Hidden Gem Games

[heavensword]

Wanted to make a thread for people to shout out their favorite "Hidden Gem" games! Games that you love but never see get the praise and attention they deserve. Talk about it and what makes you love it!

I will probably be posting to this thread multiple times as I think of different things, half of my backloggd is stuff I don't think gets enough attention. But, I'll start off with Upwards, Rain! The Post Office of Farewells. It's a visual novel made by Studio Elan about a post office that delivers letters from the deceased. (The post office is called Mortem Post which is just great.)
It's very sweet and heartfelt, and centers around two girls, Rain and Mila, trying to find a specific letter that never arrived. The story made me cry, and the worldbuilding is so in depth and interesting for its relatively short length. Also, look at how lovely the art is!

Spoiler: Official Art of Rain and Mila

 

[Elusian Roserade]

Definitely want to mention the Atelier series! I've become a huge fan of this series since 2023, I really like how it's so different from any other JRPGs I've played. Alchemy can be a lot of fun, the characters are usually entertaining, and some of these games have pretty amazing soundtracks. Atelier Escha & Logy is my favorite in the series at the moment.

Another one is Puzzle Quest, my favorite gem-matching puzzle game (to be honest, it's the only puzzle game I play). Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was a huge part of my childhood and I still enjoy it. The turn-based RPG mechanics can give its gameplay a surprising amount of tactical depth.

 

[Herbizarre]

Definitely want to mention the Atelier series! I've become a huge fan of this series since 2023, I really like how it's so different from any other JRPGs I've played. Alchemy can be a lot of fun, the characters are usually entertaining, and some of these games have pretty amazing soundtracks. Atelier Escha & Logy is my favorite in the series at the moment.

Another one is Puzzle Quest, my favorite gem-matching puzzle game (to be honest, it's the only puzzle game I play). Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was a huge part of my childhood and I still enjoy it. The turn-based RPG mechanics can give its gameplay a surprising amount of tactical depth.

I remember Puzzle Quest ! Although, I'm pretty sure the CPU knew about the upcoming pieces
I tried to go for a full Strength build with the Great Axe to get a chance at extra turns... Was kinda OP lmao

For my contribution, I'd like to talk about a NES game called "The Guardian Legend". That game mixes elements of Zelda 1's overhead view, shoot-em up elements and science fiction environments, rounded up by an amazing soundtrack. For those looking to play games from that gaming era, this is an ideal game to try out

 

[Ness]

Mischief Makers anyone?

 

[Wyrmfemme]

I quit an MMO that was causing me nothing but abject stress for a while in January of this year (I can boast I did literally almost everything available in it, but, don't matter much now) and I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life, I have since gone further beyond that and sworn off all Live-Service/MMO/Gacha/Rat Race Types of games.

I played so many good games this year because I've no longer had to worry about gear creep or a mid-at-best turbo-misogyny story.

Spoiler: Pseudoregalia

PLEASE PLAY THIS GAME. I adore platformers and Sybil has the best movement of any platformer I've ever played. Self-Described as a "Jump Em Up" 3D Metroidvania, you are not just welcomed but ENCOURAGED to exploit the movement tools and abilities you get to "sequence break" and go about finishing the game in whatever order you want. There's also time-trials for outfits, and those were all fun to route and complete. The game's setting, the decaying dream of a girl you must wake, capitalizes on the same sort of "dream-like liminality" as B3313 or Yume Nikki. The whole OST bangs too, Outside the Castle Walls and Paramnesiac were two of the only songs I listened to, endlessly on repeat, at the start of the year. Please play Pseudoregalia, it is under 10$ USD, an absolute steal.

Spoiler: Lunacid

Similar to Pseudoregalia, Lunacid also has a very dreamlike/liminal feeling to it, but instead of being a platformer, it's King's Field. This game is cryptic as hell, genuine unsettling in parts, but something that has stuck with me the entire year, I can't even really put my finger on as to why, it's just burrows into my head. Has lots of Sabres and Spells if that's your thing, or you can be like me and get one of the only Ranged Weapons and zone every enemy out lol. Recommend looking up as little as possible, though, its entirely fair game to look up how to get into Castle LeFanu. Has Media Res Doomed Yuri between a Princess Vampire and her most Loyal Knight. Made by Akuma Kira of Spooky's House of Jumpscare fame.

Spoiler: Bears in Space

This is one of the best parodies I've seen in a very long time, because it is not a parody made from a place of malice, but love for the FPS genre and its tropes. Bears in Space is a boomer-shooter with zoomer-shooter movement, a wacky asortment of guns, and a complete non-sense no-reason plot. But, part of why this game works (besides just being fun, the level design is great) is because it takes itself 100% seriously, there's no like "Hint Hint Nudge Nudge" or Irony or anything like that, this game is 100% serious about being 100% unserious. There's also a gun based on Magikarp and Gyarados! Really recommend picking this up if you like shooters, ESPECIALLY if its on sale.

Spoiler: Decline's Drops

What if Subspace Emissary was Yoshi's Island and also Good and also you were a Little Doll/Puppet? A very french game, and it is exactly what I said it was earlier; 2D Platformer with Smash Bros controls and a grahpics like Yoshi's Island, and also one of the best soundtracks I've heard this year. There is a bit more jank to this game compared to the others I've listed, but it does not ruin the whole package. The story is also a bit, eh, but its not the focus of the game at all. Go punch some frogs and hydras!