Tired of repetitive mainstream bullshit? Sick of people circlejerking over the same five indie games? Want to increase your knowledge and widen your perspective of the medium if you're a total dork like me? Here's the place to find and recommend games! Just list a couple games you like that aren't well-known and jot a description down as well to explain why other people should care. I'll start:
Valdis Story: Abyssal City - This is a solid ARPG/Metroidvania released by Endless Fluff Games. It's surprisingly ambitious for a game from a small indie team, with four playable characters, stats-leveling, skill trees, a magic system, decent enemy variety, and a number of bosses, all presented with a unique art style that I personally enjoyed very much. There quite a few rough edges (as is to be expected of a game in this niche), but overall, this is a very good game, and I highly recommend it.
Hypnospace Outlaw - I feel like this is more dubious than the other games on this list and may be a good bit more popular, but screw it. It definitely deserves a recommendation. This is a faux internet simulator, where you are a moderator on a Netscape inspired version of the internet, in your virtual sleep virtually, in 1999. It's really fricking brilliant and I can't emphasize enough just how well the creators of this game managed to pull that concept off, with a fair number of ridiculous yet believable webpages, a great interface, and fantastic intertwining narrative threads throughout. Great stuff.
Toree 3D/Toree 2 - These are two fun 3D platformers that should be bought as a combo package because A: They are priced the same and B: Toree 2 is essentially just an extra level pack for Toree 3D. I've got 8.7 hours between the two and can attest that they are well worth it to get.
Broken Reality - A vaporwave adventure game with solid aesthetics and fun exploration. Don't really know what else to say beyond I had a good time with it and, since you're on this site, you probably would to. It evokes the same nonsensical internet "vibe".
Eversion - Fun little 2D platformer with some unique mechanics. What's not to love?
Know By Heart - Ice Pick Lodge's woefully overlooked latest release. It's a narrative game about letting go of the past that pulls you into that narrative full force. Play this game.
Also, not obscure, but I've been playing Tunic and it's very, very good. Highly recommend that as well.
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Class of '09 is one of the few VNs I can tolerate
Westerado Double Barreled is also fun for a budget RDR
Garlic is pretty good platformer
LOVE 3 is also a pretty good platformer but feels completely different than Garlic
Huntdown is a good run and gun that deserves more attention
Original War is an underrated RTS
Ratz Instagib is a multiplayer FPS that needs more attention
Titan Souls is kinda like a 2.5D shadow of the colossus boss rush game that goes on sale for pretty cheap
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Class of '09 looks terrible. I'm sold.
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A couple more:
G String is like a cyberpunk half-life 2
Super Dream Dasher is basically kirby meets sonic meets red ball
Virtual Virtual Reality is a good narrative based VR game
Supraland is like a 3d Zelda game
Ex-Zodiac is a clone of the original star fox
Most indie shooters these days try to copy Doom Eternal but Prodeus is a Doom 2016 clone.
ElecHead is asimple puzzle platformer
Webbed is a fun spider themed adventure game
Maybe not all of these are "hidden" or "gems" but I don't see much discussion about them.
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Virtual Virtual Reality is one of the few VR games I've gotten to play and I really enjoyed it. Doesn't have a good ending, though.
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Really cool game. Some more info on it
Cold War conflict transported 2 million years back in time but 'Muricans are the weaker side
your units are your most important resource
people have their own stats and skill levels
you can tame apemen
terrible voice acting, very amusing to listen to
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