7 Most Underappreciated Games of 2020

Despite how difficult a year it may have been, 2020 will at least go down in history as another great year for gaming. In fact, there were so many good games that came out this year, it feels like a lot of titles have not received the recognition they deserve. Below, we’ve compiled a list of seven of those games, detailing which releases from 2020 we think were the most underappreciated. Be sure to leave your own opinion in the comments section as well.

Star Renegades

7 Most Underappreciated Games of 2020

In a year where Hades re-established that rogue-likes are more than just procedurally generated death loops, Star Renegades also displayed how much talented developers can do with the genre. Unfortunately, this title didn’t get anywhere near the fanfare that Hades did.

This dimension-spanning rogue-lite tells the story of a desperate fight between an interplanetary rebel alliance and the evil Imperium. To bring peace and stability back to the galaxy, players must lead a squad across multiple timelines, using the knowledge they gain from their battles in each of them to help progress the fight to the very end. 

Right from the get-go, Star Renegades introduces a gripping story, stunning visuals, and compelling gameplay. Its turn-based battle system and intelligent Adversary system are a blast to experience, as your enemies learn and evolve right alongside you.

Streets of Rage 4

Streets of Rage was all the… rage… back in the 90s, standing atop the arcade mountain as one of the best side-scrolling beat ’em ups to ever release. In 2020, we saw the return of the king, as Streets of Rage 4 reinvented the entire franchise by releasing on modern consoles. 

Streets of Rage 4 follows the same basic premise and formula as the other installments in the series, as you and your friends control an array of colorful characters across a campaign mode, fighting waves of enemies with attacks, throws, weapons, and special moves. There are loads of new features in the game as well, including a brand-new combo system. 

The new combo system grants players the ability to juggle opponents against walls and other players, opening up the possibilities for more elaborate sequences that lead to even more points. 

Desperados III

7 Most Underappreciated Games of 2020

Ever wanted to play a game like XCOM, but instead of aliens in the future, it’s cowboys in the old west? Well, Desperados III is right up your alley. 

Desperados III is a story-driven hardcore tactics title where planning and execution is crucial to success. The game centers around a group of vigilantes with similar interests in mind. 

Players control these characters in real-time, using each one’s unique abilities to take out their enemies and complete objectives to help progress the story. While that may sound straightforward, there’s a lot that goes into the gameplay. 

Each area has specific routes and enemies are considerably realistic. As such, you need to pre-plan the routes of multiple characters using the Showdown mode, which allows you to execute multiple attacks simultaneously with precision.

One of the best parts about Desperados III is that it’s very accessible for anyone who’s never played the series. Not only are there plenty of tutorials and walkthroughs on how to play it correctly, but the story is also a prequel, meaning that you don’t need to have played the previous entries to enjoy what is happening in the plot. 

Ikenfell

Yet another turn-based title that deserved more attention in 2020, Ikenfell is an adorable RPG about a group of troublesome magic students. Together, these students use timing mechanics to combat the evils that plague their school while also exploring the halls and discovering deep dark secrets that were never meant to be found. 

While that may sound like a pretty straightforward game, know that Ikenfell features a surprising amount of complexity in its gameplay and enemy variety. Using six total students, you have 48 unique spells at your disposal to combat the 100+ enemies and 22 challenging bosses strewn about the game. 

Ikenfall is also nice and affordable, as not only is it on GamePass, but it is also no more than $20 on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, or PC. 

Last but not least, this underappreciated title also has cats everywhere, so you know, it’s clearly a must-play. 

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Video games often limit their protagonists to either one person or a small group of characters you can choose between that all fit into the same story. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim decided to go against the grain, setting up its story around 13 different main characters, spread non-linearly across over a century. 

To be more exact, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a fictionalized story that starts in the 1985 Showa period and also jumps between 1945, 2025, 2065, and 2105. Players control each of the different characters in the game across these time periods in a mixture of RTS and side-scrolling story-driven gameplay, all to resolve the war between mechas and hostile Kaiju that threaten to destroy the world.

If you love narrative focused titles, then you should definitely rectify not already having played this one in 2020 by giving it a go in 2021.

Nioh 2

7 Most Underappreciated Games of 2020

When the first Nioh game was released in early 2017, it had a lot of stiff competition outside of its own genre that made it hard to stand out amidst the overall gaming landscape, including Nier: Automata, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Breath of the Wild.

Three years later, Nioh 2 encountered the same problem, as it was released alongside Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing New Horizons early in 2020, as well as the fact that it had to deal with the large shadow cast by Ghost of Tsushima’s pending release a few months later. 

Despite all of this competition, Nioh 2 is still an excellent game, allowing players to create their own character to take on a journey through the late 1500s. The story serves as a prequel to the original, with the plot carrying over past the Siege of Osaka. 

The second title in the series pushes the franchise forward with innovative new features without sacrificing the excellent gameplay known to the original. If you loved the action and ambiance of Ghost of Tsushima but are craving a bit more difficulty, why not give Nioh 2 a shot?

Spiritfarer

Management simulators are a pretty important genre for decompressing after a long day… or year, as they are generally a calm contrast to the usual hardcore action that tends to dominate the industry. The need for that calm respite is even more important when it comes to a stressful year like 2020, and that is why Spiritfarer is such an important game. 

In Spiritfarer, you control Stella, the new ferry master responsible for navigating the seas of the afterlife to find, guide, and grant the last wishes of spirits before delivering them to their final resting place. While that may sound simple, there is quite a bit of crafting, collection, and exploration that needs to be completed before you can accomplish even the smallest of quests. 

Stella needs to navigate to specific areas, upgrade her boat, and even build housing for all of the spirits to make them feel comfortable. As you progress, the story unfolds in front of you, as you learn the relationships between the spirits and Stella, as well as what lead to their death. 

While Spiritfarer is another one of the games on this list that did get a fair amount of attention, its heartfelt narrative, clever structure, and unique take on the genre merited even more recognition than it already received.