Skip to main content

Don’t let these 3 October hidden gaming gems fly under your radar

Heading into October, it was no secret that this month was going to be one of the most hectic ever for video games. Several notable game franchises are receiving brand new entries; this week alone saw the arrival of a new Assassin’s Creed game and the opening of early access for Forza Motorsport. Still, these flashy AAA games are far from the only ones to be coming out right now, and even just eight days into the month, we recognize that some fantastic games have already flown under the radar.

Particularly for those who like games that force them to think strategically, the first week of October featured three new games that haven’t gotten the attention of Forza Motorsport and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, but still deserve it: Silent Hope, The Lamplighters League, and Wargroove 2. These are three solid games that are worth a play while you’re waiting for Spider-Man and Mario.

Recommended Videos

The Lamplighters League

Spies fire at enemies in The Lamplighters League.
Paradox Interactive

Did you know that Harebrained Schemes, the developer behind fantastic strategy RPGs like the Shadowrun Trilogy and Battletech, put out a new game this week? Well, on October 3, the studio dropped The Lamplighters League, a supernatural strategy game inspired by the pulpy stories of the early 1900s. That’s reflected in the game’s cartoonish art style and charismatic voice acting, which I found very charming.

When it comes to gameplay, it’ll be familiar to those who played Harebrained’s previous games or the XCOM series. Players can sneak around in real time between fights. During those segments, they can explore, take in more of the world and lore, properly position their soldiers, and even pick off some enemies before an encounter begins using each character’s unique abilities. This setup makes The Lamplighters League’s missions more intense and sprawling than its peers.

Although it’s not revelatory for the strategy game genre, it makes you feel like the mastermind behind an eclectic team of spies outsmarting overwhelming forces working against them. While many of this month’s biggest releases are fast-paced, action-focused romps, The Lamplighters League will make you stop, think cleverly, and soundly execute smart tactical strategies to complete a mission with as few mishaps or casualties as possible.

The Lamplighters League is now available for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It’s also available via Xbox Game Pass.

Wargroove 2

A fight in Wargroove 2.
Chucklefish

Next, there’s Wargroove 2, released by Chucklefish on October 5. While it’s also a strategy game like The Lamplighters League, it approaches the idea differently. Advance Wars is the inspiration here, rather than XCOM; the original Wargroove came out when the Advance Wars series was MIA, and a strategy game genre truly needed a game like it. The fact that Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp launched earlier this year seemed like it could reduce the necessity of a game like Wargroove 2, but that’s not the case.

Wargroove 2 is a deep and engaging strategy game that emphasizes terrain and the tactical relationship between standard units and powerful Commander ones, which are active on the field in this game. Commanders are strong, buff certain units standing near them, and have powerful Groove abilities, like forcibly moving enemies from one space to another, which opens up new combat strategies.

You have to be careful not to overextend these Commander units and minimize damage taken by trying to fight on terrain that buffs your unit’s defense. This becomes even more important in Conquest, the game’s roguelike mode, where players move along choice-filled paths of tactical challenges, collecting new units and abilities while trying to keep everyone healthy along the way. Conquest gives Wargroove 2 a sense of endless replay value, which works well in a genre that’s all about mastering mechanics to develop the best strategies. Instead of just a mission in The Lamplighters League, you could be fitting whole Conquest runs between other games for the rest of the year.

Wargroove 2 is available now for PC and Nintendo Switch.

Silent Hope

Combat in Silent Hope
XSEED Games

Finally, there’s Silent Hope for those who just want to fully immerse themselves in a roguelike experience with lots of replay value. Released on October 3 by Marvelous and XSEED, this is a roguelite set in a world where no one but a Princess encased in a giant teardrop can speak. After seven heroes manifest from crystals, they work with the Princess to delve into a giant abyss and search for the king trapped at the bottom of this abyss.

In practice, that all means players must venture through the abyss across multiple runs as one of seven character class archetypes, fighting enemies and gathering resources to improve the character’s stats and chances at survival incrementally each time. Although its combat and story aren’t as slick as something like Hades, Silent Hope features a cute and welcoming quirk and charm that could only come from a Japanese developer.

It sticks to the core gameplay loop that makes roguelikes immensely enjoyable, while infusing a lot of charm into the world and visuals. While other games this month might be much more ambitious or refined, something as simple as a good roguelike will be just as entertaining in the few quieter moments nestled throughout the rest of 2023’s release calendar.

Silent Hope is available across PC and Nintendo Switch. A free demo will give you a solid feel for all of its basic gameplay systems and loops, letting you play through the first area as much as you want, so that alone should be worth a download.

Topics
Tomas Franzese
A former Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese now reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
The best indie hidden gems of 2022: 10 excellent games you can’t miss
An OlliOlli World skateboarder stands in front of text that says 2022 Indie Hidden Gems.

As you might have gathered from our 2022 game of the year list, this year delivered some indie heavy hitters. Games like Immortality and Vampire Survivors completely redefined what video games could be in 2022, rejecting the industry's biggest trends in the name of creativity. Other hits like Stray even broke into the mainstream, landing a coveted Game of the Year nomination at this year's Game Awards. Elden Ring may be king, but plenty of smaller games captivated us just as much throughout the year.

Even after including a handful of highlights on our list, we still found ourselves eager to talk about more games we loved this year. 2022 was a wide and varied year for the gaming industry, which saw some indie titles breaking out of genre limitations to create entirely new experiences. We may not be able to highlight every single game we loved this year (try as we might), but we'd be remiss if we didn't spotlight these 10 indies that just missed our game of the year cut. If you're looking to catch up on some of this year's highlights before 2023's busy season kicks off, give these games a try. You'll be glad you did.
Neon White

Read more
Don’t lock in your ‘game of the year’ list yet. 2022 is far from over
The Callisto Protocol monster

Surprise, surprise: God of War Ragnarok is one of the best-reviewed video games of 2022. Even before the game’s review embargo, you could probably have predicted that from context clues. The sequel looked like it wasn’t straying too far from the incredibly well-reviewed God of War (2018), so review scores would likely follow closely behind. And with those scores would surely come the inevitable “game of the year” chatter.

 

Read more
Don’t miss out on these great games from early 2022
Nobody Saves the World all forms

The first quarter of 2022 was packed with fantastic games. Elden Ring will likely go down as one of the best games ever made, and excellent titles like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Sifu, and Horizon Forbidden West will give players dozens, if not hundreds of hours of entertainment. Those games will eventually end, and April and May 2022 are looking fairly light in terms of compelling releases.
We've rounded up several amazing indie and AA games that players might have missed during the first three crowded months of 2022. Those looking for something new to play before game announcements and launches pick up again in June can't go wrong with any of these six titles.
Nobody Saves the World
Nobody Saves the World - Launch Trailer
Nobody Saves the World seems like a relatively standard Zelda-like adventure game on its surface, but in actuality, it's a hilarious masterclass in engaging game progression. Players can change their wimpy main character into seventeen different forms, including a horse, rat, and more. Each form has unique abilities and skills, which can be mixed and matched with other forms to create countless loadouts. 
To level up, players must clear dungeons and complete form-specific challenges. There's always a dungeon to clear, a challenge to complete, or an ability combination to try in Nobody Saves the World, so it never gets old. On top of all of that, it features an amazing soundtrack and legitimately funny writing.
Nobody Saves the World is included with Xbox Games Pass, but there's no need to worry if you don't have an Xbox or PC. Nobody Saves the World will be released for PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch on April 15, so you'll be able to play it anywhere very soon.
OlliOlli World

Like Nobody Saves the World, Olli Olli World is quietly one of the best games of the year. OlliOlli World is an easy-to-pick-up 2D side-scrolling skateboarding game that features intricately designed levels and a lot of gameplay depth for those looking for it. 
"OlliOlli World is more than just a skateboarding game -- it's one of the best 2D platformers since Celeste," I wrote in a four-and-a-half star review. "Like the best games of the genre, it knows that easy-to-learn-but-hard-to-master mechanics, rewarding obstacles, and high speeds that test one's reaction time are the hallmarks of a great platformer."
Horizon Forbidden West, Sifu, and Elden Ring all came out around the time this game was released, so it didn't get much attention despite being published by Private Division, a prominent AA publisher. Still, this skateboarding game is secretly one of the best games of the year, so make sure you don't miss out on it. OlliOlli World is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch, so there's no reason you need to miss out on it. 
Grapple Dog

Read more