When a rare masterpiece comes out, this flawless game feels almost unreal, as it combines perfect gameplay design and exceptional polish to define its genre and the entire industry. Still, true perfection is all but impossible to achieve. In gaming, the discourse is all the more interesting because there are flaws to pick in even the greatest of games. Even so, though, a title can be as immaculate an example of its genre and what it's trying to be as can feasibly be achieved.
6 Perfect Gaming Franchises Where Every Mainline Game Is A 10/10
10/10 games are extremely rare, but these franchises make it seem routine.
These modern titles do indeed have their flaws, if players are really determined to pick them out and scrutinize them. Nonetheless, they're such fantastic examples of their respective genres that it seems almost churlish to criticize them.
Return of the Obra Dinn
An Almost Unrivaled Adventure
From a single screenshot, it's evident that Return of the Obra Dinn is going to be an experience that sticks with you. The concept itself doesn't exactly scream 'fun,' with the player tasked with investigating what happened to the abandoned Obra Dinn merchant ship and its crew, but it's utterly captivating.
Creator Lucas Pope has imbued the game with unique mechanics, most notable of which is the Memento Mortem. This is a powerful tool for piecing together just what happened on the doomed vessel, with the supernatural ability to show the circumstances of a deceased character's death. Each of these tragic events provides a valuable piece of the picture, making for a gripping, macabre, emotional narrative. There's nothing quite like Return of the Obra Dinn.
Super Mario Odyssey
An Odyssey Indeed
At the time of writing, Super Mario Odyssey is sitting at the top of OpenCritic's Best Games of All Time list, with a Top Critic Average of 97. Before the game's release, it faced the extreme challenge of living up to the likes of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, while also distancing itself from and not simply rehashing the fantastic 3D Super Mario experiences that came before. Our hero's mainline Nintendo Switch debut passed the test with flying colors.
The team-up with Cappy made controlling Mario feel intuitive yet satisfying, as ever, but also added a twist that encouraged co-op play. The Capture mechanic, too, isn't just a silly gimmick, but has a wealth of practical purpose. Not to mention that stomping around Fossil Falls as a dinosaur is one of the most memorable moments in Mario history. While the game has a wealth of rather silly pound-the-ground Moons to collect, it also takes that classic Mario magic in a new direction.
Hades
Perhaps The Biggest Indie In Recent Memory
There's a glut of roguelikes in the market now, to the extent that just the mention of the word is enough to put some off an upcoming game entirely. The popularity of the genre remains high, though, and a lot of that is due to Supergiant Games' brilliant Hades. The developers saw an opportunity to inject a funny, meaningful, well-written, evolving narrative into the genre's typically action-only loop, and took full advantage.
Hades: The Differences (& Similarities) Between Zagreus & Melinoë
The protagonists of the two Hades games, the children of the God of the Dead, are opposites in many ways -- but they also have a lot in common.
Ten years after the game's release, Zagreus has become a household name, and players who wouldn't typically touch roguelikes have their favorite Boon, Weapon Aspect, and Keepsake combinations. Not to mention their favorite characters and romances. The dialogue, meta progression, and plot development that goes on in the House of Hades between runs is, in its way, just as satisfying as the combat, and that's a truly impressive achievement.
Red Dead Redemption 2
John Marston's Unforgettable, Heart-Wrenching Journey
Roguelikes, then, are ten a penny in the industry, and so are open-world titles. As such, it takes a truly remarkable entry to be so beloved and influential years after release. Hades has proven to have the chops for just that, and so has Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar's magnum opus proves that the team is all but untouchable when it comes to crafting a living, breathing, reactive world. The creeping inevitability of the narrative's tragic ending, in a way, made it all the more powerful.
This is not a Skyrim-esque world of supernatural powers, elemental magic, and dragons. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a struggle for survival and comradeship across a realistic and gritty take on the American West. It features a cast of characters who share a bond, who fight to maintain it and sometimes fail, and react in the most human way to the strife they face. It's packed with content, but always substantial and rewarding.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
A Worthy Sequel To An Indie Smash-Hit
Some game worlds are lucky enough to have care and attention lavished on every inch by the developers. Hollow Knight's Hallownest is one of them, a grim and dilapidated world that's so emotive and wonderfully detailed that it's all but a character in its own right. After all the years of fuss and hype that surrounded Hollow Knight: Silksong, then, Pharloom needed to evoke all the same feelings.
All of that time in development paid off. Fiendishly difficult as the game is (in both platforming sections and boss battles), you can't help but admire the care with which every step of Hornet's journey has been brought to life. This is a game in which every little animation is so lovingly crafted, the Internet fell in love with the music and singing of adorable NPC Sherma. It's very tricky, there's no doubt at all, but you'll admire the effort Team Cherry put into crafting each platforming section even as you curse their cruelty in doing so. Metroidvanias are supposed to be entertaining, surprisingly, and gripping as players explore, and Silksong embodies all of that perfectly.
Astro Bot
Evolution Far Beyond A Simple Tech Demo
Titles such as Face Raiders on the Nintendo 3DS have an important purpose: They're designed to introduce new users to exactly what the technology can do, and perfect pack-in games for that reason. This isn't to say, though, that they can't be something more substantial than that. Wii Sports, for instance, grew to become a phenomenon, with a fleshed-out sequel. PlayStation 5's equivalent of that, in a way, was the pack-in Astro's Playroom, which evolved into Astro Bot in September 2024.
Astro Bot is Still Amazing - 365 Days Later
Astro Bot launched on the PlayStation 5 exactly 365 days ago.
The concept behind Astro's Playroom was for the lovable little character to introduce the sophisticated functions of the DualSense controller, while throwing in all manner of Easter Eggs and surprises referencing the PlayStation brand's long history. It was incumbent upon Astro Bot to expand on this idea, offering a premium experience, and it absolutely succeeded. It's become one of the most beloved 3D platformers in recent memory, with fantastic, varied gameplay, excellent use of the controller's capabilities that doesn't render it just a gimmick, and a true celebration of everything Sony's systems have created over the years (so many VIP bots to find). A truly substantial and endlessly fun ride.
Celeste
A Platformer With A Lot Of Meaning
Madeline's journey to the top of the mountain, into the depths of her psyche, feels like the kind of classic game that isn't made often enough anymore. Pixel art games themselves aren't exactly a rarity, but the tough-as-nails scrolling 2D platformer is a real retro vibe. The developers did an excellent job of tuning the difficulty, ensuring that those who don't struggle as much as others with the main game can move on to tackle the bonus stages, which are far more difficult. The layouts of the levels look simple, but it's also clear that each obstacle, block, and wall-jumping point was carefully placed and considered.
Madeline feels great to control, and the new mechanics ensure that players never feel too comfortable. The sense of elation at passing a tricky section is second to none, and those who are truly determined to push themselves to the limit can also opt to go for every strawberry as well. A deeply satisfying platformer that achieves all its goals.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
A Breath Of Fresh, Wild Air
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild wasn't a Nintendo Switch exclusive (though not many got to appreciate it in its original home on the Wii U), but it was many system owners' first taste of the series. For franchise veterans, it was the game that broadened Zelda's horizons in a big way, and the talk of an open-world entry was very exciting indeed pre-launch. The moment that Link stepped onto that first ledge and looked out over the world felt like the first time our hero was unleashed on Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time, and it was emotional. It was beautiful.
The concept of freely exploring, of climbing mountains and tackling foes just because you can, has become a very common one among open-world titles, and not all of them pull it off in a satisfying fashion. In Breath of the Wild, however, it felt as natural as it did groundbreaking, and that's a real testament to the design team. There are certain barriers to progress, such as the need to expand Link's stamina, but on the other hand, you can run straight off to challenge Ganondorf right at the beginning if you wish. You'll still be finding secrets in this one in 2026.
8 Best Open-World Games That Everyone Should Play, Ranked
There's a reason that open-world games are so popular, and while there are countless choices available, these genre entries are must-play experiences.