Yeah, last year in my honorable mentions, this year it sneaked up in my list. Project Zomboid is a apocalyptic survival game with an isometric view. It is in development since 2011. Yeah, it is still in development. That doesn't mean it is unplayable, it is very much playable. It means it will get regular new updates, builds with often pretty big additions to an already very complex and satisfying game.

You are put into the first days of a Zombie apocalypse in Knox Country, Kentucky in 1993. And you have one simple goal: survive as long as you can. Which probably isn't very long. And yes, you inevitably die. The game even says so in the starting lines: "This is how you died!"

The game not just simply let you cut down hundreds of Zombies, it tracks status like exhaustion, hunger, fear, stress, boredom and that can very much influence your fighting. While you can beat the first Zombie probably easily, if exhausted after running away or climbing fences you may need a lot more hits to put a Zombie down. Better find some place to sleep - safely. Or you get weak because of hunger, so you loot unspoiled food.

This game has permadeath, but an ongoing world. So you can start in the same world as you just died with a new character and find your old one (probably shuffling around and craving brains) with all their loot and maybe their base. You can also always start anew at the first day of the apocalypse.

New players probably will struggle to survive the first day, finding weapons and defending against the walking dead, but there are other challenging points: finding enough food, dealing with electricity and water shutoff (especially the second puts you in trouble finding drinkable water), fortify a base, start growing crops to eat long term (or hunt animals, or fish). And then survive the winter. All these are challenges that stack at each other, even after a 100 days and you starting to feel comfortable, a single stray Zombie you overlooked may spell your doom.

The game has multiplayer servers (you can start your own as well), that allow players to play together in real time. And Zomboid multiplayer servers mean: if you log out the world goes on, with other players and Zombies and if you log in again things may have changed. In these servers it may be good to defend a base together with like minded players. But beware, there is PvP as well, another player may kill you and take your loot. Playing single player at least makes you only worry about Zombies.

The game has endless configuration options allowing to modify your experience from normal, to extremely challenging, to simple and focused on crafting and building the perfect base. The play styles may also differ, some only want to play surviving the first days and hordes of Zombies, while others want to play a world for years and build a post-apocalyptic civilization. All this is possible.

The game has a strong community that develops their own stories, streams, develop mods (a lot and very strange ones), makes art. Even the racoon Spiffo became a mascot in communication with the community over time.

The game is currently in build 41, update 77 (for this build, really) and has extensive plans for the future. So yeah, they are committed to keep developing the game.

If you want to join, the game is available on GOG and Steam for PC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L6ZEOjvG0k&ab_channel=RoboKast

Nope again.

Symphony of the Night. I have the soundtrack so this was quite easy.

Apparently my hints are too vague, so another round:

#46: Guessed by S.Peelman: The Battle for Wesnoth

#45: Guessed by drbunnig: Doom 64
(it is not: Smash Bros Ultimate, Golden Eye (Wii))
This is it's own game instead of just a port.
This game was recently ported to many modern platforms after being exclusive on an old console for over two decades.

#44: (it is not: Yes, Your Grace)
The genre I could describe as monarchy simulator.
If your monarch dies you hopefully have an heir to take over.

#43: Guessed by coolbeans: Supaplex
(it is not: Q*bert, Pac Man, Crash, K.C. Munchkin)
You controlling what is basically a big orange mouth.
This game is basically a variant of Boulder Dash.

#42: Guessed by Machina: Valkyria Chronicles 4
Control your platoon in this strategic game that is set in a war in a region similar but not quite europe. It is the fourth game in the series.

42 - Valkyria Chronicles 4.

*snickers*

Oh there's lots of witty dialogue and (text) narration.

Entering into a convo with a stranger:

Amid a rough day:

During an argument with your bro:

Making a casual observation:

An(other) awkward moment with a friend:

Attempting to quit the game:

There are several quit screens, each featuring a quote from a famous, though not always inspirational, person roughly of the era. One is by Richard Nixon. It's about knowing when to quit.

Damn it, how can such an unspecific hint instantly lead to the answer? You're right obviously.

There are probably other games that do the 'war in Europe that's not Europe' thing, but Valkyria Chronicles is the most famous, at least to me. 

I didn't enjoy Valkyria Chronicles when I first played it, but I re-visited it more recently when it was released on Steam and I liked it enough to then buy Valkyria Chronicles 4. The art style is great, and I like the fact that the gameplay areas are fully 3D, pleasant to look at, and cleverly incorporate real-time and strategy elements - I wish there were more SRPGs like Valkyria Chronicles.

Actually it does not incorporate real-time elements, it is purely turn-based. But it masks these turns pretty cleverly, so that it *feels* more actiony.

And yes to the looks. Despite the grim setting of a world war (or at least continent wide one), the visuals are gorgeous. Going with cel-shading and this art direction was such a great choice for that game. A lot of these tactical/strategic games incorporate a dark look matching the content as they usually simulate war. This look feels different and yet they managed to make it not feel out of place as they kept the story a bit lighter.

Doom 64?