10 - Evil West 9 - Outcast - A New Beginning 8 - The Thaumaturge 7 - Trine 5 6 - Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden 5 - Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew 4 - My Time at Sandrock 3 - Chorus 2 - Kena: Bridge of Spirits 1 - Metal: Hellsinger
here is the list : 10.Evil West 0:19 9.Outcast 2:04 8.The Thaumaturge 3:45 7.Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy 4:37 6.Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden 6:04 5.Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew 7:34 4. my time at sandrock 9:00 3.Chorus 10:43 2.kena bridge of spirits 11:59 1.Metal: Hellsinger 13:17
The Aesthetic was created to respect the wishes of the Balinese tribe from where the story, art style and music derive from. Everything was signed off by the Tribe before release. The game was only made possible, with the high production values at least, because Sony financed it, so it probably would likely have been an isometric dungeon crawler and not a real time 3D adventure if not for Sony picking up the bill, they did the same with Stray too.
sales wise triple A has actually smashed everyone. but retaining those players to keep feeding them micro transactions has been hard. oh well everyone still payed $70 for the game in the first place so
Vampyr. Best atmosphere in a game. Fun gameplay and interesting story. Also pretty cool how your decisions can make the game very difficult or how you can become OP.
Can’t believe you forgot to mention the absolutely gut wrenching storytelling in Kena. My mom called when I was playing towards the end of the first act with the siblings (iykyk), and when I had to explain that the reason I answered the phone sobbing and gave her a panic attack was because of a video game, I genuinely think she considered disowning me.
Kena is a trojan horse of difficulty. The appearance and music will mislead you into thinking you're playing some old cutesy ps2 platformer action game, and then it will kick your ass. Over and over. Lol. Beautiful looking and sounding game though.
Thank you for mentioning My Time At Sandrock - it's become of my favorite games after buying it on a whim and I think more people need to hear about how great it is! The gameplay loop is incredibly addicting, the characters range from wonderfully weird to so, so lovable and the story is very well written and at times far more serious than one would expect from what many consider a 'cozy game' - the aforementioned twistssss especially. Pathea (the studio behind the game) is still actively creating content for the game, updates regularly and is very involved with the fanbase via multiple social media platforms (like Discord for example). There's so much love and care and passion stuffed into Sandrock, it's practically dripping from the screen while playing. Seriously, I cannot recommend this game enough.
Kena: Bridge of spirits is one of my favorite games of all time. Beautiful graphics, smooth and well tuned gameplay, and amazing PIXAR level cutscenes. The story is very effective and emotionally moving. Really a shame it got overlooked by some.
Ghost Runner 2 is one that really caught me off guard with how good it was. Definitely a great example of a lower-dev-cost AA game (maybe even single A cost).
Rimworld or Prison Architect (before Paradox bought it). Easily two of the most fun games in last 20 or so years, especially if you consider that you can mod the hell out of Rimworld if it ever gets stale.
I found it pretty meh, i mean it looks great but for a game that revolves around movement, it plays a lot like Doom, as in it completely lacks fluidity, each movement technique is disjointed and often leaves you feeling as though your character is intentionally going slower than what they're clearly capable of doing. I mean, you can dash at supersonic speed but your sprint is about the same speed as a 5 year old on a tricycle.
I'm playing outcast right now, and it is such a beautiful world to explore. Gliding through the jungle trees with that relaxing music in the background is such a nice feeling.
Possibly unpopular opinion but I wasn't a fan, it felt so stiff to play. I appreciate it's a much lower budget/smaller studio game but being a huge Souls fan I couldn't get into it. Maybe I'll give it another go in future.
@@MossXM There are always games that don't click. God of War was one for me, I gave it two chances before deciding the combat just didn't work for me and decided I should stop trying and play something that does work for me. There are enough options nowadays. Kena is one of the better ones, but that doesn't automatically means it works for everyone, even if you are fan of the genre. I played a lot of souls & soulslikes, but there are a few more popular indy/aa ones which I also gave up on, but did like Kena and had no problem with the combat myself.
@@MossXMI felt the same way at first...I think it's because your character has a much wider turning radius than in Souls games, and it just feels awkward if you are used to the the movement from Souls games...I got over pretty quickly though...Once you get most of your abilities the combat becomes pretty smooth and fun...
Absolutely loved Kena when I played it. Story is great, environments are beautiful and fun to explore, and the combat can be surprisingly challenging at times. A must play for all fans of adventure games.
Kena Bridge of Spirits is a must play especially if you like difficult games with good combat, It’s basically if Pixar made a Soulslike. I might be wrong but it’s also the Devs first game too, before that they made Pixar style animated short films, which is pretty obvious in the art style and cutscenes.
*Kena: Bridge of Spirits* , GREAT game!! I have just completed the game and spent 24.6 hours with it. Thanks, Ember Lab team for making such a great game!!🙏🙏 Those who are still considering buying this game, this game is 👍💪❤❤ In terms of the graphics, arts, environment, visuals, play style, items exploration especially the OST!!👍👏🚀 Story wise, just so so to me, at least... One thing though, this game is not that easy even though I am playing Apprentice level difficulty... I thought it was fine to play the third level which is considered Normal mode, but I was wrong😅
I want a Kena Bridge of Spirits sequel man, Ember Lab's does amazing work, Majora's Mask A Terrible Fate was amazing so to see that kind of animation prowess in a game was fantastic, i really wish there was more that we could experience from the team at Ember Lab's, incredible stuff
Same here!! I feel like I lost a part of myself in Kena’s World and I need some closure. Something just didn’t seem completely finished in the end. There are still questions to be answered!
Love the videos! But just a suggestion to the editor, instead of putting number 1-10 when you click pause or touch the screen you should put the name of the game then "#1" would be nice just incase you want to skim through the video but still see what the title of the game is . Keep up the great work guys!
Kena - not new, but must play, period. My time at Sandrock (first game of this genre I played) kept me engaged for far longer than I thought it would (about 300 hrs). Not just for the gameloop, but especially for the really good writing (dialogues etc). And yes, there are twistssss. Trine 5 - looks awesome, great co op as well. Metal Hellsinger - wouldn't even touch it with forceps, because thats def not my kind of music. Does Palworld count as a AAA game in your book, or why is it not included here? Other than that - good list, will check out some of these.
I'm so happy you brought up Evil West. It feels like a modern day version of a good 2000s game, in the best way possible. It feels like a high-caliber spiritual successor to Darkwatch on the PS2.
Same with the story, it really felt like watching an early 2000 blockbuster like Van Helsing or the mummy, just pure cheesy and fun entertainment, it knows what it is and embraces it. We really need more stories like this again, instead of this "notice me netflix san" or "modern audience" crap
Evil West is my top reason I'm glad I'm subbed to Gameranx, because it still is the only place (in my life) I've seen or heard it brought up, and I LOVED it. Anyone who's a fan of bad ass action and cheesy 80s style story & dialogue, should definitely check it out.
Giant bomb raved about it. Also Dan there went off about how that type of game (the Xbox, ps2 B level game) doesn't exsist anymore and I agree. Evil West is rad.
PLEASE don't ever stop making these types of videos. Often the most ambitious ideas come from these games and they stick with me just as much as AAA games. Def gonna check out a few!
@@gagalover2k10 It's a linear 3rd person adventure game of around 10 hours, typically. It goes on sale so far at £16 and sometimes £12.49 so wait for a sale. You won't be disappointed unless you absolutely need a huge open environment to explore. The game is gorgeous and the traversal broken up with some light platforming and Pikmin style puzzles and the story which comes from Balinese folklore is well presented with adaptions of Bali's tribal music well composed running alongside the adventure.
Man, it's been a while since I last played Kena. It was a surprise that I enjoyed it as much as I did, and it certainly ought to get a sequel or two. There's a _lot_ of potential in there for both the story and the developer. It would be a real joy to get to do more with that world. It's _impressively_ solid. Sure, it's got a couple of rough patches (control scheme is a little unintuitive, as I recall, which could create some fake difficulty) but they never really detracted from the experience all that much. Just enough to be noticeable in a "well, that's there" kind of way rather than controller-breakingly infuriating to deal with. It's pretty, the core ideas are really intriguing, and it really does draw you in in a way that's astonishingly kinda rare in modern gaming.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is one of the more beautiful gaming surprises I've had. As others have mentioned, it is difficult, but the experience is so, so worth dropping down a difficulty level if it's about to make you give up. The soundtrack is incredible, the world is beautiful, the storytelling is excellent.
I've never heard of the game, but I think I heard Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity in this clip and I am a huge DT fan so I will definitely check this out.
@@FrankyDG Yes, as well as the lead singers from Trivium, Lamb Of God, Arch Enemy, System of a Down, Soilwork, Black Crown Initiate, Jinjer, and Refused (who are "Samurai" in Cyberpunk)
The story of Chorus was definitely weird, and I’m not really on board with it, but the gameplay is super tight. I love a good dogfighting game, such as Ace Combat and Everspace as mentioned. I loved Chorus. I’ve recently put over 50 hours into Everspace 2, and they have a lot of positive similarities.
@@CookinBeatloaf Yes, same thing. Title art uses the “Roman U” instead, do you get Chorvs, like how Belarus is written as Belarvs at the end of NCIS episodes. I don’t remember exactly the circumstances, but it’s something like both letters were used interchangeably, or U didn’t originally exist, or something like that. Regardless if you check the system info, it’s listed as Chorus.
@@Terrivel119 Thanks for responding. I actually own it on at least one platform but based on the title art I always thought it was more of an abstract rhythm game
I need to go back to Kena, didn’t immediately drawn me in. My favourite AA game is greedfall, recommend everyone to check it out especially as a second game is coming out this year
Completely agreed. Game was phenomenal from start to finish, so fun to explore and open up new areas. That game was freaking, perfect and the writing dialogue and story next level
This year i’m forcing myself to only play games from my back catalogue to save money, and recently played Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Metal:Hellsinger and they y surprised me. Great games that i also recommend
I'm doing the same. I haven't spent any money on anything except the absolute must-haves like BG3. I've gotten so much futher in my games than I have before. It's pretty great.
If you liked kena, i HIGHLY recommend Asterigos. Its similar combat but with more weapons and gear choice. It also has an interconnected world, backtracking for secrets, and hidden side quests like dark souls!
Thanks for taking time to write this comment and recommend an awesome game. I just went to watch it's gameplay after finishing this video , but then I couldn't also resist myself from coming back here and saying thanks to you.
Kena Bridge of Spirits. I really enjoyed this game, some of the boss fights were a bit tough when playing on Master Difficulty. I finished it and got the Platinum Trophy for PS4 & PS5.
I spent about 8 hours playing Evil West on Game Pass and I would definitely recommend it. Kind of like Bullet Storm mixed with a God of War. Levels are very linear but there is a lot of opportunity for mixing things up in combat: Combos, finishers, knocking enemies off cliffs, impaling them on the environment, blowing them up, hitting their weak spots, etc. I played it on hard difficulty and I think that is the way it was meant to be played.
Also Kena: Bridge of Spirit is amazing! One of my favourite games. Kena is the type of game if was the released on the PS2 or OG Xbox... it would have be a flag ship title for sure, people would be crying out about when they will be getting the 8th or 9th installment! it's REALLY good! It's feels like close to the foundations of the Zelda game that people have be wait for since Twilight Princess that Nintendo still hasn't given us yet! And it is quite challenging! I was stuck on some of the bosses for a good chunk of time... especially the Huntress!
Kena Bridge of Spirits is one of my favorite/best games I’ve played in a long long time. Please take some time to check it out. I really hope there is a sequel or at least the company keeps making games like this!
If you play Kena Bridge of Spirits, it'll break your spirit with its difficulty, then smash your heart with the story, I think it's a crime that there's no sequel for this game, it's no joke of a game, I had an easier time fighting Elden Ring bosses than the bosses in this game (You can't cheese the bosses in this game), the first boss alone killed me so many times that I got hooked on the game so bad and ignored all of my other games to focus my muscle memory and reaction time, but the real challenge is to not cry or stop your heart from bleeding because of the story, it's right there with Mircale in Cell Number 7, Hachiko, and The Steve Irwin Story.
Really? I had the opposite experience - I enjoyed fighting the bosses in Kena - and for me it wasn’t too hard (except that boss in the trees and the one in the mountain) - but the game was just so enjoyable and compelling that I just HAD to learn how to overcome the bosses and see it to the end. Unlocking the world is also satisfying… and the spirits that come with their own history and stories -- it’s almost like being in a dream that somehow continues across a couple nights. Kena is definitely my soul game -- it’s weird how it just makes you feel like a better person playing it.
@@theanimaster it is enjoyable, hard things can be enjoyable (that's what she said) but after it offered me a greater difficulty and tried the said difficulty, nearly shit myself. Again, I had an easier time dealing with Elden ring bosses because I cheese them to the full extent, in Kena, no cheesing anyone there.
Evil west is absolutely brilliant!!! It's so so good, finished it twice on Xbox series x it's basically god of war with van helseng.... Just buy this game it's soooooo good. Stick with it past the first two hours definitely, there's alot to love.
Don't typically like souls-like games, but I loved Kena. The art style, the exploration, the little bits of story you got. Felt really unique while playing it.
I’ve bought kena because of gameranx and i really enjoyed it. Played it on hard and it got really hard in several Boss fights. Gonna try some of these on The list, too. Thank you
I been playing Chorus because it was on a great sale last week. It's honestly the best Sci Fi space shooter I've ever played in terms of how fluid and fun the gameplay is.
Evil West felt like a spiritual successor to the Van Helsing game from the 2000s. Both take the gameplay and mechanics of the God of War games from their respective eras and both are way more fun then they have any right to be!
Van Helsing didn't take any gameplay or mechanics from the PS2 ear God of War games. It came out like a year before the first God of War game. Evil West is like a mix DarkWatch "PS2" and the current God of War "2018-2022" games.
Kena was such a sleeper. Played it last yr with PS Plus. Unfortunately still haven't finished it lol. Definitely buying the title itself some time soon to pick it back up again. The game is a perfect mix of beautiful and harsh
Metal Hellsinger absolutely deserves first place here. I've sunken fifty or so hours into it and have managed to stay top 100 on some of the levels. It is an utter banger.
Now hold up. The weapon customization is one of the best parts of Outcast 2, besides the incredible traversal. This is a baller list though. Quality games all around. Now this is a list from someone who plays indie games for real! There's a bunch more worth checking out too. Asterigos Curse of the Stars, Tchia, Atlas Fallen, En Garde...
Cannot recommended Kena: Bridge of Spirits enough. Amazing game that does combat pretty well(though it will seem a bit simple at first), story very well, and is a master-class in score/visuals/atmosphere. I have not played another game that was this stunningly gorgeous. That does make sense though, considering Ember Labs(the developers) was an animations studio before this game, and they definitely build on the strength. Check it out, worth full price, imo, but I know many will want to wait for a sale, which does happen reasonably often.
Sifu is always my AA reccomendation. I think it has one of the best combat sytems of all time, great bosses, great art direction, and it`s defientely the best martial arts combat system i`ve ever seen.
I've been playing Metal HellSinger since the Open Beta and I've loved it since my first go and it grew on me the more I played, so needless to say, I bought the Full Game the day it was released, and that year....It was my Game of the Year !! It's an Awesome, Fun and Fast-Paced Shooter that gets your heart rate up, once you've got the hang of it and understand all the mechanics of the weapons and damage buffs to help boost your score etc.....Which is the same with any new game, simply put-in a little time to practice and learn it and you'll see why people are loving this game !! Enjoy People !!
Be advised that Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is filled to the brim with DEI and BRIDGE policies. It was made with the "help" of Sweet Baby Inc. If you want to stay away from that, don't support that game.
I just finished lies of p and I am a soulsborne type of gamer and that being said, Kena is one of my all time favorite games! It was fun to explore and then be surprised at the difficulty of the bosses! The bosses were not as brutal as soulsborne but it was challenging at times! Side note, why have I not heard of outcast 🤷♂️
10 - Evil West
9 - Outcast - A New Beginning
8 - The Thaumaturge
7 - Trine 5
6 - Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
5 - Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
4 - My Time at Sandrock
3 - Chorus
2 - Kena: Bridge of Spirits
1 - Metal: Hellsinger
here is the list :
10.Evil West 0:19
9.Outcast 2:04
8.The Thaumaturge 3:45
7.Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy 4:37
6.Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden 6:04
5.Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew 7:34
4. my time at sandrock 9:00
3.Chorus 10:43
2.kena bridge of spirits 11:59
1.Metal: Hellsinger 13:17
Thanks
Thanks, I don’t know why they can’t just include the names of the games in the video or just list them in the description at least lmao
@@gagalover2k10so that you watch the video and their short reviews on the games
Thanks i looking for number 8 :)
Dont be fooled by kena's cute pixar aesthetic. That game is BRUTAL.
That final boss was way more difficult than I could ever have expected
The Aesthetic was created to respect the wishes of the Balinese tribe from where the story, art style and music derive from. Everything was signed off by the Tribe before release. The game was only made possible, with the high production values at least, because Sony financed it, so it probably would likely have been an isometric dungeon crawler and not a real time 3D adventure if not for Sony picking up the bill, they did the same with Stray too.
Couldn't play it coz I got too used to face buttons being mapped to attack prompts. Couldnt remap the controls so dropped the game
Absolutely! I started it expecting a fun chill game. Ended up googling boss strategies as if I was playing a souls game!
The final boss is harder than some of the bosses from Dark Souls 3.💀
Indie and double A been doing better then most triple A games
Persona?
Facts
Yeah, gaming is changing I feel like. The big companies are just too big to find success. Too many people detached from the communities they are in.
sales wise triple A has actually smashed everyone. but retaining those players to keep feeding them micro transactions has been hard. oh well everyone still payed $70 for the game in the first place so
@@johnmarkson1990 I meant gaming wise not sells but yea I understand what u mean
Vampyr.
Best atmosphere in a game. Fun gameplay and interesting story. Also pretty cool how your decisions can make the game very difficult or how you can become OP.
Can’t believe you forgot to mention the absolutely gut wrenching storytelling in Kena. My mom called when I was playing towards the end of the first act with the siblings (iykyk), and when I had to explain that the reason I answered the phone sobbing and gave her a panic attack was because of a video game, I genuinely think she considered disowning me.
Are we talking Maes Hughes Funeral levels of gut wrenching? Or ending of Your Lie In April levels of gut wrenching?
It’s okay. You can have me.
Kena is a trojan horse of difficulty. The appearance and music will mislead you into thinking you're playing some old cutesy ps2 platformer action game, and then it will kick your ass. Over and over. Lol. Beautiful looking and sounding game though.
It sound like Cuphead trojan
It's not as brutal as Cuphead, but yeah it'll push your buttons until you learn how to use your skills to your advantage.
Second that😂
Yeeeep.. I was loving it while stoned af, then I got canned, over and over .. 😂 had to sober up to beat em! Great game
F me I played on storymode difficulty because I thought that was the normal difficulty. Needless to say I still struggled during the boss fights 😂
Thank you for mentioning My Time At Sandrock - it's become of my favorite games after buying it on a whim and I think more people need to hear about how great it is!
The gameplay loop is incredibly addicting, the characters range from wonderfully weird to so, so lovable and the story is very well written and at times far more serious than one would expect from what many consider a 'cozy game' - the aforementioned twistssss especially.
Pathea (the studio behind the game) is still actively creating content for the game, updates regularly and is very involved with the fanbase via multiple social media platforms (like Discord for example).
There's so much love and care and passion stuffed into Sandrock, it's practically dripping from the screen while playing. Seriously, I cannot recommend this game enough.
Kena: Bridge of spirits is one of my favorite games of all time. Beautiful graphics, smooth and well tuned gameplay, and amazing PIXAR level cutscenes. The story is very effective and emotionally moving. Really a shame it got overlooked by some.
The chapter titles should definitely include the game title.
yeah wtf
I agree but they probably did it so you can’t just scroll through it without watching
@@Deadlyvoltage3 Yet, I did so anyway.
Indeed
Or just include it in the video itself
Ghost Runner 2 is one that really caught me off guard with how good it was. Definitely a great example of a lower-dev-cost AA game (maybe even single A cost).
Rimworld or Prison Architect (before Paradox bought it). Easily two of the most fun games in last 20 or so years, especially if you consider that you can mod the hell out of Rimworld if it ever gets stale.
I found it pretty meh, i mean it looks great but for a game that revolves around movement, it plays a lot like Doom, as in it completely lacks fluidity, each movement technique is disjointed and often leaves you feeling as though your character is intentionally going slower than what they're clearly capable of doing. I mean, you can dash at supersonic speed but your sprint is about the same speed as a 5 year old on a tricycle.
I'm playing outcast right now, and it is such a beautiful world to explore. Gliding through the jungle trees with that relaxing music in the background is such a nice feeling.
Kena's a great game. It plays well and looks beautiful, plus it doesn't overstay its welcome. Definitely worth a shot.
Possibly unpopular opinion but I wasn't a fan, it felt so stiff to play. I appreciate it's a much lower budget/smaller studio game but being a huge Souls fan I couldn't get into it. Maybe I'll give it another go in future.
@@MossXM There are always games that don't click. God of War was one for me, I gave it two chances before deciding the combat just didn't work for me and decided I should stop trying and play something that does work for me. There are enough options nowadays.
Kena is one of the better ones, but that doesn't automatically means it works for everyone, even if you are fan of the genre. I played a lot of souls & soulslikes, but there are a few more popular indy/aa ones which I also gave up on, but did like Kena and had no problem with the combat myself.
It felt pretty half-baked to me. Fun for sure, though
I finished it in 3 sessions. It's definitely a good game that doesn't overstay.
@@MossXMI felt the same way at first...I think it's because your character has a much wider turning radius than in Souls games, and it just feels awkward if you are used to the the movement from Souls games...I got over pretty quickly though...Once you get most of your abilities the combat becomes pretty smooth and fun...
Absolutely loved Kena when I played it. Story is great, environments are beautiful and fun to explore, and the combat can be surprisingly challenging at times. A must play for all fans of adventure games.
Can you please type out the name of #8? I cannot understand "Thaw Materge?" I really prefer it when you have the game titles in the chapters.
It's called "The Thamaturge"
Agreed - or I wish they would put a caption with the name and platforms like they do for the upcoming game lists.
I know, I was about to ask the same thing
It's based on the weird thaumaturgy
had the same problem
Hi Falcon, it's folks
😂
Falcon: You dare use my own spells against me
Kena deserves a sequel, it's so good!
Kena Bridge of Spirits is a must play especially if you like difficult games with good combat, It’s basically if Pixar made a Soulslike. I might be wrong but it’s also the Devs first game too, before that they made Pixar style animated short films, which is pretty obvious in the art style and cutscenes.
Kena is such a good game, insane graphics. Need more games like that
I wouldn't say insane lol but defo a decent game
Why? No one even bought it.
@hotpockets69 it sold over 600k units so I'm pretty sure people bought it lol
@@graygray2444 600k isn't a lot...
@hotpockets69 not bad for an indie game
*Kena: Bridge of Spirits* , GREAT game!! I have just completed the game and spent 24.6 hours with it.
Thanks, Ember Lab team for making such a great game!!🙏🙏
Those who are still considering buying this game, this game is 👍💪❤❤
In terms of the graphics, arts, environment, visuals, play style, items exploration especially the OST!!👍👏🚀
Story wise, just so so to me, at least...
One thing though, this game is not that easy even though I am playing Apprentice level difficulty...
I thought it was fine to play the third level which is considered Normal mode, but I was wrong😅
I want a Kena Bridge of Spirits sequel man, Ember Lab's does amazing work, Majora's Mask A Terrible Fate was amazing so to see that kind of animation prowess in a game was fantastic, i really wish there was more that we could experience from the team at Ember Lab's, incredible stuff
I so agree kena 2 would be amazing! Let's keep our fingers crossed 🤞
Same here!! I feel like I lost a part of myself in Kena’s World and I need some closure. Something just didn’t seem completely finished in the end. There are still questions to be answered!
Kena 2 ASAP!!! PLEASE
Kena is one of my all time favorite games. The writing is PHENOMENAL.
Kena Bridge of spirits is a game worth playing. You definitely get your moneys worth especially if you like exploring and collecting things
Love the videos! But just a suggestion to the editor, instead of putting number 1-10 when you click pause or touch the screen you should put the name of the game then "#1" would be nice just incase you want to skim through the video but still see what the title of the game is . Keep up the great work guys!
Kena is amazing. Would love a part 2.
Kena - not new, but must play, period.
My time at Sandrock (first game of this genre I played) kept me engaged for far longer than I thought it would (about 300 hrs). Not just for the gameloop, but especially for the really good writing (dialogues etc). And yes, there are twistssss.
Trine 5 - looks awesome, great co op as well.
Metal Hellsinger - wouldn't even touch it with forceps, because thats def not my kind of music.
Does Palworld count as a AAA game in your book, or why is it not included here?
Other than that - good list, will check out some of these.
I'm so happy you brought up Evil West. It feels like a modern day version of a good 2000s game, in the best way possible. It feels like a high-caliber spiritual successor to Darkwatch on the PS2.
and superior Xbox
Yeah that's the game i played and couldn't remember Darkwatch !!
Same with the story, it really felt like watching an early 2000 blockbuster like Van Helsing or the mummy, just pure cheesy and fun entertainment, it knows what it is and embraces it. We really need more stories like this again, instead of this "notice me netflix san" or "modern audience" crap
Goofy @@cenciende9401
Exactly, it's a solid fun game, and that's all games need to be
Evil West is my top reason I'm glad I'm subbed to Gameranx, because it still is the only place (in my life) I've seen or heard it brought up, and I LOVED it. Anyone who's a fan of bad ass action and cheesy 80s style story & dialogue, should definitely check it out.
Giant bomb raved about it. Also Dan there went off about how that type of game (the Xbox, ps2 B level game) doesn't exsist anymore and I agree. Evil West is rad.
My Time at Sandrock is truly incredible
The sequel is even better.
@@Joreel Sandrock is the sequel right?
@@FredericoASousa yes and sadly it looks way too much like a copy-paste game
I think the plaque tale series fit in this category really well
Those relatively unknown video games about good dental hygiene.😁
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice i feel like is another game in that category. sequel is coming soon as well
The plaque tale? Is that a game about a dental hygienist?
Requiem was pushing AAA
Dentist Simulator, make it happen developers!
PLEASE don't ever stop making these types of videos. Often the most ambitious ideas come from these games and they stick with me just as much as AAA games. Def gonna check out a few!
I looked over Kenya for ages, HUGE mistake, played it at the start of the year and it is such a fun game.
And it also has an interesting ng+ where they changed things up similar to what ds2 did
How long is it ? Is it a sandbox experience?
@@gagalover2k10 It is not very long, quality over quantity, and there are some side paths but it is mainly lineair.
@@gagalover2k10
It's a linear 3rd person adventure game of around 10 hours, typically. It goes on sale so far at £16 and sometimes £12.49 so wait for a sale. You won't be disappointed unless you absolutely need a huge open environment to explore. The game is gorgeous and the traversal broken up with some light platforming and Pikmin style puzzles and the story which comes from Balinese folklore is well presented with adaptions of Bali's tribal music well composed running alongside the adventure.
Who knew there'd be a game named after the country Kenya? It was beautiful and fun. Only played a little bit of it. Will complete it one day.
Kena is an excellent game. I played it twice, first on PS4 and later again on PS5 at 60 fps. One of my favorites.
Man, it's been a while since I last played Kena. It was a surprise that I enjoyed it as much as I did, and it certainly ought to get a sequel or two. There's a _lot_ of potential in there for both the story and the developer. It would be a real joy to get to do more with that world. It's _impressively_ solid. Sure, it's got a couple of rough patches (control scheme is a little unintuitive, as I recall, which could create some fake difficulty) but they never really detracted from the experience all that much. Just enough to be noticeable in a "well, that's there" kind of way rather than controller-breakingly infuriating to deal with. It's pretty, the core ideas are really intriguing, and it really does draw you in in a way that's astonishingly kinda rare in modern gaming.
Evil West was so refreshing. Just keep moving forward shooting vampires in a western setting. I'm sold.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is one of the more beautiful gaming surprises I've had. As others have mentioned, it is difficult, but the experience is so, so worth dropping down a difficulty level if it's about to make you give up. The soundtrack is incredible, the world is beautiful, the storytelling is excellent.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a bit short, but it is such a beautiful game and i had a lot of fun with it.
Kena is just so beautiful & a really great game. I cannot wait to see what Ember Lab does next.
Love that you talked about Kena! I also highly recommend Asterigos and Blacktail. Both are excellent indie games with interesting worlds and story.
Glad hellsinger is getting mentioned. I loved this game.
The soundtrack was so good
I've never heard of the game, but I think I heard Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity in this clip and I am a huge DT fan so I will definitely check this out.
Same. I played both the standard version and x/s on gamepass cause it was just that fun.
@@FrankyDG Yes, as well as the lead singers from Trivium, Lamb Of God, Arch Enemy, System of a Down, Soilwork, Black Crown Initiate, Jinjer, and Refused (who are "Samurai" in Cyberpunk)
that soad reveal when you unlock the final chapter is pure hype
Kena Bridge of Spirits is so much fun. I just played it last month for the first time. The perfect game to play after a 100+ jrpg like Persona 3R
Kenna is such an underrated game
Yes love that game 👌
Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that.
It’s so freaking good, I cannot believe it never got more hype
Kena is amazing from start to finish. And it's a gorgeous looking game.
FACTZZZ!!
I already played KENA back on my PS4 & I loved every second. Highly recommend & I even plan to buy it a second time, on Steam.
The story of Chorus was definitely weird, and I’m not really on board with it, but the gameplay is super tight. I love a good dogfighting game, such as Ace Combat and Everspace as mentioned. I loved Chorus.
I’ve recently put over 50 hours into Everspace 2, and they have a lot of positive similarities.
Is this the same as Chorvs? I bought that but haven't played
@@CookinBeatloaf Yes, same thing. Title art uses the “Roman U” instead, do you get Chorvs, like how Belarus is written as Belarvs at the end of NCIS episodes. I don’t remember exactly the circumstances, but it’s something like both letters were used interchangeably, or U didn’t originally exist, or something like that.
Regardless if you check the system info, it’s listed as Chorus.
@@Terrivel119 Thanks for responding. I actually own it on at least one platform but based on the title art I always thought it was more of an abstract rhythm game
I need to go back to Kena, didn’t immediately drawn me in. My favourite AA game is greedfall, recommend everyone to check it out especially as a second game is coming out this year
Banishers is a masterpiece, criminally overlooked. I truly can't recommend it enough
Completely agreed. Game was phenomenal from start to finish, so fun to explore and open up new areas. That game was freaking, perfect and the writing dialogue and story next level
@@maxtalbert8519 Any game to recommend to a fellow enjoyer of Banishers?
It's good but I just hate how you can't jump over 2 inches of ledge or something blocking you.
This year i’m forcing myself to only play games from my back catalogue to save money, and recently played Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Metal:Hellsinger and they y surprised me. Great games that i also recommend
I'm doing the same. I haven't spent any money on anything except the absolute must-haves like BG3. I've gotten so much futher in my games than I have before. It's pretty great.
If you liked kena, i HIGHLY recommend Asterigos. Its similar combat but with more weapons and gear choice. It also has an interconnected world, backtracking for secrets, and hidden side quests like dark souls!
Thanks for taking time to write this comment and recommend an awesome game. I just went to watch it's gameplay after finishing this video , but then I couldn't also resist myself from coming back here and saying thanks to you.
@@vivekkumarsaurabhvs aw, thank you. I appreciate that you did.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is sorta of a hidden gem. Its a fun game.
I've played Kena about 3 times now, so good.
Kena Bridge of Spirits. I really enjoyed this game, some of the boss fights were a bit tough when playing on Master Difficulty. I finished it and got the Platinum Trophy for PS4 & PS5.
I spent about 8 hours playing Evil West on Game Pass and I would definitely recommend it. Kind of like Bullet Storm mixed with a God of War. Levels are very linear but there is a lot of opportunity for mixing things up in combat: Combos, finishers, knocking enemies off cliffs, impaling them on the environment, blowing them up, hitting their weak spots, etc. I played it on hard difficulty and I think that is the way it was meant to be played.
For me the gameplay was just too repetitive.
I freakin loved it! I actually think its linearity is a strength because it puts a stronger emphasis on combat.
I tried it but couldn't push through the opening hour
Also Kena: Bridge of Spirit is amazing! One of my favourite games. Kena is the type of game if was the released on the PS2 or OG Xbox... it would have be a flag ship title for sure, people would be crying out about when they will be getting the 8th or 9th installment! it's REALLY good! It's feels like close to the foundations of the Zelda game that people have be wait for since Twilight Princess that Nintendo still hasn't given us yet! And it is quite challenging! I was stuck on some of the bosses for a good chunk of time... especially the Huntress!
Kena is an absolute masterpiece. Easily made my top favorite games list
Kena Bridge of Spirits is one of my favorite/best games I’ve played in a long long time. Please take some time to check it out. I really hope there is a sequel or at least the company keeps making games like this!
I was a day one buyer of Kena bridge of spirits. I highly recommend that game.
Kenna was a great game! Super fun great visuals and sound design. I want a sequel
If you play Kena Bridge of Spirits, it'll break your spirit with its difficulty, then smash your heart with the story, I think it's a crime that there's no sequel for this game, it's no joke of a game, I had an easier time fighting Elden Ring bosses than the bosses in this game (You can't cheese the bosses in this game), the first boss alone killed me so many times that I got hooked on the game so bad and ignored all of my other games to focus my muscle memory and reaction time, but the real challenge is to not cry or stop your heart from bleeding because of the story, it's right there with Mircale in Cell Number 7, Hachiko, and The Steve Irwin Story.
Really? I had the opposite experience - I enjoyed fighting the bosses in Kena - and for me it wasn’t too hard (except that boss in the trees and the one in the mountain) - but the game was just so enjoyable and compelling that I just HAD to learn how to overcome the bosses and see it to the end.
Unlocking the world is also satisfying… and the spirits that come with their own history and stories -- it’s almost like being in a dream that somehow continues across a couple nights. Kena is definitely my soul game -- it’s weird how it just makes you feel like a better person playing it.
@@theanimaster it is enjoyable, hard things can be enjoyable (that's what she said) but after it offered me a greater difficulty and tried the said difficulty, nearly shit myself. Again, I had an easier time dealing with Elden ring bosses because I cheese them to the full extent, in Kena, no cheesing anyone there.
Kena Bridge of Spirits was my GOTY 2021. One of my favorite games ever
Just platinum evil west last week .
And must say it was surprisingly a hit!!!
Im playing Kena Bridge of Spirits after 6 months I bought this game. This game is super gorgeous, better than I expected.
Evil west is absolutely brilliant!!! It's so so good, finished it twice on Xbox series x it's basically god of war with van helseng.... Just buy this game it's soooooo good. Stick with it past the first two hours definitely, there's alot to love.
Don't typically like souls-like games, but I loved Kena. The art style, the exploration, the little bits of story you got. Felt really unique while playing it.
I absolutely love Kena, the game is perfect in my mind =)
Loved Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Played it back-to-back. Even on the hardest difficulty, it's a great game!
Loved Kena and Hellsinger, gonna give the others on this list a try 👍🏻
I’ve bought kena because of gameranx and i really enjoyed it. Played it on hard and it got really hard in several Boss fights. Gonna try some of these on The list, too. Thank you
You missed the absolute best AA game!! A plague tale requim, soooo damn good it gives naughty dog a run!
I love Kena. I saw the cover and took it without thinking. Did not regret it
Evil West looks a little like Darkwatch, which was a very cool PS2 Weird Western from the early 2000s.
I was starting to think I was the only one who remembers that game. Was starting to think I dreamt it up.
Nice thanks for that memory! I completely forgot that one!
That's the one, I knew it reminded me of something haha
*and superior Xbox
I been playing Chorus because it was on a great sale last week. It's honestly the best Sci Fi space shooter I've ever played in terms of how fluid and fun the gameplay is.
Surprised RoboCop : Rouge City isn't on here
Need to stop wearing make-up before he makes the list.
Kena made me cry in more ways than one...
Game is tough 😭 and insanely cute
Evil West felt like a spiritual successor to the Van Helsing game from the 2000s. Both take the gameplay and mechanics of the God of War games from their respective eras and both are way more fun then they have any right to be!
Van Helsing didn't take any gameplay or mechanics from the PS2 ear God of War games. It came out like a year before the first God of War game.
Evil West is like a mix DarkWatch "PS2" and the current God of War "2018-2022" games.
Kena was such a sleeper. Played it last yr with PS Plus. Unfortunately still haven't finished it lol. Definitely buying the title itself some time soon to pick it back up again. The game is a perfect mix of beautiful and harsh
Loved Chorus, really great game.
I was quite surprised when he showed that one. That game is pretty as hell
Metal Hellsinger absolutely deserves first place here. I've sunken fifty or so hours into it and have managed to stay top 100 on some of the levels. It is an utter banger.
Now hold up. The weapon customization is one of the best parts of Outcast 2, besides the incredible traversal.
This is a baller list though. Quality games all around. Now this is a list from someone who plays indie games for real!
There's a bunch more worth checking out too. Asterigos Curse of the Stars, Tchia, Atlas Fallen, En Garde...
Looks like Outcast at 2:38 - 2:47 is what Anthem *should’ve* been.
@@whitewolf3051 Yup. Outcast 2 has peak traversal.
Agree with a lot of these and happy to see you guys put Kenna at spot 2, surprised its not talked about more. Its one of my favs
I dont think the words "Boring empty starfields" were used accidentally lol
Exactly. Started looking for this comment the moment I heard it.
What a pathetic grasp at straws
Outcast and kena are fantastic games
Nailed the premise of the video. You don't just miss these types of games, you REGRET missing them.
Are there 'A' games?
I guess that's a 2D indie game lol
A very good question brother 🤔
Anthem starts with an A. I hear it's great 😂
It's all arbitrary anyway.
They are called indie games.
Falcon should be Gameranx employee of the decade his videos are so good!
Loved KENA it reminds me of immortals phoenix rising
Blasphemy
Reminds me of Beyond Good and Evil and Pikmin.
Cannot recommended Kena: Bridge of Spirits enough. Amazing game that does combat pretty well(though it will seem a bit simple at first), story very well, and is a master-class in score/visuals/atmosphere. I have not played another game that was this stunningly gorgeous. That does make sense though, considering Ember Labs(the developers) was an animations studio before this game, and they definitely build on the strength. Check it out, worth full price, imo, but I know many will want to wait for a sale, which does happen reasonably often.
Evil West is really good but they just won't fix the lvl replay bug.
lazy developers
@@jotarokujo7955 As a completionist I gave up on lvl 3 when I found out they hadn't bothered to fix it since launch
Sifu is always my AA reccomendation. I think it has one of the best combat sytems of all time, great bosses, great art direction, and it`s defientely the best martial arts combat system i`ve ever seen.
Banisher ghost of new Eden reminds me more of Greedfall
I've been playing Metal HellSinger since the Open Beta and I've loved it since my first go and it grew on me the more I played, so needless to say, I bought the Full Game the day it was released, and that year....It was my Game of the Year !!
It's an Awesome, Fun and Fast-Paced Shooter that gets your heart rate up, once you've got the hang of it and understand all the mechanics of the weapons and damage buffs to help boost your score etc.....Which is the same with any new game, simply put-in a little time to practice and learn it and you'll see why people are loving this game !!
Enjoy People !!
Bruh who is recording these gameplays, missed 3 shots in a row in Hellsinger 😭😭🙏
Glad Kena is getting some love again. Its an incredible game. Some of the bosses are brutally hard. Specifically on Expert+ Settings.
Shadow Gambit has SBI all over it. It's a shame it tanked their studio but I hope other AA studios learn from that...
Being pretty new to video games Kena was my fave! And I excited to play HellSinger it’s free w my PlayStation subscription!
Dropped Evil West since twice it's bugged out on me during the Mines part where my character got stuck permanently...
I like how you guys did the timeframes as number 1-10 instead of naming the game. Makes it more fun to watch 💜👍
Be advised that Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is filled to the brim with DEI and BRIDGE policies. It was made with the "help" of Sweet Baby Inc. If you want to stay away from that, don't support that game.
I guessed that from the first 10sec yeah I’m not buying for sure
I just finished lies of p and I am a soulsborne type of gamer and that being said, Kena is one of my all time favorite games! It was fun to explore and then be surprised at the difficulty of the bosses! The bosses were not as brutal as soulsborne but it was challenging at times!
Side note, why have I not heard of outcast 🤷♂️
I only play AAAAA games.
Kena is one of my favorite games of last year and I want to go back to it soon.
yeah ill pass on everything here