Despite video games running the gamut of variety,some experiences transcend common accessibility even for me, who has played hundreds of titles in my life.
Whether it’s due to obtuse gameplay, mechanical designs that don’t appeal to everyone, or stories that would scare even the most dedicated gamer,I’ve come across several titles that are truly difficult to digest.
This in no way makes them bad titles; on the contrary,it’s their uniqueness that usually makes them classics for a select few users, who don’t represent the majority of the public.
So, from package-delivering journeys topixelated Roguelikesthat play themselves, and a fever dream turned into aturn-based RPG,these are the ten best games that aren’t for everyone but will still work for certain players.
10Ghostwire: Tokyo
An Open World Without World
Ghostwire: Tokyo
GhostWire: Tokyois a unique title for many reasons, but the first is how it subverts the expectation of open worlds, creating a space devoid of tasks but filled with vestiges.
The game features all the genre’s typical elements, such as collectibles, secrets, side quests, upgrades, and the like, butalways in a worldless environment,with no one to interact with or converse with.
It’s all ghosts, non-speaking animals, images of once-living beings…It unfolds as an excellent adventure game in which its first-person combat and vertical exploration work perfectly, but with a deafening silence surrounding you.
Ultimately, it’s an extremely lonely journey, with few faces to see and many trails to follow. You’re simply arriving late in a world ravaged by misfortune, bringing peace to stories that, unlike the common denominator, you can’t resolve but only culminate.
I like to describe it asDishonoredmeetsJujutsu Kaisen, which could be seen as a pretty popular combination but unfortunately led to it beingamong the most underrated games of recent years.
9Animal Well
More Layers Than Explanations
Animal Well
Animal Wellis a title as ruthless as it is exceptional when it comes to introducing you to its world,because it never bothers to explain anything, but always points you in the right direction.
You know a video game is excellently designed when the guiding lines are practically invisible, allowing you to feel the satisfaction of solving its intricate puzzles without the bitterness of having been guided to the solutions.
Yet,Animal Wellis one game until its first ending and a completely different one until its second. Anyone can finish it for the first time, although seeing the unprecedented depth of secrets it hides is much less common.
The problem is that the first ending guarantees you’ve had an enjoyable experience, while the second is the one that allows you to understand why so many talk about it as one of the most incredible indie games of recent years.
PlayingAnimal Wellto only see the surface is something I wouldn’t recommend, butplaying it to see everything is a feat that,without guides,few will be able to achieve.
8Asura’s Wrath
Archaic And Unforgettable
Asura’s Wrath
When you playAsura’s Wrath, the only thing as overwhelming as the feeling of gameplay staleness is the constant desire to know how the story will develop next.
It’s a poor beat-em-up, lacking variety and depth, that truly tests your patience and ability to tolerate gameplay whose highlights are the QTEs and cinematics, so recommending it is exceedingly difficult.
To feel comfortable inviting someone to play this game, I would have to know their ability to understand the video game beyond the immediate fun, givenAsura’s Wrathprovides entertainment in an unusual wayconsidering it’s supposed to be an action game.
If you view it as an anime or a graphic adventure with combat sections in between, it’s much easier to understand why so many people love it so much, asits story, characters, dialogue, soundtrack, and everything non-mechanical are beyond impressive,worthy of being called a masterpiece.
And yet, part of me feels it wouldn’t work if it weren’t a mediocre beat-em-up.There’s something charming aboutAsura’s Wrath’s inability to be good gameplay-wise, but you’re able to’t say that in a review.
Delirium By Turns
Recommending indie games is a delicate task, especially when their appearance isn’t always approachable but rather seems to scare away potential players, which is precisely what happens withHylics.
From its claymation aesthetic to its literally nonsensical story with dialogue that breaks linguistic rules every now and then, inexplicable campaign objectives, and gameplay systems that operate without context,nothing in the five hours it takes to watch it all makes sense.
That’s why it’s among the most memorable video games I’ve ever had the opportunity to experience, becauseit doesn’t bother doing anything other than inviting you into its feverish dream disguised as a JRPG, assuming you’ll have enough brain cells to endure the ones you’ll lose during the journey.
It’s a fairly entertaining turn-based game,especially due to its grotesque animations,scenery,and maps, although curiously, it’s these same reasons that make it impossible to recommendHylicswithout people believing you need professional help.
6Alan Wake
Anything But Typical
ThatAlan Wakeis among the past decade’s most underrated games shouldn’t surprise anyone, as the game wanders in a limbo of identity no one would want to be in.
It’s neither a psychological horror game that makes you feel vulnerable, nor a survival horror that makes you manage your resources, nor a TPS where shooting is satisfying. Instead,it rejects standards and focuses purely on the narrative.
In the process,it tells one of the most captivating tales in the history of video games, with masterful pacing,unforgettable characters, numerous plot twists, and an immersive mythology accompanied by exceptional cinematography.
Using light as a main mechanic is neither spectacular nor tense, but rather another plot device.Alan Wakeuses all its components to enhance the story,sacrificing what is necessary in terms of traditional fun to give you an unprecedented experience.
The problem is that the gameplay is basic, the story is complex, and its parts fit unevenly into various horror styles, never into one. It’s the sum of many features, which can either excite you or discourage you from the first touch.
A Pure Adventure Experience
Telling someone they should playTunicimplies one of two possibilities: either you enjoy the suffering of others, or you trust their IQ and gamer intuition enough to launch them into such an odyssey.
This gem is one of the ultimate representations of the concept ofadventure,launching you into the unknown without the ability to understand beyond your personal ventures, without in-game guides or tutorials detailing what you should do.
Dark Soulsdoes this in terms of narrative and objectives, for example, butTunicgoes so far as to not even explain what the items you find do or when to use them, nor does it tell you… anything.
Discovering it is wonderful, as everything is so organically designed andperfectly lengthened, but the simple task of understanding how the gameplay works can be a considerable barrier for the average player.
Even I, who am used to strange games that trust the player’s cognitive and motor skills too much, couldn’t avoid getting lost regularly, and patience runs out easily when you don’t know what to do within the hours that are supposed to be entertaining.
4Loop Hero
A Deceptive First Impression
I spent months avoiding playingLoop Herobecause, despite all its descriptors catching my attention,I couldn’t help but see gameplay screenshots and think it was all an unappealing jumble of pixels.
Playing it confirmed my impressions during the first few hours, as it’s an automatic title where you don’t fight but instead manage your path and equipment for each playthrough, which isn’t entertaining… until it is.
Whether it’s its actually beautiful pixel art, the seamless gameplay loop between resource-seeking expeditions and organizing your camp to upgrade the tools for each new endeavor, or its wonderful dialogues that explore the nature of cyclical games,it’s a title that gets much better with each passing hour.
The start is very slow, especially because the systems are unintuitive and not at all spectacular, so finding reasons to stick around can be difficult (the only thing that sustained me was the desire to defeat the first boss, whose design amazed me).
However, if you manage to arm yourself with patience and give it a chance,you’ll see very emphatically whyLoop Herois among the best and most underrated roguelikes of all time.
3Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
A Psychosis Difficult To Digest
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrificeis a video game well-established in the collective imagination as a popular AA title, but that doesn’t always mean it’s appreciated.
All things considered, the gameplay is clunky, the puzzles are repetitive, andit constantly feels like the game was afraid to let go of its action-oriented approach to appeal to a mainstream audience, so it’s no surprise not everyone finds it so outstanding.
Even so, I’m not among those gamers, as I believe Senua’s journey is an iconic wonder from beginning to end.I know I like a game when I look for plot reasons to justify its mechanical issues, and I’m sure I do that quite a bit with this one.
For thesound designalone,Hellbladeis the kind of game every player should try at least once. When you add its stunning imagery, scenery, symbolism, message, story, and aesthetics, I’m sure you’ll not only try it, you’ll finish it.
That’s assuming, of course, you’re able to look past its limited combat and monotonous riddles.It’s a title with many irregularities,but when it works well,it’s simply immaculate.
2Fear & Hunger
As Gruesome As Possible
Fear & Hunger
Fear & Hungeris one of the video games that best captures the idea of a masterpiece not built for everyone, and the reasons are so many and varied that it’s difficult to list them all.
The main point, of course, is its visceral nature, as the dungeons in which the game unfolds arehellish spaces filled with all sorts of disgraceful(and graphic)activities I genuinely don’t want to even describe.
This is essential to establish the game’s tone, which is profoundly dark, mature, and ruthless. Underneath,it’s an extremely hardcore turn-based RPGwith permadeath, deadly enemies, complex level design, and far too many secret interactions.
Therefore,from the narrative to the gameplay,Fear & Hungeris not an accessible game. It’s as difficult to play as it is to witness it, but if you have a high tolerance, you’ll discover an incredible indie game with tremendous lore and an extremely passionate community.
Plus, if you appreciate deep mythologies, unforgettable visual designs, and rituals with gods to achieve power by selling your moral principles, this journey is for you.
1Death Stranding
The AAA Game About Packages And Human Condition
Death Stranding
We all knowHideo Kojimais an absolute genius with the most impressive record in the video game industry, and yet,recommending his games is always difficult because of how unique they are.
However, in the case ofDeath Stranding, he took everything to an uncharted place, with such a marked ode to thestrangethat even manyMetal Gear Solidfans couldn’t bear it.
Going from tactical infiltration titles to a work-based video game where you must deliver packages, urinate on your enemies, and escape from drug addicts with syndicates was a drastic leap, buta wonderful one that has given us one of the most transcendental video games in history.
If you don’t let the adjectives fool you, you’ll understandDeath Strandingisn’t one of those games you enjoy because of its gameplay. Rather, the mechanics themselves are an outstanding concatenation of immersive systems that magically put you in Sam Bridges' shoes.
You also have an unpredictable and fantastic story only Kojima knows how to create, characters that will stay in your heart, a unique setting, enviable cinematic direction, a soundtrack for posterity… All behind a game that turns you into a 9-to-5 worker.
While I understand the premise is anything but striking,its execution is extraordinary, especially for the pertinent and astounding message it sends about humanity and the importance of maintaining our ties.
