Some of the most fun or challenging games have many layers and mechanics to them, while others are simple and endlessly enjoyable anyway. That said, there are a few titles that end up surprising you the more you go through them.
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On the surface, these games may seem like their premise is simple enough. However, they each hide extra layers of complexity that defy and add to their surface appearance. You never know when a game might surprise you by being more than you expected.
8Imscared
When you first take a look at Imscared, it seems like any other first-person pixel horror game. When you boot up, though, it warns you of the game’s supposed sentience and attempts to deceive you. While other games simply add narratives like that to freak players out, this one actually implements mechanics that play into it.
There are plenty of secrets hidden throughout its levels, with game files and crashes all being part of a complex experience that begs you to keep coming back until you’ve solved the problem haunting your game. Despite the limitations of its graphic style, it manages to get under your skin because of the twists and turns that come your way.
7Pony Island
Pony Island becomes increasingly complicated as you go along. From the moment you check the in-game settings and find that you may’t turn off the “Cheerful Facade” setting, you know something deeper lurks underneath.
The mechanics play around with different puzzles and genres right off the bat as you attempt to make it to the fateful end. This game alsobreaks the fourth wall in pretty amazing ways, even going so far as to dive into your Steam friends list.
6Doki Doki Literature Club
Doki Doki Literature Clubis another deceptive title that lulls you into a false sense of security with its visual novel style, anime tropes, and seemingly simple text-based gameplay. At one point in the game, it all hits the fan, and you get sucked into a loop of secret files, horrific endings, and disturbing imagery.
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It’s best to dive into this experience without too many details and fall into the rabbit hole yourself. Just be ready for the game to start messing with you, fast.
5Dorfromantik
You would think that Dorfromantik would simply be a relaxing game about building your perfect village, but it’s so much more than that.
While it does fit the bill forportable chill gaming, this title ends up being more complex if you’re trying to achieve a high score. You’ll particularly feel this more if you ramp up to hard mode, as you truly need to consider the hexes at your disposal and what tiles you’re going to put down.
4Rimworld
There are plenty of colony sims out there, butRimworldstands the test of time because of its complexity and the sheer feeling of vastness it provides. You can easily pour hundreds of hours into this game, and that doesn’t even take into account the many DLCs and mods at your disposal.
Because the vanilla experience is easy enough to grasp with a bit of messing around, it’s easy to be bamboozled by the sudden complications that arise as you attempt to actually master the game. There are so many factors to consider, and your colony can be gone in a flash.
3Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolationis a survival horror adventure that you won’t soon forget after you’ve played it. The atmosphere is stunning and the crafting is simple yet engaging, but it’s really the big bad that seals the deal. Although you also face off against other humans, the unrelenting horror that haunts you is the Xenomorph.
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Here, the game gets an added layer of difficulty, particularly because the Xenomorph uses an adaptive AI that is pretty darn intelligent for its nature. It figures out the way you play, and does away with scripted patterns in order to truly hunt you down. To make matters worse, the console version even has sound detection through your mic.
2Inscryption
Inscryptionis one of thebest deck-building games on Steam. It not only does a good job of being an engaging deck builder, but it continuously flips the script on you the deeper you get into it.
The puzzles you face aren’t hard to get past, but it’s the story (and the way that’s presented) that really makes it feel like a Rubik’s Cube asking you to solve it. There is repetition baked into this game, but that only serves to make your choices feel even more impactful.
1Oxygen Not Included
You’d be hard-pressed to find a discussion on complex games without seeing Oxygen Not Included involved. It’s endlessly replayable and almost tortuously difficult. Strategy is a must if you have any hope of survival, and the implementation of physics is stellar and meaningful. Every choice you make while building your colony matters, and each aspect is integrated with great detail.
Every time you think you’ve got this game figured out, you unveil another element that changes things up for you. Who knows what awaits on some distant space rock?
