UNDERRATED VIDEO GAME GENRES

These genres will eventually become our comfort zone, and we sometimes turn into spokespersons for them. But gaming is much bigger than this.

Entire gaming genres are sometimes overlooked, hiding in plain sight, from unknown developers whose games are doing their own thing just fine.

They get love from small communities and are hardly noticed by everyone else. They may not be genres for the everyday gamer.

This article is not about what is popular or what sells more. It is rather about those blending in the back, the unknown corners of gaming. 

They might seem odd at first, or maybe you even heard about them but never actually tried them. Think of this as an invitation to wander around.

This is not for you to become an expert at these. We wish for you to look at genres with an open mind. Who knows, you may be amazed!

Survivor games, sometimes referred to as bullet heaven, are essentially built on a simple idea: stay alive while the screen turns against you.

With these games, it may seem like everything
is against you, and it can get overwhelming.
Well, that is exactly the point. Get ready to activate your spatial awareness.  

You gotta be focused on movement, positioning, and making the right call. The essence relies on continuous transformation.

What does that mean? You will start quite weak and reactive, while your smart choices will let you grow into something unstoppable.

These games prove that mastery doesn’t need complexity but rather clarity on mechanics, applicable feedback, and rising momentum.

Want to try one of these? Then Vampire Survivors is your entry point. With a very structured design, the game’s teaching focus happens through play time and continuous evolution, where chaos will eventually make sense.

Another title is Brotato. With a more aggressive gameplay, its style focuses on experimentation with characters. Ideal for gamers who enjoy fast decision-making and consequences.

If you would like something more atmospheric, then Halls of Torment is a title you could peek into. With RPG and fantasy aesthetics that will feel familiar, the game gets inspired by some dungeon crawlers with character progression.

Overall, these titles do not demand perfection.
They are easy to pick up and hard to get you exhausted. If this got you curious, go try a few, maybe you are the next survivor!

Our next in the list is a genre for the curious folk, the observant, and those keen to solve problems all by themselves.

Immersive Sims games will never offer scripted solutions. They give us specific systems with
open spaces to put our brains to work.

Nothing gets really labeled as “correct” in these games, but instead, you get tools, environment, and rules, and from there, time to figure it out.

There is no rush, and that fact becomes your emotional satisfaction. Progress feels earned because it comes from world understanding.

One of the most approachable immersive sims out there is called Dishonored. This game is set in a steampunk city filled with plague.

The player gets supernatural powers alongside traditional tools, and is your go-to game if you are curious about this genre, as it adapts to
your specific behaviour.

Then another game is Prey, which leans more into an atmosphere set in a space station. Space? You read that right! and you are 

thinking the right way if your mind went to aliens. Exploration and resource management are well rewarded in this particular title. 

For more titles, check Deux Ex, Gloomwood,
or Deathloop. If you enjoy thinking through situations, this is the genre is for you.

When we talk about this genre, the main idea is that the two sides are not meant to be on par. These games put players in very different roles.

While one side may feel powerful and dominant,
the other side feels vulnerable, and targeted.
This genre is quite heavy on the psychological factor, where fear, misdirection, and teamwork
are the key to success. What makes the genre appealing is how different the roles feel.

Talking of flagships of the genre, we got to call out Dead by Daylight. One side controls the murderer, and four others play the survivors.

Sounds easy on paper, but it can get super tense in practice. Bonus fact, its huge roster of famous horror icons will keep things fresh.

Another title here is Friday the 13th: The Game. For those into horror classics, we do not have
to tell you what this is about, right?

Yes, Jason might be strong, but the surviving
side can coordinate escapes or try to kill him.

Okay, okay, hear me out! This is not real-life card collection, we are still talking about video games. And one of the genres that gets overlooked quite often is Deck Building.

The genre is not about fast hands. It is about slow and thoughtful decisions. You may not have big combos or headshots, but the intensity reaches very high levels.

Every turn played can bring big consequences
if not played smart enough. These games mix strategy, RPG progression, and roguelike form that gets addictive with time.

Deck-builders often seem calm, but they can
be exhausting in the best way. 

A game we recommend in this category is Slay the Spire. It has simple visuals but really deep mechanics that get better with time.

The characters available play quite differently, and the game may try to sabotage your hand with powerful cards that can ruin your plan in the long term.

Then we have Monster Train, with the idea of battlefields in layers that can synergize within.

This one is for those with a bit of love for RPGs as the construction of decks is somehow constantly evolving around it. 

And last but not least, we gotta mention Wildfrost.
As the name says, this brings a colder personality. You can actually place the characters on the field and watch the awesome effects they display.

Careful though! Positioning is crucial, and if you lose, you will know exactly why.

We said this earlier, but we cannot stress enough how many good genres get overlooked every day. Even after the ones mentioned, we barely grazed the surface. There are, for example, the so-called Deduction or social reasoning, which are built around how you read people and not UI.

Perhaps you heard about Masocore Platformers? You might have even tried one without knowing what it was. Super Meat Boy or Celeste are good examples. These are games for those who love precision with a touch of punishment. 

 

There are even Parkour games, yes, you read that right! Mirror’s Edge or Neon White are about path movement, speed, and rhythm.

And we gotta mention a few genres that may not feel as niche, but that is because they are rather sub-genres of popular ones.

For example, the almost forgotten Arena Shooters genre, with games like Unreal Tournament or Action RTS titles, and games like Brütal Legend.

We started saying this article will be an invitation.
Did any of these catch your interest? Good!

Remember this: gaming is continuously evolving,
and it often gets huge, weird, and experimental.
With plenty of corners waiting to be explored!