For me, it was the freebie RPG Maker classic, Yume Nikki, which is a weird dream-exploration game (its name literally means "Dream Diary") with visuals resembling a SNES JRPG. I'm not really a fan of RPGs, and though this is far from a traditional JRPG and I had absorbed plenty of information about it before deciding to try it for myself, I just didn't know what to expect from it. Though the game is originally from 2004, I only played it for the first time last year. It works pretty much perfectly through Proton.



What I got was a really unique experience where the gameplay isn't the focus, and where examining the visuals and speculating about what the intended narrative and lore might be are the point, instead. By the very nature of how we all interpret things differently, the game is naturally a different experience for everyone who plays it. I played it as a dip-in/dip-out slow-burn title alongside other games over the course of several months, and I loved it.

I was charmed so much that I then went and bought some of the official merchandise from Fangamer, as well as the later (paid) 3D reimagining, YUMENIKKI -DREAM DIARY- (which is more of a cinematic-platformer than an RPG), so as to show support for the developer, since I got so much entertainment out of the freebie original.

Last edited by Pengling on 24 May 2023 at 4:32 am UTC

The puzzle game Altered. Found it in a sale earlier this year and picked it up because it had a native Linux version. With it staying hidden for two years and having very few reviews, you don't have too many expectations. But it turned out to be really good and played through the entire thing.

This is actually a really good question...... Two that spring to mind straight away are......


Mighty Final Fight (1993 Capcom) - Nintendo Entertainment System - Beat 'em up

I was expecting nothing out of this game when I played it for the first time the other week when going through the Final Fight series.......

It turned out to be the best game in the series.......

The fast paced beat 'em up action....... The cute chibi art style....... The really nice chip tunes......
All combines into a damn awesome game.....



Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1990 Sega) - Sega Mega Drive - Platformer

As someone who HATES Disney...... I never had any intention of playing Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse...... It was recommended by a fiend...... So I had to play it or my house would get blown up....... She plays a lot of bomber man...... She knows how to do it.....

Turns out it was a fantastic game that I really enjoyed playing...... Fantastic colourful art work and animations with excellent music that works to the strengths of the Mega Drive sound chip......

Both are excellent games are well worth a play through......

Last edited by StoneColdSpider on 24 May 2023 at 7:54 am UTC

Quoting: PenglingFor me, it was the freebie RPG Maker classic, Yume Nikki,

Alright gotta admit I felt a bit uneasy just by watching the trailer
Which means I should probably play it, seems interesting enough, even tho the RPGmaker vibe is off putting to me, gotta submit to the reviews ( which are 93% good!)

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderMighty Final Fight

Played that back in the day on NES


Last edited by FSFmember on 24 May 2023 at 10:58 am UTC

Quoting: FSFmemberWhich means I should probably play it, seems interesting enough, even tho the RPGmaker vibe is off putting to me, gotta submit to the reviews ( which are 93% good!)

RPG Maker is just a means to an end, in this case - Yume Nikki is kind of like the originator of "walking simulators".

Anyway, it's a rabbit-hole - there's a big fan wiki and everything!

STALKER (1-3). I'm not much of an FPS and really avoided a lot of them. I'm also not into horror. But the idea seemed compelling. Explore a slightly fantasy(?) horror version of the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

But... I really liked it. It felt like a really good mix of FPS with some RPG elements that made the world compelling and exciting to explore. Each game in the series got better and better (although I think the story in 1 was the best)

Quoting: denyasisSTALKER (1-3).
But... I really liked it. It felt like a really good mix of FPS with some RPG elements that made the world compelling and exciting to explore.

Reminds me slightly of Metro Exodus - quality game. Maybe I should also check Stalker out... or rather wait for the new one, lately I like to let old games sleep in favor of new ones, as one can't play everything all the time.

Quoting: FSFmember

Quoting: denyasisSTALKER (1-3).
But... I really liked it. It felt like a really good mix of FPS with some RPG elements that made the world compelling and exciting to explore.

Reminds me slightly of Metro Exodus - quality game. Maybe I should also check Stalker out... or rather wait for the new one, lately I like to let old games sleep in favor of new ones, as one can't play everything all the time.

Playing Stalker led me to play Metro ( I owned the first 2, don't own Exodus)... Thematically, they were very similar in some respects. The metro
games were more linear (but had a lot of world building depth) stalker was little more open, but both had amazing atmosphere.

If you don't own any of the stalker series, I'd wait for the new one. If it's bad, you can always get the older ones!!

Quoting: FSFmemberReminds me slightly of Metro Exodus

Quoting: denyasisPlaying Stalker led me to play Metro

Continuing with the Metro theme....... I highly recommend the books that the games are based on..... Metro 2033 and Metro 2034 by Dmitry Glukhovsky....... The translation into English is not the best..... But it still has the same great atmosphere as the games...... And well worth a read if you like the games......
There is also a Metro 2035 book by the same author but I have not read that yet......

Skeletal Avenger turned out to be quite enjoyable and easy to get into. I have no idea where I got it from, probably a bundle somewhere.
Normal price at 16€ is fair for this roguelite dungeon crawler action game. Ultrawide supported, new game+, local coop, remote play together. Worth a look.