When you start a new game for the first time, you often need to learn everything before you can get going, and learn the rest as you continue. Even if you know which buttons usually do what in games, the characters, world, and mechanics will all be something that you can't entirely know for sure. Some tutorials will walk you through the process in a standard way, or some will even do it without feeling like a tutorial at all.
However, some games take it a step further, so that even the character you're controlling needs to learn everything all over again. Whether that's memories they can't quite recall, people and places they've forgotten, or if the entire of reality has slipped their mind, these games offer the best examples of trying to remember everything while you learn it all for the first time. It's beyond a tutorial, as even past the initial learning curve, you'll still be figuring stuff out hours down the line, or even finding out some significant story twists - both a shock for you and for your character.
Warning: This Game May Contain Spoilers About The Games Mentioned
6 There's More Than Meets The Memory - Amnesia
Of course, in Amnesia, you play as someone with amnesia. As the character Daniel, you awaken within a mysterious castle with no memory. The only things he remembers are his name, where he lives, and the fact that something is hunting him. You can piece things together by finding notes he has written for himself, and uncover the truth by descending to the Inner Sanctum of the castle.
Both you, as a player, and Daniel will be wandering the halls of this castle in an attempt to learn what is really going on, all while trying to survive and keeping your sanity at reasonable levels. Good luck, because you're on your own here.
5 Put Yourself In Someone Else's Shoes - Final Fantasy 7
For Cloud in Final Fantasy 7, it's a little more complicated than just losing his memories. Instead, after years of procedures and manipulation from Mako, he had memories - just not his own. Instead, he possessed the memories of Zack, while not remembering Zack or his own actual memories.
This causes complications with both Cloud and Tifa throughout the course of the game, especially as more things come to light. It's an interesting take on the concept of memories, and makes for some shocking and intense moments in the story.
4 A Life Forgotten, A Life Remembered - The Witcher Games
The direction of the story in The Witcher games varies from that of the books, and so we see Geralt of Rivia lose his memories after a lost battle. Throughout The Witcher 2, he has no memory of his life before and no memory of Yennefer, his love. Instead, Triss stays by his side and doesn't disclose the whole truth to him.
In The Witcher 3, Geralt's memories have returned, and he's tracking down Yen. Effects of the memory loss remain, and damages that can't be undone, but Geralt pushes on in his profession despite all that he has been through.
3 Once Good, Once Bad, What Now? - Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic uses memory loss to unveil one of the greatest twists in gaming. As you go about your mission in the galaxy, meeting others and traveling with them, you hear tales of the Sith Lords who brought ruin and sought power: Darth Revan and Darth Malak.
Later, it is revealed that your character was Revan, and that Malak had usurped power in order to achieve conquest of the galaxy. As a newly training Jedi, this adds plenty of complications. You already knew the power of the Force, good and bad, and now you can decide which direction you take it.
2 I Overslept, What Did I Miss? - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
After sleeping for 100 years, you are probably going to feel a little groggy, that's to be expected. After Link falls victim to Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild, Zelda has him escorted to the Shrine of Awakening while she heads off to face Ganon.
Once he wakes up, a century later, he has lost all memory of who he was, who he knew, and just what happened. Others will teach you and help you along, and you can discover your memories of what transpired as you visit specific locations. After forgetting it all, Link must recall the tragedies that occurred that day.
1 What Is Reality? What Is Anything? - Disco Elysium
Taking the concept of amnesia and escalating it to a whole new level, Disco Elysium sees you wake up in your room with absolutely no memory - who you are, where you are, what you are, what year is it, what is anything in the world, how does everything work - even the need to grasp an understanding of what reality is, from the concept of currency to the supranatural forces at play.
As a detective, you'll be slowly unraveling the case at hand, while also gradually uncovering everything else that could possibly pique your interest. Find out your own name, or find out the cause of death - which one you wish to prioritize is up to you.
This game takes the learning process of the whole game - what is, assuredly, a deep and complex RPG - and weaves it in with the narrative in the most interesting way. As you explore this isometric world that is entirely unfamiliar to you, you must learn everything for the first time... or for the second time.