There are a lot of great games out there. So many, in fact, that no one would be able to play every single one within their lifetime. With such a high volume of releases every year, there’s been many hidden gems created. Never having been given the spotlight, these games are either unheard of, or simply are not talked about enough. If you’re looking for a great game that can be picked up for extremely cheap, look no further than these five great hidden gems.
The Stanley Parable
The Stanley Parable is the most well-known game on this list. Back in 2013 when the game released as its own game it created a large splash. It was instantly considered one of the most thought-provoking games to date. This was due to the surreal nature of its narrative and the thematic importance it pressed on one’s decision-making, and the following consequences. But it quickly became a game that many people knew, but very few had actually played.
It originally had six different endings, all of which were caused by the player either listening to or going against the directions laid out to him by the narrator. The story itself is about a man named Stanley who works in an office who’s job it is to press the buttons his computer tells him to. Unfortunately for Stanley the screen one day goes blank. From there the narrator starts instructing him as he explores the abandoned office building. To experience every ending it would only take a little more than an hour to do so. But the game is extremely entertaining for it is.
The Stanley: Parable: Ultra Deluxe was announced. This remake plans on adding sixteen new endings with more sections for the player to explore. The remake is also planned to make its debut on console.
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
Metal Arms is one of the most unheard of games on this list. Originally released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube, it came and went with very little buzz. Which is a shame. Metal Arms is an incredibly fun third-person shooter. It’s about a robot named Glitch and his efforts to rebel against General Corrosive and his army of Milbots so that he can free his kind from Corrosive’s clutches. It has a surprisingly intelligent plot that certainly went over my head as a child. Besides that though, it is just incredibly fun. It plays a lot like Ratchet and Clank. In there are many various and unique types of weaponry that you can acquire, and it is a similarly styled third-person shooter and action-adventure game.
Lost Odyssey
Lost Odyssey is essentially the last Final Fantasy game developed by Hironobu Sakaguchi. The game isn’t afraid of being a basically an exact clone, in fact it embraces it. The game falls hard on classic JRPG tropes, many of which Final Fantasy either started or popularized. It has all of those extremely lengthy turn based battles that you hate to love from your childhood. It also pairs it up with a strange but lively world that would be very fitting for a true Final Fantasy title.
The game takes place amid a magical-based industrial revolution. After the meteor wipes out the majority of the game’s conflicting forces, the protagonist Kaim ventures forth throughout the world at the orders of the Queen. His goal changes quite rapidly throughout the game, but the end goal is to prevent Gongora from eliminating the portal between two dimensions and wiping out the Immortals. The plot is very complicated and in-depth. Just what you would expect from a Final Fantasy game.
Vanquish
Vanquish is another third-person shooter, albeit in a completely different style. It’s an over the top, action-packed sci-fi adventure. In it you play as Sam Gideon, a soldier with an advanced battle suit and weaponry system and nations wage war over supplies due to the overpopulation issues of this future Earth. It has a lot of unique gameplay mechanics, such as when you suffer too much damage your suit will augment your reflexes by more than ten, allowing you to essentially dodge bullets. If you enjoy crazy fun action games that involve killing a lot of enemies very quickly, than Vanquish the game for you.
Despite being developed by the ever-popular Platinum Games, it is a hidden gem that even their most loyal fans will rarely mention when discussing the team.
Fusion Frenzy
Fuzion Frenzy is a very weird party game in the likes of Mario Party. Except instead of playing as cute cartoon characters in a wacky board game, you are playing as a bunch of original characters. There really isn’t any plot or explanation as to who the characters are or why they’re competing. But the game has a lot of gameplay to offer. It has forty-five mini-games between twenty-two different modes. You gain more points the better you do in the mini-games and can even bet your points on your ability to gain significantly more. Compared to many of the early Mario Party games, this is actually a very quality clone. Despite the weirdness, it’s still among the great hidden gems.
What are some games that you believe are hidden gems? Let us know in the comments below!
