Sometimes, the best ideas sound completely bonkers on paper. They're the ones that take two, three, or even four different genres and smash them together with the reckless abandon of a kid playing with their action figures. And as one might expect, this can sometimes result in a disjointed mishmash of a game.
But on the other hand, when it works, it creates something truly special and unforgettable. These are the games that dared to mix it up, the ones that took a big, weird swing and knocked it right out of the park.
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Lesser-known gaming genres can offer some real hidden gems, so here are a few good entry points for niche types of video games.
Crypt of the NecroDancer
Dancing To The Beat of a Dungeon Crawl
Crypt of the NecroDancer
- Released
- April 23, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
A roguelike dungeon-crawler paired with a rhythm game is a combination so bizarre that it loops all the way around into pure, unadulterated genius. Players have to move and attack in sync with the pulsing soundtrack, and every missed beat costs precious momentum. The simple act of walking becomes a brilliant, intricate, tactical dance.
And what makes it all work is the music. It’s not just a background track; it is the game. The combat isn’t just reactive; it becomes anticipatory, forcing players to feel the patterns as much as they learn them. It's a game that proves dungeon crawling can be as much about having a good groove as it is about having good gear.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Dragons, Karaoke, and Turn-Based Combat?
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
- Released
- November 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
The Yakuza series was known for one thing: visceral, real-time, face-smashing brawler combat. Then, this game came along and swapped it all out for classic, old-school, JRPG turn-based battles. On paper, it sounds like absolute madness, a betrayal of everything the series was. But through the sheer force of its protagonist's personality, the wonderful Ichiban Kasuga, it feels completely natural. He's a man whose love for Dragon Quest is the lens through which he sees the world.
The result is a wild, beautiful, hilarious blend of heartfelt storytelling and ridiculous spectacle. Thugs on the street will literally morph into absurd caricatures when a fight begins, and the player's "summons" include things like calling in a crawfish army or hailing a chicken delivery service. And yet, beneath all that glorious silliness, is a surprisingly deep and satisfying system of jobs and skills. It's quite the reinvention.
Slay the Spire
Cards As Weapons, Decks As Strategy
Slay the Spire
- Released
- January 23, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Tobacco Reference
- Developer(s)
- Mega Crit
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike, Deckbuilding
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
This is the one that started it all. Slay the Spire merged roguelike progression with deckbuilding and created an entire sub-genre, a blueprint that countless imitators are still following to this day — and for good reason. It’s perfect. Each run has players crafting a unique set of cards from scratch, fighting their way up a spire filled with strange and wonderful creatures, all while managing relics and precious energy costs.
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Its genius is in how it forces players to make tough, agonizing choices at every single step. Do you bloat a deck with a couple of powerful but unwieldy cards, or try and keep it lean and consistent? Failure here never feels like a punishment; it feels like an opportunity to go again, to try a different combo. It’s a perfect, endlessly replayable fusion of strategy, luck, and adaptability.
Monster Train
The Devil Runs on Rails
Monster Train
- Released
- May 21, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
At a quick glance, Monster Train might look like another Slay the Spire clone, but it is so much more than that. It adds a brilliant, beautiful twist to the formula. Battles don't just take place on a single plane; they play out across a multi-floor train car. Players have to defend their
engine, the "pyre," from waves of angelic invaders who are pushing their way up from the bottom.
It's a frantic, wonderful blend of deckbuilding and tower defense, creating incredible layers of decision-making. It's not just playing cards; it's about positioning units across the different floors, juggling mana and relics, and trying to create brilliant synergies. And thematically, the whole idea of literally ferrying the last remnants of Hell to safety on a train is just as metal as its mechanics.
Brütal Legend
A Heavy Metal Album Cover Come to Life
Brutal Legend
- Released
- October 13, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
This game sounds like a fever dream. Brutal Legend is an open-world action-adventure starring Jack Black as a road-lover who gets transported to a heavy-metal-inspired fantasy world, and it suddenly, inexplicably shifts into a real-time strategy game right in the middle of a battle. Eddie Riggs will be shredding demons with his magical guitar one moment, and then commanding entire armies of headbangers the next.
The RTS elements were divisive, but they're also what makes the game so unique and unforgettable. Double Fine committed to the bit, and they committed hard, stuffing the world with rock legends like Ozzy Osbourne and sculpting a landscape straight from the cover of a prog-rock album. It’s not perfect, but it is one of a kind.
Inscryption
Cards, Horror, and Rabbits With Knives
Inscryption
- Released
- October 19, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
Inscryption doesn’t just blend genres. It melts them down and then warps them into something new and terrifying. At first, it looks like a simple, creepy, deckbuilding card battler. Then, escape-room puzzles start to emerge, and it becomes a full-on psychological horror game. By the time players reach the end, it has morphed into something that defies classification.
The genius of Inscryption is how it uses that constant genre-switching to unsettle players, to keep them off-balance. Just as you think you’ve mastered one mechanic, the game pulls the rug out from under you, revealing another, even stranger layer. What ties it all together is the tone: the eerie music, the cryptic storytelling, and the constant, creeping feeling that the game itself is alive — and that it might not like you very much.
Gunpoint
Stealth Meets Pure, Unadulterated Slapstick
Gunpoint
- Released
- June 3, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
Gunpoint is a noir detective story mashed together with a puzzle-platformer about rewiring electronics. And it is brilliant. As a freelance spy named Richard Conway, players have to infiltrate high-security buildings using a gadget that lets them re-wire pretty much anything. Players can connect doors to cameras and light switches to alarms, all in wonderfully absurd, creative ways.
The stealth here isn’t about hiding in the shadows; it’s about pure, systemic creativity. Maybe reroute a light switch so that when a guard flips it, it ejects him through a plate-glass window. Or maybe link an elevator to a trapdoor. Its short length hides incredible layers of player expression. Gamers feel like a smooth super-spy one moment, and a clumsy, bumbling saboteur the next.