10 Games That Flopped But Deserve a Chance

Not every game that sells poorly or receives mixed reviews deserves to be forgotten. In many cases, true gems end up forgotten due to criticism from YouTubers who let their ego or personal taste speak louder, unrealistic expectations from the players themselves, launches of competing games or failed marketing strategies.

In this article, we’ll take a look at 10 games that, despite failing commercially or critically, are incredibly well-built, with qualities that deserve recognition and a second chance.

Released in 2023 as a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Jedi: Survivor promised to improve and expand on everything that its predecessor had to offer. The game brought a larger world, refined combat, and a consistent story, with a more mature Cal Kestis and a galaxy in collapse.

However, the launch was marked by performance issues, especially on PC, something that hurt its initial reception. Even with these technical issues fixed, the impression that remained was of a poorly made game. However, the experience is very rich in its narrative, exploration and combat, making it one of the best games in the franchise. Unfortunately, it ended up being a title that was a victim of bugs, but its quality is still excellent.

Inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, Enslaved was released in 2010 by Ninja Theory. The game combined action, platforming and a thrilling narrative, highlighting the protagonists Monkey and Trip, whose relationship evolves naturally throughout the campaign.

With a beautiful world and a breathtaking soundtrack, Enslaved wasn’t a commercial success, despite positive reviews for the game. It was hampered by inefficient marketing and being ahead of its time. Still, it’s a masterpiece of storytelling that deserves to be played and remembered as one of the most human experiences in video games.

This is one of the examples that I still wonder about today: why did people get so upset about The Order: 1886? Few games caused as much visual impact as it did when it was released in 2015. The cinematic graphics were simply stunning and the game's Victorian steampunk setting promised to be a landmark for the PS4.

But the problem for players wasn’t the artwork itself, but its length. With a campaign lasting around 6 hours, being a more linear game, it was severely criticized mainly by YouTubers, which led to a kind of "boycott" of the game. However, those who decided to get into the game's atmosphere found a fascinating universe, with very focused combats and a wonderful plot involving knights, King Arthur, werewolves and conspiracies. The Order is a work of art that suffered from design decisions regarding the game's duration, but mainly suffered much more from public hype and wrong expectations. With that said, it’s an immersive experience that only those who lived or will live it know its importance and brilliance.

Released as the launch title for the Xbox One in 2013, Ryse impressed with its realistic graphics and cinematic combat set in Ancient Rome. Developed by Crytek, the game was criticized for being linear and having simplified mechanics, but those who played it with an open mind noticed its visual and narrative quality.

Marius's story of revenge is told with an intensity worthy of Ridley Scott's films, and the combat, although repetitive, is satisfyingly brutal. Ryse was greatly underrated for its style, but the game is an epic experience that’s still hard to match to this day. Interestingly, the game ended up becoming a "meme" with its graphics being compared to current games that often don't come close to its graphical quality.

After the disappointment of Marvel’s Avengers, players were wary of another Marvel game. And along came Guardians of the Galaxy, from Eidos-Montréal, released in 2021 without high expectations and ended up surprising. With a single-player campaign focused on narrative, extremely charismatic characters, constant and hilarious dialogues, the game is faithful to the spirit of the comics and movies.

With a very creative combat system and a soundtrack that makes the experience extremely exciting, it’s a work of art. It’s the game with the most conversations between NPCs ever made, the dialogues are non-stop and rarely repeat themselves, making the gameplay feel like playing with a group of friends.

Unfortunately, the marketing failed to create good expectations and ended up letting the trauma of Avengers affect sales. Over time, the game achieved cult status, being considered by many as one of the best adaptations of superheroes to the video game universe.

Based on George Miller's post-apocalyptic universe, Mad Max came out in 2015 and suffered from poor release timing. It hit stores on the same day as Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, a title that had a huge amount of hype among players, which ended up overshadowing the game. Despite this, the game delivered an extremely beautiful open world, with intense vehicle combat, a mature protagonist hardened by his story, and an overwhelming sense of survival.

The repetition of objectives was a valid criticism, but it isn’t enough to tarnish the brilliance of Mad Max. Although the game suffered from a lack of marketing, it’s an example of arid and immersive open world design, where every piece of scrap has value. For players who gave the game's universe a chance, they found a diamond buried in the sand of the digital desert.

Produced by Remedy, Quantum Break brought something bold, combining a third-person action game with a high-quality live-action miniseries. The idea is very innovative, the choices in the game influence the episodes of the series, all intertwined by a time travel story. With a solid, cinematic combat system and unique temporal powers, the concept confused part of the audience who weren’t used to this type of idea, something that ended up dividing opinions.

Even with a strong cast like Shawn Ashmore, Aidan Gillen, Lance Reddick, Quantum Break failed to maintain the market's interest, perhaps because it was too daring or because the marketing campaign should’ve been more aggressive, something we’ll never truly know. What I do know is that the game is one of a singularity (using the time travel pun), a courageous experience, being a true milestone in narrative experimentation in games.

Closing the trilogy that began in 2013, Shadow of the Tomb Raider placed Lara Croft at the peak of her journey, exploring the darkest and most introspective side of the character. With lush environments in South America, well-designed puzzles and impressive graphic visuals, the game offers fluid, solid and dense gameplay.

Unfortunately, Shadow of the Tomb Raider was released in a competitive period, close to games like Spider-Man (PS4) and Red Dead Redemption 2 that were receiving huge hype from players, and this certainly overshadowed its commercial impact. Even so, Shadow is a wonderful game, with a more mature story, focused on exploration and survival, and is perhaps the best and deepest of the trilogy.

When Alien: Isolation was released in 2014, audiences expected yet another shooter based on the famous sci-fi franchise. What they got was a tense and atmospheric survival horror game in which the xenomorph creature (the Alien) was virtually invincible. The slow pace, limited resources, and the need to hide instead of fight made many players feel strange, especially those accustomed to frenetic action.

But those who decided to play it discovered a masterpiece of immersion, with impeccable art direction and a frightening fidelity to the original film. Today, Isolation is revered as one of the best horror games of the decade.

Released in 2013 by Dontnod Entertainment (before releasing Life is Strange), Remember Me presented an extremely fascinating cyberpunk future, where memories can be manipulated like data. The protagonist, Nilin, is a memory hunter, and she travels through a dystopian Paris in search of her past and justice.

Although its combat system was criticized for lacking variety, the visual design, the setting and the "memory remix" segments showed an absurdly innovative level of creativity. Although Remember Me didn’t sell well, it laid the foundation for a developer that would later shine with exciting narratives. This is one of those games that was way ahead of its time, that perhaps just released at the wrong moment, but deserves to be remembered.

Commercial success doesn’t always reflect the quality of a game. The games on this list prove that behind every flop, there can be a unique and remarkable experience, sometimes bold and artistically relevant to players. Many of these games were victims of unfavorable factors and contexts, such as competing releases, poor marketing campaigns or excessive expectations. But they all have something in common: excellence in fundamental aspects of game design, be it in their narrative, setting, visuals or gameplay.

Over time, many of these titles have gained the recognition they deserve, be it through re-releases, dedicated communities or critical reviews like this one. For players willing to break out of the conventional routine, there are several masterpieces waiting to be discovered. In an industry that values ​​only numbers, it’s crucial to remember that not every sales failure is a creative failure. Sometimes, the best games are the ones the world hasn’t realized it loves yet.

And you, do you have a game that you’d add to this list of games that flopped but deserve a chance? Tell me in the comments.