Video games these days are a commitment unlike any other source of media. While a TV show may last you a few seasons, they generally don’t release all at once. With games, you’re going to need 30–60+ hours to get through a lot of games that come out today and, unfortunately, not everyone is able to buy in to that.
This causes people to fall off of some of the best games out there. For me, I think my favorite game of all time is one that really took me a few tries to push through. That’s been the case for many others as well, and it’s due to a myriad of things, from slow openings, to stories that refuse to do anything interesting in the opening hours, to overly complex systems that you’re just plain not interested in learning.
Whatever the reason, we’re going to talk about them today. Here are a bunch of games that make it tough to get into, but are always worth the effort.
10 Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
Baptism by Fire
Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader is a fantastic game, but boy, does it expect a lot out of you. I am a newbie to the Warhammer world and this game does not care to ease you in whatsoever. As soon as the game starts, you’re assaulted with terms like the God Emperor, the Warp, Psykers, Rogue Traders… It’s enough to make your head spin.
Thankfully, there is a handy little tool during dialogue that defines every strange term being used, but still, it’s intimidating as hell and, due to the in media res opening, you’re not exactly playing as someone just learning the ropes of this world. That’s because you’re put in a massive position of power almost immediately, so it really does feel like you’re suddenly responsible for the weight of the universe. Along with that, the dialogue is endless here, but it’s incredibly well written, so that makes it easier to take in overtime.
I fell off this game a few times in the early hours, but once I had a full party and the big event of the early game kicks off, I was fully in. I’m glad I gave it another try because it’s easily one of the best and most unique CRPGs we’ve gotten in recent years.
9 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Overwhelming World
The Witcher 3 is one of those big moments in gaming history. When you first get into the game, the size of the world feels almost staggering. The “go anywhere and do anything” approach had been done before, but here, it just felt more real and more present. And that’s just talking about the opening area, White Orchard.
After finishing what amounts to a prologue for the game, we’re thrust into one of the most vast video game worlds ever made. Not only that, but suddenly there are tons of villages to go into and take on their various problems. It was a lot to take in, and once the Velen section of the game starts, there is a certain bit of lack of direction that really dug into me.
It was 2015 and no games were out that I was really interested in and yet, I had to put The Witcher 3 down. I wasn’t quite compelled after 8 hours or so and just took a break. It wouldn’t be until later that year, when all the unending praise was heaped on top of it, that I would jump back in and get hooked immediately into the story and the lore and, surprisingly, the combat.
It’s one of those games you can’t really play in small bursts, but rather have to fully dive into, head first, with no option for getting out of the water. Once you do, you’ll feel the same way I did.
8 Divinity: Original Sin 2
The Revival of a Genre
I had never been a CRPG guy before 2017. Then a game called Divinity: Original Sin 2 came out and caught my eye. The opening segment on the ship was great, compelling stuff, but once I hit Fort Joy, I kind of lost interest. You’re running around with shackles on, everything is killing you in one or two shots, and there is little to no direction on where to go or what to do.
And that’s when it hit me. That lack of direction meant anything was possible. How do you get out of those shackles? Well, you decide. I came back to the game after a couple of weeks with that knowledge in hand and immediately robbed the merchant blind, killed the big bully on campus, looted him for his valuable items and weapons, recruited some people to my cause, and led a hostile takeover of the island. Was that the only way to do it? Hell no, but it was my way, and the fact that it worked was a watershed moment for me with this game.
From then on out it was smooth sailing and the game world became my oyster. I’m glad I stuck with it because it is truly one of the all-time great video games, regardless of the genre.
7 Final Fantasy XV
Let the Fantasy Come To Life
Final Fantasy is my favorite video game series of all time, and it’s not particularly close. When Final Fantasy 15 came out, it had been a long, long wait for me. Starting up the game, I was honestly a bit baffled. A road trip with the boys, to go get…married? I just didn’t see the vision. In the opening hours when you’re doing random bounties, hearing odd, southern-style music, and fighting nothing particularly interesting? I fell off big time. As in, I didn’t come back to the game until the Royal Edition released.
I decided to give it a shot then, and after that opening malaise wore off, we got the evil empire attacking, the summons, the Chocobos, the incredible music, and it finally felt like Final Fantasy. What the hell took so long? You start getting way more interesting weapons, better magic, cooler special attacks, and it all comes together even if it still feels rushed at points.
Regardless, the game is pretty great from that point forth, and the ability to play as the different members of your party, experience the DLCs for each character built in with the game, and getting a more complete vision of the game was a huge bonus. It holds a place as one of the more unique but interesting Final Fantasy games out there.
6 Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Getting Past the Tutorials
I was a big fan of Xenoblade Chronicles 1, so when the sequel came out of nowhere in 2017, I was ecstatic. But there is a serious barrier of entry with this game. The opening hours are pretty bad, by any game’s standard. I gave up initially after the 30th tutorial popped across my screen. The game did not want me to play the game.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 doesn’t really let up in that regard throughout, but when I returned to the game a few years later, I finally got the hype. After the initial 8 hours or so, the combat really opens up, as does the party customization, the addictive Blade Gatcha type system, and most importantly, the story.
The story is so good here that it’s almost hard to believe after the opening hours that feel awfully dull by comparison. You have to grind through the early trash to get to the gold here, but it’s definitely worth it.
5 Horizon Zero Dawn
Uncovering the Past
Horizon Zero Dawn dazzles from the moment the game starts, but man, those opening hours are rough. From the exploring as a child, to the big test scene, and finally being set out on your path, not a lot is a highlight. I fell off it early and kind of brushed it off as just another Ubisoft type of game with some nice graphics.
I eventually came back to it and was greeted with my first gigantic robot dinosaur battle, and it was a “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” moment. That was what this game was advertised as. Not little skirmishes against tiny robot lizards, but these crazy, over-the-top dino robots attacking with all sorts of weird technology.
The game only picks up from there, getting bigger with its boss fights and more interesting with its story as you delve into the depths of the bunkers where the amazing backstory of the game is revealed. It just takes a long while to get going, but once it does, it’s one of the more compelling narratives out there.
4 Bloodborne
Another Souls Game?
Put away your pitchforks, I come in peace. But seriously, Bloodborne in the opening minute is not all that inviting. You’re faced with so much unknown that it overwhelms in a way that previous Souls games didn’t really make me experience. You’re stuck with one weapon for what feels like an ungodly amount of time, there is no direction on where to go, side quests are so obscure to the point that the original Dark Souls felt like it had Ubisoft icons pointing where to go, and you had a limited supply of healing items that didn’t refill when you died.
I quit. Early on, as a matter of fact, I didn’t even get to the Cleric Beast before calling it. It just felt boring, generic, and insultingly difficult. I wouldn’t suck it up until a few months after its release, when I had nothing else to play, and I gave it another shot.
After overcoming Yharnam, the game really opens up, from a weapons, enemy, and environment perspective, and that’s where I fell in love with the game. All that juicy lore, weirdness, and overall sense of something being very wrong with the world isn’t quite conveyed in the opening hours, but if you give it some time, Bloodborne shows its teeth. Once it bites, you are not getting out easily.
3 Darkest Dungeon
This Game Hates You, But You Have to Love It
Darkest Dungeon is a game that almost begs you to stop playing. So early on in the experience, I obeyed. Because look, when you’ve spent hours building up your team to take on the dungeons, half of them drop dead from a heart attack, and the other one just decides they don’t want to listen to the attack command, you just look elsewhere for your fun.
But, I came back to it, and even though the above happened again and again, I felt a weird drive to continue. The world was so creepy and the enemies so horrific despite their 2D nature that I just felt compelled to get my team to push through. I became personally invested in my heroes, making sure they were well-equipped for the harrowing dungeons that lay ahead.
God, this was such a stressful experience now that I think about it, but there are few triumphs in gaming like when you defeat a boss in Darkest Dungeon. It’s euphoric, and your team gets to live. You get better equipment, and most importantly, that god-forsaken thing is gone and dead. It’s a hard to describe feeling, but you get it constantly throughout the game, and you’ll be happy you managed to push through this one. It’s a gaming badge of honor if there ever was one.
2 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Welcome to Ancient Bohemia, You Suck
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is one of the hardest entries into a game I’ve ever seen. The beginning is dreadfully slow and even when things pick up after your village is attacked, you are one of the most useless video game characters of all time.
That’s not hyperbole. Early on, you can barely take on an enemy one on one. It’s brutal. If there are two bandits attacking you, run. You have no shot, because Henry has no shot. That was about where I had to put it down, because I just kept getting killed with ease. When I came back to the game, that is when I learned you have to learn to win.
Literally, you’ve got to train in swordplay to survive a fight. Once you do, the game starts to feel approachable. And then the fantastic story takes over, and you get better and better at combat until you’re mowing down legions of soldiers with ease. It’s one of the most unique power fantasies I’ve seen in a game, and I’m so happy I stuck with it. It’s one of the better stories in any RPG out there and has the great combat, writing, and graphics to back it all up.
1 Persona 5
Chores the Game
Persona 5 is a massive experience, but you wouldn’t know that by the first few hours of the game. I’ll admit, that despite this being one of the all-timers, I stopped playing roughly 2 hours into the game. The reason? I was bored, plain and simple. I didn’t care about being a Japanese high school student, and I really didn’t care for being made to do real-life work in a video game. It felt bizarre to me that anyone would like this game, let alone love it.
Fortunately, I jumped back in years later with Persona 5: Royal and I finally got it. The amazing bosses, the super-in-depth Persona systems, the great character growth, the compelling lore, the incredible combat: it all clicked.
Granted, you have to beat down that wall of the opening 10 hours or so to get to any of that, but if you steel yourself, you will be rewarded with one of the deepest JRPGs ever made. Just don’t expect to have time to play any other game, because it has no qualms about ruining your social life.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
