I've recently finished the whole Xenosaga series and was impressed by it. Even more than by FF 16 (which was... cutscenes and a few good boss fights). This got me thinking: what else are old games that don't get enough recognition? I'm not talking about the Oceanhorns (which was boring tbh) or Hollow Knifhts, which everyone knows about. More like hidden gems you picked up "because" and liked it. In my case this was Blue Fire, a platformer that mixes Celeste's movement and 3D space. Other games I really enjoyed were

Valiant Hearts (WWI point and click)

Light Matter (3D puzzle game)

Cloudbuilt (a fast mirrors edge)

I'm more than happy to read some of your recommendations!

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[–] Tarcion@sh.itjust.works 8 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Old games? Let me throw Final Fantasy Tactics in the mix. Easily my favorite game of all time and one of the only ones I consistently come back to, despite releasing in 1997.

If you're not familiar, FFT is a turn-based tactics game which is very different from other mainline FF games in a lot of ways. The story is one of the best, if not the best, in the FF series. For gameplay, you recruit and manage soldiers which progress using a fairly in-depth job system which is also pretty easy to pick up.

I'm sure you could find a PSX emulator of the original but, honestly, I really recommend the updated War of the Lions edition they did for the PSP. It's been ported to mobile and is actually a great port. My one tip for anyone who tries it is to make multiple save slots in case you find yourself overwhelmed in a story dungeon/encounter.

[–] oxideseven@lemmy.ca 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

FFT is probably my all time favorite as well.

The tone, setting, story, art style has remained unmatched in my mind.

Tons have tried to replicate the tactics combat stuff and plenty have succeeded and improved or changed upon that formula, but I don't think any of them have had that feel to it. Even the other FFT games.

[–] Tarcion@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 months ago

I recently picked up Midnight Suns which, to be very clear is not FFT. However, I will say despite the kind of bad story and corny aspects of it, the actual turn based combat is excellent. I thought I would hate it being card-based but it really grew on me a lot. Definitely scratched the FFT itch.

[–] Nikls94@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Really? I always thought of FFT as an inferior Fire Emblem - glad to hear that! I'm definitely gonna give it a go!