Want to check out some recent games from 2025 and 2026 that you may have missed? It always happens when big games come out. Gamers can often go after a big new shiny AAA experience and ignore something smaller for a variety of reasons. The price might be too high at first, it might be part of a series they haven't played yet, or the game might seem intimidating.
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Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist and The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon are two relatively recent games that can stand alongside the biggest games in the industry. They're not perfect action games, but they're incredibly fun along with these other picks.
Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
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Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
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Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
Two souls, one body
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a NES-style 2D action platformer Ninja Gaiden games with a few twists to make them feel more modern. Players start with Kenji, who is a fellow ninja in the Hayabusa clan. Then there is Kumori, a female ninja and rival of the Dragon Ninja clan. After a random event, the two characters bond and share a body. Players can switch between them when they want, with each character having several specialties, such as Kenji being better at melee while Kumori is better at ranged.
Players can collect items and then buy upgrades from shops, and there's a world map that contains mission information with a bit of non-linear progression. The action and platforming are top notch, the visuals are a pixel fan's dream, and it has some great assistive features that make it more accessible to a larger crowd. Ninja Gaiden 4 may be a big return for the series in 2025, but ninja fans shouldn't ignore Ninja Gaiden: Rageboundbecause it does a lot of things better.
Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist
A Metroidvania person
Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is a 2D Metroidvania with RPG elements. Players take on the role of Lilac, who suffers from amnesia. She has the power to bond with entities known as Homunculi to her person, which in turn allows players to use them for combat or exploration purposes. It's kind of like getting Personas v Persona series, except for the action game.
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Players can learn to grab onto surfaces or air dash, for example, and each new power-up opens up the map in multiple ways, as there's some non-linear exploration involved. Some Homunculi attack at close range, while others can be shot from a distance. Most of them can be upgraded and improved or new attacks unlocked in a basic but necessary upgrade loop. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mistlike the best Metroidvania games out there, it manages to tell an atmospheric story that builds its world through interactions and stunning visuals.
Absolutely
Brawler With A Roguelike Twist
Absolutely is an old-school beat 'em up with a roguelike framework. Players can choose to play as two heroes at the start, but more will be unlocked as they progress. Galandra has a large sword and is gifted with some magical abilities, while Karl is small and excels in his fists and gunfights. Each unlocked character has basic attacks and skills that take time to recharge over different meters. Players can get temporary power-ups that boost their abilities while running, along with permanent power-ups in the mushroom world.
Unlike many roguelikes, Absolutely it has less randomization on the maps as players will refresh the territory every time they restart, but there is a cool feature that keeps things interesting. Players can make branching decisions while running that lead to different locations each time, similarly Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystarathat could inspire Absolutelybecause he is one of the best brawlers of all time. It's a small thing to make the runs more unique, but what should really stand out is the striking hand-drawn visuals.
The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Beyond The Horizon
The best of both RPG worlds
Total Trails The series is hard to get into because the titles are very long and it's hard to know which ones are directly related to the others. The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon is the latest game in the series and is its sequel The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2which can prevent beginners from jumping into the game. That said, it does an admirable job of getting newcomers up to speed and has some great design choices for RPGs. First, when jumping into dungeons, players can determine their routes using a sort of map that separates the rooms.
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Players can then explore larger spaces in real-time where enemies roam and engage in action-packed combat. Players can choose to slow down the pace and have a turn-based battle instead, making it a very flexible combat system. With tons of characters, gear, and abilities, there are many methods of deep progression The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon to make the game beneficial. It can be intimidating, but there's never been a better time to check out this series.
BlazBlue Entropy Effect
From fighter to roguelike
BlazBlue Entropy Effect is a 2D action roguelike ripped from the fighting game series BlazBlue. The game is basically a simulation where players can choose an avatar from several and unlock more along the way. There are tons of iconic characters to choose from, each with different weapons and abilities. Ragna has a large sword and is slow but strong, while Noel is more agile with his incredibly large weapons.
There are also guest characters such as the hero of Dead cells. Regardless of who players choose, the maps will be randomized each time and filled with monsters and temporary power-ups ranging from new abilities to stat boosts. Get as far as possible, die and repeat. The action is just as fluid as mainstream fighting games, and it's also visually appealing. In addition, there is no need to know about anything BlazBlue before playing BlazBlue Entropy Effectso go ahead and try this 2D roguelike.
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