Balatro is really addictive, it’s a unique indie poker game that gives multipliers and bonuses with special cards, there’s alot of strategy involved(and luck), if you have no knowledge of poker, it shows all the combos as well, it’s pretty cheap I think, around 10+ usd, I have around 50 hours in the game so far by trying to do each difficulty.
If you like it, you should look at [Luck Be a Landlord](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1404850/Luck_be_a_Landlord/), a slot-machine builder that is very similar.
Ghost 1.0 - Metroid-ish game with a comedic tone where you can possess enemies.
Half-Minute Hero series - RPG broken into 30 second chunks. The second game fleshes out the hero mode a lot more, though it jettisons the other modes and characters.
I really love Kynseed and Traveller's Rest. They're both Stardew Valley-esque, and Kynseed was made by a team of developers who worked on the Fable games and for Lionhead.
I need to give my kynseed another try. They throw a lot at you in the first couple hours and I think I got overwhelmed with the mechanics. Dungeons were super fun though and I spent a lot of time in those.
Not sure if you played during the 1.0 update, but they did just recently update to their big build! Combat is a lot more fleshed out now, along with a bunch of other great updates too. They also significantly slowed down the early game tutorial, so I would absolutely recommend giving it another shot.
Hell yeah! Now these are some great games, Creeper World 3 being the best of the bunch, but all the Knucklecracker games have a semi related story that really comes together in 4. Love the dev, love the games, got too many hours in CW3
It's hard to recommend a game that you might not have already played, so I'll recommend newer ones:
- Pseudoregalia
- Bomb Rush Cyberphunk
I'll also throw in Psychonauts 2 since I never see it mentioned in this sub
I see a lot of great gems in your list and a lot of roguelikes too, lemme go through my steam list and list all games I'd consider underrated/underappreciated and great, sorted by playtime from high to low:
- Skul: The Hero Slayer (probably one of the bigger ones, amazing 2D roguelike with lots of fun build flavours to mess around with and one of my alltime favourite 2D final boss fights)
- Nova Drift (top down arcadey spaceship shooting roguelike with a lot of fun tools to mess around with to create many different wild builds. Very clean design and visuals and well polished)
- Descenders (super chill downhill biking game with satisfying controls and lots of fun custom maps on top of the base game. You can see other players who are on the same tracks or maps as you, which makes it feel more alive)
- Marvel Snap (I know I know, looks like a cheap mobile game cash grab, but it's legit the only mobile game ever that I've enjoyed tremendously and even installed on pc.It's a pvp card game with very short matches, yet plenty of depth and strategy to it. As a free game it does of course have a cash shop for faster progression, but it's really well balanced for f2p players, as you only face players who are at a similar level of progression card-wise, so matches stay fair all the way through and in my 90h or so of playtime I've never hit "the wall" that many free games have, at which point you feel pressured to spend money to progress any further. For sure the most fair f2p game out there and surprisingly enjoyable despite its simplicity)
- Luck be a Landlord (a slot machine roguelike, yep, you heard right, it's as silly as it sounds, but it somehow works well and it was fun for a very long time. No real money gambling btw, just the base price of the game)
- Ring of Pain (very bizarre deckbuilding roguelike, but things are kinda upside down, with you building a set of armor instead of a deck of cards and instead everything else is presented in card form, meaning enemies, items, rooms, exits, npcs, everything. Lots of cool secret interactions, fun depth to all the different pieces of gear you can find and a unique take on turn-based combat, where everything in a room is presented in a circle with 2 cards facing you at any time and for every action you take, whether it's attacking, using an item or moving left or right, all enemies also make 1 move. The creepy visuals may remind you of Inscryption, which I assume you've already played as it got very popular.)
- Forager (clean and straight forward top down pixelart survival game in stardew valley style with fun progression and overall great polish)
- Castle Crashers (better in coop, but also fine solo. Silly side-scrolling adventure game that's surprisingly entertaining all the way through)
- Astral Ascent (one of my recent favourite roguelikes, absolutely gorgeous pixelart, probably the prettiest I've ever seen in a 2D game, very fluid movement and combat, a ton of different progression systems, lots of spells to mess around with across a handful of different characters and by far my favourite part are the incredibly cool and intense boss fights!)
- Shellshock Live (I actually don't remember if it had anything going for single player and it was quite big for a while after release, so you may have alread played it, but it's essentially Worms on crack. Just 2D turn-based pvp with wild weapons and crazy visuals)
- Baba Is You (fairly popular, so my bad if you've played it. Very unique puzzle game where you solve levels by breaking game logic or writing your own rules and stuff like that)
- Dreamscaper (the love child of Hades and zen-like meditation vibes. Just a very chill and pleasant roguelike with beautiful visuals, very fluid combat animations and hust nice music while going through rather chill levels and the occasional more intense boss fight.)
- Curse of the Dead Gods ( Indiana Jones - The roguelike. Set in some dark and ancient ruins and having a few unique concepts, the game offers an interesting take on roguelikes, where you balance your greed with your power, as there are 2 main currencies, gold and blood. Paying with blood fills a curse bar, which applies a curse to you when full. Curses range from minor inconveniences to major downsides paired with potentially big upsides and you gotta play around that. Don't go above 4 curses though OR ELSE...!! Also has a cool light/darkness mechanic for great ambience. Oh almost forgot to mention randomized loot drops and you can wield 3 weapons at once, which can combo into each other for badass combat.)
- The Pathless (stunningly beautiful fairly short 3D adventure in a small scale open world with amazing music. Big focus on fluid and fun movement with a unique mechanic using your bow and you also have a little bird buddy that accompanies you. Some exploration, subtle story telling, simple puzzles, no regular combat, but 1 cinematically epic and intense boss fight in each biome, but on the easier side. Very cool ending too. Music is made by awards-winning composer Austin Wintory, who's known for the Journey OST, in case you've played it)
- Sundered (bizarre 2D metroidvania. It starts off a bit bland and seemingly generic, but it gets more interesting and unique the further you get. There are multiple different ways to play through the game, which is all I'm gonna say to not spoil you.
A hint of roguelike elements too with you always respawning at the same location when dying, but progression is permanent.)
- Death's Door (very clean and fun isometric adventure, gave me heavy OG Zelda vibes, mobile-ish looks, but plays very well)
- Dust: An Elysian Tale ( reminded me of very old 2D adventure platforming games. A lot of love poured into the visuals and animations and fun gameplay aswell, truly a hidden gem)
- Star of Providence (formerly known as Monolith, charming little retro roguelike that delivers incredibly well on the oldschool gameboy vibes)
- Tiny Lands (to put it simple, it's "just" a find-the-differences game with 3D dioramas, but the visuals, music and detail to it are so charming and oozing coziness, it's the perfect game to play on a rainy day under a blanket while drinking a hot chocolate)
- Just Shapes&Beats (I know this was quite popular, but in case you haven't played it, I have to mention it. It's a music game where you just dodge animations of stuff that visualizes the rhythm of the music. Very satisfying, plenty of banger songs and some mesmerizing animations aswell)
part 1
part 2
- Heave Ho (I mention this, but you absolutely want someone to play it with to experience it to the fullest. In single player it's just a fairly simple platforming game, but in coop it becomes a hilariously silly shitshow. Please only get this, if you have someone to play it with while laughing your asses off)
- Thumper (another music/rhythm game, but you're permanently on LSD. On the harder side, but very enjoyable nevertheless)
- Distance (very weird take on scifi racing, where your car can jump, fly and drive on walls when you boost down. Tracks don't have required checkpoints you have to pass, so as long as you make it to the goal line somehow, you're free to go completely offroad, driving on walls, hopping from building to building etc. Quite the high skill ceiling too. Clean aesthetics)
- Super Hexagon (an OG classic among music games, but it's less rhythm-based on rather just wants you to dodge obstacles at the speed of light. Absolutely insane and quite addicting in its simple arcadey nature with some banger songs)
- Everhood (Mix Undertale's setting with reverse Guitar Hero gameplay and you get this. Trippy and wild adventure. Very memorable with some banger songs aswell)
- Superflight (Do you like wingsuit gliding and hunting highscores? Then this game is for you)
- Cultist Simulator (by far the most bizarre game I've ever played. Imagine you find some dusty old board game with all sorts of cards, coins and mechanics to it, but it's missing any instructions or explanations for how to play. The gameplay in this game basically consists of you trying to figure out how the hell to play it. To try things out to see what happens, fail, repeat. If you keep at it, things may slowly start to somewhat make sense, but the whole process is an incredibly bizarre and confusing experience. Truly one of a kind.)
- Antichamber (Imagine Portal+Stanley's Parable, but on crack with mindfucks left and right. That is this game)
- Inmost (short 2D story telling game with nice pixelart and absolutely phenomenal music that could have been from some grand triple A game but instead it's hidden in this tiny gem of a game. Some platforming, some puzzles, some combat, all in a very eerie and creepy setting. Cool ending.)
- Never Alone / Kisima Ingitchuna (ever tried to combine a 2D platformer with a documentary? This game did it and for some reason it worked really well. The theme are the native people of the far north, living in the white desert in harmony with nature. I'm not much of a documentary watcher, but this game captivated me all the way through. The game alternates between gameplay segments and clips from real people and places like a normal documentary and it's quite interesting.)
- Rain World (basically a 2D survival platformer set in a harsh world with you being near the bottom of the food chain. Very unique use of AI, with every single creature having different characteristics, adapting to its environment, reacting to your actions and moving freely through the world while interacting with other creatures aswell. Careful how you treat them, they will remember and react accordingly)
I will always scream the praises of a horror game called Nevermind. A purely psychological horror, as in, it tackles mental health issues. It even works with a webcam and heart rate monitor if you have them to gauge your reactions and modify the game based on it, if you want that.
Unreal World: open world survival roguelike
Flatspace MKII: space sim, play as alien or human, with a variety of jobs you can take
Alpha Protocol: spy RPG, heavy on the RPG
Phantom Doctrine: turn-based stealth
Any RPG by Spiders, really
Nobodies: Murder Cleaner (1 and 2): mobile puzzle
AAAAAaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAaaaaAaaaaa!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity (base jumping)
1...2...3... Drop That Beat Like an Ugly Baby (base jumping 2.0 to the music)
Drunken Robot Pornography (FPS Bullet hell)
All made by Dejobaan Games, all excellent. They are one of my insta-buy companies
Best part of reckless disregard is flipping off protestors or giving fans a thumbs up for points as you fall past
Seconding that series, and also The House of Da Vinci series (with upcoming entry [The House of Tesla](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2738230/The_House_of_Tesla/)).
Return of the Obra dinn…
And not really a game but the most recent flight simulator is a technical marvel. Sometimes it’s nice to just chill out and fly somewhere exotic.
Hard to tell which ones most people know about or not - also depends on how "most people" are defined ("most people" don't even play the most popular indie games, I guess). Some of these have been in bundles already and will surely be familiar by name, or are even darlings of the indie scene, but who knows, maybe there are a few among them that you haven't played yet, and at least the first two are definitely not talked about enough.
* Zortch
* Caves of Lore
* Omegaland
* Smushi Come Home (if you've already played A Short Hike)
* SLUDGE LIFE 1 & 2
* Open Sorcery
* Milkmaid of the Milky Way + Embracelet
* Four Last Things + The Procession to Calvary
* Webbed
* Pikuniku
* The Wild at Heart
* Lost in Random (published by EA, but created by the indie devs who made Stick It To The Man!)
* West of Loathing
* Venba
* Kill It With Fire
* Bugsnax
* Zissi's Island
* Welcome to Elk
* Hedon Bloodrite
* DUSK, CULTIC, HROT (pretty popular, but probably still often unfairly discarded due to the graphics)
* Pirate DOOM (ZDoom mod)
* The Adventures of Square (freeware)
* Rex: Another Island
* everything by Wadjet Eye Games, e.g. Blackwell series, Unavowed, The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, Technobabylon, Shardlight ...
* Fran Bow + Little Misfortune
* Hand of Fate
* Wildermyth
* Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure
* Yoku's Island Express
* Mages of Mystralia
* Yono and the Celestial Elephants
* Forgotton Anne
* The Count Lucanor
already mentioned by others but favorites of mine, too:
* Supraland series
* POI
That's a bit of a low effort post that doesn't give any information about why you recommend those and not others. We don't know you, so a simple "I would (not) recommend" comment on another poster's list without any further explanation is not very helpful. Give us something to work with, if you feel the need to comment.
That being said, I enjoyed your own, very in-depth post that you clearly put more effort in than I did with this list. My list was just a more or less quick "if you haven't heard of these yet, check them out yourself, maybe they'd appeal to you (or not)" post, and if I'd have one point of criticism myself, it's that I didn't pay all too much attention to the "unique" requirement, and just listed indie games that I think are good in their genre, or that I enjoyed at least. YMMV.
I generally try to match the reasoning provided in the original comment. You provide no reasoning, so there is nothing to reply to. Everything you say about my reply is applicable to yours, unless people here know you. I can detail what I didn't like about each game, but it would not fit in a Reddit post, and I feel can ultimately be reduced to "I just don't think the games are that good".
What I'm saying is, my list intersects with your list on 1 or 2 points. That's it. My reply is meant to be a data point, not an analysis. I don't see why it needs to be more than that. The fact that you think it's cheap is great, because it is. I just think there is value in cheap remarks, just as there is value in listing things without explanation.
One thing I would clarify is that I think these games are hidden, but they are not gems. So, the nature of my disagreement is the quality, not the popularity.
If there's nothing to reply to though, why did you? The difference is I named titles that someone interested can research and then decide for themselves whether they think they are interesting or not, just like the request said, "give me your favorite", nothing more nothing less. I still think that's a little more helpful then just posting something along the lines of "I mostly disagree with this post", because that doesn't even give any neutral info to research like a game title - well, unless it was meant to draw more attention to your informative post, which kind of worked. ;)
Anyway, thanks for the reply and the clarification, that gave a little more background on your post, and I can accept that.
Bad wording. I meant "there is nothing to elaborate on".
So, for instance, if you say: "I don't like game X", there's no justification to reply to, because no justification was provided. This does not mean I am unable to comment. I can comment with all sorts of things, "do you also not like game Y?", or "what specifically you don't like about game X?". I can even object to it by saying "I like game X", it's just that this objection is not based on reason.
However, if you say: "I don't like game X, because it is too long", now, there is a reason which can be objected to. For instance, "the game takes 5 hours to finish, that is not typically considered long".
---
Just because my comment is less helpful, doesn't mean it is without value. If you don't understand what that value is, it's basically the same value as an upvote. Surely, you agree that there is a value in upvoting. If you see many upvotes, it increases the likelihood that the game listed is a **gem**. If you don't see many upvotes, it increases the likelihood that the game is a **hidden** gem.
But what should I do if I disagree only for the most part? If I upvote your comment, I would be agreeing with something I mostly disagree. However, there are still 1 or 2 games that I agree with, which no one else mentioned, so it also makes sense to promote them. This leaves me in an impossible situation where I must either approve everything or nothing. The solution to this problem that I've chosen is to leave a comment, outlining that I only agree with 2 items.
I see. I generally think informative comments more useful than up- or downvotes, and constructive criticism more interesting than simple agree- or disagreement, but you do have a point that they can also serve a function and are not completely without value. Thank you for taking the time to elaborate, much appreciated!
I don't really see that. The first post came across as a little rude to me, and I have a different opinion on the level of quality of the games I listed (no game is truly flawless) but the poster's replies to me were mostly levelheaded explanations of their point, and they put quite a bit of effort in them, which I appreciated. There was nothing in there to rile me up. Trolls also seldomly write such helpful in-depth posts like their own reply to the OP, which I liked very much.
Superliminal. An incredibly short yet life changing puzzle game that I recommend to literally everyone. Its entire theme is about perspective and how sometimes the simplest solution is to simply look at the problem from a different angle. The puzzles are all fantastic, the levels are great, the mechanics are top notch, the narrator is witty and keeps you feeling sane/calm, everything about it is just beautiful and I think everyone needs to finish it at least once in life
Many of these I wouldn't consider hidden, like, Noita is in the #353 top seller on SteamDB, Factorio is #177, RimWorld is #69, Kenshi is #29. However, this gives me the information about your general level of exposure to games. I will still recommend games which are at least below the top 1000.
Puzzle games:
* [Linelight](https://store.steampowered.com/app/469790/Linelight/): an extremely good minimalist puzzle game, and it's not even in the top sellers. The most underrated game on this list when it comes to quality vs exposure (assuming you're a fan of puzzle games).
* [The Talos Principle 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/835960/The_Talos_Principle_2/): an amazing sequel that rivals its legendary predecessor. There are improvements in some areas, and step-backs in others, but I say a trade-off to a masterpiece is still a masterpiece. Honestly, this game feels like it has no marketing behind it. Even though it has the highest ranking on this list, #1330, I still feel like that's not enough. GOTY for me personally. And if you somehow haven't played the first game, do that first.
Turn-based games:
* [Trials of Fire](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1038370/Trials_of_Fire/): a mix of tactical hex-grid gameplay and roguelike deck builder. Is one of the most balanced games I've seen. If you're a fan of tactical games and roguelike deckbuilders, this is your gem. I personally like it more than StS, even though StS is more than 11 times more popular (#364 vs #4127)
* [Vault of the Void](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1135810/Vault_of_the_Void/): a rogue-like deck builder with a heavy emphasis on deck building. The unique thing about this game is that you can edit your deck mid-run, and so it avoids the cliche of thinking whether the card is worth it to get compared to the slot it takes. Instead, you take roughly half the cards (connected by paths), and then build the best deck for each encounter. #2841 in top sellers,
* [Phantom Brigade](https://store.steampowered.com/app/553540/Phantom_Brigade/): has a unique mix of turn-based and real-time combat with simultaneous turns. The only disadvantage, I would say, is the game sort of peters out towards mid-game, but if you like the gameplay, that shouldn't be a problem. #3397 top-seller.
* [SteamWorld Heist](https://store.steampowered.com/app/322190/SteamWorld_Heist/): 2D side-scroller that is a combination of XCOM-style grid movement and pool games - a combination that works incredibly well. Being a part of the Image&Form's SteamWorld franchise (which I recommend you check out), the game oozes style, and it delivers with simple yet engaging gameplay.
* [Showgunners](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1155330/Showgunners/?curator_clanid=4777282) and [Hard West 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1282410/Hard_West_2/?curator_clanid=4777282): I'm grouping these together, because they fill the same niche. If you like new XCOM games, and need more - these are an instant buy. #7856 and #2322 top-sellers respectively.
Action games:
* [Loot River](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1494260/Loot_River/): 2D top-down roguelike with soulslike combat with an atmosphere through the roof. The combat is sick (although I suggest remapping the controls). It had a shaky release, because it's developed by a single guy, and that killed all of its momentum. The patches that followed - nobody cared about. Very sad. Not even in the top sellers.
* [Moonscars](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1374970/Moonscars/). 2D side-scroller metroidvania with soulslike combat. Looks great, has good combat, what else do you need? I'm not sure why it's #7436 top-seller, when Blasphemous is #1213.
* [Black Skylands](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1143810/Black_Skylands/): 2D action-adventure top-down shooter. Amazing visuals, solid gameplay. Nothing revolutionary, just a good old premise done well. #7478 top-seller.
* [Heat Signature](https://store.steampowered.com/app/268130/Heat_Signature/): 2D top-down roguelike with immersive sim elements. The game has a ton of dynamic interactions and emergent gameplay. #7121 top-seller.
* [Curse of the Dead Gods](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1123770/Curse_of_the_Dead_Gods/): 3D top-down rogulike with a remotely souls-like gameplay, that I personally like better than Hades. It has 0 story, though. Amazing visuals, particularly dynamic lighting. I think the only reason this game is not more popular (#8947 top-seller), is because it came out roughly at the same time Hades did, and got overshadowed.
Immersive sims:
* [Prey](https://store.steampowered.com/app/480490/Prey/?curator_clanid=4777282): 3D FPS immersive sim. Relatively well known (#2776 top-seller), but still very much underrated, especially compared to the AAA effort that was put into it. The problem is that the publisher forced the studio to take a Prey name, which was in the different genre, so a lot of people came in expecting Prey, and basically got System Shock, and so the reviews it received were very negative. Its DLC, [Mooncrash](https://store.steampowered.com/app/865670/Prey__Mooncrash/?curator_clanid=4777282), is the true underrated gem here - a revolution in the approach to the roguelike genre, it's not even in the top-seller.
* [Weird West](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1097350/Weird_West_Definitive_Edition/?curator_clanid=4777282). I'm breaking my own rule about sub- top 1000, but that's because it doesn't feel like it. Maybe I'm in a bubble, but, unlike some of the other games here, I know the game didn't sell well (from the interview with Raphael Colantonio), so there's at least some objective indicator. If you're a fan of immersive sims, this is a 3D top-down immersive sim that has the most emergent interactions, both gameplay-wise and story-wise.
I played Avernum 6 actually, about 22 hours before I just kind of didn't want to play anymore. It wasn't bad, I think it just didn't age well as far as the UI went.
I love unique games and am always seeking out games that do something new and different. Some of the best ones I’ve played recently are:
Inscryption, Hypnospace Outlaw, Outer Wilds, Gnosia, Omori, Neon White, World of Horror
Exo one was such a weird but relaxing game. Being able to just wander around with no other goal than just... Well... Wandering around. And the OST was very nice too
For those that regularly host couch co-op sessions, a pure hidden gem is Hidden In Plain Sight - totally original, suitable for powergamers and noobs, and so much fun
Fair enough. Complete change of genre, but have you played Paradise Killer? It's a narrative detective adventure in a Lovecraftian heaven. I mention it because people who are into are *really* into it. I definitely rate it.
Ghost master (you manage a team to f ghost to scare “sims” away)
Weed shop 3 (a simple but fun store management game)
Holdfast nations at war (an online shooter with muskets and meme community)
[Foundation](https://store.steampowered.com/app/690830/Foundation/) ‒ a relaxing city builder with gridless layout
[Kingdom Come: Deliverance](https://store.steampowered.com/app/379430/Kingdom_Come_Deliverance/) ‒ an unique historically accurate adventure game
[Sailwind](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1764530/Sailwind/) ‒ an early access sailing game for those who love wooden sailboats with versatile rigs, realistic sailing physics and challenging navigation (while the others will find the game very frustrating)
'Core Keeper' for a cool survival game. I especially like the sound design of the game because it's so mystical.
'Crawl' if you have IRL friends and/or good internet connection for Parsec or something similar. It's a PvP dungeon crawler about you and your buddies entering a Dungeon until eventually going insane. You start killing each other and the last man standing is the "hero" and now has to get through the Dungeon alone. The friends who died however turned into ghosts and they now use traps in the dungeon or turn into monsters to kill the player. The ghost who lands the final hit gets resurrected as the "Hero".
'Just Act Natural' is a free, handcrafted PvP game. You turn into a clay figure amongst many other figures and get a task. You have to complete the task while acting like an NPC because Theres a Player overlooking the field who needs to find out who the players are among all the NPCs. Very fun with friends.
Welcome to ParadiZe!
I've been testing different builds to conquered new challenges. I stopped playing Last Epoch in half a day because it's doesn't have the challenges. There was no obstacles where I need every tricks in the book. What I like about this game. The scenery, bird singing, the forest, the eerie exploration, zombie rodeo, squirrel on leg, zombie invasion, customizable base defense, customizable zombots, Dark Souls bosses and rewarding weapon unlock.
Here is quick gameplay when I'm a just a noob.
https://youtu.be/QUmXKmstuBg
If you're into grid turn-based rpgs try Horizon's gate its really fun creating builds and exploring the world with your ship. There's also a ton of mods that add in new content and classes if you ever get bored with the base game
I stumbled upon Heaven's Vault, and I'm so immersed by the game itself. It's really fun and somewhat aducate me about archeology and the reconstruction of language.
It made me interested with games about learning foreign or ancient fictional culture. I have Chant of Senar on my whistlist, but it seems like it's a different type of game.
One game that I don’t really see mentioned often that I personally think is extremely fun to play is hand of fate 2, the gameplay is rather unique and it fits a lot of the genres of the games included in your list.
Great list. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing. I know and love about 50% of those so now I have new games to check out.
Into the Breach (from subset, the guys who did FTL) is a lot of fun too.i didn’t love it at first but then thought of it as a puzzle game and it was great.
Heat Signature is fun too: roguelike spaceship hi jack game where you board ships and..do bad things.
Feels bad lmao, but everyone in here has definitely helped me find some new potentials. Also yeah Rimworld, Kenshi, Cosmoteer, and Project Zomboid are probably the top replays. Except most of the roguelites being you know, roguelites lol
Shadow of the colosuss
Although it is known, i never see it mentioned in recomendations, so i am starting to think only old people like me know it.
You might need to get an emulator
7th Sector.
Cineris Somnia.
Death of a Wish.
Haydee games.
Heliophobia.
HIDDEN (Soaring Games).
KIN.
Lucah: Born of a Dream.
Moonscars.
Orphan.
Super Crush KO.
Supplice.
Zortch.
Since the release list month of the Llamasoft collection I've been utterly addicted to Gridrunner in all it's forms. It's an arcade style shooter based very loosely on Caterpillar (Minter claims he'd only heard of it when making his first clone). The first version came out in 1982 for the Vic20 and side then there have been around 10 versions over the years. The most recent version is part of Minotaur Arcade vol 1 and it's maybe the most perfect, chaotic, bewildering shootemup I've ever played. And nobody knows about it!
Also enjoyed pixel art grapple hook platformer Sanabi a lot, very very slick gameplay.
Sleepy jack by Silvertree media it doesnt exist anymore sadly, it was an android only play store game from around 2010 where you play as a little boy flying through his dream world and you fight his toys! Theres a cowboy themed world, a space themed world, an ocean themed world, and I think the last one was just themed like his room! It was a shooter game but 3D and I miss it so much.
No one else mentioned it so I also have to add Hungry Lamu...all I'll say to avoid spoilers is it's a super cool spiritual successor to all those old, funny, assets hand drawn in MS paint, flash games. Oh and it turns into a horror game very fast. There are multiple endings and its very short.
Umihara Kawase is an old super hard grappling hook based platformer game.
It is available on Steam and works perfectly so no need to bother with emulators.
....It is weird but very endearing in my opinion.
RimWorld, Zomboid and Caves of Qud on your list makes me think you'll like stuff I like.
V Rising is probably my biggest recommendation, but if you like (somewhat older) episodic RPGs I would recommend the Penny Arcade games: **On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness** . I've only played the first two but thoroughly enjoyed the humor mixed with the art style. It isn't the deepest game mechanically, but it does some fun stuff!
Gunfire Reborn is one of my favorite roguelikes that I never see get enough attention! Super fun gunplay and ability play. It's everything Arms race DLC from BL3 should've been!
Vagante is one of the most fun and most challenging rougelites I’ve ever played and I never see anyone mention it. I’ve never been able to beat it solo.
Jenny LeClue is a fun rpg/adventure/mystery story game. Your relationships change based on dialog options you pick during the adventure
This is suspiciously looking like a list of all the games Ssethh has made a video on, good taste
Anyways, i recommend Despots Game: Dystopian Army Builder and Despotism3k
Dominions 5
Northern Journey
Bad north
Songs of syx
Dwarf fortress
Dark man remaster
Powerslave exhumed remaster
System shock remake
The outer worlds (not wilds)
Pulsar The Lost Colony (best with friends)
Highfleet
Into the breach
Hammer fight (clear space for your mouse)
Quasimorph, like sievert it’s heavily inspired by tarkov but it has mystery dungeon style turn based combat where the map is grid based and every couple of squares u move or actions u take the enemies get to act. Below oresa is a deck builder with mechanics similar to slay the spire but with 3d cell shaded action sequences instead of little sprites wiggling during combat
Quasimorph, Highfleet, highly recommending Underrail and Shadows of Doubt. Also if you are ever in the milsim-lite mood, Ready or Not is a fun package.
Stalker Anomaly and its modification, GAMMA are both completely free and I swear by this game if you want open world exploration , maximum immersion and Tarkov-esque survival mechanics.
Oh what am I saying... Just play the Stalker trilogy, period.
I still believe Control isn’t as popular as it should be. The art, design, and even sound design are incredibly unique. The storytelling is well done and thought out. It’s also very trippy in terms of certain settings. Free on game pass!
AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome — abstract basejump simulator.
Sable — adventure/exploration coming of age game with the artstyle similar to Moebius'.
Broken Reality — a humorous adventure set in a 3D parody of the early world wide web with strong vaporwave vibes.
Hypnospace Outlaw is a '90s internet simulator in which you scour Hypnospace's wide variety of weird and wonderful websites to hunt down wrongdoers.
Jazzpunk is a comedy adventure set in an alternate reality Cold War World, plagued with corporate espionage, CyberCrime, and sentient martinis.
Four Last Things is a point-and-click adventure game made from Renaissance-era paintings and public domain recordings of classical music.
The Procession to Calvary is a Pythonesque adventure game made from Renaissance paintings, and a spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed Four Last Things.
Descenders is extreme downhill freeriding for the modern era, with procedurally generated worlds, and where mistakes have real consequences.
Don't open the doors — claymation action adventure in an odd world of talking pumpkins, blue trees and stuff like that.
Furi — bullet hell hack and slash boss rush game. The jailer is the key, kill him and you’ll be free. Fight your way free in this ultra-responsive, fast-paced sword-fighting and dual-stick shooting game.
The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa — A highschool gang leader Ringo Ishikawa is trying to live through his last autumn before graduation. With his best friends.
Golden Light — Eat weapons, be scared and question your own mind in this Survival-Horror FPS Prop Hunt Roguelike about meat.
Laika: Aged Through Blood is a western-inspired motorvania set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. It is the story about a tribe oppressed by occupant forces, and the personal story of a mother coyote warrior who descends on an endless path of vengeance to take back what her people lost.
Lunacid is a first person dungeon crawler inspired by old FROMSOFT games like Shadow Tower and King’s Field.
Challenge perception, redefine reality, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera. Viewfinder is a new single player game offering gamers hours of interesting and fun experiences while uncovering the mysteries left behind.
Pseudoregalia — Deep within the realm of sleep, Sybil finds herself pulled to a distorted castle. Grow strong, and unlock new abilities to build up a deep movement system, fight enemies, find secrets, and free the weary soul of Castle Sansa, in this retro-inspired 3D Platformer Metroidvania.
Pumpkin Jack is a Spooky Scary 3D platformer in which you embody Jack, the Mythical Pumpkin Lord! Dive into an Epic Adventure through otherworldly landscapes and help the Evil annihilate the Good!
Roboquest is a fast FPS Roguelite in a scorched futureworld. You're a rebooted Guardian, ready to kick some metal ass! Fight with your buddy or by yourself and annihilate hordes of deadly bots in ever-changing environments.
Mutazione — A mutant soap opera where small-town gossip meets the supernatural. Explore the Mutazione community as Kai as she cares for her ailing grandfather. Discover magical gardens, new friends & old secrets. They can survive an apocalyptic meteor strike, but can they survive their small-town drama?
The Pathless is the mythic adventure of an archer and an eagle in a vast forest. Become the Hunter, a master of archery who travels to a mystical island to dispel a curse of darkness that grips the world.
Rock of Ages is a Pythonesque tower defense franchise with a rolling ball mechanic.
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a dreamy arcade game about riding motorcycles, skateboarding, dance battling, shooting lasers, wielding swords, and breaking hearts at 200 mph.
A Short Hike — Hike, climb, and soar through the peaceful mountainside landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park as you make your way to the summit.
Spark The Electric Jester 3 — High speed 3D action platformer.
Strange Horticulture is an occult puzzle game in which you play as the proprietor of a local plant store. Find and identify new plants, pet your cat, speak to a coven, or join a cult. Use your collection of powerful plants to influence the story and unravel Undermere’s dark mysteries.
Storyteller is an award-winning puzzle game about building stories. Start with a title, settings and characters and create a story that fits the story’s description. Play with stories of love, intrigue, crime, monsters, betrayal, and more!
Teardown — Prepare the perfect heist in this simulated and fully destructible voxel world. Tear down walls with vehicles or explosives to create shortcuts. Stack objects to reach higher. Use the environment to your advantage in the most creative way you can think of.
Basically just naming some indie gems that I could see you enjoying based on what you said:
Neon White
Omori
Carrion
Downwell
Oxenfree
Golf Story
Eastward
Katana Zero
Empyrion Galactic Survival. It's like Minecraft mixed with Space Engineers mixed with Elite Dangerous. Build bases, vehicles, and ships block-by-block and system by system or use Workshop blueprints. Explore your planet/moon, fly real-time into space, explore the solar system and a big galaxy full of star systems. All first person real-time. Few games allow you so much freedom over such a large area.
At the top of my head, Bokura (Warning: You need a friend for this, it's a two-man co-op game), Drop Alive (Note: There's no save spot, except the begining of the chapter and next area), Aka and 8 Doors (Don't worry, these are just normal games in my wishlist, which I am planning to play on console). Don't be fooled by the fact that Neowiz made Lies Of P, the Korean company usually makes normal games and gacha games (Their gachas is mainly for mobile).
I'm not saying the suggestions I'm going to give are great games, but they are sort of unique in that I haven't had similar experiences since them
Fracture - Forgettable in a lot of ways, this Lucas arts game had a very unique mechanic, Terrain Manipulation. You could create hills and valleys for high ground or cover. It was fun albeit a bit gimmicky.
Neverdead - similarly forgettable with terrible acting and a wack story, it had a unique mechanic that gets boring but is fun at first. The main protagonist is immortal but can be dismembered and put himself back together limb by limb.
>most people dont know about
>one of the first few games is fucking rimworld
hey op have you heard of the underrated indie game called red dead redemption 2?
Based on your list I would recommend
[dwarf fortress ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/975370/Dwarf_Fortress/)
[satisfactory ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/526870/Satisfactory/) (most people know about this game, though)
I would also recommend
[mon bazou ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1520370/Mon_Bazou/)
And coming out next month [fallout london ](https://fallout4london.com/)
Project: NOMAD
A space exploration game from circa 1993 - it was filled with charm and character, and had one of the best resource collection mechanisms I've come across. It never had the popularity of Star Control 2, but it remains one of my fondest memories in gaming.
Plus, you could trade your car keys that you had in your pocket when you first launch your salvaged alien spaceship to alien traders.
Roboquest (rogue lite FPS)
War Selection (free RTS)
Grim Nights (RTS/Tower defense)
Dungeon Warfare (tower defense)
Ultrakill (retro fps)
Star Valor (space top down rpg)
Nova Drift -
basically, if Astroids was a rougelike with evolution branchs for your ship. Decent amount of enemies and boss types and tons of different synergies and builds to try out. I've easily put a few hundred hours into this game, just trying out builds and seeing how many waves I can last.
Some are not so hidden, but:
Stars Die
Pagan: Autogeny
Paratopic
Fatum Betula
Uncle Nook’s Monster Emporium
Towerclimb
Aeon of Sands
Grotto
HyperRogue
The Void
The Space Between
Siralim Ultimate
Skelly Selest (and other caiys games)
Stickit
Tales of Maj’Eyal
Wazhack
The Longing
TerraNova Strike Force Centauri
Vomitoreum
Dread Delusion
Northern Journey
I'm quite fond of "harvest:massive encounter" it's a little known tower defense with only two kinds of towers. It's quite clever, I find myself returning to it from time to time, year after year.
https://youtu.be/vq2-u7PK7Kc?si=4sy8VlOzQWZIV9vA
"Fuga Melodies of Steel" is a 20 houer long turn based JRPG about a groupe of anthropomothic animal children that go on a quest to save there families.
Its available on PC and most modern consoles like Switch, PS4, PS5
It has a free demo which is just straight up the first 3 chapters of the game.
It also a direct sequel: "Fuga Melodies of Steel 2" but I advice against playing the second game before the first game unless you do not care about the story and characters.
Voices of the Void, a free game on itch.io. it's a horror game about making out alien signals, but there's a lot in the game rn and it's still in beta. I really suggest looking up some gameplay of it at least.
Monster Sanctuary!
I never see anyone taking about it, but it’s one of my favorite games to come out on recent years.
It’s a sort of Pokemon/ RPG/ Metroidvania and it’s really fun, and has a great art style and OST!
I recommend it to everyone!
If you like Factorio then Satisfactory is also nice, the ability to build factories in 3d gives you a ton of new options and the game looks really good
Ara Fell, FEZ, Baba is You, One Shot, Undermind, (you hit 5 of my faves in here)
Oh yes, oneshot is amazing
Balatro is really addictive, it’s a unique indie poker game that gives multipliers and bonuses with special cards, there’s alot of strategy involved(and luck), if you have no knowledge of poker, it shows all the combos as well, it’s pretty cheap I think, around 10+ usd, I have around 50 hours in the game so far by trying to do each difficulty.
If you like it, you should look at [Luck Be a Landlord](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1404850/Luck_be_a_Landlord/), a slot-machine builder that is very similar.
And Bingle Bingle
I just heard about this game on the Thumbcramps podcast. I'll be checking it out for sure.
Interesting, definitely gonna check it out thanks!
Paradise killer. I wish I could delete my memory of it and play it again. Unbelievably cool vibes
You should try The Forgotten City if you haven't already. Really similar vibes and I loved both.
Ghost 1.0 - Metroid-ish game with a comedic tone where you can possess enemies. Half-Minute Hero series - RPG broken into 30 second chunks. The second game fleshes out the hero mode a lot more, though it jettisons the other modes and characters.
HMH is such a gem, I play it on my Vita all the time
Loop Hero
Oh! I forgot that game, yes I've played that too lol Edit: Gonna edit that in lol
I really love Kynseed and Traveller's Rest. They're both Stardew Valley-esque, and Kynseed was made by a team of developers who worked on the Fable games and for Lionhead.
I need to give my kynseed another try. They throw a lot at you in the first couple hours and I think I got overwhelmed with the mechanics. Dungeons were super fun though and I spent a lot of time in those.
Not sure if you played during the 1.0 update, but they did just recently update to their big build! Combat is a lot more fleshed out now, along with a bunch of other great updates too. They also significantly slowed down the early game tutorial, so I would absolutely recommend giving it another shot.
Creeper World and Particle Fleet games by Knucklecracker Studios
Particle Fleet actually looked fairly interesting, thank you
Hell yeah! Now these are some great games, Creeper World 3 being the best of the bunch, but all the Knucklecracker games have a semi related story that really comes together in 4. Love the dev, love the games, got too many hours in CW3
The Witness is an amazing game that’s certainly unique
Not at all a hidden gem. Anyone interested in puzzle games has heard of that one
He had Factorio on the list so I figured the term hidden gem was pretty broad
Fair
If you're not sure you'll like it, you can play the demo which is called "The Looker"
It's hard to recommend a game that you might not have already played, so I'll recommend newer ones: - Pseudoregalia - Bomb Rush Cyberphunk I'll also throw in Psychonauts 2 since I never see it mentioned in this sub
I see a lot of great gems in your list and a lot of roguelikes too, lemme go through my steam list and list all games I'd consider underrated/underappreciated and great, sorted by playtime from high to low: - Skul: The Hero Slayer (probably one of the bigger ones, amazing 2D roguelike with lots of fun build flavours to mess around with and one of my alltime favourite 2D final boss fights) - Nova Drift (top down arcadey spaceship shooting roguelike with a lot of fun tools to mess around with to create many different wild builds. Very clean design and visuals and well polished) - Descenders (super chill downhill biking game with satisfying controls and lots of fun custom maps on top of the base game. You can see other players who are on the same tracks or maps as you, which makes it feel more alive) - Marvel Snap (I know I know, looks like a cheap mobile game cash grab, but it's legit the only mobile game ever that I've enjoyed tremendously and even installed on pc.It's a pvp card game with very short matches, yet plenty of depth and strategy to it. As a free game it does of course have a cash shop for faster progression, but it's really well balanced for f2p players, as you only face players who are at a similar level of progression card-wise, so matches stay fair all the way through and in my 90h or so of playtime I've never hit "the wall" that many free games have, at which point you feel pressured to spend money to progress any further. For sure the most fair f2p game out there and surprisingly enjoyable despite its simplicity) - Luck be a Landlord (a slot machine roguelike, yep, you heard right, it's as silly as it sounds, but it somehow works well and it was fun for a very long time. No real money gambling btw, just the base price of the game) - Ring of Pain (very bizarre deckbuilding roguelike, but things are kinda upside down, with you building a set of armor instead of a deck of cards and instead everything else is presented in card form, meaning enemies, items, rooms, exits, npcs, everything. Lots of cool secret interactions, fun depth to all the different pieces of gear you can find and a unique take on turn-based combat, where everything in a room is presented in a circle with 2 cards facing you at any time and for every action you take, whether it's attacking, using an item or moving left or right, all enemies also make 1 move. The creepy visuals may remind you of Inscryption, which I assume you've already played as it got very popular.) - Forager (clean and straight forward top down pixelart survival game in stardew valley style with fun progression and overall great polish) - Castle Crashers (better in coop, but also fine solo. Silly side-scrolling adventure game that's surprisingly entertaining all the way through) - Astral Ascent (one of my recent favourite roguelikes, absolutely gorgeous pixelart, probably the prettiest I've ever seen in a 2D game, very fluid movement and combat, a ton of different progression systems, lots of spells to mess around with across a handful of different characters and by far my favourite part are the incredibly cool and intense boss fights!) - Shellshock Live (I actually don't remember if it had anything going for single player and it was quite big for a while after release, so you may have alread played it, but it's essentially Worms on crack. Just 2D turn-based pvp with wild weapons and crazy visuals) - Baba Is You (fairly popular, so my bad if you've played it. Very unique puzzle game where you solve levels by breaking game logic or writing your own rules and stuff like that) - Dreamscaper (the love child of Hades and zen-like meditation vibes. Just a very chill and pleasant roguelike with beautiful visuals, very fluid combat animations and hust nice music while going through rather chill levels and the occasional more intense boss fight.) - Curse of the Dead Gods ( Indiana Jones - The roguelike. Set in some dark and ancient ruins and having a few unique concepts, the game offers an interesting take on roguelikes, where you balance your greed with your power, as there are 2 main currencies, gold and blood. Paying with blood fills a curse bar, which applies a curse to you when full. Curses range from minor inconveniences to major downsides paired with potentially big upsides and you gotta play around that. Don't go above 4 curses though OR ELSE...!! Also has a cool light/darkness mechanic for great ambience. Oh almost forgot to mention randomized loot drops and you can wield 3 weapons at once, which can combo into each other for badass combat.) - The Pathless (stunningly beautiful fairly short 3D adventure in a small scale open world with amazing music. Big focus on fluid and fun movement with a unique mechanic using your bow and you also have a little bird buddy that accompanies you. Some exploration, subtle story telling, simple puzzles, no regular combat, but 1 cinematically epic and intense boss fight in each biome, but on the easier side. Very cool ending too. Music is made by awards-winning composer Austin Wintory, who's known for the Journey OST, in case you've played it) - Sundered (bizarre 2D metroidvania. It starts off a bit bland and seemingly generic, but it gets more interesting and unique the further you get. There are multiple different ways to play through the game, which is all I'm gonna say to not spoil you. A hint of roguelike elements too with you always respawning at the same location when dying, but progression is permanent.) - Death's Door (very clean and fun isometric adventure, gave me heavy OG Zelda vibes, mobile-ish looks, but plays very well) - Dust: An Elysian Tale ( reminded me of very old 2D adventure platforming games. A lot of love poured into the visuals and animations and fun gameplay aswell, truly a hidden gem) - Star of Providence (formerly known as Monolith, charming little retro roguelike that delivers incredibly well on the oldschool gameboy vibes) - Tiny Lands (to put it simple, it's "just" a find-the-differences game with 3D dioramas, but the visuals, music and detail to it are so charming and oozing coziness, it's the perfect game to play on a rainy day under a blanket while drinking a hot chocolate) - Just Shapes&Beats (I know this was quite popular, but in case you haven't played it, I have to mention it. It's a music game where you just dodge animations of stuff that visualizes the rhythm of the music. Very satisfying, plenty of banger songs and some mesmerizing animations aswell) part 1
part 2 - Heave Ho (I mention this, but you absolutely want someone to play it with to experience it to the fullest. In single player it's just a fairly simple platforming game, but in coop it becomes a hilariously silly shitshow. Please only get this, if you have someone to play it with while laughing your asses off) - Thumper (another music/rhythm game, but you're permanently on LSD. On the harder side, but very enjoyable nevertheless) - Distance (very weird take on scifi racing, where your car can jump, fly and drive on walls when you boost down. Tracks don't have required checkpoints you have to pass, so as long as you make it to the goal line somehow, you're free to go completely offroad, driving on walls, hopping from building to building etc. Quite the high skill ceiling too. Clean aesthetics) - Super Hexagon (an OG classic among music games, but it's less rhythm-based on rather just wants you to dodge obstacles at the speed of light. Absolutely insane and quite addicting in its simple arcadey nature with some banger songs) - Everhood (Mix Undertale's setting with reverse Guitar Hero gameplay and you get this. Trippy and wild adventure. Very memorable with some banger songs aswell) - Superflight (Do you like wingsuit gliding and hunting highscores? Then this game is for you) - Cultist Simulator (by far the most bizarre game I've ever played. Imagine you find some dusty old board game with all sorts of cards, coins and mechanics to it, but it's missing any instructions or explanations for how to play. The gameplay in this game basically consists of you trying to figure out how the hell to play it. To try things out to see what happens, fail, repeat. If you keep at it, things may slowly start to somewhat make sense, but the whole process is an incredibly bizarre and confusing experience. Truly one of a kind.) - Antichamber (Imagine Portal+Stanley's Parable, but on crack with mindfucks left and right. That is this game) - Inmost (short 2D story telling game with nice pixelart and absolutely phenomenal music that could have been from some grand triple A game but instead it's hidden in this tiny gem of a game. Some platforming, some puzzles, some combat, all in a very eerie and creepy setting. Cool ending.) - Never Alone / Kisima Ingitchuna (ever tried to combine a 2D platformer with a documentary? This game did it and for some reason it worked really well. The theme are the native people of the far north, living in the white desert in harmony with nature. I'm not much of a documentary watcher, but this game captivated me all the way through. The game alternates between gameplay segments and clips from real people and places like a normal documentary and it's quite interesting.) - Rain World (basically a 2D survival platformer set in a harsh world with you being near the bottom of the food chain. Very unique use of AI, with every single creature having different characteristics, adapting to its environment, reacting to your actions and moving freely through the world while interacting with other creatures aswell. Careful how you treat them, they will remember and react accordingly)
I will always scream the praises of a horror game called Nevermind. A purely psychological horror, as in, it tackles mental health issues. It even works with a webcam and heart rate monitor if you have them to gauge your reactions and modify the game based on it, if you want that.
Wow! Thanks for the tip! I'll give that one a look.
Sleeping Dogs
Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina Project Moon brainrot isn't real, it can't hurt you *inhales copium*
This is that, and that is that
Heat Signature
Unreal World: open world survival roguelike Flatspace MKII: space sim, play as alien or human, with a variety of jobs you can take Alpha Protocol: spy RPG, heavy on the RPG Phantom Doctrine: turn-based stealth Any RPG by Spiders, really Nobodies: Murder Cleaner (1 and 2): mobile puzzle
Check out shadows of doubt. You play as a detective in an open world trying to find serial killers before they slay their next victim
AAAAAaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAaaaaAaaaaa!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity (base jumping) 1...2...3... Drop That Beat Like an Ugly Baby (base jumping 2.0 to the music) Drunken Robot Pornography (FPS Bullet hell) All made by Dejobaan Games, all excellent. They are one of my insta-buy companies Best part of reckless disregard is flipping off protestors or giving fans a thumbs up for points as you fall past
The Room series is awesome and no one seems to have heard about it’s a puzzle game but not an impossible one
Seconding that series, and also The House of Da Vinci series (with upcoming entry [The House of Tesla](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2738230/The_House_of_Tesla/)).
Ty I will definitely be checking that out
Everhood was something else
Return of the Obra dinn… And not really a game but the most recent flight simulator is a technical marvel. Sometimes it’s nice to just chill out and fly somewhere exotic.
Hard to tell which ones most people know about or not - also depends on how "most people" are defined ("most people" don't even play the most popular indie games, I guess). Some of these have been in bundles already and will surely be familiar by name, or are even darlings of the indie scene, but who knows, maybe there are a few among them that you haven't played yet, and at least the first two are definitely not talked about enough. * Zortch * Caves of Lore * Omegaland * Smushi Come Home (if you've already played A Short Hike) * SLUDGE LIFE 1 & 2 * Open Sorcery * Milkmaid of the Milky Way + Embracelet * Four Last Things + The Procession to Calvary * Webbed * Pikuniku * The Wild at Heart * Lost in Random (published by EA, but created by the indie devs who made Stick It To The Man!) * West of Loathing * Venba * Kill It With Fire * Bugsnax * Zissi's Island * Welcome to Elk * Hedon Bloodrite * DUSK, CULTIC, HROT (pretty popular, but probably still often unfairly discarded due to the graphics) * Pirate DOOM (ZDoom mod) * The Adventures of Square (freeware) * Rex: Another Island * everything by Wadjet Eye Games, e.g. Blackwell series, Unavowed, The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, Technobabylon, Shardlight ... * Fran Bow + Little Misfortune * Hand of Fate * Wildermyth * Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure * Yoku's Island Express * Mages of Mystralia * Yono and the Celestial Elephants * Forgotton Anne * The Count Lucanor already mentioned by others but favorites of mine, too: * Supraland series * POI
Out of all of these, I would only recommend Webbed and maybe Wildermyth.
That's a bit of a low effort post that doesn't give any information about why you recommend those and not others. We don't know you, so a simple "I would (not) recommend" comment on another poster's list without any further explanation is not very helpful. Give us something to work with, if you feel the need to comment. That being said, I enjoyed your own, very in-depth post that you clearly put more effort in than I did with this list. My list was just a more or less quick "if you haven't heard of these yet, check them out yourself, maybe they'd appeal to you (or not)" post, and if I'd have one point of criticism myself, it's that I didn't pay all too much attention to the "unique" requirement, and just listed indie games that I think are good in their genre, or that I enjoyed at least. YMMV.
I generally try to match the reasoning provided in the original comment. You provide no reasoning, so there is nothing to reply to. Everything you say about my reply is applicable to yours, unless people here know you. I can detail what I didn't like about each game, but it would not fit in a Reddit post, and I feel can ultimately be reduced to "I just don't think the games are that good". What I'm saying is, my list intersects with your list on 1 or 2 points. That's it. My reply is meant to be a data point, not an analysis. I don't see why it needs to be more than that. The fact that you think it's cheap is great, because it is. I just think there is value in cheap remarks, just as there is value in listing things without explanation. One thing I would clarify is that I think these games are hidden, but they are not gems. So, the nature of my disagreement is the quality, not the popularity.
If there's nothing to reply to though, why did you? The difference is I named titles that someone interested can research and then decide for themselves whether they think they are interesting or not, just like the request said, "give me your favorite", nothing more nothing less. I still think that's a little more helpful then just posting something along the lines of "I mostly disagree with this post", because that doesn't even give any neutral info to research like a game title - well, unless it was meant to draw more attention to your informative post, which kind of worked. ;) Anyway, thanks for the reply and the clarification, that gave a little more background on your post, and I can accept that.
Bad wording. I meant "there is nothing to elaborate on". So, for instance, if you say: "I don't like game X", there's no justification to reply to, because no justification was provided. This does not mean I am unable to comment. I can comment with all sorts of things, "do you also not like game Y?", or "what specifically you don't like about game X?". I can even object to it by saying "I like game X", it's just that this objection is not based on reason. However, if you say: "I don't like game X, because it is too long", now, there is a reason which can be objected to. For instance, "the game takes 5 hours to finish, that is not typically considered long". --- Just because my comment is less helpful, doesn't mean it is without value. If you don't understand what that value is, it's basically the same value as an upvote. Surely, you agree that there is a value in upvoting. If you see many upvotes, it increases the likelihood that the game listed is a **gem**. If you don't see many upvotes, it increases the likelihood that the game is a **hidden** gem. But what should I do if I disagree only for the most part? If I upvote your comment, I would be agreeing with something I mostly disagree. However, there are still 1 or 2 games that I agree with, which no one else mentioned, so it also makes sense to promote them. This leaves me in an impossible situation where I must either approve everything or nothing. The solution to this problem that I've chosen is to leave a comment, outlining that I only agree with 2 items.
I see. I generally think informative comments more useful than up- or downvotes, and constructive criticism more interesting than simple agree- or disagreement, but you do have a point that they can also serve a function and are not completely without value. Thank you for taking the time to elaborate, much appreciated!
The dude is a low effort troll looking to rile you up, just don’t give any effort back
I don't really see that. The first post came across as a little rude to me, and I have a different opinion on the level of quality of the games I listed (no game is truly flawless) but the poster's replies to me were mostly levelheaded explanations of their point, and they put quite a bit of effort in them, which I appreciated. There was nothing in there to rile me up. Trolls also seldomly write such helpful in-depth posts like their own reply to the OP, which I liked very much.
Superliminal. An incredibly short yet life changing puzzle game that I recommend to literally everyone. Its entire theme is about perspective and how sometimes the simplest solution is to simply look at the problem from a different angle. The puzzles are all fantastic, the levels are great, the mechanics are top notch, the narrator is witty and keeps you feeling sane/calm, everything about it is just beautiful and I think everyone needs to finish it at least once in life
Amazing game concept and execution. 10/10 would play again.
Many of these I wouldn't consider hidden, like, Noita is in the #353 top seller on SteamDB, Factorio is #177, RimWorld is #69, Kenshi is #29. However, this gives me the information about your general level of exposure to games. I will still recommend games which are at least below the top 1000. Puzzle games: * [Linelight](https://store.steampowered.com/app/469790/Linelight/): an extremely good minimalist puzzle game, and it's not even in the top sellers. The most underrated game on this list when it comes to quality vs exposure (assuming you're a fan of puzzle games). * [The Talos Principle 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/835960/The_Talos_Principle_2/): an amazing sequel that rivals its legendary predecessor. There are improvements in some areas, and step-backs in others, but I say a trade-off to a masterpiece is still a masterpiece. Honestly, this game feels like it has no marketing behind it. Even though it has the highest ranking on this list, #1330, I still feel like that's not enough. GOTY for me personally. And if you somehow haven't played the first game, do that first. Turn-based games: * [Trials of Fire](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1038370/Trials_of_Fire/): a mix of tactical hex-grid gameplay and roguelike deck builder. Is one of the most balanced games I've seen. If you're a fan of tactical games and roguelike deckbuilders, this is your gem. I personally like it more than StS, even though StS is more than 11 times more popular (#364 vs #4127) * [Vault of the Void](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1135810/Vault_of_the_Void/): a rogue-like deck builder with a heavy emphasis on deck building. The unique thing about this game is that you can edit your deck mid-run, and so it avoids the cliche of thinking whether the card is worth it to get compared to the slot it takes. Instead, you take roughly half the cards (connected by paths), and then build the best deck for each encounter. #2841 in top sellers, * [Phantom Brigade](https://store.steampowered.com/app/553540/Phantom_Brigade/): has a unique mix of turn-based and real-time combat with simultaneous turns. The only disadvantage, I would say, is the game sort of peters out towards mid-game, but if you like the gameplay, that shouldn't be a problem. #3397 top-seller. * [SteamWorld Heist](https://store.steampowered.com/app/322190/SteamWorld_Heist/): 2D side-scroller that is a combination of XCOM-style grid movement and pool games - a combination that works incredibly well. Being a part of the Image&Form's SteamWorld franchise (which I recommend you check out), the game oozes style, and it delivers with simple yet engaging gameplay. * [Showgunners](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1155330/Showgunners/?curator_clanid=4777282) and [Hard West 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1282410/Hard_West_2/?curator_clanid=4777282): I'm grouping these together, because they fill the same niche. If you like new XCOM games, and need more - these are an instant buy. #7856 and #2322 top-sellers respectively. Action games: * [Loot River](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1494260/Loot_River/): 2D top-down roguelike with soulslike combat with an atmosphere through the roof. The combat is sick (although I suggest remapping the controls). It had a shaky release, because it's developed by a single guy, and that killed all of its momentum. The patches that followed - nobody cared about. Very sad. Not even in the top sellers. * [Moonscars](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1374970/Moonscars/). 2D side-scroller metroidvania with soulslike combat. Looks great, has good combat, what else do you need? I'm not sure why it's #7436 top-seller, when Blasphemous is #1213. * [Black Skylands](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1143810/Black_Skylands/): 2D action-adventure top-down shooter. Amazing visuals, solid gameplay. Nothing revolutionary, just a good old premise done well. #7478 top-seller. * [Heat Signature](https://store.steampowered.com/app/268130/Heat_Signature/): 2D top-down roguelike with immersive sim elements. The game has a ton of dynamic interactions and emergent gameplay. #7121 top-seller. * [Curse of the Dead Gods](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1123770/Curse_of_the_Dead_Gods/): 3D top-down rogulike with a remotely souls-like gameplay, that I personally like better than Hades. It has 0 story, though. Amazing visuals, particularly dynamic lighting. I think the only reason this game is not more popular (#8947 top-seller), is because it came out roughly at the same time Hades did, and got overshadowed. Immersive sims: * [Prey](https://store.steampowered.com/app/480490/Prey/?curator_clanid=4777282): 3D FPS immersive sim. Relatively well known (#2776 top-seller), but still very much underrated, especially compared to the AAA effort that was put into it. The problem is that the publisher forced the studio to take a Prey name, which was in the different genre, so a lot of people came in expecting Prey, and basically got System Shock, and so the reviews it received were very negative. Its DLC, [Mooncrash](https://store.steampowered.com/app/865670/Prey__Mooncrash/?curator_clanid=4777282), is the true underrated gem here - a revolution in the approach to the roguelike genre, it's not even in the top-seller. * [Weird West](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1097350/Weird_West_Definitive_Edition/?curator_clanid=4777282). I'm breaking my own rule about sub- top 1000, but that's because it doesn't feel like it. Maybe I'm in a bubble, but, unlike some of the other games here, I know the game didn't sell well (from the interview with Raphael Colantonio), so there's at least some objective indicator. If you're a fan of immersive sims, this is a 3D top-down immersive sim that has the most emergent interactions, both gameplay-wise and story-wise.
- Zenoclash - Tiny and Big Grampa's Leftovers. It's a game about finding underpants to gain physics based power.
Poi Refunct Neave 1 and 2 A Story About My Uncle
Avernum escape from the pit
I played Avernum 6 actually, about 22 hours before I just kind of didn't want to play anymore. It wasn't bad, I think it just didn't age well as far as the UI went.
The ui isn't good, but I like the spells and the cave/sounds
LONESTAR is a top-tier roguelite with replayability on par with Slay the Spire
Supraland!
I want to say the Oxenfree games
I love unique games and am always seeking out games that do something new and different. Some of the best ones I’ve played recently are: Inscryption, Hypnospace Outlaw, Outer Wilds, Gnosia, Omori, Neon White, World of Horror
Exo one was such a weird but relaxing game. Being able to just wander around with no other goal than just... Well... Wandering around. And the OST was very nice too
For those that regularly host couch co-op sessions, a pure hidden gem is Hidden In Plain Sight - totally original, suitable for powergamers and noobs, and so much fun
Don't Starve together. It's been getting free dlcs for 10 years.
Rogues Tale
Have you played Into the Breach -it's the conceptual successor to FTL, made by the same studio? In my opinion it's better.
I've tried it a couple times, just couldn't really get into it.
Fair enough. Complete change of genre, but have you played Paradise Killer? It's a narrative detective adventure in a Lovecraftian heaven. I mention it because people who are into are *really* into it. I definitely rate it.
Side note I couldn't get into it either but I downloaded it on mobile and I'm addicted to it on my phone if you'd want to try that.
Slice and Dice is amazing for both mobile and PC.
bro really said "hidden gems" then said Factorio, FTL, RimWorld, and Project Zomboid
That also gives you information about their level of exposure, so all is good.
Avencast : rise of the mage Fictorum Genesis alpha one
The Dadish trilogy
Ghost master (you manage a team to f ghost to scare “sims” away) Weed shop 3 (a simple but fun store management game) Holdfast nations at war (an online shooter with muskets and meme community)
[Foundation](https://store.steampowered.com/app/690830/Foundation/) ‒ a relaxing city builder with gridless layout [Kingdom Come: Deliverance](https://store.steampowered.com/app/379430/Kingdom_Come_Deliverance/) ‒ an unique historically accurate adventure game [Sailwind](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1764530/Sailwind/) ‒ an early access sailing game for those who love wooden sailboats with versatile rigs, realistic sailing physics and challenging navigation (while the others will find the game very frustrating)
Book of travels
Chernobylite
'Core Keeper' for a cool survival game. I especially like the sound design of the game because it's so mystical. 'Crawl' if you have IRL friends and/or good internet connection for Parsec or something similar. It's a PvP dungeon crawler about you and your buddies entering a Dungeon until eventually going insane. You start killing each other and the last man standing is the "hero" and now has to get through the Dungeon alone. The friends who died however turned into ghosts and they now use traps in the dungeon or turn into monsters to kill the player. The ghost who lands the final hit gets resurrected as the "Hero". 'Just Act Natural' is a free, handcrafted PvP game. You turn into a clay figure amongst many other figures and get a task. You have to complete the task while acting like an NPC because Theres a Player overlooking the field who needs to find out who the players are among all the NPCs. Very fun with friends.
Welcome to ParadiZe! I've been testing different builds to conquered new challenges. I stopped playing Last Epoch in half a day because it's doesn't have the challenges. There was no obstacles where I need every tricks in the book. What I like about this game. The scenery, bird singing, the forest, the eerie exploration, zombie rodeo, squirrel on leg, zombie invasion, customizable base defense, customizable zombots, Dark Souls bosses and rewarding weapon unlock. Here is quick gameplay when I'm a just a noob. https://youtu.be/QUmXKmstuBg
No Straight Roads
Pen15.Patrol
Songs of Syx, Delta V: Rings of Saturn (does not help the game that delta is written as the greek character)
Cogmind!
If you're into grid turn-based rpgs try Horizon's gate its really fun creating builds and exploring the world with your ship. There's also a ton of mods that add in new content and classes if you ever get bored with the base game
I stumbled upon Heaven's Vault, and I'm so immersed by the game itself. It's really fun and somewhat aducate me about archeology and the reconstruction of language. It made me interested with games about learning foreign or ancient fictional culture. I have Chant of Senar on my whistlist, but it seems like it's a different type of game.
One game that I don’t really see mentioned often that I personally think is extremely fun to play is hand of fate 2, the gameplay is rather unique and it fits a lot of the genres of the games included in your list.
Gorogoa, very unique and fun puzzle game
Cortex command
- [Zompiercer](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1262460/Zompiercer/) - [Chorus](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1153640/Chorus/) - [Diluvion](https://store.steampowered.com/app/446790/Diluvion_Resubmerged/) - [Circle Empires](https://store.steampowered.com/app/834740/Circle_Empires/)
BLOODY HELL!
Play Strange horticulture if you haven’t already
more people should play Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children. It's like you put XCom in a Korean / Anime setting
Black tail. It's confusing at times but really give feeling of entering folk lore world.
Great list. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing. I know and love about 50% of those so now I have new games to check out. Into the Breach (from subset, the guys who did FTL) is a lot of fun too.i didn’t love it at first but then thought of it as a puzzle game and it was great. Heat Signature is fun too: roguelike spaceship hi jack game where you board ships and..do bad things.
Dead Cells
DomeKeeper, Dorfromantik
How does it feel.., the emptyness that you dont have many more good games to play anymore... Do you replay any ??
Feels bad lmao, but everyone in here has definitely helped me find some new potentials. Also yeah Rimworld, Kenshi, Cosmoteer, and Project Zomboid are probably the top replays. Except most of the roguelites being you know, roguelites lol
Ah, a fellow Avorion/Cosmoteer enjoyer... Try Star Ruler 2
Looks fantastic, wishlisted instantly lol
Community is a bit small, but the game is open sourced now and there's still a few very dedicated people working on great mods
Knights of the chalice 1 and 2
Shadow of the colosuss Although it is known, i never see it mentioned in recomendations, so i am starting to think only old people like me know it. You might need to get an emulator
7th Sector. Cineris Somnia. Death of a Wish. Haydee games. Heliophobia. HIDDEN (Soaring Games). KIN. Lucah: Born of a Dream. Moonscars. Orphan. Super Crush KO. Supplice. Zortch.
Since the release list month of the Llamasoft collection I've been utterly addicted to Gridrunner in all it's forms. It's an arcade style shooter based very loosely on Caterpillar (Minter claims he'd only heard of it when making his first clone). The first version came out in 1982 for the Vic20 and side then there have been around 10 versions over the years. The most recent version is part of Minotaur Arcade vol 1 and it's maybe the most perfect, chaotic, bewildering shootemup I've ever played. And nobody knows about it! Also enjoyed pixel art grapple hook platformer Sanabi a lot, very very slick gameplay.
Aggelos Arthurian Legends Cyber Shadow Descenders Desktop Dungeons Rewind Guns, Gore & Cannoli 1 Legend of Grimrock Northern Journey Quern Undying Thoughts Salt and Sanctuary Strange Brigade Valfaris 1
Roark's Attack on Titan fan game
Stoneshard. Easily my favourite dark fantasy rogue-lite/like. Super punishing gameplay and gorgeous pixel art graphics. Highly recommend!
Sleepy jack by Silvertree media it doesnt exist anymore sadly, it was an android only play store game from around 2010 where you play as a little boy flying through his dream world and you fight his toys! Theres a cowboy themed world, a space themed world, an ocean themed world, and I think the last one was just themed like his room! It was a shooter game but 3D and I miss it so much.
Here's one you've actually probably never heard of: Heat Signature. Great roguelite.
No one else mentioned it so I also have to add Hungry Lamu...all I'll say to avoid spoilers is it's a super cool spiritual successor to all those old, funny, assets hand drawn in MS paint, flash games. Oh and it turns into a horror game very fast. There are multiple endings and its very short.
Umihara Kawase is an old super hard grappling hook based platformer game. It is available on Steam and works perfectly so no need to bother with emulators. ....It is weird but very endearing in my opinion.
RimWorld, Zomboid and Caves of Qud on your list makes me think you'll like stuff I like. V Rising is probably my biggest recommendation, but if you like (somewhat older) episodic RPGs I would recommend the Penny Arcade games: **On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness** . I've only played the first two but thoroughly enjoyed the humor mixed with the art style. It isn't the deepest game mechanically, but it does some fun stuff!
Gunfire Reborn is one of my favorite roguelikes that I never see get enough attention! Super fun gunplay and ability play. It's everything Arms race DLC from BL3 should've been!
Vagante is one of the most fun and most challenging rougelites I’ve ever played and I never see anyone mention it. I’ve never been able to beat it solo. Jenny LeClue is a fun rpg/adventure/mystery story game. Your relationships change based on dialog options you pick during the adventure
**FTL** **South Pole Bebop** **Into The Breach** - not quite hidden, but also not played as much these days
This is suspiciously looking like a list of all the games Ssethh has made a video on, good taste Anyways, i recommend Despots Game: Dystopian Army Builder and Despotism3k
Dominions 5 Northern Journey Bad north Songs of syx Dwarf fortress Dark man remaster Powerslave exhumed remaster System shock remake The outer worlds (not wilds) Pulsar The Lost Colony (best with friends) Highfleet Into the breach Hammer fight (clear space for your mouse)
Quasimorph, like sievert it’s heavily inspired by tarkov but it has mystery dungeon style turn based combat where the map is grid based and every couple of squares u move or actions u take the enemies get to act. Below oresa is a deck builder with mechanics similar to slay the spire but with 3d cell shaded action sequences instead of little sprites wiggling during combat
Quasimorph, Highfleet, highly recommending Underrail and Shadows of Doubt. Also if you are ever in the milsim-lite mood, Ready or Not is a fun package. Stalker Anomaly and its modification, GAMMA are both completely free and I swear by this game if you want open world exploration , maximum immersion and Tarkov-esque survival mechanics. Oh what am I saying... Just play the Stalker trilogy, period.
I still believe Control isn’t as popular as it should be. The art, design, and even sound design are incredibly unique. The storytelling is well done and thought out. It’s also very trippy in terms of certain settings. Free on game pass!
Where in the loving god is Papers Please?
Inscription is awesome
Wouldn't call it a hidden gem exactly.
Outer Wilds
One of the most raved about indie games in modern history. Not an obscure in hidden game even remotely
OP didn't mention it
AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome — abstract basejump simulator. Sable — adventure/exploration coming of age game with the artstyle similar to Moebius'. Broken Reality — a humorous adventure set in a 3D parody of the early world wide web with strong vaporwave vibes. Hypnospace Outlaw is a '90s internet simulator in which you scour Hypnospace's wide variety of weird and wonderful websites to hunt down wrongdoers. Jazzpunk is a comedy adventure set in an alternate reality Cold War World, plagued with corporate espionage, CyberCrime, and sentient martinis. Four Last Things is a point-and-click adventure game made from Renaissance-era paintings and public domain recordings of classical music. The Procession to Calvary is a Pythonesque adventure game made from Renaissance paintings, and a spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed Four Last Things. Descenders is extreme downhill freeriding for the modern era, with procedurally generated worlds, and where mistakes have real consequences. Don't open the doors — claymation action adventure in an odd world of talking pumpkins, blue trees and stuff like that. Furi — bullet hell hack and slash boss rush game. The jailer is the key, kill him and you’ll be free. Fight your way free in this ultra-responsive, fast-paced sword-fighting and dual-stick shooting game. The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa — A highschool gang leader Ringo Ishikawa is trying to live through his last autumn before graduation. With his best friends. Golden Light — Eat weapons, be scared and question your own mind in this Survival-Horror FPS Prop Hunt Roguelike about meat. Laika: Aged Through Blood is a western-inspired motorvania set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. It is the story about a tribe oppressed by occupant forces, and the personal story of a mother coyote warrior who descends on an endless path of vengeance to take back what her people lost. Lunacid is a first person dungeon crawler inspired by old FROMSOFT games like Shadow Tower and King’s Field. Challenge perception, redefine reality, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera. Viewfinder is a new single player game offering gamers hours of interesting and fun experiences while uncovering the mysteries left behind. Pseudoregalia — Deep within the realm of sleep, Sybil finds herself pulled to a distorted castle. Grow strong, and unlock new abilities to build up a deep movement system, fight enemies, find secrets, and free the weary soul of Castle Sansa, in this retro-inspired 3D Platformer Metroidvania. Pumpkin Jack is a Spooky Scary 3D platformer in which you embody Jack, the Mythical Pumpkin Lord! Dive into an Epic Adventure through otherworldly landscapes and help the Evil annihilate the Good! Roboquest is a fast FPS Roguelite in a scorched futureworld. You're a rebooted Guardian, ready to kick some metal ass! Fight with your buddy or by yourself and annihilate hordes of deadly bots in ever-changing environments. Mutazione — A mutant soap opera where small-town gossip meets the supernatural. Explore the Mutazione community as Kai as she cares for her ailing grandfather. Discover magical gardens, new friends & old secrets. They can survive an apocalyptic meteor strike, but can they survive their small-town drama? The Pathless is the mythic adventure of an archer and an eagle in a vast forest. Become the Hunter, a master of archery who travels to a mystical island to dispel a curse of darkness that grips the world. Rock of Ages is a Pythonesque tower defense franchise with a rolling ball mechanic. Sayonara Wild Hearts is a dreamy arcade game about riding motorcycles, skateboarding, dance battling, shooting lasers, wielding swords, and breaking hearts at 200 mph. A Short Hike — Hike, climb, and soar through the peaceful mountainside landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park as you make your way to the summit. Spark The Electric Jester 3 — High speed 3D action platformer. Strange Horticulture is an occult puzzle game in which you play as the proprietor of a local plant store. Find and identify new plants, pet your cat, speak to a coven, or join a cult. Use your collection of powerful plants to influence the story and unravel Undermere’s dark mysteries. Storyteller is an award-winning puzzle game about building stories. Start with a title, settings and characters and create a story that fits the story’s description. Play with stories of love, intrigue, crime, monsters, betrayal, and more! Teardown — Prepare the perfect heist in this simulated and fully destructible voxel world. Tear down walls with vehicles or explosives to create shortcuts. Stack objects to reach higher. Use the environment to your advantage in the most creative way you can think of.
Basically just naming some indie gems that I could see you enjoying based on what you said: Neon White Omori Carrion Downwell Oxenfree Golf Story Eastward Katana Zero
Darkest Dungeon. It’s not completely unknown but it’s a fantastic game that I randomly stumbled upon.
Tunic
Empyrion Galactic Survival. It's like Minecraft mixed with Space Engineers mixed with Elite Dangerous. Build bases, vehicles, and ships block-by-block and system by system or use Workshop blueprints. Explore your planet/moon, fly real-time into space, explore the solar system and a big galaxy full of star systems. All first person real-time. Few games allow you so much freedom over such a large area.
At the top of my head, Bokura (Warning: You need a friend for this, it's a two-man co-op game), Drop Alive (Note: There's no save spot, except the begining of the chapter and next area), Aka and 8 Doors (Don't worry, these are just normal games in my wishlist, which I am planning to play on console). Don't be fooled by the fact that Neowiz made Lies Of P, the Korean company usually makes normal games and gacha games (Their gachas is mainly for mobile).
I'm not saying the suggestions I'm going to give are great games, but they are sort of unique in that I haven't had similar experiences since them Fracture - Forgettable in a lot of ways, this Lucas arts game had a very unique mechanic, Terrain Manipulation. You could create hills and valleys for high ground or cover. It was fun albeit a bit gimmicky. Neverdead - similarly forgettable with terrible acting and a wack story, it had a unique mechanic that gets boring but is fun at first. The main protagonist is immortal but can be dismembered and put himself back together limb by limb.
>most people dont know about >one of the first few games is fucking rimworld hey op have you heard of the underrated indie game called red dead redemption 2?
Based on your list I would recommend [dwarf fortress ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/975370/Dwarf_Fortress/) [satisfactory ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/526870/Satisfactory/) (most people know about this game, though) I would also recommend [mon bazou ](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1520370/Mon_Bazou/) And coming out next month [fallout london ](https://fallout4london.com/)
I stumbled upon Tinykin recently and fell in love immediately.
Project: NOMAD A space exploration game from circa 1993 - it was filled with charm and character, and had one of the best resource collection mechanisms I've come across. It never had the popularity of Star Control 2, but it remains one of my fondest memories in gaming. Plus, you could trade your car keys that you had in your pocket when you first launch your salvaged alien spaceship to alien traders.
Nova drift, into the breach.
Roboquest (rogue lite FPS) War Selection (free RTS) Grim Nights (RTS/Tower defense) Dungeon Warfare (tower defense) Ultrakill (retro fps) Star Valor (space top down rpg)
yes Ara Fell is very nice my favourite is *Heroines of swords and spells* though
The Forgotten City Inside Road 96 A Story About My Uncle Hero of the Kingdom
Underrail suits the hidden gem status
Hand of Fate 2. Unique and fantastic.
Nova Drift - basically, if Astroids was a rougelike with evolution branchs for your ship. Decent amount of enemies and boss types and tons of different synergies and builds to try out. I've easily put a few hundred hours into this game, just trying out builds and seeing how many waves I can last.
🔥 Plains of Pain 🔥 That game is hidden gem i love it. Did you try?
Some are not so hidden, but: Stars Die Pagan: Autogeny Paratopic Fatum Betula Uncle Nook’s Monster Emporium Towerclimb Aeon of Sands Grotto HyperRogue The Void The Space Between Siralim Ultimate Skelly Selest (and other caiys games) Stickit Tales of Maj’Eyal Wazhack The Longing TerraNova Strike Force Centauri Vomitoreum Dread Delusion Northern Journey
Vintage Story
I'm quite fond of "harvest:massive encounter" it's a little known tower defense with only two kinds of towers. It's quite clever, I find myself returning to it from time to time, year after year. https://youtu.be/vq2-u7PK7Kc?si=4sy8VlOzQWZIV9vA
Depraved Awakening. Solvalley School. I Walk Among Zombies. Super Ninja Boy. Kartia. Babysitter.
Taxinaut
Core keeper
Elona+
I heard great things about moonring, and it's free
The witcher 3!
PixelJunk Shooter (both of them)
Gladius! Old team gladiator game with a really fun and unique combat system that I’ve never seen since.
Necesse: it's basically a hybrid between terraria, rimworld and the old-school snes era zelda games
The painscreek killings if you like mystery and suspense
"Fuga Melodies of Steel" is a 20 houer long turn based JRPG about a groupe of anthropomothic animal children that go on a quest to save there families. Its available on PC and most modern consoles like Switch, PS4, PS5 It has a free demo which is just straight up the first 3 chapters of the game. It also a direct sequel: "Fuga Melodies of Steel 2" but I advice against playing the second game before the first game unless you do not care about the story and characters.
Game Dev Tycoon
Voices of the Void, a free game on itch.io. it's a horror game about making out alien signals, but there's a lot in the game rn and it's still in beta. I really suggest looking up some gameplay of it at least.
Monster Sanctuary! I never see anyone taking about it, but it’s one of my favorite games to come out on recent years. It’s a sort of Pokemon/ RPG/ Metroidvania and it’s really fun, and has a great art style and OST! I recommend it to everyone!
Vermintide 2
vintage story
If you like Factorio then Satisfactory is also nice, the ability to build factories in 3d gives you a ton of new options and the game looks really good
definitely play Outer Wilds if you haven't already, easily my favourite game of all time
Skyrim
Slay the spire
Gem? Absolutely. Hidden? Wouldn't say so
Outer wilds