10 Games Risky to Buy But Still Good

Have you ever bought a game, played it for five minutes, and immediately thought, “What have I done?” Yeah, that’s what we’re talking about today. These are games that you can read reviews about, you can look into, you can play for a few minutes, you can read a bunch of content about, watch a bunch of videos about, and still not know, this is a good game to play. Did I make a huge mistake? And no, no, no, you actually didn’t. Turns out to be a good decision, but not one that you get to without some time. Hi folks, it’s Ashdev, and today on Game Ranks, 10 games that are risky to buy but still good.

10. Baby Steps: High-Effort Trolling That Divides the Crowd

Starting off with number 10, it’s Baby Steps. Just going to start right off with one of the most divisive games of this year. Some people call this their game of the year, while others are really dismissive of the whole damn thing. It’s one of those games where you might think you already know what you’d think just from reading the description, but opinions differ among people who were excited for it. Even if you like the premise, the actual game might turn you off. Or it’s possible you might be totally indifferent to the premise, but end up loving the game despite initial impressions.

Oh no. I’ve seen a lot of different reactions to this one. There’s really no way to know exactly how you’ll feel about it until you actually play it, though. And that’s what makes it risky to buy. It’s a game with vision. The developers clearly knew exactly what kind of game they wanted to make, but whether that’s something someone would actually want to play is, of course, extremely subjective.

That is taste. It’s a well-made game. A lot of work went into it. I mean, that work was specifically to make it seem like they put barely any work into it, but it was worked nonetheless. It’s meant to seem low-effort, but it is very obviously one of the highest effort posts of all time. It is a carefully crafted product for sure. It’s just also purposefully antagonistic to the player and loves to frustrate and troll you as much as possible. I love that. But everything about this thing is very subjective, and that’s what makes it so interesting.

You kind of have to bring your own interpretation to the table to decipher exactly what the developers are trying to express. It might be a bunch of nonsense. Might be a grander statement. Maybe mix them both. Don’t know. Either way, they’re going for something. They made it truly unique and interesting, and that’s great. I like it. I don’t know that everyone will like it. Hard to say whether someone who buys it will like it. I think the odds are pretty good it’ll be enjoyed on some level, but it’s also likely some people will pick this one up and uh mash the refund button not long into their play session. Um, it’s a bold game. It’s marching to the beat of its own drum. And while some people won’t like it, you’ve got to give them props for trying something unique.

9. Blue Prince: Critics Love It, Players Hate the Rogue-like Dice Roll:

At number nine is Blueprints. At first glance, it might sound absurd that one of the highest-rated games of 2025 is a risky buy. After all, the game has a 92 on Metacritic, been showered with praise from the gaming press ever since it came out back in April of this year. But if you look at user reviews and general impressions online, you’ll notice it’s not as unanimous in terms of reception. Even people who like and want to recommend the game flip-flop between this is the greatest game ever and this is the most miserable piece of crap I’ve ever played.

It’s one of those games that either inspires intense love or intense hate. Sometimes both, and sometimes at the same time. I think the most contentious element of blueprints is that it’s a roguelike. Uh, that’s the part that causes the most consternation among the player base. Uh, if this were your average puzzle game, it would be an excellent one. But the roguelike layer adds a degree of randomization. Sometimes enhances the experience, sometimes drags it down.

To what degree it improves or damages the experience is really up to the individual player and their preference, as well as patience. The additional randomization. It does add an element of the unknown and keeps the puzzles exciting. When you manage to put everything together and make it work, it is exhilarating, but when you’re trapped in multiple runs where nothing seems to go your way, it sucks. There are moments in the blueprints that absolutely suck. But whether you figured out the puzzle, you know exactly what to do, blah blah blah. I mean, it’s getting to the right rooms that is sometimes just not something that’s going to happen.

In that case, you should probably just do something else. But certain players are going to hyperfixate on certain elements of puzzle design. And if they can’t solve it simply because of a roll of the dice or whatever, they start getting resentful. It’s a swingy game, like a lot of rogue-likes, where you sometimes make tons of progress in a single run. Sometimes you go for hours and nothing really goes your way. It’s really frustrating cuz it’s not just some brainless action game. It’s a puzzle game where your mind is already working overtime. Some people are going to love the push and pull of the intense challenge, and they’re okay with playing a puzzle game for over 100 hours, and a lot of those hours are spent on runs where nothing happens and nothing gets solved, and others are going to just get frustrated and disappointed.

For fans, the randomization is part of what makes blueprints great. It adds an element of the unexpected into each run, and you never know quite what’s going to happen. For others, the rogue part is just dragging out what would otherwise be a solid puzzle game. It’s a game with divisive elements, but the puzzle design is excellent. The creativity of the entire project does deserve recognition. It’s a real love-it, hate-it kind of game, though. Personally, it’s one of those games where I understand why people like it, why people hate it, but I don’t get particularly into it myself.

8. Silk Song: When “Challenging” Becomes a Mental Defeat:

And number eight is Silk Song. Another one of the highest-rated games of the year, but you wouldn’t know it given the firestorm of discourse around it. It’s a game that’s inspired a lot of love and a lot of hate in people. And while the overall impressions have generally improved as people have given it a little more time to sit, uh, there are plenty of people out there who just do not like the game.

The issue, not the quality, of course. I think we can all acknowledge this is a very well-made game with beautiful artwork, an amazing soundtrack, and excellent controls and gameplay. The problem people have is the difficulty. People jumped into this thing day one, expecting the overall level of challenge to be somewhere around the original Hollow Knight. Challenging, but something basically anybody can beat with a little bit of tenacity. But what we got was a lot tougher, and it caught a lot of people by surprise. Uh, Silk Song asks a lot of the player. The average difficulty of the game is far higher than the original game.

Fights that would have been bonus super bosses in the original, which are regular boss battles here. And they love to throw intense multi-stage enemy gauntlets at you, which are not optional side events. They’re required for progression. The required level of skill is high here, and that’s just not what some people are looking for. Even for people who knew the difficulty would be high, some still walked away from Silk Song beaten down and mentally defeated by the game’s restlessness.

For players looking for a true challenge, Silk Song is an excellent game that’s highly rewarding, but it is a lot to ask of your casual player who just wants to play a game and chill out, and have some fun. For the record, my feet are firmly planted in the difficulty level is good camp. That’s not necessarily to say I am good at the game, but honestly, I’m kind of just liking that I wasn’t just immediately able to beat the damn thing.

7. Penny’s Big Breakaway: The Anti-Sonic Momentum Hurdle:

At number seven is Penny’s Big Breakaway. After Sonic Mania pretty much got unilateral praise from critics and fans alike. Everyone was excited to see what the team would make next. The obvious thing would be Sonic Mania 2, and that’s what most fans wanted. But instead, we got Penny’s Big Breakaway, a game that’s a little different, a little weird, but also one of the best platformers of the last few years. People went into this expecting a Sonic-like experience, and what they got was kind of a rude awakening, cuz it’s not. It is momentum-based to be fair.

Um, but it’s more about stringing together various moves in order to navigate the environment. There are parts where you’re encouraged to go fast, but it’s not the only thing the game’s about. I think for people used to the modern concept of hyper-precise platformers, this game kind of threw them off because instead of having to pinpoint perfect control of your character at all times, something like Astrobot, this game is, like I said, momentum-based, which is kind of a holdover from working on Sonic, but it can feel difficult to control. It doesn’t quite play out like the momentum in Sonic, to be clear.

It’s also actually kind of difficult. It’s a game that takes a while to get your head around cuz the movement options are a bit unusual compared to your average platformer. I think the opening hours are when people tend to give up on this one. Some folks just cannot click with the movement abilities. For people who are willing to stick with it and learn the controls, though, this is one of the most rewarding and fun platformers to come out in a long time. It’s undeniably difficult and borderline inaccessible, so I understand why some people don’t click with it. But there’s a reason why it has fans. It’s a challenging game that expects you to really master movement abilities and get the most out of it. So, once you finally get it, I think the game just absolutely feels great. But if that never happens, it can be a little miserable.

6. Anger Foot: Hotline Miami’s Vicious, Overly Long Levels:

At number six is Angerfoot. Ooh, I love AngerFoot. Anytime I get to talk about Angerfoot, it’s a good day. Uh, this game is basically if you combine Hotline Miami with High on Life, it looks like a silly Power Fantasy in the trailers, where you just run roughshod, kicking everything that moves, but the game is actually quite difficult and shockingly long. And you know, depending on taste, that’s a good thing or a bad thing. But I want to make clear, I don’t just mean the length of the game. I mean the length of each individual stage.

If Hotline Miami with significantly less spatial awareness due to the first-person perspective, with three to four times longer levels, zero checkpoints, etc. That’s this game.

It’s a vicious game, and it does throw you a bone with a few power-ups, but it is relentlessly difficult. Only a few levels in. It’s risky cuz after a few hours beating your head against one single overly long stage, you might end up hating the entire thing. Even if it’s a really well-made game, it can be a lot of fun to play when you get into the flow of things. Like some of the levels are crazy creative, too. Very hard, but crazy creative. Very well-made game. Whether you’re willing, uh, to accept the outcome is really down to the individual player and how much punishment you’re willing to accept or you’re not.

5. Spec Ops: The Line: Tolerate the Boring Shooter for a Disturbing Story:

At number five is Spec Ops: The Line. This is a game that you have to go out of your way to pick up these days. It’s been delisted from Digital Storefront. So, if you want to play it, you’re stuck hunting down a physical edition. And while they’re not that expensive or anything, it is an extra hurdle you have to jump through to get access to a game that you might not even like.

The thing about this game is that it doesn’t play that great. It didn’t have cutting-edge graphics when it came out. The main narrative isn’t that compelling in hindsight. Um, what it does have is atmosphere to spare. And a unique take on the third-person shooter genre. It’s an intentionally subversive game that starts off like a standard military shooter before quickly descending into much darker and weirder subject matter. The actual quality of the writing is up for debate. I do think there’s enough interesting stuff here to keep people playing through, um, what is otherwise boilerplate third-person shooter gameplay.

For some people, the hardest thing to get past is that it’s not a bad game, but it’s not very inspired. It’s full of the usual waist-high walls all over the place from the Xbox 360 era, where you’re constantly stopping, taking cover, popping off a few shots, and moving on. God. Have you ever seen a thing like that? There’s a squad command mechanic meant to spice things up a little bit, but uh, that’s really the only unique idea here in terms of gameplay. It’s the story and presentation that take the risks. They go to some pretty heavy places.

They’re trying to evoke ideas that may or may not come together. Um, again, it’s somewhat to taste and also how willing one is to tolerate insanity one is. It’s not necessarily coherent. Uh, I’m not saying it’s necessarily incoherent either, but no other game of this scope and budget has really attempted something this intentionally subversive, especially not in the military shooter genre. That’s what makes Spec Ops: The Line worth checking out. Even knowing that a lot of people will not be able to get past the boring shooting. There’s enough here that it’s unique and interesting, and it deserves to be experienced. Even if you don’t end up liking it, it’s just one of those games that you have to try to form your own opinion on it, good or bad.

4. Vampyr: Conversation-Heavy Pacing vs. Uninspired Combat:

And number four is Vampire. Made by the same guys behind Life is Strange. This game is one of the more interesting and divisive action RPGs in quite a while. It’s a game some people love for its interesting mechanics, and other people do not like for its less inspired aspects. The most unique part of the game is how you’re free to stalk and kill pretty much any NPC in the game.

You’re a vampire, so you’ve got to suck some blood to get stronger, but the more people you kill, the more uh you’ll give into your primal urges and become a monster. The more people die in the district. Also, the more likely it is to fall into ruin disease. Sounds a little Dishonored, like it is, but I mean it’s maybe a little bit more affecting of basically everything.

I mean, the game’s not really separated into levels in the way Dishonored is. And it’s not just the later levels, quote unquote, that are affected. You actually do have some agency here. Your decisions do kind of matter. Uh, if you assist people and don’t kill them, Central London will slowly improve. Few games make your decisions feel as important as this one does. Even when in reality, it doesn’t change the direction of the story that much. It feels like your choices matter.

What doesn’t work is the uninspired third-person action game combat, and the relatively small and congested world the game takes place. There’s not a lot of visual variety here. And true to their pedigree, a lot of this game is spent in conversation with other characters. Not that much combat, which is kind of weird for a third-person action game, but also third-person action isn’t great in this game anyway. So, it’s just a weirdly paced game in general, too. Some people are not going to have as much fun with its relentlessly deliberate pacing and stuffy Victorian characters. But the deliberate oldtimeiness of the storytelling is what some people really like about it. It’s a unique experience.

It’s a stately and dignified RPG that’s maybe a bit too ambitious for its modest budget. It’s a game that’ll either bore you to tears or dig its teeth into you. Just one of those games that inspires either great love or great indifference in people.

3. Pyre: SuperGiant’s Weird Fantasy Sports Game You Might Just Skip:

At number three is Pyre. All of Super Giant games are excellent, but if there’s one game in their library that’s more divisive, it’s 2017’s Pyre. Bastion, Transistor, Hades, one and two. Easy games to get into and recommend if you played one of their games and want to check out other ones.

Pyre is a little different. Most people still like the story and respect what the dev team was trying to do, but the actual gameplay can leave some people cold. It’s a sports game, a fantasy sports game. But the core concept here is that between all the talky bits, you’re playing a weird combination of Rocket League and Dota called the rights. It’s an interesting choice and actually fun if you give it time and learn the ins and outs of how it works.

But some people just don’t like it. They like everything else about the game, the setting, the world building, characters, but they do not like the rights, which is a problem because that’s the gameplay. It’s what you do in this game. And it’s kind of a big deal if you’re good or bad at it because the game will keep going regardless. Whether you win or lose the games affects how the story progresses, and it can affect the ultimate outcome of certain characters, there are no save states to go back to if you want to retry. This sort of system is going to be inherently frustrating for certain people. They’re just not going to like it, even if it’s actually not that unforgiving. I mean, it appears so in the beginning, but it’s less unforgiving than it appears.

Um, basically, it’s just a weird game. Strangest in the Super Giants catalog by far. Uh, just like everything else, though, it’s a well-made game, and I can understand why certain aspects of it would be unappealing to some players. It’s not my favorite of their games for certain. I’ve been on record saying that is Bastion, and that continues to be the case. And although it’s very unorthodox, I respect that. They did something very different. Even if it’s, you know, going to attract a different crowd or maybe not attract the crowd or cause controversy within a crowd. It’s a swing. Whether it’s a miss, it’s up to you. But it’s cool that there’s a swing taken.

2. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts:

Number two is Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. I don’t. Is it controversial to say this is actually a good game? I’m not saying it’s a great one, but for what it is, it is pretty innovative and very creative. We’ve gotten a few indies that borrow some of the nuts and bolts basic ideas. But there’s nothing quite as expansive and varied as this game when it comes to games about building vehicles to creatively solve various challenges.

The real main problem with the game is the name. It has nothing to do with the old Nintendo 64 Banjo games. If Rare had managed to make a proper third game, I think Nuts and Bolts probably would never be as reviled as it was. If it were its own IP, it probably would have been remembered a lot more fondly. But on the other hand, there are still people who don’t like the game for reasons other than it’s not a proper banjo. It’s a game that requires you to experiment and try new things, and there’s going to be some built-in frustration with how physics-based many of the challenges are.

It makes for a sometimes very start-and-stop experience. You’re tasked, uh, with some mission, you have to play it, you fail, and you rebuild your car in order to fit the challenge, etc. Rinse and repeat. Kind of exhausting, kind of frustrating for a certain type of player. For people who love to experiment and come up with ridiculous ways to break these challenges wide open, this game’s a lot of fun. And I don’t think there’s a lot to argue in that this is a forerunner of what was accomplished with Tears of the Kingdom.

It’s just far more of a departure for Banjo than Tears is for Zelda. I mean, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are both identifiably Zelda games. There’s nothing you could say about them that would make them not appear like Zelda games, even if expanded and innovated on. This is not a Banjo-Kazooie game in anything other than the fact that it stars Banjo and Kazooie.

1. Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster:

And finally, at number one, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturn HD remaster. Undeniably a great game. The PlayStation 2 was full of legendary RPGs, and this may be one of the best, but it is absolutely not for the faint of heart.

It is hard, and I mean brutally hard. It’s one hell of a rude awakening for fans of the Persona subseries who dip their toes into the wider SMT universe. With the HD remaster that came out a few years back, it’s pretty easy to play this game, but it can be a risky purchase for people who aren’t ready to endure one of the hardest JRPGs of its generation.

In comparison to Persona, it’s also really light on characters and has a really bleak post-apocalyptic setting. It’s cruel and dark overall, and it starts easy enough, but the difficulty ramps up uh quick if you’re not prepared. I mean, if you are prepared, it still ramps up quickly, actually. The game basically requires you to fully understand the combat system and its many intricacies, which is usually not the case with most RPGs, where you can pretty easily muddle through the mashing on the attack command. Throw in a heal or two, you’re probably good, right? Not in this one.

Nocturn doesn’t play. And that’s why so many people’s journey through Neo Tokyo ends with the infamous Matador fight. It’s a trick, boss. It’s actually not as impossible as it seems. But if you don’t know the trick or that it’s a trick, you’re out of luck.

The game is brutal and brilliant. It just takes some serious practice to truly uh appreciate it. And that’s all for today.

Conclusion:

So what do all these games have in common? They take risks. Some frustrate you, some surprise you, and some make you question why you bought them in the first place. But after the confusion and the learning curve, they often turn out to be something special. Whether it’s clever design, bold storytelling, or pure creativity, these games prove that sometimes the most rewarding experiences come from the titles you almost gave up on. Taking a chance can be risky, sure, but in gaming, that’s often where the real magic happens.

FAQs:

1. Why are these games considered risky to buy?

Because their appeal depends heavily on personal taste, patience, and how much frustration you can tolerate.

2. Are these games actually bad?

No, most are well-made and creative, they just take time to understand or enjoy.

3. What makes a game “risky” in the first place?

When it divides players and critics, and you can’t really know if you’ll like it until you play it yourself.

4. Should I still try these games despite mixed reviews?

Yes, if you enjoy unique experiences and don’t mind a bit of trial and error.

5. Do risky games ever become fan favorites?

Absolutely, many of today’s cult classics started out as divisive or misunderstood titles.

6. What’s the best way to approach these games?

Go in with an open mind, expect challenges, and let the experience surprise you.