Hello Lemmings!
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!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/219890/Antichamber/ is a puzzle game that does an amazing job of letting you figure out the weirdest stuff purely by experimentation and interaction.
+1 for Recettear, mentioned in another comment
https://store.steampowered.com/app/530320/Wandersong/ is a game that while not super challenging, does storytelling beautifully. Coping with the world ending by looking despair straight in the eye and remaining whimsical. Not because the character is stupid, but because that is his tool of spreading hope.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/362960/Tyranny/ is a CRPG with genuine hard choices with moral dillemmas and consequences.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/31270/Puzzle_Agent/ has clever puzzles, good art style, and good point-and-click style humor.
From what I’ve read, wandersong and puzzle agent definitely got my attention!