RUINER: Isometric twin-stick shooter with a 10/10 soundtrack. Basically zero advertisement, i only ever found out about it because I listen to similar music and got the soundtrack reccomended to me by the YT algorithm.
The Ascent is a longer game and leans harder into RPG elements than Ruiner ever does. For me, Ruiner ran better and like @Catastrophic235 says, the music is incredible. Blows The Ascent’s soundtrack out of the water. Ruiner might have slightly tighter controls too, but I’d have to replay to confirm since I played it with a mouse/keyboard while I played The Ascent with a controller.
Never played the ascent but heard it was meh. Controls for Ruiner were pretty tight, my only complaint is that I’d sometimes get caught on an object/wall that wasn’t very easy to see, but it was never more than a minor inconvenience.
I’ve seen Tametsi, Hexcells, and Bombe continually recommended online as hidden gems but I’ve put off buying any because I’m not much of a Minesweeper fan. I should really give them a try sometime though, since I think the luck aspect is my least favorite part of Minesweeper. Thanks for sharing!
I bought Tametsi recently based at another recommendation thread. It’s really good - it eliminates the big issue with minesweeper which is that sometimes you have to guess. In Tametsi you always have enough information for your next move which completely changes how it feels. It almost ends up feeling more like Sudoku with the “ok so if that’s true then that can’t be true” type steps in logic.
Nox (the better single player Diablo, with some incredible game mechanics, even looking at it today)
Hexplore
Imperium Galactica
Giants (this game ran like shit on every age appropriate PC, I’m kind of wondering if the engine can even run without stuttering, but it’s a fantastic game)
Gothic 1 (alive open worlds are not that new and exciting anymore, but this game has a lot of charm & an amazing sense of exploration)
The Longest Journey
Knights and Merchants (combat strategy game, the later levels are combat only and it’s very HARD)
Rage of Mages 2
Chrono Cross (probably the best jrpg of all time, but the combat system scared away many)
These are not really forgotten & qualify for being a cult classic, but merely they are old titles that the new kids have never touched:
Baldur’s Gate 1-2
Morrowind (so much better than Skyrim, it’s not even close)
Pharaoh & Caesar 3 (the city builders, there is a recently released HD remake for Pharaoh)
Oddworld: Abe’s Odessey (Much better art style & direction than in the still great remake called New and Tasty)
Jazz Jackrabbit 1 (Sonic feels soulless compared to this)
Settlers 3
Chrono Trigger (It’s not really a cult classic, because eventually all jrpg fans play this, right, RIGHT?)
I don’t know if Gothic 1 and 2 qualify as true cult classics or not, but clunky controls and interface aside, these are two of the best games I have played in my life. Gothic 2 especially. The games offer an atmosphere like nothing I’ve ever played. The soundtrack, themes, and overall color pallete provide this rich and stirring ambience that always manages to make me feel as though I’m exploring an ancient pine forest on a dark, rainy day. See for yourself.
You can feel the spirit of the entire franchise contained within the first two minutes of that audio track, perfectly encapsulated. It was an entire world apart and years ahead of its time. If it resonates with you, then these games are absolutely worth the initial difficulty of figuring out those ridiculous keyboard controls. But if you’re really struggling with them, just read up on the Gothic 1 storyline and then skip straight to Gothic 2. It picks up right where the first leaves off. You won’t miss a tremendous amount, and the controls and gameplay are infinitely improved. However, sticking G1 out long enough to figure out what you’re doing will make G2 far more rewarding when you reunite with various characters and revisit previously explored areas.
A studio is remaking Gothic 1, but everything I’ve seen of it so far is about as faithful to Gothic 1 as The Dark Tower movie was to the books. They’ve massacred it. So stick with the originals.
To latch on to this: the first Elex, a game by the same studio as the Gothic series, is, despite the average reception by critics, THE definition of a flawed masterpiece! So many things to criticize (too difficult early in the game, bad cut scenes, flawed combat) but the main focus of the game, the open world filled with tons of monster and people to interact with, is just great! I loved how exploration is encouraged and rewarded, how there are meaningful desicions and characters that can be killed off. The world is huge and all though the general atmosphere is post apocalyptic, the developer somehow managed to fit a middle age type fraction and a science fiction type (Clerics) fraction in to the game. Also smaller groups you can’t join.
Elex has a very special place in my gamer heart and all though I can’t flat out recommend it to everyone I would say if you have a soft spot for open world games that do not play like the average Ubi game and don’t hold your hand the whole time, I say: check it out, it’s pretty cheap in most places!
spoilerIts Prince of Persia The Sands of Time. Princess Farah, who you escort, always find a conventient crack only she can fit through whenever the game needed her gone. This got kind of memed.
Same. Project Brutality makes the old Doom games quite enjoyable as well. It’s a bit edgy but it’s kind of a mix of modern Doom with the old ones. It’s the perfect kind of game to just turn your brain off and shoot some demons without having it be too difficult.
Doom Eternal is too much of a dance to play, you have to swap weapons all the time and carefully juggle ammo, chainsaw, dashes and a bunch of other buttons to play optimally.
Does Cogmind count? Because even when I see people discussing games like it, which are already pretty niche, it never comes up. That’s tragic, because oh my god, just read some of these articles. This developer is obsessive and even if you don’t get too deep into Cogmind it’s an incredible toy to just screw around with and just see what happens.
Mega Man Legends 2: both MM Legends have heartwarming light hearted stories and okay gameplay
Tail Concerto: similar to MM Legends, but gameplay is bit more basic. Features tons of cute anthropomorphized cats and dogs. Very lighthearted
Playstation Portable:
Remember11: The last game in Infinity series, co created by Kotaro Uchikoshi who went on and created Zero Escape trilogy. Out of the Infinity series, this is probably the best one, it is more sci-fi than romance/dating visual novel, there’s no longwinded slice of life section.
All of those games are either in English or have been fan-translated
Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines. Dated, needs mods to run, but the fact that there’s still a community patch being made for it after all this time says a lot. Haven’t really heard much about it since the sequel crashed and burned, which is sad because no game has really given me the same atmospheric vibes. It was (is?) really special
Nothing really captures the atmosphere of a good WoD game quite like bloodlines. The combat is, let’s face it, pretty dogshit, but the writing, worldbuilding, and especially the voice talent and direction are some of the best out there to this day. The game just oozes charisma and flavor, and the pacing of the main quest juxtaposed with the black comedy of so many of the side characters’ goings-on makes it the kind of experience that just pulls you in.
I know Bloodlines 2 will eventually release, likely sometime in the next 2-3 years because paradox just began to spin up their socials again, but even if it weren’t stuck deep in Devhell I get the feeling it just won’t have the same punch B1 did. Granted, B1 was just as rocky on its own day 1 and it didn’t pick up the cult following until well after release, and with the help of a dedicated, loving community that tore it down and rebuilt it from the ground up. We can only hope that community love is still here and willing to make B2 the best game it can be. Time will tell.
bin.pol.social
Aktywne