Tell me what is the most recent game that you played that could be considered obscure to the average person. For me it would have to be cdda/cataclysm:Dark Days Ahead. This screenshot was made by me if you’re wondering.
I just played through Dark Messiah of Might and Magic and it was really good. Sold less than 500k copies. Fuck the entire catacombs though.
I loved every second of it and the multiplayer made fun as well. Especially that you could make nearly endless physics experiments with your enemies. It was utilizing the source engine really well.
My favorite thing to do was just use the ice spell on the floor and launch enemies off of tall cliffs, the whole section where you’re scaling the mountain was so fun. The secret weapons you got for exploring well were super fun. Just need to finish the last section and install that new game + mod and give it another go
Not sure if it was obscure in the past, but the present day player base is miniscule. Everquest. I spent 7 hours to get 2 levels.
Ding 3?
TIS-100. I saw a friend play it and got it shortly afterwards. Essentially, you have a bunch of small compute units with a few available instructions each that can pass data to adjacent ones and have to solve “puzzles”, which are essentially assembly programming assignments. Despite the game being rather new, distributed e.g. via steam and gog, all you get is a full screen console line interface to code in. I love it.
All of the Zachtronics games are great.
I’ve been playing a sailing simulator lite game called Sailwind. The gist of it is that you get missions to transport cargo to either nearby islands in your archipelago group or to another archipelago far away with your sailboat. It teaches the basics of sailing a purely sail driven boat and astral/solar navigation. Really fun for a chill boat game.
One of my favourite things in Valheim is the sailing, Sailwind sounds amazing, thanks for the recommendation!
Xonotic ? I don’t know if it’s obscure but try to talk about it with a friend, he will look at you like you were a sort of FOSS witch
Grats!
Kentucky Route Zero would probably classify as obscure. It’s not really a game, to be honest, more of a point-and-click exploration visual novel.
What do I like so much about the game and what makes it unique? Well, I personally love games that are immersive and make me feel the experience. And this particular game is probably the closest out there in terms of making you feel like you are in a dream. It’s a very weird concept, I know, but it is the only way I can describe it.
The story itself starts with a man named Conway, who is driving a delivery for Lisette’s Antiques - the last one, as the store will close forever soon. As he asks a gas station attendant for the way, he is directed to Kentucky highway zero. This road is unlike a regular road, as it goes through the caves underneath the surface, and navigating it is another matter entirely. On his way, he meets several strange people.
The story is about being lost, loss, debt, and camaraderie. How it goes is mostly set in stone, but you do influence some of the world around you as the player. I think most gamers are probably interested in obscure mechanics rather than stories, and this game lacks actual “game” mechanics. So it is certainly not for everyone. However, it is among my favourites in terms of story/experience, and I’m not the only one that enjoys it.
Super hydelide, what a ride
Levelhead is essentially the “Mario Maker on PC” people have been begging for and it released with 0 fanfare. The game is amazing and the devs put a lot of effort into it (including a ~10 hour campaign) but it just never got that many players.
There’s still a ton of fantastic levels and a semi-active community, the game is a lot of fun, but in terms of most underrated games it’s definitely up there.
Sounds interesting, looked it up and it’s already in my library, must have been in a bundle. Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll try it. Check out N++, it’s an excellent platformer with thousands of levels as well as online scoreboard/replays and level creation/sharing: https://store.steampowered.com/app/230270/N_NPLUSPLUS/
I do like N++ but I think it’s a bit too minimalist for me. The levels all blend together and there isn’t that much variety.
Hm, I really like the minimalism, it’s clean and easy to read. I actually think there is tremendous variety in the levels and applaud the devs for their creativity, although visually they may seem similar at first glance.
