Sometimes the best gaming experiences aren't the ones plastered all over billboards and flooding social media feeds. Nope, sometimes they're the weird ones. The odd, rough-edged, slightly broken little projects that slipped right under the radar.
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These are the games that may not have the spotlight, but they punch so, so far above their weight in pure style, in brilliant mechanics, or just in sheer, unadulterated weirdness. These seven games might be hidden gems, but they hit hard for all those who discover them.
E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy
A Cyberpunk Fever Dream, Now With More Psychic Leg Kicks
E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy
- Released
- July 29, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Streum On Studio
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Action RPG
E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy is an absolute fever dream. A beautiful, messy, almost incomprehensible fever dream that someone tried to translate into an immersive sim, with... Mixed results. The menus are a labyrinth. The systems are so overwhelming that they feel like they need their own instruction manual, and the lore is so dense that it probably has its own lore document . But if players can push through that initial wall of pure confusion, there is absolutely nothing else like it.
Players can hack enemies in real-time, wield bizarre and exotic weapons, and even recruit NPCs with psychic powers to join them in their glorious, beautiful chaos. And the jank? Oh the jank is a feature, not a bug. Nothing quite works how as expected, yet it all comes together in this brilliant, messy symphony. It makes for a strange, unforgettable playground.
Zeno Clash
Punching People With Your Dad’s Skull, Literally
Zeno Clash
- Released
- April 21, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- teen
- Developer(s)
- ACE Team
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up
Set in the surreal, lumpy, beautiful nightmare-world of Zenozoik, and with an art style that is just... Unlike anything else, pulling more from outsider art and Salvador Dalí than it does from traditional fantasy. Zeno Clash’s whole thing is brutal, visceral melee fights with punches, kicks, and improvised weapons all delivered in a raw, first-person perspective that puts crushing impact behind every single hit.
The story follows a bloke named Ghat, who rebels against his truly bizarre family, which includes a bird-headed father figure who is also his mother, called... Father-Mother. The game thrives on its own strangeness, never once bothering to explain why anything is the way it is. That surreal confidence, paired with some surprisingly tight melee combat, makes it a true cult classic.
Dark Messiah Of Might And Magic
The Kick Heard Round The World
Dark Messiah Of Might And Magic
- Released
- October 24, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Arkane Studios, Ubisoft Annecy
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is remembered for one thing. One glorious, beautiful, endlessly satisfying thing. Kicking.
Sure, it's a perfectly decent action RPG with fantasy weapons and magic and all that, but the real joy—the pure, unfiltered dopamine hit—comes from booting enemies into conveniently placed spike walls, off of vertigo-inducing ledges, or straight through fragile wooden floors. The combat is this wonderful sandbox of environmental traps and physics-driven chaos, giving every single encounter the potential for some truly slapstick brilliance. Beyond the meme-worthy kicks, there are actually branching paths and some surprisingly deep weapons systems. This is Arkane Studios before they were "the team that made Dishonored," Arkane Studios, and their DNA shines right through.
Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengeance Of The Slayer
Edge-Lord Humor As An Art Form
Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer
- Released
- June 1, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
This isn't just a shooter; it's an archeological dig into a '90s teenager's brain. Developed as part of the brilliant Hypnospace Outlaw universe, Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengeance of the Slayer plays out exactly like a high-schooler's sketchbook brought to life. Crude jokes, juvenile edginess, and wonderfully over-the-top narration all blend together into a perfect send-up of the era’s most excessive, try-hard shooters.
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But here’s the secret. The twist. It's actually a really, really fun game. The weapons feel weighty and satisfying, the levels are genuinely creative, and the sheer, unwavering commitment to the bit just makes every single moment feel fresh and hilarious. Slayers X is both completely ridiculous and quietly brilliant.
Cruelty Squad
Welcome To A World Where Fishmen Work Corporate Jobs
Cruelty Squad
- Released
- January 4, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Consumer Softproducts
- Genre(s)
- Simulation, FPS
Cruelty Squad looks like it was designed to give people a headache. It's like it crawled out of a cursed, half-forgotten Geocities page from the late '90s. The visuals are garish, the color palettes are genuinely nauseating, and the enemy designs are just plain bizarre. It is deliberately, wonderfully, off-putting.
Yet beneath that grotesque exterior is a razor-sharp, ridiculously creative immersive sim overflowing with freedom and possibilities. Players take on assassination contracts in surreal corporate hellscapes, using a mix of bio-mods, weapons, and utterly oddball tactics. They might install new organs for gameplay bonuses, or they might just leap through a window while dual-wielding fish-shaped submachine guns. It's absurd, but it's also a masterclass in level design and systemic depth; a bold, brilliant experiment for those with a strong stomach.
BlazBlue: Entropy Effect
Anime Flash Meets A Roguelike Grind
|
Platforms |
PC, macOS |
|---|---|
|
Released |
August 15, 2023 |
|
Developer |
91Act |
|
Genre |
Roguelike, Platformer, Fighting |
Take a hyper-stylish, superfast 2D fighting game. Now, smash it into a side-scrolling roguelike. That's the pitch for BlazBlue: Entropy Effect, and it works. Instead of tight, one-on-one battles, players are building these incredibly powerful runs through procedural stages, chaining together wild combos with a cast of familiar characters from the BlazBlue universe.
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What makes it so special is how perfectly it balances its fighting game DNA with satisfying roguelike progression. Each run feels different, with branching upgrades that let players lean into all sorts of different abilities and flashy elemental attacks. It hasn't quite hit the mainstream yet, but for anyone who loves fluid combat systems and clever genre mash-ups, BlazBlue: Entropy Effect is a glorious hidden gem.
From The Depths
Warships, Submarines, And A Sandbox Ocean Of Possibilities
From The Depths
- Released
- August 7, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- nr
- Developer(s)
- Brilliant Skies
- Genre(s)
- Action, Strategy
This isn't just a game; it's an engineering degree with explosions. From the Depths lets players design, build, and command their own vehicles in a massive sandbox world. Ships, subs, planes, even space-worthy craft... They can engineer them all, piece by agonizing piece, and then test them in large-scale combat against AI factions. The complexity is, frankly, terrifying.
But that’s the appeal. It's this brilliant blend of engineering and strategy. Designing a vessel that actually floats, flies, and fights effectively is one of the most satisfying feelings in all of gaming. From the Depths is a game that’s stayed obscure despite being in development for over 11 years, most likely because of its sheer cliff-face of a learning curve. That said, for those who put in the time, it’s one of the most rewarding sandbox experiences out there.
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