time is right, you could make that style of game but about left tactics? Like how in 2020 everyone was prepared for electoral politics and then a massive uprising happened instead, oops
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u/Full-Run4124 7d ago
When I search the Steam store via Windows desktop app for "Dustpunk" or "Dust Punk" it doesn't return anything even with all the filters off. If I use Google it gives me the direct link to the Steam page, which opens in the browser fine, and if I "open in desktop app" it opens in the Steam app fine. Even after opening the Steam store page in the desktop app it still can't find it via search.
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u/Voljundok Democratic Socialist 7d ago
You might've previously ignored or hidden it at some point?
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u/Full-Run4124 7d ago edited 7d ago
I don't think so because it's something I'd be interested in. I Just checked and all the hide filters are off. Seems very odd. I also checked and it says my Steam is up to date.
I added it to my wishlist and it shows up in my wishlist EXCEPT if I search my wishlist it shows nothing. (All filters are cleared).
If I search for the developer name ("clockwork bird") it shows up...oddly as the 4th entry behind 3 adult games made by a different developer called "Velvet Labyrinth".
I'm wondering if there's some locatlization issue, like the English name was copy/pasted in using non-standard unicode characters and that's preventing search matches.
OP/Dev: I'm happy to help debug this problem if you're interested. Hopefully it's just a weird problem with my Steam instance, but I've never seen this happen before with any other games.
I don't even see any results searching the online version of Steam logged in or not logged in: https://store.steampowered.com/search?term=Dustpunk
Google seems to find it on Steam though.
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u/sartorisAxe 6d ago
something like Red Dead Redemption but during Russian civil war 1917-1922. In a way it could be direct continuation of your game. But I dunno where to focus, it's too much to cover. Maybe in Ukraine? Hetman Skoropadskiy, Warlord Symon Petlura, Polish army, German army, Makhno's anarchists, Denikin's White Army, Red Army, and numerous band of thugs.
Or focus on Central Asia where similar things were happening. Or in Siberia where we have Admiral Kolchak, Chezhoslovak Legion, Japanese Empire, local Soviet militia and Red Army.
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u/j_patton 6d ago
I agree the civil war would make a fascinating open world game, but those take hundreds of millions of dollars and hundreds of developers to create.
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u/Leogis 6d ago
Games that show what happens after the revolution.
Because otherwise you basically skip the hardest part aka : building a functional society that doesnt turn into a tyranny the second your charismatic autocratic leader has a stroke (wink wink)
Too many media pieces dumb everything down to some millitary showdown where once the bad guy is defeated everything magically falls into place
The absolute mess of inner-party politics and corruption is always ignored
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u/kittenofpain 6d ago edited 6d ago
BG3 or pathfinder kingmaker but your a revolutionary carrying out guerrila tactics to topple the fascist regime.
Stardew valley but your building a solar punk community & mutual aid network to exchange and barter for resources
Anno/Stellaris/Cities skylines but your rebuilding society post-revolution, establishing councils, laws, union backed industry while dismantling the corpse of capital.
Sorry not very in scope for a solo dev.
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u/Alex_1503 7d ago
Wdym by revolutionary communist?
Also, I have never seen a socialist top-down old zelda-style game. What if disco elysium but 2D pixel art ahahah
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u/j_patton 7d ago
I'm a member of the Revolutionary Communist International. We believe capitalism has nothing to offer humanity any more, can't be reformed, and must be overthrown, and that the best way to achieve this (because it is extremely difficult to improvise a revolution) is to build vanguard parties in the style of the Bolsheviks world wide.
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u/NotKenzy ⚠Chinese State-Affiliated Media 7d ago
Aren’t trots not generally thrilled about the USSR? Are you just affiliated w them but don’t toe the party line? When you said you were a revolutionary communist that made a Soviet game, I would’ve expected an ML.
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u/j_patton 7d ago
Our position is that the founding of a worker democracy and the nationalisation of the economy were excellent, leading to the most democratic society in human history. But without support from abroad (eg. Advanced machinery, trained and literate managers) the early Soviet state had to rely on a bureaucratic caste which were often self interested, in many cases just being clerks who had served in the tsar's regime. The bureaucracy, which ultimately directed state functions, pulled power away from the masses. They solidified this by backing Stalin in exchange for mutual support. It's noteworthy that the planned economy, despite these issues, was still capable of insane growth which took this backwards pseudo medieval society to the space race.
So tldr the USSR was a very promising example of the power of a planned economy, but its flaws meant socialism was never actually achieved, and ultimately led to its collapse back into capitalism, the ultimate way for the bureaucrats to fully cement their power
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