There are lots of games somewhere in between, and sometimes they tend to come
much closer to hardcore or casual. Let’s take a look at
7 very good games: 4 unexpectedly difficult and 3 relaxingly simple.
1. Ori and the Blind Forest (hard)
Ori, a cute creature, made of light, does not make an impression of a hardcore
game hero. But the developers filled his missions with so difficult stages
that it takes lots of attempts to complete some parts of the adventure. You
need fast and precise actions to recover all the subtle elements. And only
hardcore determination will help to return life to the forest.
More details on this game can be found in the article
Ori and the Blind Forest
- a small sparkle to save the world, and on this video:
Ori and the Blind Forest is available for PC, Xbox One, and
Nintendo Switch:
Another game of Ori series is of the same kind, so you can challenge your
skills in Ori and the Will of the Wisps as well.
2. The Adventure Pals (light)
If you prefer a fun gaming experience, this game may be exactly what you are
looking for. The Adventure Pals is super colorful, with a
hilarious story, and very unusual characters. It’s never too hard to complete
the primary levels, participate in the optional arena battles, or find hidden
collectibles. But at the same time, it’s never boring.
The authors have created an amazing atmosphere of childhood adventures and
filled it with lighthearted humor. The Adventure Pals is a nice
game to unwind. Also, it’s a very good introduction to gaming for beginners.
For more details, take a look at the post
The Adventure Pals - one of the funniest platformers out there.
Buy The Adventure Pals for PC, PS4, Xbox One, or Nintendo
Switch:
3. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (hard)
The general style of this game does not remind a hardcore type of gaming. But
in fact, it’s one of the very, very challenging games.
Some mysterious spirits have stolen all bananas, so Donkey Kong should teach
them a lesson. On the way, the ape faces all sorts of obstacles - often,
players have to learn the stages in a difficult way. You move a bit to learn
the environment and then fall. Now you know your next step and learn the stage
a bit more to fall again and repeat the scenario till the final success.
The world and adventures here are super various. Depending on your style, you
can fly through one location or get stuck in another. In both cases, the
result is very rewarding (emotionally).
Purchase Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D from the official
Nintendo eShop:
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is a
Nintendo 3DS
version of the original Wii game. If you have a Nintendo Switch, you can get a
similar experience in
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
4. Lego Worlds (light)
On the one hand, this game is hard to approach for people outside gaming - but
that’s only because of its huge scale and therefore rather complicated
controlling. Once you have finished the long but fun initial tutorial, you
really start to enjoy being in this colorful blocky world… or better to say in
these many blocky worlds.
Players have a lot of freedom here to do whatever they want to. Explore new
planets with unusual biomes. Build small houses or big cities. Delve into
dungeons and fight monsters. All these activities are fun and simple. It’s
like having lots of classic Lego sets converted into virtuality with all the
figures getting alive.
The game has been described more extendedly in the post
Lego Worlds: bright goofiness.
Lego Worlds is available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo
Switch:
5. Crypt of the NecroDancer (hard)
This rhythm game seems to be complicated in theory - you take various heroes
and battle dangerous creatures by moving on the beats of the music. In
practice, everything is even more complicated because the dungeons are chaotic
and the monsters are super powerful.
The whole experience asks for your full attention and the max caution. Each
new hero changes the mechanics and you face fresh layers of the same
challenge.
The recipe for Crypt of the NecroDancer was quite successful, so
it has been used for the game with The Legend of Zelda characters:
Cadence of Hyrule.
To play Crypt of the NecroDancer, buy the game for PC, PS4,
PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, or iOS.
6. Journey (light)
Some games have a kind of threshold for newcomers - you should know some stuff
and have basic experience in gaming. Journey is absolutely
different. You can just start it and follow your instincts. In a sort of
magical way, the game leads players, making each new step easy and natural.
Journey is a unique masterpiece. It’s a short and very beautiful game. It’s a
mysterious experience that doesn’t require any special skills - you learn
everything on the way, with no words and explanations. Players can meet in
this world and help each other in this extraordinary adventure.
The game Journey is available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4,
Windows computers, and iOS devices.
7. Cuphead (hard)
Once again, we have a game with a decisiv art style: at first sight, it's a
fun cartoon-like game that reminds of classic Disney short films, but in fact,
it’s one of the most difficult games ever created, where constant boss fights
require super precise actions.
Cuphead is unforgiving, so be ready to approach the same
opponents again and again, learn patterns in their behavior, and develop
exceptional skills of virtual fight.
Play Cuphead on Xbox One, PC, or Nintendo Switch.
Of course, there are lots of other hardcore and casual games for you to enjoy.
Probably,
examples from this post can give you some ideas for the next gaming
adventure.
See more…
Do you plan to upgrade to the next-gen consoles? Check out this article:
PlayStation 5 / Xbox Series X - the choice beyond specs.
