My father loves the song "One" by Three Dog Night. Its lyrics,

"One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do. Two can be as bad as one, it's the loneliest number since the number one..."

perfectly capture the spectrum of loneliness in single-player games.

For me, the loneliest single player experience is Minecraft.

Alone in a world 4.5 times the size of Earth, you can build anything or go anywhere, but without anyone to share it with, the experience feels hollow. Villagers lack depth, offering no meaningful companionship, and the eerie quietness amplifies isolation.

Sometimes, you hear footsteps or a door creak, only to remember you’re playing alone—fueling the myth of Herobrine.

Herobrine is a ghostly figure said to haunt Minecraft. According to the legend, he’s the spirit of Markus "Notch" Persson’s brother who committed suicide—except Notch doesn’t have a brother. The myth turns loneliness into something haunting, where every unexplained sound feels like a sinister presence.

But as the song says,

"Two can be as bad as one."

Some NPC companions fail to ease this solitude. Take Lydia from Skyrim, for example. While she loyally follows you, her repetitive lines feel more like a chore to bare through rather than a connection.

This is what Daniel describes as a “companion-like” NPC—physically present but emotionally hollow. By contrast, true companions, like Ellie in The Last of Us, create meaningful bonds that make single-player games feel alive.

Whether it’s the myth of Herobrine’s eerie presence in Minecraft or the shallow utility of Skyrim’s Lydia, the lack of meaningful connection makes the world feel lonelier.

These examples remind us how crucial well-crafted companions are for enriching single-player experiences.

Great stuff, Daniel!