10 Most Underrated Video Games Of 2022
2022 is coming to a close, but these games deserve another look.
2022 has been a year overflowing with great video games. Elden Ring dominated pretty much six straight months, while late-year hitters like Marvel's Midnight Suns, Need For Speed Unbound and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion will keep us busy well into the new year.
However, being showered with so many great video games means that there are plenty that slipped us by over the past twelve months; those releases that didn't have huge marketing budgets or receive 10/10s from critics, but which are still definitely worth your time. In fact, all of the following games are massively underrated, whether not receiving their due in reviews or being completely overlooked by the public.
So, look, I know you're busy. It's the end of the year, you still haven't gotten around to starting Neon White and are feeling a bit burned off The Callisto Protocol. It's tempting to move on to everything on the horizon in 2022, but before you do that, there'll be at least one game on this list that you owe it to yourself to check out first.
10. Thymesia
If you aren't sick of the Souls formula after dropping 100 hours into Elden Ring this year, then Thymesia will continue to scratch that itch. With a Bloodborne-esque aesthetic and Sekiro-style parrying system, this game sees you playing as a plague doctor named Corvus, battling depraved beasts and monsters across desolate swamps and rundown kingdoms.
Though the formula will be instantly familiar to any FromSoftware fans, Thymesia does have unique mechanics to bring to the table. The use of plague items and magic allows you to steal the weapons from your enemies and use them on the battlefield, while balancing two distinct HP meters demands more tactical awareness in fights.
The level design isn't anything especially complex, but the visual design of each stage is impeccable, dripping with blood, bile and disease. The boss encounters are suitably tough and memorable as well, sending each stage off on a high.
It's very much a familiar first step, but an enjoyable one nonetheless, and hopefully there's more to come from this franchise in the future.