I want to see a game that makes the player completely helpless and powerless.
Clock Tower 1 and 2, Silent Hill 1-4, Rule of Rose and Lone Survivor are all really good examples, and I'm a big fan of all those series. Clock Tower especially is an amazing experience that evokes some genuine feelings of terror in me. It's a really cool game which I played very recently and I'm very happy that it scared me as much as it did. The fear isn't really nightmare inducing, it's a lot more immediate as you try to escape this guy who's trying to kill you. Meanwhile Silent Hill has that oppressive, uncertain and supernatural atmosphere in spades that make you look over your shoulder while you're playing the game.
To date Silent Hill 1 is the only game I had to stop playing because I was so scared. :c
All horror games, which seem to be the main genre that people are suggesting. Well, you and Neonivek are suggesting. I wish I wasn't so terrible at horror games.
Tales of Symphonia? It explores the notions of being too weak to do anything, but it also explores idealism and various other concepts... I guess it does eventually become gaining and exercising power, but also rejecting it in a way.
Actually, almost any "Tales of..." game would fit if Symphonia would.
Symphonia is a damn good game. But perhaps not quite what you're looking for.
It's hard to say. I know next to nothing about JRPG's.
I got to thinking about this when I was thinking about games where your character has to make a decision that determines whether another character will live or die. And thinking about what it would be like for you to be on the other side of that decision, maybe not even from a life or death perspective, but being at the mercy of someone who doesn't know you and may not have your best interests at heart.
I've become kind of sick of that mechanic, really, because it often seems to be presented like the other people have no... agency? If that's the right word. So I want to see the player put in the position of not having control of their fate, in some way.