From 'OMORI' to 'Fallout 76': Gamers share their unexpected gaming delights that exceeded expectations.
What are the most surprising gaming delights that exceeded your expectations? We all have games we didn’t expect to like as much as we do, from titles that were initially highly anticipated but somehow fell short to games that we couldn’t believe got a sequel.
We asked our readers to share their unexpected gaming delights that exceeded expectations. Some prefer not to buy games they expect to be bad, while others enjoy the surprise of playing a game they know little about. Here are their stories.
“OMORI” shook me to the core in both good and bad ways
“OMORI” was one game I had no expectations for. I had heard little about it, and the art style didn’t appeal to me. But one day I decided to download it, and it took over my life.
OMORI is a roguelite game that throws you into the shoes of a cute little mushroom creature. You have to eat other creatures to grow and progress, but it doesn’t end there. As you progress, you get to know the different characters and their tragic backstories. The combat system is super fun and challenging, and the bosses are intimidating. Some of them even gave me nightmares.
But the thing that truly shook me was the story. It starts off innocent enough, with a few cute little jokes here and there. But as you progress, you start to see the darkness behind the game that you can’t unsee. The characters and their stories will stay with me for a long time.
“Epic Mickey” left a big impact on me despite my initial excitement not being very high
I was never a fan of Disney, and I never played Epic Mickey, so I didn’t really have any expectations going into this 3D platformer. I was just looking for something to play while I was waiting for other games to be released, and I ended up really enjoying this title.
The gameplay is good and challenging, the voice acting is good, the music is pleasant, and the levels are fun to explore. There are also a lot of collectibles that you can go back and get once you’ve beaten the game, and it’s fun to go back and see how things were before the change.
Despite my initial excitement not being very high, I was pleasantly surprised by this game. I’m actually thinking about going back to it now that I’ve finished it, just because it left such a big impact on me.
“Days Gone” surpassed my expectations
I bought this game without reading any reviews or knowing much about it. I was just looking for something new to play and was ready to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised, as the game provided a lot of fun.
The gameplay is smooth and relatively easy, and the story is good enough to keep you interested, even though you can tell from early on that the game won’t end well for our protagonist.
The open-world game offers a lot of different environments, and there are a number of side activities that you can take part in. The crafting system is rather limited, and you can also only carry two weapons at a time, but that doesn’t detract from the fun.
“Spiritfarer” captivated me despite my general disinterest in indie games
I don’t play a lot of indie games, but Spiritfarer is truly one of the best. The graphics are beautiful, and the atmosphere is just perfect. The combat is also really fun, as it’s not your typical turn-based combat. It’s very dynamic and challenging.
The story is captivating, and even though there are many games that are similar to this, this one is truly special. The game is fairly easy to finish, but it’s one of those games that makes you think about it even after you’ve completed it.
“Divinity: Original Sin 2” was actually a top-tier game for me
I don’t play many TTRPGs, so when I saw that Divinity: Original Sin 2 was coming out, I wasn’t very excited. But then the reviews started pouring in and everyone was raving about how good it was. So I thought, what the hell, I’ll give it a go. And it was freaking awesome.
It turned out to be exactly what I wanted from an RPG game. The combat was fun, the story was interesting and engaging, and the game world was vast and interesting. I played through twice and am now eagerly awaiting the third game.
“Homefront: The Revolution” provided an urban Far Cry experience that I didn’t know I needed
I was never a big fan of the Far Cry series, so when I first heard about Homefront: The Revolution, I didn’t have very high expectations. What I got was a surprisingly fun game that I played for a long time.
The gameplay is similar to Far Cry, with a big open world, a lot of side activities, and a decent story. The missions can be repetitive, but that didn’t bother me too much, as I just played the game for the fun of it.
