7. Battle Chef Brigade
Adult Swim Games made sure to market Battle Chef Brigade quite a bit, yet their hybrid 2D action-platformer/ match three game didn’t grasp the attention of gamers as much as we expected. In an alternate world where heroes are also chefs, players will do battle in classic action-platforming style to defeat monsters, collect ingredients and the monsters meat, and then play a match three game to cook dishes. As weird as it sounds on paper, the game has done fantastically well – sitting at 81 on Metacritic – with its watercolor art style and refreshing gameplay. Battle Chef Brigade is one of those names you probably heard but know nothing about, so you definitely ought to give it a look; we even scored it at 85.
6. Battle Chasers: Nightwar
Anyone who grew up playing classic RPG’s on the SNES will immediately fall in love with Battle Chasers: Nightwar. Going back to the day of strategic, turn-based combat, Nightwar offers an eye-popping art style, kooky characters, slick combat options, and a host of new features such as damaging or impeding enemies before combat even begins. Based on the comicbook series, Battle Chasers: Nightwar was even generous enough to launch at half the standard price of a game – yet whether an overflowing market of big name games or a lack of marketing, Nightwar went relatively unnoticed; a shame as it sits at 79 on Metacritic, although we found it even more enjoyable, scoring it at 85 for its soundtrack, art style, and intelligent but challenging combat.
5. Floor Kids
How many games can you name that focus entirely on break dancing? Floor Kids hit the Switch in late December, so it’s only a few weeks old and there is still time to give it the attention it deserves. Floor Kids is a music rhythm game that looks and sounds spectacular. With hand-drawn visuals and an original soundtrack by Kid Koala, Floor Kids is loaded with a lot more content than you might be ready to give it credit for – with hundreds of moves, multiple game modes, and of course breakdance battles, its the kind of game you might turn your nose up to at first glance, however doing so is only robbing you of an exemplary experience in rhythm gaming. We here at COGconnected gave it an 87 for its simple gameplay, catchy music, and outstanding graphics.
4. Little Nightmares
Has this list felt a little too campy for your taste so far? Then look no further (and speaking of taste) Little Nightmares is here to disturb and surprise you. The game follows little girl Six through a series of utterly horrible and unsettling situations as she must sneak her way to freedom. Despite being a critical success, Little Nightmares is again a niche title where everybody seems to have heard the name, yet actually playing the game seems to have fallen by the wayside. One part horror game and one part platformer, Little Nightmares is the unsettling experience everybody needs to try. Metacritic might give it an 83, but we scored it at 90 for its impeccable sound design, haunting visual style, and – quite literally – everything.