5) Kill it With Fire VR
We’ve all experienced it. There’s a spider in the house that’s just a little too creepy crawly, a little too big, and now we need to kill it or move out of our house. Or, like this game’s name suggests, Kill it With Fire! Okay, so maybe we can’t just light our house on fire in real life. Here you’ll be able to take your arachnophobia, or maybe just your dislike of spiders, and do something dramatic about it. Smash it with a pan, take a torch to your place in VR. Gather a crazy arsenal of weapons and try to kill that sucker. Whatever your choice, it’s always a damn good time. And of course, playing this in VR just makes it that much better. Happy hunting!
4) Hunt the Night
Picture The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past meets Castlevania. This is what Hunt the Night looks like with its 16-bit pixel and dark fantasy aesthetic. This action-adventure soulslike game features punishing combat and quick gameplay with a mix of the dark fantasy lore. You’ll explore dungeons as Vesper, fighting against a variety of horrors. Use your full range of abilities to take down the big bosses and fight against the darkness and corruption. Hunt the Night is just as entertaining as the visuals are beautiful. Stephan really enjoyed this game saying, “Hunt the Night is a love letter to 16-bit era action adventure games. There’s something for fans of almost every genre in this gem of a game.”
3) Strayed Lights
Embers have made an entrance into the industry with a bang. Strayed Lights is their first game and it’s incredibly fun. It’s an atmospheric action-adventure game set in a world of shadows. The game is completely wordless, which lends to its overall mysteriousness. You’ll play as a newborn flame trying to restore your light and fighting against the shadows that wish to quash it. Strayed Lights provides you with a cinematic experience, facing off against a slew of different monsters and topped off with some epic boss battles. The combat is kickass and the soundtrack by Austin Wintory and the colorful visuals really lend themselves to the haunting atmosphere too. Jumping into this one is a must!
2) The Pale Beyond
The Pale Beyond, from Bellular Studios, is a tale centered around misadventure. You’re to lead an expedition through The Pale Passage after your own captain goes missing, to try and find The Viscount and their missing ship. Unfortunately the only reason you’re leading this expedition is because your captain is missing and you’re stuck in the ice. It’s your job to manage your limited resources, keep your crew safe and warm and head into the Pale Beyond. This survival game will keep you on your toes every step of the way. And be wary of the decisions you’re making miles from civilization, as they may be the difference between surviving the storm or getting lost in the cold abyss. The visuals and soundtrack are incredible here and with a few sea shanties to sing along to it’s going to be a somber, but entertaining journey. All aboard!
1) Cocoon
Cocoon comes from Geometric Interactive and is a new puzzle platformer adventure game trying to make its mark in the industry. The warm visuals and futuristic soundtrack act as guides within the game devoid of any narration or logs. And both do this wonderfully. They’ll guide you through as you leap between worlds and solve difficult, yet satisfying puzzles. Each of these worlds features an orb you can carry on your back, which have a unique ability associated. These can help discover hidden objects, can trigger switches and even fire projectiles.
Fight against some of the toughest guardians while becoming a master of your environment. If you loved Limbo, Inside or Journey this will be an absolute no-brainer. It’s charming and chock full of fun. Lou enjoyed his time with the game stating, “If you are tired or need a break from games that require full concentration or fast reflexes, then Cocoon is definitely worth a look. We all need palette cleansers from time to time, and Cocoon is a splendid choice to do so.”
Are there any great hidden gems of 2023 that we missed? Have you played any of the games on the list? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter!