We are always looking forward to the biggest games of the year. In 2021, our eyes were on Resident Evil Village, Halo Infinite, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Forza Horizon 5. In 2022, we were all playing and talking about Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarok, and Horizon Forbidden West. So far in 2023, most of us have already experienced and enjoyed Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and the biggest game of the year, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. We still have half of the year to go and our focus is shifting towards Diablo 4, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, Starfield, and Spider-Man 2.
I'm excited to play all of those games but recently, along with a small group of gamers, I have discovered some really cool action-adventure games that are not that popular among the gaming community. Yes, almost all of them are either AA games or indie games, but they are really fun to play, especially in terms of gameplay. As long as games have solid or satisfying combat, I'm gonna give them a try. I do like my story-driven games, but if those games don't have decent gameplay mechanics, I would most likely not finish them. I'm gonna briefly talk about seven not-so-popular but action-packed games that I have discovered in the last two years. I played all of them on Xbox Series X.
Let's start with Bright Memory Infinite. This game was initially launched on PC in November 2021 and it came to consoles eight months later in July 2022. So this game is a first-person shooter that also offers fast-paced sword combat. It is a really good mix of shooting and swordplay. Deflecting melee attacks and bullets with your sword is very satisfying and if you parry your opponents' hits perfectly, you get to finish them off very nicely. In this game, it was pretty easy to navigate and the traversal was fun. Boss fights were also fun and I might have enjoyed them even more had I played the game on a higher difficulty. The graphics were not that bad and the story was pretty average, but this entire game was developed by one man. It is pretty incredible what one man can do these days with technology. The best part is that you can play this awesome fast-paced game on your Xbox Series X and PS5 at 120 FPS.
On August, 13th 2022, I finally got to complete the main campaign of 2022's biggest game of the year, Elden Ring. I was very proud of myself for that accomplishment and I immediately made a promise to myself that I won't play any more souls games. A week later, I ordered a brand new souls-like game, Thymesia. Good thing this game wasn't as long as Elden Ring, as I was able to beat it within ten hours. The gameplay was fast and satisfying. If you exclude the second boss fight, all boss fights were amazing. Thymesia can easily be compared to Bloodborne but it has its own unique move-sets. For the story, I had no idea what was going on. All I know is that we play as Corvus, who had lost his memory, and he needed to fight his way to get his memories back. The final boss fight was a bit confusing but it was also really, really good!
Soulstice is a very good game in my opinion. The gameplay is smooth, fun, and stylistic. It is a dark yet very colorful game. The two sisters, Briar and Lute are the protagonists but we mainly play as Briar, who fights with her big sword. They were reborn in different forms and with powers and had forgotten some aspects of their past. They had to figure out all the mysteries behind the world they were living in. Some boss fights were really good and somewhat challenging. My only issue with this game was the pacing as it felt tedious overall. It is an 18-20 hour game but it felt like it was 35-40 hours. Still a really solid game.
Steelrising is the one action game from this list that kinda disappointed me. It's another souls-like game but it wasn't that hard and the combat was a bit slow. There are some cool elements in the game, like using different types of powerful grenades to stun your enemies or win a close boss fight. I enjoyed the first two boss fights but after that, every other boss fight felt the same. The story is not bad, but it wasn't for me. The only reason why I'm including this game as part of my 'seven action-packed games to play' is because I have seen others enjoy the gameplay loop and everything else this game has to offer. I didn't like it but you might enjoy it, so give it a try or look up a gameplay trailer for this one.
You might be wondering why Evil West is part of this list, as it was revealed at big gaming events and a lot of gamers were aware of it. Well, it is true, but this game came and went, and I didn't hear much about it in the gaming community. Sure, it didn't offer an amazing next-gen experience as graphically it looks like a game from the Xbox 360 generation. However, because the gameplay is just so explosive and satisfying, you can get by the awful graphics. I had an amazing time beating up all the zombies and the monsters. This is another game where the story and the characters (excluding the protagonist) were mediocre but the gameplay was pure fun. As much as I enjoyed this game, I would suggest you to wait for a sale instead of buying it at the full price of $60.
Scars Above is one of the games that I didn't hear much about until this past February. I looked it up and I knew right away that this game was going to be different. Like Evil West, it is a third-person shooter, but a better game. The story and the graphics are definitely better, and the gameplay is slightly better in my opinion. For boss fights, you will need to use your skills, the right weapons, and quick thinking to succeed. It gets better the more you play it. The last few boss fights were amazing. You can beat this game in six to nine hours and it won't cost you that much, as you can get it for $40. I highly recommend this game.
Finally, let's talk about Batora: Lost Haven. I have played quite a few isometric games but I never got to finish the main campaign for any of them until I played Batora. In this game, you get to play as a young teenager, Avril. She received her superpowers in a subway station in London, and then she along with her best friend, Mila were taken to a whole new planet by two mysterious gods. From there you get to start Avril's journey where she has to fight a bunch of corrupted aliens and monsters, and along the way, she would need to make some tough choices. I enjoyed the combat from start to finish. You have to constantly switch between melee and ranged attacks to defeat your enemies. Also, this game is very colorful as the artwork in it is gorgeous. Overall, it is a nice short and sweet game.
So those are the seven hidden gems that I discovered since the start of 2022. You should check out the trailers for all of them, but definitely give Scars Above, Evil West, and Batora: Lost Haven a chance. All three of them can be beaten in twelve hours or less. I really wish they were on GamePass and/or PS Plus. My plan is to play more of these low-budget action-packed games and I'm going to start with Convergence: A League of Legends Story, which was released just last week. It's another $30 game that not many people are aware of and I think it is going to be a solid game.
If there are some amazing under-the-radar games that you think I should play, please let me know and follow me on Twitter @dawer_hussain. Thank you!
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