Best Games That Get Better As You Play

Many games, for better or worse, offer instant gratification. Be it quick and easy rewards, a fast pace, accessibility, or simply strong, tactile controls, games such as Post Void or Vampire Survivors are concerned primarily with keeping players engaged from the very starting moments of the game.

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However, there are a great number of games that take time and patience to truly shine. These games offer deeply rewarding gameplay, but this frequently comes at the cost of pace and accessibility. Be it the competitive strategy of StarCraft 2 or the unforgiving environments of Rain World, these experiences are worthpushing past those initial hurdles to become immersed in everything they have to offer.

8

Rain World

Brutal Exploration Of A Hostile World

Released

March 28, 2017

Developer(s)

Videocult

Publisher(s)

Akupara Games, Adult Swim Games

OpenCritic Rating

Fair

Rain World is a deeply unforgiving exploration game that takes place in a unique and utterly hostile post-apocalyptic world. The exploration-heavy gameplay is supported by a simulated ecosystem that cares little for the player’s survival, resulting in a steep learning curve that, while rewarding, can often be frustrating to begin with.

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Once players begin to get a grasp of Rain World’s mechanics and the ways of its fluid, dangerous world, fun can begin to emerge from its intricate design. However, those with little patience may find Rain World’s refusal of easy gratification too tough of a pill to swallow.

7

Resident Evil

A Methodical Horror Game That Slowly Unravels

Released

January 20, 2015

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Resident Evil, even in its HD remake form, is a slow and methodical game that requires patience on the part of the player. This is thanks in large part to the slow controls and animations, as well as the emphasis on precision during combat. Furthermore, the lock-and-key design of Resident Evil’s exploration and the frequency of puzzles works to constantly slow the player down, resulting in an experience that gets more and more rewarding as it goes on.

This is also thanks to dynamic environments and the simple fact that familiarity with the game’s variety of locations often results in greater success; the survival horror gameplay loop and inability to save outside specific areas emphasizes map knowledge. Players can always check the map, but it’s knowing the locations of threats, where is and isn’t safe — gaining this knowledge as the game progresses can be particularly satisfying. Furthermore, many items can be combined and used to solve puzzles later down the line, providing a constant sense of curiosity that pays off as the game goes on.

6

Dark Souls 2

A Harsh Introduction To A Quirky ARPG

Released

April 2, 2015

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Dark Souls 2 is somewhat of a maverick in FromSoftware’s iconic trilogy, offering unorthodox mechanics and world design that won’t appeal to everyone. Furthermore, this unconventional and practically experimental approach makes Dark Souls 2 a particularly unfriendly experience to newcomers, and even those who enjoyed the first game will likely have a tough time acclimating.

However, as players begin to learn the intricacies of Dark Souls 2’s unfriendliness, the game begins to open up; once these new twists on the original game have been learned, the fresh flow of combat digested, Dark Souls 2’s unique personality finally begins to shine. As a result, it’s a game worth pushing past first impressions.

5

RimWorld

An Unforgiving Colony Sim

Released

October 17, 2018

Developer(s)

Ludeon Studios

Publisher(s)

Ludeon Studios

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

RimWorld is an immersive colony-sim that excels with its sci-fi western setting and deep management mechanics. The heavy simulation of its world and the people that populate it make for a detailed experience, but keeping a burgeoning colony alive under near-constant threat can be an initially frustrating experience.

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There are many tricks to be learned and knowledge to be gained surrounding the management of colonists, the planning of structures, and the mounting of a defense. It can be hard to know how to react to certain obstacles, how to deal with specific scenarios, but learning is simply part of the fun; as a result, RimWorld can get off to a slow and potentially frustrating start, but this only makes the eventual victories, however small, all the more rewarding.

4

StarCraft 2

A Diverse RTS With A Steep Learning Curve

Systems

StarCraft 2 remains an enthralling competitive real-time strategy game despite its advancing age, thanks in large part to its tight-knit community, continued support, and wildly unique asymmetric factions. Unfortunately, the standard play that has evolved over the course of StarCraft 2’s history makes it a rather inaccessible experience for newcomers.

A great deal of knowledge is required of the factions, units, and general flow of StarCraft 2 in order to be successful in the game’s multiplayer. As a result, StarCraft 2, as a multiplayer experience, is a game that simply gets better as players acquire more knowledge of its intricate systems.

3

Caves Of Qud

A Deep & Expansive Roguelike RPG

Systems

Released

July 15, 2015

Developer(s)

Freehold Games

Publisher(s)

Freehold Games

Caves Of Qud, with its minimalist visuals and old-school gameplay, won’t be an immediately accessible experience for many. Qud is simply unforgiving, dropping players into an exotic, hostile world packed with undiscovered threats and unpredictable behavior; a world that becomes more forgiving — and more fun to explore — as players gain the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate it.

Caves Of Qud also excels with its diversity, specifically in character creation. As a result, there’s plenty to discover and experiment with right at the start of the game, and the addition of permanent death ensures players will get to make their fair share of characters. Newcomers can only begin to scratch the surface of the possibilities Qud makes available, but as time goes on, the sheer diversity in both the character creator and the expansive science-fantasy environments becomes all the more apparent.

2

Kenshi

An Unassuming Sandbox RPG

Systems

Released

December 6, 2018

Developer(s)

Lo-Fi Games

Publisher(s)

Lo-Fi Games

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Kenshi is an open-world sandbox RPG with a complete disregard for the player. However, this works to its benefit, as it’s able to champion player agency with emergent gameplay and a hands-off approach that gives players near complete control.

As a result of this lack of hand-holding, however, players must find their own fun in Kenshi’s world. This can take a while, with RPG systems that require patience and a world that’s more than a little dangerous to traverse. But the eventual sense of achievement that results from overcoming Kenshi’s many threats and building something in its desolate world, however small, makes it more than worthwhile.

1

Dune: Spice Wars

A Slow-Burning & Mechanically Diverse Strategy Game

Dune: Spice Wars

Systems

Released

September 14, 2023

Developer(s)

Shiro Games

Publisher(s)

Funcom, Shiro Games

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Dune: Spice Wars is a unique blend of real-time strategy and 4X gameplay, made all the more distinct via tremendously diverse asymmetric factions. The mash-up of RTS and 4X mechanics, however, results in a slow-burning gameplay loop made all the more methodical via the multitude of victory conditions and sheer hardiness of most factions.

With such unique factions and victory conditions, a great deal of knowledge is required in order to succeed in Dune: Spice Wars. Furthermore, each faction tends to become more fun to play as players gain a better understanding of the game, with more possibilities opening up as players begin to recognize strategic opportunities.

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Every Dune Game, Ranked

While Dune has been around for a long time, there has only been a handful of Dune games released over the years.