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Morrowind.
I mean, it's a 22 year old game, but since you asked nicely... π€·ββοΈ
Seeing that silt strider just outside Seyda Neen after the intro to what looked like your run of the mill D&D style fantasy RPG was a surprise, to say the least...
... and it was just the beginning.
It's a real shame later Elder Scrolls games mostly lost that otherworldly feel.
Not as good as the examples you listed but subnautica imo
Silent Hill 2 and SOMA
Undertale
God of War 2018. I played all the original games but I was still just a casual fan. I heard about the new game coming out but didn't really pay much attention to it. I eventually play it and holy crap I didn't know it was going to be what it was. Before playing it, I had RDR2 as my game of the year but GOW really stole it in the end.
BioShock. It really depends on playing it blind in order to have an impact.
Bioshock.
EDIT: Jade Empire doesn't really fit, so I'll go with Observation instead. I'll still argue you're better off not knowing anything about KOTOR aside from being an RPG in the Star Wars universe.
I can confirm that when you know "the thing" about KOTOR ahead of time, it ruins a lot of the magic.
The Zero Escape Series. I wish I could play it again without knowing anything.
Same with Professor Layton games (for the big plots).
Chants of Senaar - You interpret alien languages.
Journey
Most of the really good games have been posted already, so here are three that you should play regardless if youβve never heard of them before:
Check them all out because theyβre short and free
I feel like the obvious answer would be something like Fallout New Vegas, DLCs as well (especially the DLCs) or any visual novel games like Song of Data or the Danganronpa series.
Though for non-obvious answers, gonna say Brok the Investigator. Story driven with changing how you play affecting the ending you get. Non-obvious because I don't see a ton of hype around it, even though there's a cool looking DLC being developed.
Edit:
Forgot to add just about any puzzle game to the list. I watched someone play a puzzle game (Baba Is You) roughly 4-5 years ago and picked it up last spring. Just long enough for me to remember almost none of the solutions. Definitely much more fun that way. Same reason I loved Portal 2 back when I got it on xbox. Didn't have a clue what would happen or what the puzzle solutions were.
What Remains of Edith Finch, I think it has a fantastic narrative. Not so much twists, just best experienced yourself.
+1 for Outer Wilds
Paradise Killer
Definitely fear and hunger (the first one)
Also, baldur's gate 3 has an uncountable number of "no fucking way the devs did this" that make a blind run of the game a memorable experience
Same goes with the metal gear solid saga
There isn't a game that exists that isn't better going in knowing very little, if anything at all, about it. I don't even understand reading an entire guide or wiki about a game before you ever even load it up and play.
Omori and Disco Elysium
I actually think an argument could be made for Disco Elysium not being one of these games actually. I've seen people bounce off it because they went in with the wrong expectations. The game doesn't really market itself correctly: it claims to be an isometric RPG and a detective game, but it could be argued the game is actually neither. Also lots of people miss out on a lot because they weren't aware of the fail-forward design principle.
I had this kind of moment with Prey.
Dishonored
TBH though, most if not all games are better blind.
I don't think this one is even vaguely possible anymore, but "I Wanna Be The Guy" would be my suggestion for this question. That first encounter with the game is one of the most special moments in all of gaming.