5 Strange Game Series I Love

I do love myself a strange or bizarre gaming experience. Whether the weird or absurd nature of the game lives through its art style, story, or game play, the journey is often an entertaining one, if not, at the least, an interesting one. Now, this is not a comprehensive list, nor is it one to rank these games. This is simply an appreciative list

of 5 strange game series that I love. Hooray!

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1. Destroy All Humans!

If you’ve played Destroy All Humans! (DAH for short) when you were a bumbling young'n like myself, heard of the title at some point during the 2010s, or even seen the ridiculous MTV MUSIC VIDEO based on the game (a story for another time), I certainly wouldn’t be blown away. It is one of those “Cult Hit” games after all. Destroy All Humans! is a comical and campy open(ish)-world third person shooter where the player takes on planet Earth as an alien invader named Crypto. With the help of his commander, Pox, his flying saucer, a few ...interesting human allies and a variety of weapons and psychic abilities, Crypto sets out to stake a claim on planet Earth for his race- the “Furons”. With alien cliches like the abduction of cows and using an anal probe to extract brains from comically helpless humans, Destroy All Humans! wears its influences on its sleeves.📷

Horror and Sci-fi classics alike are referenced throughout the DAH series. The 1950’s horror sci-fi film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, for example, is referenced subtly in DAH1 through crypto's hologram-like disguise gadget, but it is DAH2 in which Crypto (the player) can literally inhabit a human and take control of them that most clearly calls out to this movie. It does not take long to realize the DAH series is not one to take itself seriously. The game is filled with cheesy one-liners, roll-your-eyes jokes, and ridiculous or obscene concepts- and it’s fantastic to fans of anything campy. One half love letter and the other parody, the DAH games crash-land you in the world of a B-movie and into the shoes of what most other sci-fi games would choose to be the enemy. Although the games decline in quality and performance after Destroy All Humans 2, my younger self enjoyed each entry immensely (even with my child brain not understanding half the humor). To this day I still love the B-movie goofiness and silly sandbox action of the series as a whole.

2. Twisted Metal

Twisted Metal was a flagship series for Sony’s PlayStation One back in the late 90’s, with Twisted Metal 2 and Twisted Metal Black being the most well-received of the series in general. Twisted Metal is a vehicular arena-based combat game. The player is dropped into a variety of maps throughout the games and is tasked with eliminating all other rival drivers with power-ups such as missiles, napalm, and much more littered across the battlefields. The story of the Twisted Metal games is short and sweet. (Usually) Calypso, a man with immense power, has the ability to grant wishes. He creates a contest, that of which shares the same name of the game, in which all contestants fight to the death to become the last one remaining. The winner is granted one wish, whatever he or she desires. I do enjoy this set-up because it allows for multiple playthroughs and story lines as each character and it can be hilarious or interesting to discover what each character wishes for and even more so how Calypso screws each contestant over like the mischievous modern-day genie that he is.

A commonplace concept in modern video games today is the “heroes” or “champions” concept. This entails specific characters with different stats, abilities, backstories, and personalities. Twisted Metal is one of the games this concept harks back to. It's one of the staple features of TW that I’m quite fond of. Each driver’s vehicle in TW matches their personality, possesses different stats from one another, such as armor (HP), speed, damage, and handling, and boasts a signature weapon exclusive to the driver. This weapon is on a cooldown and can come in the form of anything from turning one’s car into a self-contained tornado to a spectral ghost missile capable of phasing through walls! This sets characters and vehicles apart and helps fit a variety of play styles. The Twisted Metal games often contain a fitting and rocking soundtrack as well, with mixes of metal and rock and roll. As with Destroy All Humans!, the Twisted Metal games were a mixed bag considering every entry. Many criticize a change in the developer for the weakest entries in the series.

I acknowledge that Twisted Metal 3 & 4 are drastically different than other titles in their series, but I still enjoy those games for their creativity, change of pace, and good ‘ol campiness. As for the latest entry in the series, 2012’s Twisted Metal for PS3, I thought it to be an absolute blast and a strong return for the series, but a lack of marketing from Sony seemed to kill the game’s chances at success quite quickly.

3. Immortal Redneck

Immortal Redneck is an extremely fun example of the “rogue-lite” genre. This genre, if you didn’t know, consists of a bunch of RNG or random generated elements. Whether a randomly generated map, assortment of enemies, items, and etc, it makes sure every new playthrough is different from the last. Most would agree Immortal Redneck is not a name that strikes “quality” or “serious” into the mind by any means, but do not let the name fool you. Immortal Redneck has a plethora of content to offer and it takes itself as seriously as the player does. Each playthrough or “run” through Immortal Redneck is a climb through an Egyptian pyramid filled with some adorable, some cooky, but always beautifully crisp looking enemies. As the player rises through the pyramid, the floors will understandably become smaller and more difficult. The game play here feels smooth as butter. Running, hopping, and parkouring the immortal Redneck around while dodging Egyptian horrors and blasting them with an expansive and wacky arsenal is a goofy splendid romp.

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Speaking of weapons, Immortal Redneck has a great mix. The trusty shotgun and sticks of dynamite feel right at home here while the kunai and smoke bombs make you feel like a ninja which can add to the humor of playing as a “redneck”. Scrolls (temporary upgrades or downgrades for the current run) play a big role in changing up gameplay and often make the player more powerful in various ways as they combat stronger foes. Although, interestingly, scrolls add an element of risk as they will not always grant a positive change and can turn a fantastic run into a nearly hopeless one. For example, my pal was having an excellent run through the first pyramid. He had a nice set of perks and weapons. He came across a scroll that made it so he could only swap weapons when he ran out of ammo and another scroll that rid him of all but his currently equipped weapon. It is safe to say things were much more difficult from that point on. Part of this risk lies in not knowing what a scroll will do before picking it up and, without a scroll that allows for the trashing of scrolls, denying the acquisition of a scroll is impossible. Outside actual pyramid runs is where you’ll be sinking your gold into. More specifically, a giant skill tree reminiscent to a game called Rogue Legacy begs you to spend your time filling it out and slowly becoming stronger and stronger. Throughout this skill tree, you will find permanent upgrades to health, damage, defense, and many more basic stats. Along with those, this is also where players will spend gold to unlock new characters and their ability upgrade. Remember when I mentioned the concept of “Heroes” before? This is Immortal Redneck’s take on it: Each character is an Egyptian god or immortal that the redneck takes on the persona of. This changes his base stats, passive ability, active-ability, and starting weapons. The experience of being an immortal redneck fighting through treacherous ancient Egyptian pyramids for his freedom is as strange as it is fun and fulfilling.

4. Oddworld

Sony had plenty of mascots during the PlayStation One era, and much like Twisted Metal’s “Sweet Tooth” character, Oddworld’s “Abe” was another one of those loveable PlayStation faces… In a way. You may think Oddworld is an easy choice for a strange game, and you would be correct, but despite that, I love this grandpa of a puzzle platformer. Games like Limbo or Inside from developer Playdead remind me why I love Oddworld and more importantly, that puzzle platformers can break through the staleness of their over-saturated genre and exist as something truly special. So why do I love Oddworld? Why is it a special game to me? What jumps out at me is A E S T H E T I C. Yes, I know its an overused word nowadays, but it really encompasses everything that Oddworld gets right. Sure, the platforming and more so puzzles are often fun, ingenious, and satisfying, but they are also tense and engaging. This is because of the beautiful sound design in Oddworld. The BGM (background music) is full of heart-pounding beats and grip-you-by-the-wrist stingers. The sound effects have punch whether it be bombastic explosions, the sound of Abe’s feet on cold steel, or the rabid snarling, howling, and hissing of Oddworld’s primitive beasts. Speaking of those primitive beasts, getting chased down by a “Slog” as a kid remains in my top ten most horrifying gaming moments. Creature design in Oddworld is just what the title suggests- odd but in an interesting and frequently grotesque fashion. Paramites, spider-like crab walking critters may be tied as my favorite with Slogs, a race of dog-like two-legged armless beasts with one giant hungry maw. These creatures along with other races like Abe’s once spiritual, in-tune with nature “Mudokons” were enslaved by an industrial-focused tyrant race called the “Glukkons”.

Now I won't get any deeper than that in terms of backstory, but there is much more and it shows that Oddworld has some great world building and, in relation to that, a nice variety of settings for the player to make their way through. The first levels of Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, see Abe attempting to escape his enslavement because of a new snack food the Glukkons are creating that is made from his people, the Mudokons! Abe makes his way through the Glukkon’s industrial complexes. Those of which are filled with meat grinders, neon-lit advertisements for foods like “Paramite Pies”, as well as elevators and levers galore. Throughout the game, Abe gets closer and closer with nature as he traverses the shadowy campgrounds of the industrial outskirts and the lush jungles filled with their native inhabitants like the Paramites and Mudukon guards protecting their homeland from outsiders. Abe encounters all this on his journey as he tries his best to save his enslaved people by using his great psychic powers (he is the chosen one after all) to open spiritual portals for their escape. The Oddworld games and their universe exist as their namesake suggests and Abe’s Oddysee uses that universe in a tense and admirable adventure filled with amazing atmosphere.

5. Hotline Miami

Synth-wave and neon lights, funky patterns and nightclubs, animal masks… and a bomber jacket doused in blood?... Hotline Miami is a hardcore arcade-style top-down beat’em up! The game takes place in the late 1980s, with everything that entails! You play as a young man who takes hits on the Russian mafia in various locations throughout Miami, Florida with the sole purpose being because a consistent caller on his answering machine directs him to. The game is a truly unique experience and an extraordinary blend of high-octane game play, foot-tapping tunes, signature colorful pixel art, and gripping mysterious storytelling. Hotline Miami throws players into a mix of tense stealth and fast-paced action both of which result in the brutal assassinations of targets. Most targets perish after one smack or stab of a melee weapon or from a couple of bullets, including oneself! Numerous game play mechanics spice things up and add to the decision making of going in for the kill. The player can utilize different weapons each with their own properties, but more crucially their own ammo counts which when depleted cannot be restocked! This makes sure you keep your eyes on your ammo, as to not be caught with your pants down when a mobster rushes you with a machete! Melee weapons will eliminate almost any target in a single swing and along with empty guns can be thrown to knock targets over, rendering them vulnerable to finishers. Doors are a godsend as kicking them open will knock over any baddies unfortunate enough to be behind one! Possibly the biggest game changer and most definitely the most stylish is the mask system.

As you progress through the game you will unlock both masks and weapons. Unlocking new weapons will drop them into the pool of weapons that may spawn on any given level, but unlocking a new mask opens new game play options! Before starting a new level the player is given a list of their available masks to choose from. While some are strictly cosmetic like the iconic rooster mask, others like the Tiger mask make unarmed attacks fatal. While the player is rushing or stealthing through the levels of Hotline Miami, every kill they make, how they made the kill, and how quickly they chain combos and finish the level contributes to a final score and letter grade! In this way Hotline Miami has a very arcade feel with giant score numbers materializing upon the screen.

During both the bloody action of the beat’em levels and the often calmer storytelling sections of Hotline Miami, there is an amazing soundtrack accompanying all of it. The soundtrack is comprised of unbelievably catchy electronic tunes, ominous dark melodies, and chill drum and bass beats that brings each scene much more to life. The story of Hotline Miami is quite mysterious and weird. It is full of psychological meaning and powerful outside forces puppeteering from the shadows. It's a story I still can't quite 100% nail down. This is not a negative aspect by any means. The narrative of Hotline Miami kept me intrigued throughout all of its addictive game play and there weren’t any moments where I groaned about being taken into a narrative scene rather than a game play-focused one. Hotline Miami leaves some lingering questions throughout the story to ponder and it's up to the player to put the pieces of its highly stylized puzzle together. The sequel to Hotline Miami, Hotline Miami: Wrong Number is fun and a near equally quality experience as its predecessor with its same distinct look, game play, a bopping soundtrack, and some new layers to both game play mechanics and story. Hotline Miami is a spicy, violent, gripping, and thrilling journey and that makes it one of my favorite indie games to date.

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Some video games can be strange, odd, weird, or wacky! It's those qualities that allow them to stand out and make lasting impression on audiences. These were 5 game strange game series that I love and if you haven't already, I hope you can give each of these oddball titles a try! I would love to know your feelings on these games and what strange games you love, so please let me know in the comments!