Niche Games/Series you like

[Dwayne Johnson]

I thought this could be a cool thread idea, and could help people find some more obscure games to try for themselves

What are some niche games/series you enjoy? I've been playing some of the Trails series JRPGs the past few years and I think they're fun, theres not a huge selection of RPGs on PC and this is one of the few series where all of the entries are available to you hassle free, they're nothing spectacular but they do the usual JRPG mechanics right and have great music.

 

[demoness]

i disagree because spectacular is exactly what trails is. you simply must get through them all

i was going to mention the kiseki games but you already have so... equally good is falcom's other baby Ys. i'm also big on Lunar, but specifically the PSX versions.

 

[Juicydugong]

Ys lacrimosa of the dawn is super fun, I love action jrpgs but it’s hard to get it right, I thought that game did it really well

 

[Aerith]

I really love the Summon Night series but only 5 & 6 + a couple spinoffs (Swordcraft Story, Twin Age) became translated here. 5 and 6 were published by the same company and they went off the radar after that and weren't well known to begin with. They aren't very accessible games, which makes me sad, because I loved playing the spinoffs as a teen, so much replayability and charm!

The Japanese company that made them went bankrupt so I don't think there's much hope for a future One reason I want to learn Japanese is so that I can play 1-3 someday.

 

[kisaker39]

...

 

[Khaoticnoize187]

twewy

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

One DS series that I like that I don’t see too many people talking about is Touch Detective. The dialogue is rather witty and I like how it takes an unconventional approach to looking for clues and using items you’ve found to solve puzzles in a way you would have never expected.

 

[Yanrima~]

I was about to spread the word of mouth in this thread about Fantasy Zone. This old Sega game series is so niche and obscure and I can't get it off my head and it's now living in my thoughts rent-free.

(Who doesn't like a little sentient spaceship with wings?)

 

[Khaoticnoize187]

One DS series that I like that I don’t see too many people talking about is Touch Detective. The dialogue is rather witty and I like how it takes an unconventional approach to looking for clues and using items you’ve found to solve puzzles in a way you would have never expected.

atlus should bring that back but nope, everything has to be smt related these days much as i love smt, but come the **** on atlus bring us something else other than that ffs.

 

[ribbitribbon]

parascientific escape is the most niche series i’ve ever enjoyed. now that you can’t buy it on the eshop even more so! it’s not perfect, but i really enjoyed the puzzles and story. i have many pictures of quotes i enjoy lol

Spoiler: good stuff

 

[rosefairy]

The Zero Escape series! I've encountered more people talking about it than I used to in recent years, but I think it could still be considered pretty niche. The games in this series have such interesting, harrowing stories that take the game mechanics into account in a really clever way. (999 on the DS in particular had a memorable final puzzle.) It's hard to describe what I love about this series without spoiling some massive plot points, but I absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves a story driven game with an element of mystery / lots of twists and turns. It also has escape room puzzles that are pretty fun!

 

[kilusion2011]

I'm going to ramble about the Princess Maker series.
TLDR; It's a life-sim series about raising a girl with the goal of her becoming.. you guessed it, a Princess! However, there's many endings that your can receive that all depends on the choices you've made for your daughter. Your daughter could end up being a Paladin, or a Nun, or a Queen of Demons!! It all depends on how you manage your time with her. It's a bit raunchy at points, but check it out if you wanna experience a unique life-sim!

Spoiler: Princess Maker Ramble

Princess Maker series is a series of games that all have the same goal in mind; raising your adopted daughter to become royalty. The games have different ending for your daughter that all depend on your actions and your daughter's stats. You can affect your daughter's stats by multiple factors, which include; what type of work she participates in, what she studies, how long she studies, how much free time you give her, how much money and effort you put into her, ect. You can even let your daughter go out in the world so she can hunt treasure and fight demons (or people) via rpg style! You can plan all of this out by scheduling what she does every month and you have 8 years to raise your daughter right.
There's 5 games in the main series, but Princess Maker 3 is the easiest. The only thing though is that it doesn't have the RPG mechanic, meaning your daughter doesn't get to go out and fight anyone (boo). Princess Maker 2 is my personal favorite, but it's much harder than 3 or the first game. I can't really speak much about 4, but 5 has a more in-depth world and characters. However, it's very slow.. in the first 3 games, a session takes about 2 hours complete, but that was the point since you were trying to see what ending you can get! In 5... it takes MUCH longer for you to finish one ending, as time progresses very slow.
A good warning though, the game is a bit raunchy and mature with some stuff, so please be aware of that if you do plan on checking the series out.

 

[Croconaw]

My favorite obscure game is definitely The Dog Island. Who knew a game mostly filled with side quests would be so good? I’d recommend it to anyone who just loves dogs, and playing as animals in general. I love how you can choose your breed of dog and customize them in clothing options to your liking. The soundtrack is also amazing, but that’s nothing compared to how entertaining this game actually is. This is one of the only games that had me so emotionally invested. I can’t say much more without spoiling the storyline, though.

 

[rocketspruggs]

My favorite obscure video game series is The Legendary Starfy, I've had the American DS game since I was a child.

 

[Neb]

- The Fata Morgana series, although the only one I recommend is the first one. It’s a beautifully illustrated visual novel with Nier-like music and a rich story with very surprising plot twists. The game’s more popular now and I’m glad for that.

- Cat Quest. They’re super addicting casual action RPGs that are easy to play for short sessions or longer ones. They go on sale a lot and the third one is releasing in a few months so I’m really hyped.

- The Anodyne games. These are short, surreal Zelda inspired games with cool postgames. The second one is leagues ahead of the first one, but the first one still has a lot going for it.

 

[Suguri]

Not sure if this counts as "niche" or not, but I think the PaRappa games are awesome! Not only did they help to define the rhythm game genre, but they also got memorable songs, a funky art style, a wicked sense of humor, and an unforgettable main character who has become my role model, in a way! I gotta believe~! :D

I also have a soft spot for the Taiko no Tatsujin games. They're the closest to matching Rhythm Heaven's charm (I still can't believe there isn't a Rhythm Heaven game for the Switch) and they helped me to expand my tastes in music. Speaking of which, how about I show you some of my favorite TnT songs? I know some of them are in Japanese but they're still great regardless!

Spoiler: Suguri's favorites, da-don!

Karui Zawameki

super star shooter

The Carnivorous Carnival

FooFoo Cassette

FUMA Module 6768