celebrating weird, esoteric, bizarre, or alternative video games like it’s 1999!
esotopia
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Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
released 1994
you would think that "pac-man 2" would be a natural continuation of the incredibly recognizable and iconic first game — but that is not the case. pac-man and pac-man 2, in terms of game design, have nothing in common.
you don't play as pac-man in this game.
pac-man is himself. he has his own will, and his own ideas for what he wants to do.
you play as you, the person looking at the TV screen, and you have a slingshot that you can shoot stuff with, and you can yell contextual commands at pac-man, for example, to look in a certain direction.
i have never seen a control scheme like this in any game before. it is fascinating.
the game can be frustrating at times. it's weird to indirectly control a character that refuses to listen to you sometimes, but that's part of what makes the game so charming.
learning the arbitrary rules to manipulating pac-man’s emotions was super fun, and i kept getting caught off guard by how far they would push the “saturday morning cartoon” theme.
one-of-a-kind, for better or for worse
distinct control scheme
arbitrary rules, genre agnostic
very comedic and funny
virtual pet adjacent
if you find these attributes fun,
you should give Pac-Man 2 a try!
Pokémon Channel
released 2003
despite the fact that pokémon is probably the most popular RPG of all time, this game is not an RPG at all.
in fact, this game is so insanely weird, that i’m amazed it was ever greenlit, produced, or released.
in this game, you sit and watch TV with pikachu, but it’s way more
interesting than you’d think.
this game reminds me a lot of animal crossing. it's got the virtual pet element, and it uses a real time clock, and you only have a certain amount of things you can do in a day before they expect you to come back the next day in real life, but in reality, you just go into the gamecube settings and skip forward a day.
it’s hard to not get invested when trying to collect all the items and trading cards, as well as hopping on the bus and visiting lots of other neat locations, and chatting with wild pokémon to answer their trivia. and the really cool ending!
one-of-a-kind, for better or for worse
hands-off, chill gameplay
arbitrary rules, genre agnostic
silly little guy
virtual pet adjacent
if you find these attributes fun,
you should give Pokemon Channel a try!
Knuckles Chaotix
released 1995
the best game on the ill-fated Sega 32X by a long shot.
as the name suggests, this game is a sensory explosion of chaos. the levels are so detailed and colorful, there’s so much movement and energy — it’s a fantastic work of art.
in this game, you play as two characters tied together.
what seems like an annoying design choice at first quickly illuminates itself as a brilliant guiderail for keeping two characters close-by. no more off-screen second character, like in sonic the hedgehog 2.
it really starts to justify itself when the gravity and physics come into play. one character can be standing on a platform while the other jumps off a ledge, and uses the elastic “rope” as a slingshot to blast themself way up high. the game really takes advantage of the concept, and it totally rocks.
one-of-a-kind, for better or for worse
ridiculously fast-paced gameplay
arbitrary two-characters-tied mechanic
much better multiplayer
cool physics gameplay
if you find these attributes fun,
you should give Knuckles Chaotix a try!
Super Tempo
released 1998
for a platform as weird as the Sega Saturn, it is an absolute crime that Super Tempo didn’t end up being the “mascot game” for the console.
(that being said, you won’t hear me complaining about Nights Into Dreams earning that title instead.)
with animations so meticulously smooth, and so much detail put into the character art and level design, you’d think this game would be more of a cult classic, but i’ve seldom seen anyone talk about it.
though it can be pretty challenging, and sometimes labyrinthine, Super Tempo kept my attention with its insane boss fight concepts, the ghost hunting, the wacky impromptu shmup segment — it’s absolutely oozing with charm. i love it dearly.
one-of-a-kind, for better or for worse
platformer with floaty physics
super weird and cool boss fights
experimental gameplay concept
stunningly beautiful art and animation
if you find these attributes fun,
you should give Super Tempo a try!
Bubsy 3D
released 1996
despite its infamy, Bubsy 3D is about as unique as a 3D platformer can get.
everything about this game is rigid. the controls, the world design, the texture work — everything. it is a truly bizarre sight to behold how rough around the edges it is.
the jump arcs are stiff, and the camera whips downward every single time. throwing atoms at enemies is awkward, and i honestly didn’t even know i could do it until i read the manual.
i can’t think of a more surreal, dream-like experience than Bubsy 3D.
exploring this haunting nightmare world is an unsettling, yet somehow exhilarating experience.
it also has a shockingly fun multiplayer mode.
one-of-a-kind, for better or for worse
extremely stiff controls
bizarre nightmare world
absolutely no polish to be found
really good multiplayer, somehow
if you find these attributes fun,
you should give Bubsy 3D a try!
what could pawsibly go wrong?
Toejam and Earl
released 1991
Toejam and Earl is my favorite combination of funky, spacey, and hip-hoppy.
even though it released in the early 90s, you really can’t get much more 90s than this.
you (and a friend, hopefully) explore a randomly generated (!) series of islands, trying to find ship parts, to re-build toejam and earl’s ship, and get back to planet funkotron.
the game is tough as nails, but it’s an absolute blast. exploring the randomly generated islands, strategically dodging enemies, collecting and using presents, and eating yummy (or gross) food — it’s tough not to get sucked into!
one-of-a-kind, for better or for worse
might as well be multiplayer only
randomly generated levels
collect-a-thon
arbitrary item system
if you find these attributes fun,
you should give Toejam and Earl a try!
Mario Artist
released 1999
the most iconic game series for the infamous 64DD, Mario Artist, oozes with charm and personality.
leave it to late 90s nintendo to find a way to make art software interesting and exciting.
