Even some of themost famous and beloved game serieshave a few ugly ducklings. You know the ones - those games that just don’t quite fit in with the rest of the series for whatever reason. While those games tend to be nothing special a lot of the time, there is the odd occasion where a bizarre game is truly something special.
Related:Short Yet Weird Free-To-Play Steam Games
Usually,the bizarre nature of a great gameis the very thing that keeps it from being widely played, or even widely known about. Just because a game is weird doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve love! That may just be something I say about myself, but it definitely applies here to games, I swear!
10Yoshi’s Safari
Say it with me, “first-person shooter Yoshi game.” There’s a shocking amount of people who aren’t aware of the fact thatYoshi(and technically Mario too) had its own first-person shooter long before the days of something likeCall of Duty.
All the way back on the Super Nintendo, you could pick up the Super Scope to blast away Yoshi and Mario’s enemies with no remorse. The game is pretty simple, and incredibly short, but it’s worth checking out this bizarre relic of the past as you realize Mario and Yoshi got a first-person shooter long before Samus ever did.
9Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
To be fair, this game is really going to appeal to people who enjoy a good rhythm game, butDance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix is super underrated. There aren’t too many games in which you can have a dance battle against Wario while you chase him through a theme park (yes, really).
The music in this game is absolutely bumping, and you’ll probably find yourself at a loss for words over the sheer groovy movesMariohas at his disposal. If you want to see the classic plumber hit his best break-dance moves, you’ll want to give this one a try.
8Shadow The Hedgehog
Shadow The Hedgehog isn’t an amazing game by any means, and it doesn’t boast an incredible story, but it does have the edgiest version of Shadow yet. People who don’t know anything about the game might be surprised that as Shadow, you may blow your enemies away with literal guns.
Related:Video Game Characters Who Are Just Weird Little Guys
That’s how edgy this beautiful game is. The game has a ridiculous amount of story content to explore, so you can take your time experiencing all the strange interactions Shadow has with the wide cast of Sonic characters he comes across. He judo chops a computer console at one point, it’s wonderful.
7Dragon Ball: The Breakers
There are so many ways to makean awesome Dragon Ball game. Flying around and enjoying fast-paced combat is always a joy, even if the game is simple. Well… this game doesn’t really have that. Instead of any iconic characters, you play as a normal person.
The game is trying to capitalize on the team-based horror games that see low-powered people trying to defeat a mega-powered villain. This game is perfect for people who really like that one creepy episode ofDragon Ball Zwhere Cell is hunting down ordinary people for far too long.
6Cadence Of Hyrule
The most bizarre thing about this game is that it exists at all. Nintendo is so protective of its properties that it’s shocking to see a game like this bop its way onto consoles. We can probably all agree that if we keep getting wonderfully weird games like these, Nintendo should allow this more often. The game is a re-skinned and upgraded spin-off of Crypt Of The NecroDancer, making it a ton of fun.
You get to controlLink and Zeldaas you bop around levels to some fantastic tracks. It’s a fairly highly rated game, but not enough people seem to give it a chance. Moving around to the beat of music might seem odd at first, but you’ll be jumping around yourself while playing in no time.
5Donkey Konga
The gamecan be played with a bongo controller. What more do you need? Exactly how this game came into being is a good question to ask, but just how enjoyable the simple little rhythm game can be makes it one that more people should go back to.
There’s really not a lot to the game outside ofDonkey Kongplaying bongos to some iconic songs. It’s a simple game for music lovers, and I love me some music. You won’t be a professional bongo player anytime soon after picking the game up, but don’t let that stop you from trying. You can tell everyone you’re better than Donkey Kong.
4Star Fox Adventures
Whether you love it or hate it,Star Fox Adventuresis a unique piece of Star Fox history. Who’d have thought the world needed a game where Fox runs around with a pet dinosaur, while also beating the ever-loving snot out of other dinosaurs?
Who wouldn’t want to pick up this title for some ship-flying action? I forgot to mention that there actually isn’t all that much ship action - in fact, they are just tiny segments. The whole game is kind of a dinosaur-smacking Zelda clone, which is about as bizarre as it sounds.
3Sonic Riders
When you think of a sonic racing game, you probably think that the game would be simple.Sonicruns fast, so just make it a running game. But who’d want to do that when you could have Sonic ride on a hoverboard? To be fair, there is a bit of running you can do if you aren’t very good at the game.
Related:Games That Look Better On A CRT TV
Believe it or not, even with a really weird premise and even weirder original characters,this Sonic spin-off game is fantastic. It mixes racing, action, and cool tricks with plenty of inventive levels, all while creating the incredibly cheesy character, Jet.
2Kirby Air Ride
Kirbyhas a whole bunch of strange side games, and Kirby Air Ride might just be the best. The base game is a simplistic racer, but it boasts other modes, most notably, City Trials. It’s a mode where absolutely anything can happen.
you’re able to be rushing around with your friends one second, then suddenly meteors start falling from the sky, then a few minutes later a literal UFO can arrive in the city. Only in a Kirby game can what would essentially be the apocalypse seem like so much fun.
1Mega Man Soccer
It may not be the greatestMega Mangame of all time, but it’s got a lot of heart, and a lot of gall to even exist. It is exactly what the title suggests: a soccer game you play using various Mega Man characters.
The game doesn’t run the best, and it doesn’t do a whole lot to stand out, but it’s got a lot of heart. In a way, it’s possible that this attempt at something different inspired Super Mario Strikers, and at the very least we can commend the game for that.
