Hidden Gems!

[DunkeyKong]

Hot damn that's a lot lmao. Mine has a lot of handhelds, especially GBA, but here it is

 

[RunicOrangejuice]

Hidden Gems in my opinion (the ones that come to mind without thinking of it too much)View attachment 26290View attachment 26291View attachment 26292:

"Stella Deus" for PS2, great tactical-rpg, beautiful graphics, beautiful story, beautiful characters and one of the very rare cases in which I was almost rooting for the villain, despite understanding the reasons of my party
"Lapis X Labyrinth" for Switch (I played on it) and other consoles, roguelite (sort of?), you collect tons of equipment and explore labyrinths with a timer, creating your own party from various classes and then enjoying the "fever" explosions of colors and jewels on the screen
"Dual Pen Sports" for 3DS (I can't say why, but I enjoyed it in little doses for some weeks, some sports where better designed than others and the graphics were simple but cute)

I've been on the fence lurking around Stella Deus for years. I'll give it a go, since it's good.

 

[FateLanegod]

Dokapon 3-2-1 for SNES was a quite discovery, with up to 4 players support turn based, we had an absolute blast with it.

Think of some Japanese gamedevs came out with crazy idea: “And now let’s make a fusion of D&D and Monopolia!“.

It is very addictive. You have been warned.

 

[HWR]

■NES/FAMICOM :
Isolated Warrior
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa
Crisis Force
Final Mission/S.C.A.T.
Cosmic Epsilon
Gun-Nac
Tetrastar
■SNES/SUPER FAMICOM :
Albert Odyssey 1&2
Alcahest
Ardy Lightfoot
Asterix & Obelix
Bahamut Lagoon
Cannon Fodder
DO-RE-MI Fantasy
Go Go Ackman 1,2,3
MechWarrior 3050
Mr Nutz
Parodius, Gokujou Parodius, Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius
Pop'n TwinBee
Run Saber
Super S.W.I.V./Firepower 2000
The Chaos Engine
The Firemen
The Great Battle 2,3,4,5
■GBA :
Dark Arena
Ecks Vs Sever
Futari wa Pretty Cure, Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart
CT Special Forces 1,2,3
Goemon - New Age Shutsudou!
Onimusha Tactics
SD Gundam Force
Sengoku Kakumei Gaiden
■ARCADE :
Charlie Ninja
Gaiapolis
Galaxy Force 2
Marchen Maze
Osman/Cannon Dancer
S.T.U.N. Runner
Vasara 1&2
■NEO GEO :
Spin Master
Strikers 1945 Plus
■DREAMCAST :
Alienfront Online
Kidou Senshi Gundam Renpou Vs Zeon
REZ
Super Magnetic Neo
Zombie Revenge
■GENESIS/MEGADRIVE :
Cannon Fodder
The Chaos Engine
Flink
Elemental Master
Twinkle Tale
View Point
■ SEGA CD/MEGA CD :
Android Assault Bari Arm
Dennin Aleste
Keiou Flying Squadron
Silpheed
Lords of Thunder
■PS1 :
Alien Resurection
Delta Force Urban Warfare
Mad Stalker Fullmetal Force
Time Bokan Series - Boku to Ippatsu! Doronboo
Time Bokan Series - Bokan desu yo

 

[jankusanagi jankusanagi]

7th Dragon 2020 and 2020-II. I only found out about them via RGT, and they're pretty great!

 

[McDoob]

My suggestion is a PC game; as such, you're not gonna find it in the repo. Having been released in '05, I think it still qualifies as 'retro', and it's definitely a hidden gem: Nexus: The Jupiter Incident.

Nexus: The Jupiter Incident - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I only wish they'd actually finished the sequel.
-McD

 

[ChronoArcaile2025]

I couldn't find a hidden gems thread that wasn't on the Retro-Gaming board, or Sega or Sony specific.

Share games you barely heard anyone talk about. Or games you think people might know about, but they just never tried while they totally should.

I would love to find out about some new games!

Harvestella (2022)
Yes, I'm serious

Kururin Squash! (2004)

View attachment 26267 Special Tee Shot (1996)

Hype: The Time Quest (1999)
I recommend the PC version

Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider (2001)
I recommend the PC version

Dust: An Elysian Tail (2012)

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (2000)
PS2 version has widescreen

Madō Monogatari 1-2-3 (1990)

Orcs & Elves (2006)

Bomberman Hero (1998)

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (2023)

Cavern of Dreams (2023)

Zapper: One Wicked Cricket! (2002)

AdventureQuest (2002) (Also DragonFable)

Star Control II: Ur-Quan Masters (1992)
"The Ur-Quan masters HD" version is recommended

Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream (2000)

Ooga Booga (2001)

Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak (2002)

World of Final Fantasy (2016)

Sanitarium (1998)
Its sort-of like Planescape: Torment

Eternal Sonata (2007)

OH YES! I defentially agree with you on this list about "Bomberman Hero" and the Madou Monogatari games (Arle Nadja's original adventures that later spun off the Puyo Puyo franchise) and not just Bomberman Hero,but also the entire Bomberman Franchise in general,which never took off big here in the U.S.,BOmberman 64 and Bomberman Hero were my first Bomberman games that got me into the franchise:P

several more overlooked underated gems i can think of are defentially Mischeif Makers,Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman,The Pocky and Rocky games,Twinkle Tale (Sega Genesis),Brave Fancer Musashi (Playstation 1), Ehnergize: God Bless the Ring (Playstation 1), Threads of Fate (Playstation 1), Lost Kingdoms (Nintendo Gamecube), Moco Moco Friends (Nintendo 3DS), Gurumin: A Monsterous Adventure (PSP),Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams (This can apply to any versions in general,but mostly the Turbo Grafx 16/PC Engine CD and Sharp X600000 Versions rarely get talked about)

 

[Weebicon]

A horror game with some INCREDIBLE art and it doesn't get spoken about as much as I believe it deserves to...

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Lunistice is all I got in mind right now.

 

[antii antii]

Hidden Gems in my opinion (the ones that come to mind without thinking of it too much)View attachment 26290View attachment 26291View attachment 26292:

"Stella Deus" for PS2, great tactical-rpg, beautiful graphics, beautiful story, beautiful characters and one of the very rare cases in which I was almost rooting for the villain, despite understanding the reasons of my party
"Lapis X Labyrinth" for Switch (I played on it) and other consoles, roguelite (sort of?), you collect tons of equipment and explore labyrinths with a timer, creating your own party from various classes and then enjoying the "fever" explosions of colors and jewels on the screen
"Dual Pen Sports" for 3DS (I can't say why, but I enjoyed it in little doses for some weeks, some sports where better designed than others and the graphics were simple but cute)

Bro Atlus was really just makin anything kinda like a Japanese rockstar but now just like rockstar they only focus on the one Ip I mean metaphor came out that game is good but still

 

[CJ64Bit]

Paradise Killer is a really unique detective exploration game. Its mostly just vibes but the vibes are immaculate. Most of the gameplay is visual novel text boxes and walking around but it's got an interesting world and lore, a really cool detective system, and great music.

Chulip is a cute little puzzle game about kissing everyone in your quirky little town so you can become the best kisser so you can smooch your crush and not disappoint her. It's by the same developers of Moon I believe

Deadly Tower of Monsters is a fun top down action game through the lens of a cheesy 70s B (or probably C) movie with a running commentary by the narrator who is the director of this fake movie. It's got a lot of charm and some fun gameplay ideas.

DJ Hero fucking slaps, the fact we didn't get more of these is a crime. Some of the best mixes since Girl Talk. Its a bit difficult to run in roms off of a keyboard but it's doable

The Sims GBA games are completely different than their console and PC counterparts. They're adventure games with Sims mechanics about trying to take down a persistent billionaire villain. Im not sure how well they hold up today but ya know, always go in to old games with some acknowledgement of weird mechanics and jank

One of my favorite games of the past few years. Seeping with atmosphere accompanied by some really beautiful and haunting music. If you're afraid of bugs and spiders, maybe just watch this one on youtube because every enemy outside of like 2 or 3 are swarms of giant bugs.

A way ahead-of-it's-time deck builder action game. I recently replayed it last year and it holds up really well outside of the occasional moments of needing to check a guide. It has a wide variety of playstyles based on the decks you build between summonables, cards that change your own attacks, and cards that transform you into bigger creatures with their own control schemes. Really cool

Not a big fan of Minecraft esque games but DQ Builders 2 is surprisingly fun and in depth. It's a linear game that sees you building up a central home base on an island where youre constantly bringing back new characters and blueprints back but the main drive of the game is visiting different islands with their own stories that require you to help build them back up whether it's to defend against an invading band of monsters, to help build a western town so it can operate again, or even build a giant space ship to help monsters escape impending doom.

Wacky Frog Golf. It's great.

 

[McDoob]

7th Dragon 2020 and 2020-II. I only found out about them via RGT, and they're pretty great!

Since PSP and Dreamcast are at the top of my personal emulation ladder, I'm always looking for good titles. Thanks for the suggestion!
-McD

 

[J.F.C]

 

[ChunkyMonk3y]

7th Dragon 2020 and 2020-II. I only found out about them via RGT, and they're pretty great!

Never heard of these. Look really interesting, thanks for the tip! :)

 

[DG!]

For as mixed as Frogger's reboots are they do have a few great games, like Helmet Chaos! very charming game (PSP/DS)

Not alot of people talk about Sega Rally on GBA. An odd half mix between Sega Rally 2 and Sega Rally 1. Despite looking... frankly horrible when scaled up, its genuinely a great time!

Challenging and technically impressive, the sequel to the n64's twin stick missile schmup truly pushes the system having hundreds of projectiles at most times. Controls take a sec to get used to but once it clicks its great. (Also worth checking out Bangai-O Missile Fury HD, the third entry in the series)

its hard to describe. best enjoyed after playing "The Silver Case"

The best entry Space Invaders! The bingo system adds a layer of planning that adds a ton to the game, learning how to score is a total blast. Great visuals and another great soundtrack by Zuntata!

Fantastic action game. Beautiful visuals, a great level of customization, very difficult but very rewarding.

Stylish dungeon crawler by Drinkbox (The people behind Guacamelee and Nobody Saves the World)
The touchscreen based combat is really fun!

A fun mix of 3D platformer and first person shooter. While a bit of a shift from oddworld's usual cinematic platformers, its still worth giving a shot.

 

[Tengu Plant]

Dokapon 3-2-1 for SNES was a quite discovery, with up to 4 players support turn based, we had an absolute blast with it.

Think of some Japanese gamedevs came out with crazy idea: “And now let’s make a fusion of D&D and Monopolia!“.

It is very addictive. You have been warned.

You need to try out Dokapon Kingdom then. It's the same formula, but scaled up for the PS2/Wii.
Dolphin or the Steam release allows for online play.

 

[Don Patch]

I love these kinds of threads.
Matter of fact, the same reason I love CDR/RGT.
Hidden gems and such.
Here for it!

My contribution:

Ever Oasis.
Obvious to some, totally out there to others.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

I couldn't find a hidden gems thread that wasn't on the Retro-Gaming board, or Sega or Sony specific.

Share games you barely heard anyone talk about. Or games you think people might know about, but they just never tried while they totally should.

I would love to find out about some new games!

Harvestella (2022)
Yes, I'm serious

Kururin Squash! (2004)

View attachment 26267 Special Tee Shot (1996)

Hype: The Time Quest (1999)
I recommend the PC version

Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider (2001)
I recommend the PC version

Dust: An Elysian Tail (2012)

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (2000)
PS2 version has widescreen

Madō Monogatari 1-2-3 (1990)

Orcs & Elves (2006)

Bomberman Hero (1998)

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (2023)

Cavern of Dreams (2023)

Zapper: One Wicked Cricket! (2002)

AdventureQuest (2002) (Also DragonFable)

Star Control II: Ur-Quan Masters (1992)
"The Ur-Quan masters HD" version is recommended

Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream (2000)

Ooga Booga (2001)

Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak (2002)

World of Final Fantasy (2016)

Sanitarium (1998)
Its sort-of like Planescape: Torment

Eternal Sonata (2007)

I think I'll pick one for every console for sake of time

Mysterious Murasame Castle (Nintendo Famicom,1986)

Solstice (NES, 1990)

Rusty (NEC PC-98, 1993)

Aquales (Sharp X68000, 1991)

Mystic Ark (Super Nintendo, 1996)

Guwange (Arcade, 1999)

Jumping Flash (Sony Playstation, 1995)

Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (Hudson PC-Engine/Turbografx CD, 1995)

Duke Nukem 3D (MS-DOS, 1996)

Bulk Slash (Sega Saturn, 1997)

Castlevania Legacy of Darkness and Castlevania 64 (1999, Nintendo 64)

Custom Robo: Battle Revolution (2004, Nintendo Gamecube)

Elemental Gimmick Gear (1999, Sega Dreamcast)

Tempest 2000 (1994, Atari Jaguar)

Shining Force CD (1994, Sega CD)

Shadow Hearts (1999, Sony Playstation 2)

Vampire: Master of Darkness (1992, Sega Game Gear)

Rosenkreuzstilette (2009, Microsoft Windows and later Steam)

I reached the max attachment rate ?
I'll have to quote this to get the rest ?

 

[loopy]

I reached the max attachment rate ?

Please post more. A few of them ive played, but most of them i havent heard of before.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

I think I'll pick one for every console for sake of time

View attachment 26379 Mysterious Murasame Castle (Nintendo Famicom,1986)
View attachment 26380 Solstice (NES, 1990)
View attachment 26381 Rusty (NEC PC-98, 1993)
View attachment 26382 Aquales (Sharp X68000, 1991)
View attachment 26383 Mystic Ark (Super Nintendo, 1996)
View attachment 26384 Guwange (Arcade, 1999)
View attachment 26386 Jumping Flash (Sony Playstation, 1995)
View attachment 26387 Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (Hudson PC-Engine/Turbografx CD, 1995)
View attachment 26390 Duke Nukem 3D (MS-DOS, 1996)
View attachment 26391 Bulk Slash (Sega Saturn, 1997)
View attachment 26393 Castlevania Legacy of Darkness and Castlevania 64 (1999, Nintendo 64)
View attachment 26394 Custom Robo: Battle Revolution (2004, Nintendo Gamecube)
View attachment 26395 Elemental Gimmick Gear (1999, Sega Dreamcast)
View attachment 26396 Tempest 2000 (1994, Atari Jaguar)
View attachment 26398 Shining Force CD (1994, Sega CD)
View attachment 26399 Shadow Hearts (1999,Sony Playstation 2)
View attachment 26401 Vampire: Master of Darkness (1992, Sega Game Gear)
View attachment 26404 Rosenkreuzstilette (2009, Microsoft Windows and later Steam)

I reached the max attachment rate ?
I'll have to quote this to get the rest ?

Ahem, continuing on

Ridge Racers 2 (2006, Playstation Portable)

Muramasa Rebirth (2013, Playstation Vita, remaster of Muramasa: The Demon Blade which was originally released on Wii in 2009)

Red Steel (2006, Nintendo Wii)

Nora to Toki no Koubou: Kiri no Mori no Majo (2011, Nintendo DS)

Stella Glow (2015, Nintendo 3DS)

Tales of Xillia (2011, Sony Playstation 3)

Gravity Rush Remastered (2015, Playstation 4, remaster of Gravity Rush for Playstation Vita in 2012)

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (2015, Nintendo Wii U)

Mega Man World IV (1993, Nintendo Game Boy)

Mega Man Xtreme 2 (2001, Nintendo Game Boy Color)

Medabots: Metabee/Rokusho (2002, Nintendo Game Boy Advance)

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (2007, Xbox 360)


and that's it, holy shit

Wait, forgot one

Jack Bros (1995, Virtual Boy)

 

[Viviana Santos]

 

[Nidoking's icon Nidoking Nidoking]

 

[stealthRUSH stealthRUSH]

Kahen Soukou Gunbike: Speed Power Gunbike (1998)

Lucifer's Ring (1998)

Crisis City (1998)

Love & Destroy (1999)

Deep Freeze (1999)

Super Tempo (1998)

Touryuu Densetsu Elan Doree (1999)

Willy Wombat (1997)

Sokko Seitokai: Sonic Council (1998)

SteamGear Mash (1995)

 

[nachito]

Wanted Dead it has pretty fun gameplay. Feels like a ps2 game.
Just don't play it if your care for good story/characters.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

View attachment 26613
Kahen Soukou Gunbike: Speed Power Gunbike (1998)

View attachment 26615
Lucifer's Ring (1998)

View attachment 26614
Crisis City (1998)

View attachment 26616
Love & Destroy (1999)

View attachment 26617
Deep Freeze (1999)

View attachment 26626
Super Tempo (1998)

View attachment 26628
Touryuu Densetsu Elan Doree (1999)

View attachment 26630
Willy Wombat (1997)

View attachment 26629
Sokko Seitokai: Sonic Council (1998)

View attachment 26627
SteamGear Mash (1995)

The Love and Destroy boxart looks hilarious, like a goofier version of Guilty Gear XX portraits

That's enough for me to check it out, thank you for this gem