Sometimes it's best to go into a game cold, or after seeing perhaps one of two trailers. The closer games get to launch, or the further games are from launch, companies may be more compelled to release trailer after trailer to build up hype, but this can hurt a project if too many things get inadvertently spoiled. Sometimes, less is more, and this can be applied to movies, too.
Just imagine how cool it would have been if the movie Abigail had not outright advertised what it was about. Let’s look at the following games as some more examples. Perhaps players still don't know about the twists related to the gameplay and stories in the following experiences. There will be no direct spoilers, only teases, to entice newcomers to check these games out.
The Last Of Us Part 2
The Story’s Many Dark Turns
The Last of Us Part 2 has several key points that would ruin the experience up front, and the game may already be a lost cause for newbies, thanks to it being out for a while and because of the HBO adaptation. Either way, the obvious thing is that Joel takes a backseat in this sequel to Ellie as she is now older and more mature to handle her own adventure.
As a transitional character, this makes sense, and the gameplay, while expanded, is every bit as brutal and immersive as the original game. One early event can change how players feel, along with something about a third of the way through that is beyond surprising, and where the fanbase generally splits its opinion.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
What Is A Remake?
- ESRB
- T for Teen due to Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a misleading title, but those who went into the game in 2020 didn’t exactly know what to expect. Based on comments from Square Enix, it seemed this was only going to be part of an effort to remake the whole Final Fantasy 7 saga, but as there are several spinoffs as well, fans didn’t know where this first game would end.
They also didn’t know how much the game would effectively screw with expectations, which is where the fanbase, in this case, splits. Some players like the wild changes to make it a new game, while the faithfuls wish it were just a straight remake, but all in all, fans can’t say Square Enix didn’t try, as they aimed for the fences, especially with the last scene in the game starring a fan favorite character.
Split Fiction
The Hot Dog Of It All
- Developer(s)
- Hazelight Studios
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Split Fiction is all about minute-to-minute surprises, as the backgrounds and gameplay segments will change. The core concept follows two authors, Mio and Zoe, who get stuck in virtual reality with their story ideas being pulled from their brains to create video games.
From training dragons in a fantasy forest to riding cool bikes in a Tron-inspired sci-fi world, there’s a lot of variety. This co-op-only game is best played without knowing anything beyond the premise, and that things can truly get unhinged in a fun way.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Not An Ordinary Rescue Mission
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
There are a lot of twists in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that would color a new goer’s experience, and a lot happens very early. To skirt around spoilers, the main premise focuses on a world where every year an expedition team is sent overseas to try and stop a magical witch, The Paintress, from killing off an entire age group.
10 Big RPGs That Ruin Other Games Because They Give You Too Much Freedom
The sheer freedom and quality in these big RPGs will blow your mind and ruin any other titles in the genre for you.
Players will start with Gustave in the core city, celebrating his team’s departure, and then things take a turn for the worse. Ten hours later, when things finally seem to settle, things get unhinged again, and this constant state of surprises will keep happening until the credits roll, as all is not what it seems in this active turn-based RPG.
Undertale
Subverting Expectations
Undertale is another turn-based RPG that is not what it seems, but this one actively messes with player expectations and subverts the genre. From an early age, players are taught in these types of games, from Pokemon Blue to Baldur’s Gate 3, that players must fight the monsters.
However, there is also an option to talk to monsters in battle, which can lead to unexpected results. While Undertale’s big secret is probably well-known right now, games get discovered all the time. So, let’s just say that the walls are thin in Undertale, and it’s very easy to peek behind the curtains if players are willing to experiment.
Deadly Premonition
It’s Weird, No Seriously, REALLY Weird
Deadly Premonition has a reputation for being one of the best/worst games of all time, in league with movies like The Room. That already creates an image in minds, expecting everything about the game to be a train wreck.
While the survival horror and open-world mechanics are very dated, and it’s not exactly fun to play, there’s no way to properly express how weird things get. The story and its characters make Deadly Premonition compelling to the point that suffering through dozens of hours of gameplay just to be with them is worth it.
Inscryption
Dark Heart Of The Cards
Inscryption
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 96%
- Released
- October 19, 2021
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Daniel Mullins Games
- Publisher(s)
- Devolver Digital
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike, Deckbuilding
Inscryption, at its core, would be one of the most compelling deck-building roguelikes ever made. As players travel into a forest, they’ll have to face different strangers in card games using animal cards. These strangers often never show their faces as they exist as glowing eyes in the background, which is unsettling enough, not to mention the spooky music.
Sometimes players need to leave the table to explore these huts, and that’s where the seams start to come undone. Like Undertale, the walls will be broken in the fourth dimension the deeper players get in Inscryption.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
Breaking The Fourth Wall
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is a horror game that was way ahead of its time on the GameCube. As Alex, players will travel to their grandpa’s house to investigate his death, which also leads Alex into embodying other characters from across time.
10 Games With Combat So Good It Ruins Other Games For You
These video games really know how to keep players hooked into their combat gameplay, so much so that other games will feel like a downgrade.
As players progress, their characters will start to become stressed, which can lead to the game messing with players via Sanity Effects. There’s a whole laundry list of them from hearing voices offscreen to having the TV appear to lower its volume, and getting to see them all, and being genuinely surprised, is what holds up best about Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem.
Axiom Verge
Not Just A Metroidvania
Axiom Verge may look like a simple 2D Metroidvania with pixel art that falls more on the Metroid side, but it’s more than that. As Trace, a scientist who gets transported into another dimension, he finds he cannot die as he constantly gets reborn in pods.
As players get progression power-ups, life boosts, and tons of weapons, they’ll start to see there is more to this Metroidvania than meets the eye. It’s not quite as fourth-wall-breaking as some other examples, but there certainly are rifts to mend, and some unsettling truths to uncover.
Broforce
Nostalgic Reveals
Broforce is an homage to 80s run-and-gun shooters from the NES, along with action movies up until the early 2000s. Terrorists and the forces of the underworld are teaming up to take over the world, sending the titular Broforce across the globe to stop them.
The destructible levels are one highlight, but as players rescue prisoners, they will also unlock new heroes to play from movies to TV shows, including The Matrix, Kill Bill, Commando, Rambo, and so much more. How these reimagined heroes appear, from their names to their outfits to their skill sets, will delight action movie fans of all ages, and there is a lot to unlock.
5 Legendary Video Game Failures That Changed The Industry
From the 1983 game crash to the Xbox One's controversial launch, these setbacks shaped gaming history for better and for worse.