6 Underrated Video Games of 2018

Just because a game doesn't have a multi-million dollar marketing campaign behind it doesn't mean it's not worth your time. These six video games are definitely must-plays.

Warbits

Platform: Mobile

Everyone loves an underdog story and Warbits is the underdog story of app developers, who’ve never met, and have both only ever worked on their project part-time. The sad part of this underdog story is that Warbits—though successful—somehow managed to dodge the mainstream spotlight that it deserves. For an aesthetics and strategy snob, this stuns me: the graphics are crisp, the turn-based style is reliable but innovative, and the strategy system has incredible potential.

Kirby Star Allies

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Yet another “stunner” is that the most recent Kirby game didn’t get the renown that it’s Wii U predecessor managed. Kirby Star Allies seemed to check all the boxes; new Kirby modes, fresh dungeons, and a story-line that makes it highly replayable. Yet, somehow Kirby Star Allies flew under the radar. Critics have mentioned that the length of the main story was relatively short, and others have complained that they weren’t fans of the score. But when all is said and done, Kirby Star Allies deserves a spot on your shelf.

Moonlighter

Platform: Switch, PC, X-Box One, Playstation 4

I can’t rave about this game enough. Moonlighter combines dungeon crawling with the shop management/keeping that vaguely echoes the 3DS game Ever Oasis. The graphics and design layout harken back to the middle-ages of gaming, but the artwork is still fresh and contemporary. Playing as a rogue who battles through dungeons to sell his treasures and wares, the gameplay is simple but engaging and highly addictive.

Unravel 2

Platform: PC, X-Box One, Playstation 4

Someone once told me that artwork wasn’t important in games. I consider it my greatest accomplishment that I allowed them to leave intact. Not only is Unravel 2 simply adorable, it’s fun to play as well. Each of the two yarn-creatures that you take control of work together to complete challenges and survive.

Vampyr

Platform: PC, X-Box One, Playstation 4

Vampyr has a lot going for it: an amazing recreation of London during the tragedy of the Spanish Flu; a dark, creepy score; a fresh point of view on a tired mythos. Vampyr also strives to be an incredibly conscious—while ripping throats out of innocent bystanders—game, and this is reflected in the storyline. Concepts of class, morality, and the value of a human life make this RPG impactful and emotional.

Fire Emblem Heroes

Platform: Mobile

Disclaimer: I love this game. I’m tempted to just leave it at that but suppose I had better justify my bias. Fire Emblem Heroes was the first Fire Emblem game to reach the mobile app stores and had a surge of popularity before falling back into the shadows. Given that this game has all the power of Nintendo backing it with continual updates I find its lack of popularity to be sacrilegious. Another thing that makes this game so awesome is its gacha system. For every dungeon you complete you receive an orb, which you can use to unlock more advanced characters. If that’s not enough for you, unlike some gacha games that make you pay, this one gives free orbs every…single…day!