Ever since games like Doom, Wolfenstein, and Quake came on the scene, gamers have been obsessed with first-person shooters. They take the direct approach to allow the player to see the world through the protagonist’s eyes. With a gun or tool in hand, first-person shooters allow players to traverse any number of fantasy or sci-fi worlds while taking on enemies and solving puzzles firsthand.
However, as the format began to grow tiresome, developers searched for new and unique ways to bring excitement to the genre. This includes playing around with time as well as expanding what is possible beyond simply running and shooting. Here are some games that have brought one or more unique angles to the genre.
10 Mirror’s Edge
Plenty of third person games have implemented various forms of parkour and climbing into their mechanics. However, navigating the side of a building becomes a little more difficult in the first person. It’s hard to free run without any peripheral vision or being able to truly gauge the world and its surroundings.
Mirror’s Edge decided to take a shot at it and succeeded to great effect. Mirror’s Edge created a truly unique futuristic setting that allowed players to run, jump, slide, and climb across rooftops in seamless style. The action of the game moves so fast it’s hard not to get immersed not just in the gameplay but the story’s science fiction world, as well.
9 Superhot
Superhot takes a different approach to the first-person genre. While the story is certainly interesting, the larger plot takes a back seat to its unique game mechanics. Essentially, the entire game is played in slow motion “bullet time.” The player moves through a series of levels where he or she has to dispatch enemies.
The catch is that time speeds up the quicker the player moves. In essence, a lot of the levels are almost like puzzles as the player has to maneuver through the slow-motion scenario to figure out the best way to take everyone down. The game is immensely fun, and its blocky, rough graphics add to the game’s immersive virtual-like experience.
8 Portal 2
Portal 2 isn’t necessarily unique for what it is. Many games such as Quantum Conundrum, The Witness and, Relicta were successful at delivering puzzles using a first-person experience. Instead, Portal 2 was unique mainly for showcasing what was possible with the genre. It took the first Portal, which was more or less a short yet fun game, and expanded it into an immersive world.
Besides the puzzles, which were complex and fun, Portal 2 delivered a truly memorable villain and a story that fans are still talking about years later. This doesn’t even take into account the co-op mode, which was just as hilarious with two goofy robots.
7 Bulletstorm
By all accounts, Bulletstorm is a relatively standard first-person shooter. The player has guns and needs to progress through levels while taking out bad guys. However, it’s the game’s tone, which carries over into its gameplay, that makes it unique.
It takes an over-the-top comedic approach to its story, similar to Borderlands, however, the main drive in the game is not just THAT you kill bad guys but rather HOW you kill them. Players are awarded bonus points for creativity such as impaling enemies on a cactus or severing their limbs while they’re still alive. It makes for a truly hilarious yet brutal experience.
6 Slender: The Arrival
It’s always awesome when indie games develop enough of a following to be expanded in a remake. That’s exactly what Slender: The Arrival is. Slender: The Eight Pages was a free game that took the Creepypasta Slender Man and made it a video game.
The Arrival expands on the same type of concept and has players traverse through levels while being chased by the villainous Slender Man. However, it’s not enough to merely not be caught by Slender Man, players can’t even look at him. The fact that the game combined a tense setting similar to Alien: Isolation with that of an urban legend makes it worthy for a spot.
5 TimeShift
TimeShift would have been just another generic shooter if not for its unique time-manipulating mechanics. Armed in a specialized suit, players move through levels while granted the ability to speed up, slow down, and even stop time at their whim.
Games have utilized various forms of this trick to some effect, especially the indie platformer Braid. However, TimeShift employs it in a run-and-gun type style that can give fans of the genre something new and unique to employ while shooting up bad guys.
4 Fractured Minds
Fractured Minds might be the most bizarre and unique game on this list as it’s not technically a game but rather an artistic experience. It was designed and created single-handedly by Emily Mitchell to try and express her experiences with mental illness.
The game is not necessarily scary, but there are unnerving elements to it. The player has to wander through various scenes including a bizarre birthday party and streets filled with people staring at their phones. Hardcore gamers looking to shoot bad guys would be disappointed, but indie fans shouldn’t pass it by.
3 The Unfinished Swan
The Unfinished Swan is technically a puzzle game, but it puts more emphasis on its artistic experience than any cerebral exercise. The story follows a boy whose mother was a painter that died with a lot of unfinished paintings. When a swan comes to life out of one of the pictures, the boy has to follow it across a series of complex levels.
The game takes an interesting approach with a black-and-white pallet that garnered it a lot of indie praise. It might not have the explosive action of first-person shooters, but it’s an immersive world that takes players on a fantastical, dreamlike journey.
2 Blair Witch
There are plenty of horror games that could have made this list. In fact, fans might dismiss Blair Witch because of the film franchise it’s based on, however, it’s a great experience all its own. Utilizing the found footage motif Blair Witch is famous for, players have to traverse the woods while trying to uncover the mystery behind a missing girl.
The camcorder is used to find clues and manipulate the world to uncover supernatural secrets. Also, there are some terrifying haunted house moments as players are hunted by a mysterious entity. All that combined makes for a game that shouldn’t be played with the lights off at midnight.
1 What Remains of Edith Finch
Technically, What Remains Of Edith Finch can be excluded from this list as there are plenty of segments in the game that diverge from the first person, but it’s so unique that it’s hard to overlook. The basic premise is that a woman returns to her ancestral home to learn the secrets behind how all of her various family members met untimely demises.
The game is filled with a heart that’s wrapped in a cocoon of dark humor. It’s definitely not a run-and-gun shooter, but for fans of indie storytelling, it’s something that shouldn’t be missed.
