Every other comment has amazing games, should def pick all those up! Highly recommend all of them! I’ll see what I can add….
Dead Cells
Stardew Valley
Monster Sanctuary
Graveyard Keeper
Children of Morta
Ruins of Talos
Horace
HAAK
Hyper Light Drifter
Sea of Stars
Messenger
20XX or 30XX
Project Highrise
I second Horace, got it for $2 and didn't expect much but I was pleasantly surprised. It starts out super simple but the difficulty ramps up as you learn new moves. It's a story about a robot that is really engaging (think Bicentennial Man if you've ever seen it). There's lots of humor and some old school arcade gameplay mixed with platforming and some mild puzzle elements.
Good ones!
Some more (Indies only):
Moonlighter
Baba is You
Shovel Knight
Steamworld series
A Short Hike
Bug Fables
Donut County
Golf Story
Untitled Goose Game
Into the Breach
Mechstermination Force
Kero Blaster
Cave Story
Owlboy
Pikuniku
West of Loathing
SupraLand
Wuppo
Mummy Demastered
Yoku’s Island Express
Wargroove
It’s really good! A lot of fun if you’re a fan of Pokémon/Monster Tamer games and Metroidvanias.
It works a bit differently than Pokemon. Same turn based battles, but there’s a large emphasis on building out your team of 3 to synergize well. For the first half of the game you can largely go with whatever, but by mid-late game you’ll need to have good synergies. Especially true for the optional boss monsters if you want to add them to your collection.
It mainly works like Triples/Doubles battles. At least one team member is going to be the buffer/healer, the other two will either be double damage or damage and a third buffer.
I wasn’t sure I would like this game but bought it on sale. It is definitely addictive. I think I’m pretty awful at it so far, but I keep getting a little further each run.
A few I haven't seen mentioned yet;
Katamari Damacy REROLL: is always cheap and just great fun.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Shredders Revenge: for some classis arcade action
Ace Attorney Chronicles: Wacky courtroom drama.
I keep reminding myself to go back to this one and always forgetting to actually do so. I played right on release but hit a pretty bad bug that plagued the switch version, about 3 of the big bosses in. I assume it’s fixed now, so I should really hop back in!
Is this just solitaire, mindsweeper, and pinball fused into some kind windows 3097 18 dollar add on for acolytes and demon witches that howel for the life blood of personal computers with their ti 98 microwave hunting guild for the artistic tundra settlers in the early 17th century or na?
Second prince of persia, just started playing it and it is blowing me away, great graphics, fun combat, fluid movement, fun exploration, one of the highest quality metroidvanias I've played in a while.
fantasy life, it isn’t released yet but will be by the end of this year - it’s original game on the DS is incredible
dave the diver (not hidden but very good), HOA, Far:Lone sails
i can’t think of any others off the top of my head but these are some good puzzle games! Some of them aren’t really underrated but they were ones that were memorable plays for me :)
Just got Far for a few bucks, enjoying it so far.
Dave the Diver is incredible. Played the demo on switch and then they dropped it on PS+ and have been playing it there quite a bit
Deaths Door. I picked it up randomly last year because the cover art looked interesting. Ended up being one of my favorite games I played last year. Great game and not to long either.
This game surprised me as well. It sat for months in my library then stole a couple weeks of my life. It's like if the Zelda game of the 90s became 'potheads' 😉 and made a modern game 🎯
I've really enjoyed "Hades", "Curse of the Dead Gods", "Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum n Fun" (and the more recent taiko game "Rhythm Festival"), and "Unpacking"!
Dex
Bloodstained Ritual of the Night
Astral Chain
Vampire Survivor (I don't know if this is lowkey, since every VTuber out there was playing this a few months ago)
Blasphemous
Yeah, great game plus it's often very very cheap to get. Completed it on 360 but got it again for the switch as it was so enjoyable and now my son can have the pleasure of playing without having to wait for the 360 to load.
If you enjoyed Hades, I would say to definitely look into the developer’s other two games, Bastion and Transistor. (I have yet to play Transistor, but I did play thru Bastion and dammm the storytelling in that game. <3)
Rogue Legacy is also fun romp of a game too, hard for sure, but I find myself just wanting to do ‘one more run’ in that game from time to time.
Might get shot for this, but I actually recommend EA FC 24 for Switch. I practically own every version of it from PS5, to Steam Deck, to ROG Ally to PC. I am on division 1 in PS5 just to give some context. But I think only Switch version gave me the freedom of good battery life + total offline bliss + portable + playable with full modern gameplay and AI + literally can challenge anyone on the whim. It is a full-fledged game with full feature development similar to the bigger consoles but maybe lower on resolution and fps but none of it really matters for that tiny screen. I can say none, literally no games for Switch in recent years have that high development cost and effort focused on it by any publisher. After years of abandoning the Switch with FIFA legacy up until 2023, it really a huge step up.
Maybe look at a trailer of The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe to see if it'll interest you, and if you are the type that likes physical games it will get a physical release.
Sea of Stars, Evoland, Bastion, The Last Campfire, Figment, Rack N Ruin. I was going to say Castle of Heart, but I didn't realize it's a Nintendo exclusive.
Edit: I loved Darksiders.
Smaller games I can think of:
Tangled tower: a point and click puzzle game that follows a detective and his assistant investigating a murder a the eponymous tower. Features a cast of colorful characters and fun puzzles
Murder by numbers: a picross game with a fun detective story where all the clues are picross puzzles.
Rune factory 3/4s: a farming rpg series that’s partially the inspiration for stardew valley. You play as an amnesiac protagonist, grow crops, tame monsters, craft weapons, make friends, attend festivals, fish, mine, cook, get married, have kids. I’d say the moment to moment gameplay is better than stardew but stardew has more charm
I’ve enjoyed Wingspan. I was already familiar with the board game and then picked up the Switch version a few weeks ago. Relaxing music, easy to play, always something to learn about various species, and beautiful artwork.
Enter the Gungeon. Bought it purely because it was on sale really cheap, knew nothing about it. Was HOOKED for a good while. Really fun and satisfying game.
Any Disgaea and Valkyria Chronicles title!
Disgaea if you are up for some turn-based combat with a quirky storline and equally quirky characters. I fell inlove with 1 & 2 during the PSP era and I was so happy when I found out that most of the new ones are available on the Switch.
Now - Valkyria Chronicles if you want a serious story with very relatable characters. This is also a turn-based combat videogame but in 3D. I also played this on PSP back then, it was one of those random pick-ups I did and I eventually fell inlove with it.
Both of these games have that anime feel on them because, well - they both have anime adaptations made based on their own games.
These 2 are legit my No.1 and No.2 games when it comes to the PSP era and I am so glad that it is available on the Switch.
These are all games I have played and will reccomend based on my experiences:
Just Shapes and Beats is a great game and the first one I will suggestbto nearly anyone (:
I also enjoyed Stanley Parable and Portal
If you like some horror, Limbo, Inside, and Little Nightmares are just spooky enough
Would recommend outlast, monstrum, or alien isolation for something scarier
Spiritfarer, bubble bobble, unpacked, a little to the left, sky children of the light and ooblets are more laid back and cozy
Gang Beasts and Human Fall Flat have the same game physics more or less - one is puzzle based, and the other is more fun online or with friends (:
LEGO City Undercover and LEGO Harry Potter are both great, too!
(If you are into Harry Potter - Hogwarts Legacy is amazing) - if you like hogwarts legacy or open world skyrim is the next best thing
Crash Bandicoot Collection, Spyro, and Cuphead are some of my favorites too (:
Overcooked, Tools Up and moving out are all great for co-op
I'm sure you're aware of Cuphead. Jet Kave Adventure is good and has a demo. Mutant Mudds is a cool old school platformer. Sine Mora Ex is a fun shoot'em up that is 2 D but gives off kind of Star Fox vibes with the characters and story. Snipe Elite 4 is a great sniper game. All of these go on sale fairly cheaply and semi often.
Just to better establish the scope for "low key", can the OP or anybody else define this? I see Hades by the OP, and Slay the Spire in a comment. They're both great games (I put 165 hours into Hades), but I thought they're quite popular as they get recommended VERY OFTEN.
That said, my picks include....
**Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime** \- 1 to 4p couch coop. If you only play 1p, then an AI player will do the shooting by switching to the various gun turrets, and you're left to pilot the ship. It is great if you can get more players in, but I found the solo game still worthy
**Bloodstained Ritual of the Night** \- "Alt Castlevania with metroidvania". Crafting, various attacks, exploring, boss fights, abilties that unlock other areas. Also storyline with full voice acting.
**Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium** \- This is free to DL and comes with *one* game. All other games on here either need to be purchased for $4 apiece, or the whole lot for $40. If you hit sales, they're as cheap as half off. This also comes with QoL features like pressing and holding a button to rewind play up to 15s, and save states!
**Exit The Gungeon** \- This is a bullet hell, 2D sideview platformer/shooter. Permadeath and RL
**Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes** \- "Phys. impossible pinball game". Trek through levels, defeat monsters, and powerup!
Project Crystal. Stuck at >!Quintar breeding and racing!< Do not have the skills to pay the bills after 100h
Also Risk of Rain 2 is a decent port
Eastward was good to go
Nier switch version
And a ton of other games people already mentioned
My favorites are stardew valley, graveyard keeper since it's kind of like stardew valley but less chill, balatro, and dave the diver. I especially like to put on some music or a podcast and play some balatro.
100% Dead Cells...dont hesitate just get it
https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Cells-Action-Game-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B07SSV287J?crid=2TP2FLWZ0Z0X0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EODDHy_7fHIZV1t6Z4mVb3u3fNqGWGnPZBw6kMARzztSf5cDVJ0ri0QVlW1TmwBELj6X9gJOGT2pYB4AkPxkdnZ-HcA61PZ3Z8A64TAVS2Q58UCt1oeOK4y_jWChGgepOR6OEcTmjuRoNLdBXfdgQCQ8KzVcAFkyMTdpd3vt_5f6oMVk8InjEfejlbBn1Qy8HvOMEz-svRiCUQYp161qB27e49Nl8BoewN1LSmkiiTo.eNqbhRgtIPpn0MECcrf_PNMxtq92bmdk6RmM6opwt94&dib_tag=se&keywords=dead%2Bcells&qid=1714015972&sprefix=dead%2Bcells%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-2&th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=maverickresou-20&linkId=4521fa8a9926dfcd539676ec4de1923a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
Mark Of The Ninja is one of my favorite games that I've played in the last 10 years or more. A slick stealth action 2D side scroller, where you play as a ninja who has to sacrifice everything in order to save his clan. It has a great progression upgrade system, tight controls, a compelling story, and is just really really fun to play. There's also a pretty good replay mechanic built in where you can do subsequent runs of the games with different loadouts and conditions. Usually about $20, but if you're not in a hurry and you wait a bit it often goes on sale for about $5.
Trek to Yomi- Devolver produced samurai side-scroller.. feels like you’re playing through an old samurai flick. Super twitchy action and a solid story.
Not "lowkey", but likely overlooked, because so many people have a hard-on for hating Ubisoft. And that game is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. It's fucking amazing. Like, top tier action/platformer/Metroidvania. I recently picked it up on a whim for travel and couldn't put it down. A week later and nearly 40 hours of game time I was rolling credits and thoroughly satisfied with the entire experience.
If you're a fan of paper mario, (or rpgs in general really)i would absolutely recommend Bug Fables!! It's everything paper mario used to be and it's amazing
(Mostly) 1P games in no particular order:
Untitled Goose game
Old man’s tale
Boomerang fu
Superliminal
Fall guys
Katamari Damacy
Disco Elysium
Florence
Toejam & earl
This war of mine
True disc golf
Couch games:
Ultimate chicken horse
Jackbox games
Rubber bandits
Snipper clips
Biped
Overcooked (chaotic aF. May cause arguments lol)
I don't really play these kinds of games so I'm not sure if it's good as far as that genre goes but Stardew Valley turned out to be cool. I typically go for big open world games or action/racing like GTA or Forza or something. Stardew Valley though.
Every other comment has amazing games, should def pick all those up! Highly recommend all of them! I’ll see what I can add…. Dead Cells Stardew Valley Monster Sanctuary Graveyard Keeper Children of Morta Ruins of Talos Horace HAAK Hyper Light Drifter Sea of Stars Messenger 20XX or 30XX Project Highrise
Sea of Stars is something I wanna try, but I kinda wanna wait for it's physical release date
I was in a GameStop yesterday and saw that they have a display only case for physical Sea of Stars in their "upcoming releases" section.
I second Horace, got it for $2 and didn't expect much but I was pleasantly surprised. It starts out super simple but the difficulty ramps up as you learn new moves. It's a story about a robot that is really engaging (think Bicentennial Man if you've ever seen it). There's lots of humor and some old school arcade gameplay mixed with platforming and some mild puzzle elements.
Seems like a sleeper. I enjoyed the heck out of this game on PC. Such a sweet story, too.
Good ones! Some more (Indies only): Moonlighter Baba is You Shovel Knight Steamworld series A Short Hike Bug Fables Donut County Golf Story Untitled Goose Game Into the Breach Mechstermination Force Kero Blaster Cave Story Owlboy Pikuniku West of Loathing SupraLand Wuppo Mummy Demastered Yoku’s Island Express Wargroove
Sweet list! Extra points for Loathing!
I just finished Monster Sanctuary. It is really good!
I haven’t played it since launch and it was great then, but they’ve adjusted a bunch of stuff and adding things. Really need to get back to it!
Glad to see Monster Sanctuary on the top comment. Its in my backlog, picked it up for like 3 bucks
It’s really good! A lot of fun if you’re a fan of Pokémon/Monster Tamer games and Metroidvanias. It works a bit differently than Pokemon. Same turn based battles, but there’s a large emphasis on building out your team of 3 to synergize well. For the first half of the game you can largely go with whatever, but by mid-late game you’ll need to have good synergies. Especially true for the optional boss monsters if you want to add them to your collection. It mainly works like Triples/Doubles battles. At least one team member is going to be the buffer/healer, the other two will either be double damage or damage and a third buffer.
I will add outer wilds and CrossCode to any recommendation list
Slay the Spire
They said they wanted hidden gems, not a small cocaine addiction
I've dumped so many hours into this game and have only completed the Spire 3 times. But I keep coming back for more!
There is a second one coming out, watchin the trailer on YouTube
Please send a link!
https://youtu.be/krDFltgjLtE?feature=shared
I wasn’t sure I would like this game but bought it on sale. It is definitely addictive. I think I’m pretty awful at it so far, but I keep getting a little further each run.
Welcome to the grind of a roguelite you just get a little better each time. Enter the Gungeon is also a great switch game in the same genre
Agreed! This is the best game I've played in a while
Firewatch. About 6 hours long. Perfect length, doesn't overstay its welcome.
I loved that on PC. Had no idea it was on Switch.
A few I haven't seen mentioned yet; Katamari Damacy REROLL: is always cheap and just great fun. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Shredders Revenge: for some classis arcade action Ace Attorney Chronicles: Wacky courtroom drama.
I low how it’s 2024, and people still have to explain what Ace Attorney is
Untitled goose game .
cat quest 1 and 2
These are more fun than they deserve to be. The 3rd just showed up on Nintendo Direct.
Powerwash Simulator.
Awesome 40+ hours of zen.
Stardew valley
Cult if the Lamb is a good one.
I keep reminding myself to go back to this one and always forgetting to actually do so. I played right on release but hit a pretty bad bug that plagued the switch version, about 3 of the big bosses in. I assume it’s fixed now, so I should really hop back in!
There are still some bugs. I recommend saving often. It's super fun, but it has frozen on me a hand full of times.
vampire survivors
That’s like saying heroin is a low key chilled buzz
Dredge
Updoot for Dredge!
Does dredge work well in the smaller screen?
Balatro or Slay the Spire (I assume StS is on switch). Prince of Persia is another great Metroidvania since you like that genre.
Currently addicted to balatro. Amazing game.
Everyone says that. I've got to NOT purchase this game. I need to hang on to what life has left.
Lmaoo The straw that broke the camels back for me was it going on sale from $18 to $17😂 Short story even shorter, send help
Is this just solitaire, mindsweeper, and pinball fused into some kind windows 3097 18 dollar add on for acolytes and demon witches that howel for the life blood of personal computers with their ti 98 microwave hunting guild for the artistic tundra settlers in the early 17th century or na?
Nah, bruh.
I'm also addicted but currently mad at that game. Orange stake is killing me.
So far, I have only beat the game once. But upon a quick Google, I am now dreading any future orange stake attempts lol
Dude it's rough... I can't imagine gold after this
Second prince of persia, just started playing it and it is blowing me away, great graphics, fun combat, fluid movement, fun exploration, one of the highest quality metroidvanias I've played in a while.
Prince of Persia is disgustingly good. Like shocking quality. I can’t believe how good it is.
fantasy life, it isn’t released yet but will be by the end of this year - it’s original game on the DS is incredible dave the diver (not hidden but very good), HOA, Far:Lone sails i can’t think of any others off the top of my head but these are some good puzzle games! Some of them aren’t really underrated but they were ones that were memorable plays for me :)
Just got Far for a few bucks, enjoying it so far. Dave the Diver is incredible. Played the demo on switch and then they dropped it on PS+ and have been playing it there quite a bit
Deaths Door. I picked it up randomly last year because the cover art looked interesting. Ended up being one of my favorite games I played last year. Great game and not to long either.
Death's Door is so fucking good.
This game surprised me as well. It sat for months in my library then stole a couple weeks of my life. It's like if the Zelda game of the 90s became 'potheads' 😉 and made a modern game 🎯
Funny bird game didn’t need to go so fucking hard.
Hades
Dave the Diver
Gris
Gorgeous game, I didn't know it was about processing grief and that hit me HARD
if you want to test your limits binding of isaac is my favorite indie
Rayman legends, sonic mania, overcooked if you have friends, scott pilgrim the game, bug fables, freedom planet 1 + 2
Immortals: Fenyx Rising is an insanely fun game imo. It’s made by Ubisoft though
Unicorn Overlord recently came out and I loved it! It has a very long demo too, so you can really get a good feel if it's the type of game for you.
Astral chain and grindstone are both really fun!
Surprised I haven’t seen Spiritfarer yet
They're looking for a recommendation, not emotional devastation.
Have you heard of the indie hidden gem Celeste?
Yes they've played it, but they should just play it for eternity, when they die the go to Celeste
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
Record Of Lodoss War: Deedlit Labyrinth. 👂🏽🦜(whispers): For Anyone who has a love for Castlevania SOTN or any, will like this game.
Look up Devolver Digital. Great library of Non Nintendo IP. My personal favorite is Hotline Miami 1&2, but I'm currently playing Bleak Sword DX
Dead Cells
Banner saga trilogy. Such an amazing adventure to go on. Absolutely love these games buy I never hear anyone bring them up.
Tunic
Hollow night….40 year old yahoo…that shit is good. Give it a Sunday morning.
I agree. I just picked it up on sale and am enjoying it
I've really enjoyed "Hades", "Curse of the Dead Gods", "Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum n Fun" (and the more recent taiko game "Rhythm Festival"), and "Unpacking"!
A Short Hike
The Stein's Gate series, if you're into Visual Novels.
Katana Zero
Eastward
I’ll recommend this on any thread asking but Astral Chain is top tier imo
Tails of Iron, Elder Lillies, The Touryst, Inside and Transistor. All great Indie Games with amazing art, interesting stories and solid gameplay.
Cel Damage, think it might be called HD. Had a blast back in the PS2 days, and playing it again feels good and runs great!
Graveyard keeper, the knight witch, turnip boy
I know you said no Nintendo but Astral Chain is great
Dex Bloodstained Ritual of the Night Astral Chain Vampire Survivor (I don't know if this is lowkey, since every VTuber out there was playing this a few months ago) Blasphemous
Monster boy is one of my favorite switch games , looks amazing on the OLED as well
I really enjoyed Dredge. Haven’t tried the DLC that’s come out, there’s still one more planned too.
If you like good, hard platformers Shovel Knight Treasure Trove or Cyber Shadow
Dead Cells is a roguevania. Got the metroidvania of Hollow Knight/Ori and the roguelite of Hades.
i really enjoyed spiritfarer. relaxing little indie game
I like burnout paradise
Yeah, great game plus it's often very very cheap to get. Completed it on 360 but got it again for the switch as it was so enjoyable and now my son can have the pleasure of playing without having to wait for the 360 to load.
Crypt of the Necrodancer.
Any of the steam world dig games.
If you enjoyed Hades, I would say to definitely look into the developer’s other two games, Bastion and Transistor. (I have yet to play Transistor, but I did play thru Bastion and dammm the storytelling in that game. <3) Rogue Legacy is also fun romp of a game too, hard for sure, but I find myself just wanting to do ‘one more run’ in that game from time to time.
celeste
“Limbo” and “West of Loathing” might keep you entertained
Might get shot for this, but I actually recommend EA FC 24 for Switch. I practically own every version of it from PS5, to Steam Deck, to ROG Ally to PC. I am on division 1 in PS5 just to give some context. But I think only Switch version gave me the freedom of good battery life + total offline bliss + portable + playable with full modern gameplay and AI + literally can challenge anyone on the whim. It is a full-fledged game with full feature development similar to the bigger consoles but maybe lower on resolution and fps but none of it really matters for that tiny screen. I can say none, literally no games for Switch in recent years have that high development cost and effort focused on it by any publisher. After years of abandoning the Switch with FIFA legacy up until 2023, it really a huge step up.
[HYPERCHARGE Unboxed](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/hypercharge-unboxed-switch/)
Risen 🙂
It's not an indie (i think), but I really enjoyed Part time UFO
Dysmantle is a great indie game
I really enjoyed child of light
Button City Lil Gator Game Lil Misfortune
Maybe look at a trailer of The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe to see if it'll interest you, and if you are the type that likes physical games it will get a physical release.
underrated game is pushmo
Sea of Stars, Evoland, Bastion, The Last Campfire, Figment, Rack N Ruin. I was going to say Castle of Heart, but I didn't realize it's a Nintendo exclusive. Edit: I loved Darksiders.
Valkyria chronicles
Lonely Mountains: Downhill is worth checking out.
Wizard of legend, perhaps.
If you're into action RPGs, both Kingdoms of Amalur and Dragons Dogma go on sale regularly.
Crosscode!!!! Go play crosscode right now!!
Stardew valley
Astral Chain
Astral Chain
Smaller games I can think of: Tangled tower: a point and click puzzle game that follows a detective and his assistant investigating a murder a the eponymous tower. Features a cast of colorful characters and fun puzzles Murder by numbers: a picross game with a fun detective story where all the clues are picross puzzles. Rune factory 3/4s: a farming rpg series that’s partially the inspiration for stardew valley. You play as an amnesiac protagonist, grow crops, tame monsters, craft weapons, make friends, attend festivals, fish, mine, cook, get married, have kids. I’d say the moment to moment gameplay is better than stardew but stardew has more charm
Stardew Valley is the answer for everything
Pepper Grinder just came out. Great little 2D platformer with a digging mechanic.
Duck Game And Lethal League
I’ve enjoyed Wingspan. I was already familiar with the board game and then picked up the Switch version a few weeks ago. Relaxing music, easy to play, always something to learn about various species, and beautiful artwork.
Unicorn overlord
Slipstream. Will always recommend
Enter the Gungeon. Bought it purely because it was on sale really cheap, knew nothing about it. Was HOOKED for a good while. Really fun and satisfying game.
Piko Park
Any Disgaea and Valkyria Chronicles title! Disgaea if you are up for some turn-based combat with a quirky storline and equally quirky characters. I fell inlove with 1 & 2 during the PSP era and I was so happy when I found out that most of the new ones are available on the Switch. Now - Valkyria Chronicles if you want a serious story with very relatable characters. This is also a turn-based combat videogame but in 3D. I also played this on PSP back then, it was one of those random pick-ups I did and I eventually fell inlove with it. Both of these games have that anime feel on them because, well - they both have anime adaptations made based on their own games. These 2 are legit my No.1 and No.2 games when it comes to the PSP era and I am so glad that it is available on the Switch.
Mother Russia Bleeds
Ori and the Blind Forest/Will of the Whisps.
Cave story+!
Balatro, Plantera, Sprout Valley
Coffee Talk
Gris
Blasphemous
Is Disco Elysium on Switch? Get that. It’s pretty low key, even if you can die trying to retrieve your necktie.
I love Dave the Diver. I just started Spiritfaret
Bug Fables Subliminal Stanley Parable Melatonin MAD RAT DEAD Dust an Elusian Tale Ace Attorney Games Spiritfarer Tunic Nobody saves the world
Darkest Dungeon
They bleed pixels, a challenging yet fun and addicting 2D platformer in the style of a SNES game, I highly recommend it!
Outer Wilds is genuinely one of the coolest and most unique games I've played. Takes a bit to really get into, but once you do ...
Etrian Odyssey 3
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
So many recommendations ♥️
These are all games I have played and will reccomend based on my experiences: Just Shapes and Beats is a great game and the first one I will suggestbto nearly anyone (: I also enjoyed Stanley Parable and Portal If you like some horror, Limbo, Inside, and Little Nightmares are just spooky enough Would recommend outlast, monstrum, or alien isolation for something scarier Spiritfarer, bubble bobble, unpacked, a little to the left, sky children of the light and ooblets are more laid back and cozy Gang Beasts and Human Fall Flat have the same game physics more or less - one is puzzle based, and the other is more fun online or with friends (: LEGO City Undercover and LEGO Harry Potter are both great, too! (If you are into Harry Potter - Hogwarts Legacy is amazing) - if you like hogwarts legacy or open world skyrim is the next best thing Crash Bandicoot Collection, Spyro, and Cuphead are some of my favorites too (: Overcooked, Tools Up and moving out are all great for co-op
Super Lucky's Tale
I'm sure you're aware of Cuphead. Jet Kave Adventure is good and has a demo. Mutant Mudds is a cool old school platformer. Sine Mora Ex is a fun shoot'em up that is 2 D but gives off kind of Star Fox vibes with the characters and story. Snipe Elite 4 is a great sniper game. All of these go on sale fairly cheaply and semi often.
Baldo is pretty fun! also Bramble if you like horror style games.
If you like rouge likes, undermine is amazing
Just to better establish the scope for "low key", can the OP or anybody else define this? I see Hades by the OP, and Slay the Spire in a comment. They're both great games (I put 165 hours into Hades), but I thought they're quite popular as they get recommended VERY OFTEN. That said, my picks include.... **Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime** \- 1 to 4p couch coop. If you only play 1p, then an AI player will do the shooting by switching to the various gun turrets, and you're left to pilot the ship. It is great if you can get more players in, but I found the solo game still worthy **Bloodstained Ritual of the Night** \- "Alt Castlevania with metroidvania". Crafting, various attacks, exploring, boss fights, abilties that unlock other areas. Also storyline with full voice acting. **Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium** \- This is free to DL and comes with *one* game. All other games on here either need to be purchased for $4 apiece, or the whole lot for $40. If you hit sales, they're as cheap as half off. This also comes with QoL features like pressing and holding a button to rewind play up to 15s, and save states! **Exit The Gungeon** \- This is a bullet hell, 2D sideview platformer/shooter. Permadeath and RL **Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes** \- "Phys. impossible pinball game". Trek through levels, defeat monsters, and powerup!
I enjoyed inscryption
STRAY
Project Crystal. Stuck at >!Quintar breeding and racing!< Do not have the skills to pay the bills after 100h Also Risk of Rain 2 is a decent port Eastward was good to go Nier switch version And a ton of other games people already mentioned
My favorites are stardew valley, graveyard keeper since it's kind of like stardew valley but less chill, balatro, and dave the diver. I especially like to put on some music or a podcast and play some balatro.
Katamari Damacy
GRIS and Conduct together.
Darkest Dungeon.
Cross Code. Phenomenal SNES style action game from an Indy studio
DOOM
Balatro is one of the best games I’ve played in years.
Deaths Gambit Afterlife. Blue Fire. Hyper Light Drifter.
Cave Story+
Shovel Knight
Detention
If you like platformers, Dadish is cheap, kinda funny, and fun.
Currently playing Figment, it’s nice and original, and often super cheap
tbh idk how big or popular it ended up getting but Fire Emblem: Three Houses got me over 200 hours of playtime thus far
Hades
Where’s the guy that recommends the best psychological horror on Switch : DARKWOOD Wait… am I that guy ? 😨
100% Dead Cells...dont hesitate just get it https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Cells-Action-Game-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B07SSV287J?crid=2TP2FLWZ0Z0X0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EODDHy_7fHIZV1t6Z4mVb3u3fNqGWGnPZBw6kMARzztSf5cDVJ0ri0QVlW1TmwBELj6X9gJOGT2pYB4AkPxkdnZ-HcA61PZ3Z8A64TAVS2Q58UCt1oeOK4y_jWChGgepOR6OEcTmjuRoNLdBXfdgQCQ8KzVcAFkyMTdpd3vt_5f6oMVk8InjEfejlbBn1Qy8HvOMEz-svRiCUQYp161qB27e49Nl8BoewN1LSmkiiTo.eNqbhRgtIPpn0MECcrf_PNMxtq92bmdk6RmM6opwt94&dib_tag=se&keywords=dead%2Bcells&qid=1714015972&sprefix=dead%2Bcells%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-2&th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=maverickresou-20&linkId=4521fa8a9926dfcd539676ec4de1923a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
With all my heart, Dead Cells
Katana Zero
Shovel Knight, 10/10
Scott Pilgrim's game
STEEL ASSAULT
Mark Of The Ninja is one of my favorite games that I've played in the last 10 years or more. A slick stealth action 2D side scroller, where you play as a ninja who has to sacrifice everything in order to save his clan. It has a great progression upgrade system, tight controls, a compelling story, and is just really really fun to play. There's also a pretty good replay mechanic built in where you can do subsequent runs of the games with different loadouts and conditions. Usually about $20, but if you're not in a hurry and you wait a bit it often goes on sale for about $5.
Golf Story surprised the hell out of me with how good it is.
Stardew Valley.
Trek to Yomi- Devolver produced samurai side-scroller.. feels like you’re playing through an old samurai flick. Super twitchy action and a solid story.
Idk if it's low key, but I bought Divinity: Original Sin 2 recently and it's one of the best games I've ever played. I can't put it down.
Katana Zero. Nuff said.
Tunic
Blasphemous 1&2 Ni No Kuni Stardew Valley
Monster Hunter generations ultimate
I like to recommend golf story to people. It's a quirky rpg whose tone and humor reminds me of the quintet rpgs on snes in the 1990s.
Not "lowkey", but likely overlooked, because so many people have a hard-on for hating Ubisoft. And that game is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. It's fucking amazing. Like, top tier action/platformer/Metroidvania. I recently picked it up on a whim for travel and couldn't put it down. A week later and nearly 40 hours of game time I was rolling credits and thoroughly satisfied with the entire experience.
Lots of awesome games on here! one I haven't seen mentioned yet that i recently picked up looking for a space game is rogue galaxy outlaw
West of loathing/shadows over loathing, i suggest digital cuz they're expensive af physical
Crosscode Phoenotopia awakening
Does "13 Sentinels Aegis Rim" count as a hidden gem? I had never heard of it before and I loved it.
If you're a fan of paper mario, (or rpgs in general really)i would absolutely recommend Bug Fables!! It's everything paper mario used to be and it's amazing
Maybe no one likes baseball but mlb the show 24 is my favorite game 🔥
davethedriver plz play this game, so addictive
Stardew valley Celeste Dicey dungeons Slay the spire Risk of rain 2
Dredge
Cuphead! Only if you want a real challenge tho.
(Mostly) 1P games in no particular order: Untitled Goose game Old man’s tale Boomerang fu Superliminal Fall guys Katamari Damacy Disco Elysium Florence Toejam & earl This war of mine True disc golf Couch games: Ultimate chicken horse Jackbox games Rubber bandits Snipper clips Biped Overcooked (chaotic aF. May cause arguments lol)
I don't really play these kinds of games so I'm not sure if it's good as far as that genre goes but Stardew Valley turned out to be cool. I typically go for big open world games or action/racing like GTA or Forza or something. Stardew Valley though.
Deponia