Not sure it would run on steam deck but have a loop to Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Soul and Detroit Become Human from Quantic Dreams
Gaming
I’ve played Detroit, thank you. I admit I became a bit of a graphics fidelity snob and the other two seem to dated for me
Heavy Rain looks for sure outdated, but the story is really nice. If you accept that the control are a bit tricky and think it more like a movie it can be quite enjoyable
Yeah probably not what you're looking for but Out There on Android is a sleeper. Think The Martian (yeah the novel) mixed with No Man's Sky. Some free and open elements with a journal-driven story progression. Difficult as well.
Well my main issue is I don’t have android device and don’t really wanna mess with emulating on windows
Tomb Raider (the recent trilogy) is right up that alley.
Hmm, I haven’t played the last one so it might be good idea
I'm not quite sure about Steamdeck compatibility, so I apologize if some are not. Horror isn't exactly my genre, but I'll throw some other great story-driven games out there.
The Rusty Lake/Cube Paradox series are absolutely incredible if you like puzzles/escape rooms. The collection is probably 10-15+ hours of entertainment with a single playthrough. Will also throw Gorogoa out there, but that's only about 2-3 hours.
Outlast series
What Remains of Edith Finch
Life is Strange is absolutely fantastic and mostly about time.
I've heard great things about Firewatch and Outer Wilds, but have not played either yet.
Stanley Parable is a bit dated, but it is fun if you enjoy narrated British humor or The Office.
The Bioshock Series is absolutely fantastic and plays best with a controller. I think the first is best, followed by the third.
The Metro series is great, but they are one of the most difficult single-player FPS out there. So are the STALKER games if you like modding, but those are visually a bit dated.
All of Supergiant Games (Bastion, Hades, and Transistor) are fantastic.
Other notable mentions: Stray, Remember Me,
I've heard great things about Days Gone, but it apparently the fun action part takes quite some time to get into.
You might really enjoy the original "Layers of Fear" if you like psychological horror, but it has very little spoken story and is definitely not an A-rated game. A remake also recently came out, but the original still holds up.