With that said, we’re here to fix that. While these underrated video games might not have won as many awards as the other more mainstream titles, they’re still well worth playing and shouldn’t be completely ignored.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds
Platform/s: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and Microsoft Windows Developer/s: Saber Interactive WWE’s definitely seen better days. Both their programming and video game titles have not really been up to par with their usual standards. However, that doesn’t mean that every game with the WWE tag isn’t worth your time anymore. Case in point, the dumb-looking but insanely fun game, WWE 2K Battlegrounds. Featuring character models that definitely won’t be winning design awards anytime soon, the divisive aesthetics of the game belies what is actually a mechanically sound arcade game with just the right amount of violence and over-the-top action that fans would have loved to see in the canceled WWE 2K21 title. True, it’s not the best in the franchise. Not even close. But if you’re a wrestling fan, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a great game that should make for some excellent multiplayer game.
Cloudpunk
Platform/s: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows Developers: ION LANDS Cyberpunk games have definitely seen better games. The literal poster boy of the franchise, with the genre’s creator himself, Mike Pondsmith, acting as a consultant, may have forever tarnished the genre in the eyes of mainstream audiences. However, if you still haven’t given up on playing a true cyberpunk title and one that actually works all of the time, you might want to give Cloudpunk is a try. Granted, it’s a different kind of game. It’s definitely not as violent and features a much slower pace with a plotline that’s not as convoluted nor multiple endings. Still, it features a picturesque city where you, the player, are in control of a refugee named Rania who is hired by the titular delivery service, Cloudpunk, to deliver not-so-legal packages throughout the city of Nivalis. Cloudpunk is a game that’s very easy on the eyes and the mind, as it doesn’t feature any combat nor puzzles, or platforming at all. Instead, it’s a game that lets you relax your mind as you wonderfully stroll through a world where artificial intelligence and humanity are struggling to coexist peacefully.
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time
Platform/s: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows Developer/s: Soleil Ltd Video games often do best when it doesn’t involve established IPs from other media. We’ve seen it time and time again. However, now and then, a good game based on a movie or anime comes out to surprise us with how good it is. A good example of this is Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time. Only the third time that the time-traveling franchise has starred in a video game, the 2020 title features an alternative tale to the ending that audiences got with the conclusion of the franchise. The gameplay is obviously a throwback to classic platformers and perfectly captures what made this fan-favorite animated series so beloved. If you’re looking to up the nostalgia factor in your games, this game is definitely worth your time.
Maid of Sker
Platform/s: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows Developer/s: Wales Interactive The first-person pacifist horror genre is admittedly a bit too crowded. It probably also doesn’t help that it doesn’t really encourage people to go out and explore the games already available. Not only because they’re too scared to do so (although that’s certainly a factor), but also because the genre attracts its fair share of bad titles. With that said, it’s no surprise that Maid of Sker slipped under most people’s proverbial radars. Released nearly the same time as the more popular Amnesia: Rebirth, Maid of Sker puts players in the shoes of Thomas, a desperate man looking for his missing lover, Elisabeth, with a written letter serving as his only clue. His search leads him to the run-down Sker Hotel that is inhabited by blind creatures who use sound to hunt known as the “Quiet Ones”. Inspired by Wales’ infamous Sker House and a bunch of other folklore tales of Welsh origins, the Maid of Sker makes for quite the scary title, albeit one that probably won’t have you shitting your pants more often than not, or so to speak.
Minecraft Dungeons
Platform/s: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows Developer/s: Mojang Studios and Double Eleven Amazingly, a game with the term “Minecraft” attached to it can perform this poorly. At least, when compared to the wildly successful original title. This spin-off transforms the well-known open-world survival title into a top-down action RPG in the mild of the Diablo franchise. The result? A surprisingly entertaining gaming experience that only gets better over time. While it’s an industry changer by any means, it’s a refreshing and child-friendly take on a usually dark and grimy genre – with multiplayer to boot! If nothing else, it’s a great RPG title to start younger children with that they can also relate better to.
Moving Out
Platform/s: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows Developer/s: SMG Studio and DevM Games Good co-op games with cartoon-like graphics aren’t easy to come by. The Overcooked series of games have arguably dominated that particular niche for quite some time already. But, if you’re looking for something different but also just as worth your time, do try and give Moving Out a couple of playthroughs. The game’s premise is simple: you get paid to throw someone’s stuff out their front window. No. Seriously. Your job is to literally help people move out of their current homes. While the game isn’t as fun to play on your own, it’s good for tons of laughter and joy if you have someone else to share a controller with.
Immortals: Fenyx Rising
Platform/s: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows Developer/s: Ubisoft and Ubisoft Quebec People don’t really give Immortals: Fenyx Rising enough credit. Despite an extensive marketing push from its publishers before the game’s release, and multiple publications covering how this cross between Assassin’s Creed and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the game still easily became the most underrated title of 2020. The game follows the exploits of the demihuman, Fenyx, who finds herself thrust into the role of the savior of the world after attempting to save her brother who had been turned into stone. The tale is then narrated by the surprisingly comedic duo of Hades, the lord of hell, and Prometheus, the god of fire. With an open world with numerous places for you to explore and a fluid combat system that gives you tons of weapons to play with, Fenyx is an absolute gem of a game.
Going Under
Platform/s: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows Developer/s: Aggro Crab Welcome to video game hell. Well, not quite literally. This satirical rogue-like dungeon crawler features the common butt of jokes, the tech start-up culture, and the millennial generation, with an unpaid intern serving as the game’s fitting protagonist. As you go on and explore the game, you’ll find yourself wielding all sorts of office-related weaponry as you battle through the monster-filled dystopian city of Neo-Cascadia.
There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension
Platform/s: Microsoft Windows, iOS, and Android Developer/s: Draw Me A Pixel Fourth wall breaks aren’t anything new. Video games have made it a point to surprise gamers with real-world references to make it feel more like the in-game world is alive. However, There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension doesn’t just break the fourth wall; it shatters it completely. Your journey starts with a narrator telling you that there’s no game for you to play, which, naturally, you try to prove wrong by hijacking the title screen. What follows next is a smorgasbord of parodies from multiple game genres that help create a genuinely entertaining video game that deserves far more credit than it was first released.
