For games that appear bitter, but are marvelous once cracked open.

Unified expression in games is about tuning into the frequency of the author.
So this is my own "bitter game" catalog: Where you can really feel the designer's spirit beyond the screen.
It's those contrasting elements that fascinate and grow the idea of games as a dense conversation piece between designer and player.
These are games that encompass a unique langauge of friction, that ask us to contemplate their finer details before being synergistically understood.
(Also: These games want you to engage, not drift. To earnestly approach the work in full).

This list additionally proposes games that question accepted design presumptions and rules.
Rather than the repeated phrases that boil games into "wanted" and "unwanted" parts, discarding the spirited texture into a production line without much curiosity on our end. This is not to draw any absolute conclusions (total contrarianism is equally as empty) but rather, dismantle and invite introspection.