Perspective can change everything about a game. How it feels to move, fight enemies, talk to NPCs, and just experience a game's atmosphere are changed by shifts in perspective. Whether a game is top-down, over-the-shoulder, isometric, 2D, or 3D, its dimensions can either add to the gameplay or detract from it.
2.5D games straddle an interesting line visually as well as mechanically, often producing amazing games as a result. The 2.5D genre has produced one-of-a-kind platformers, RPGs, and survival games. With so many great games out there, it's easy for many to slip through the cracks. Here are some of Steam's greatest unsung 2.5D games.
7 Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series
First released in 1997, the Klonoa franchise is anything but new. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series combines two games from the series: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil! It's about saving the world in the kind of cute, bouncy manner that only mascot platformers manage.
With updated graphics, adjustable difficulty sliders, and Moo Costume DLC thrown in for good measure, Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is the best way to experience this 2.5D platformer. All the costumes in the world wouldn't be enough to save the game if its core gameplay were weak, but Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series executes its cute brand of mascot nonsense with perfect precision.
6 Story Walker
Laid-back puzzle and item-collection game Story Walker is about a wizard who enters the world of books in order to collect elves. That unusual premise forms the backdrop for a quiet, contemplative journey. It's important to note that the game is only available in Chinese, so those who don't speak that language will struggle to comprehend much of it.
Story Walker is easy to recommend on the strength of its artwork alone. Using an illustrative, pop-up book aesthetic and hypnotic music for the environments that its protagonist navigates, the game is a sensory delight. Though the lack of an English localization has dampened the game's allure, Story Walker is a unique and gorgeous experience even in its present form.
5 Big Earth
A 2.5D puzzle-platformer, Big Earth depicts a future in which Earth's resources have been exhausted, and only by recovering seeds and valuable energy can the player restore a dying world. The game's tiny protagonist is dwarfed by the plants and animals in the environment, immediately giving off strong Grounded vibes, though Big Earth's platforming gameplay stands on its own.
The game's most incredible feature is its art. Its environments are recreated from over 15,000 photos of plants, animals, and insects in nature reserves, creating a realistic look that stands out from a legion of competitors. Given how strong the game's art is, it's a welcome surprise that Big Earth allows players to hide the HUD and take photos, saving the best parts of their experience forever.
4 Fallback
Driven underground by an ecological disaster, the last remnants of humanity must now journey back to the surface, fighting through an army of robots in order to return to the world they once left behind. Fallback is a procedurally generated roguelike, so every journey through these underground chambers is different.
With a jetpack, upgradeable gear, and over 50 skills to unlock, the player has plenty on their side. They'll need it, because the bosses and enemies don't go down easily. Fallback also includes six different character classes — from the stealthy Technophobe to the teleporting Holomaster — ensuring that every run through these procedural levels is even more unique. Navigating its levels can take some getting used to, but the payoff is a roguelike experience unlike any other.
3 Deadlight: Director's Cut
There are zombie games to suit every player's taste. Tense survival horror? Squad-based action? Post-apocalyptic merchant sim? There's all that and more in the zombie genre. Blending stealth, combat, puzzles, and even platforming, Deadlight: Director's Cut covers many areas of gameplay without dropping the ball in any of them.
Surviving Seattle in the 80s during a zombie apocalypse is rough, especially since the character is decidedly human: if a person couldn't plausibly do something in real life, the main character in Deadlight can't either. Without superpowers or even a double jump to help get players through tough levels, Deadlight presents a realistic (though not terribly difficult) challenge. Tense and atmospheric, Deadlight: Director's Cut does everything it needs to and more.
2 Prince Of Qin
Prince of Qin is an unabashedly retro RPG, with all the unique strengths, quirks, and flaws that come with that. Managing a team of five heroes and choosing the right balance of skills, abilities, and elemental attacks to defeat one's enemies is a great challenge.
Perhaps the game's most compelling element is its accurate depiction of the Qin Dynasty, which gives the game considerable appeal for fans of the period's history and architecture. Even those who aren't familiar with the period will still find much to like about this dense RPG besides the Great Wall and Terracotta Warriors. The dialog, animations, battle system, and setting will all make fans of retro RPGs feel immediately at home, which in itself is enough to recommend the game.
1 ANNO: Mutationem
Action RPG ANNO: Mutationem is arguably one of the most attractive 2.5D games on steam. That's a bold claim considering the huge number of gorgeous titles in the genre, but it's hard not to be immediately blown away by the game's unique blend of 2D and 3D art, especially when it's in motion.
The game is the cyberpunk story of Ann, a lone wolf in a metropolis that plays on virtually all the major cyberpunk tropes. While the game may not break new ground with its themes, its aesthetic and mechanical execution are not only incredible on their own, but blend seamlessly together for a unique cyberpunk experience.