8 Action Games That Reinvented the Genre Without Getting Enough Credit

Sometimes small video games that don’t gain popularity end up being the ones that change the most. Innovation is not limited to well-known or successful games, and the common features of games we see today can come from surprising places.

Action games are one of the most popular genres in video games, and are my personal favorite. There’s nothing like the thrill of hitting the perfect combo or taking out a room full of enemies with just the right timing. Modern action games are smoother and the genre is better than ever, but it’s because of the games that came before that the genre is as good as it is today. There are highlights that everyone knows about, but some lesser-known games are also doing their part in changing action games for the better.

8

Slavery: An Odyssey to the West (2010)

Introducing the Helpful Follower

Slavery: Odyssey to the West does a lot to challenge what you’d expect from action games. Rather than turning the AI ​​into a liability on every level, Trip instead served the purpose of combat, exploration, and puzzle solving. This was years before The Last of Us’ Ellie, and serves as an ancestor to fans who came after.

Another way that Odyssey to the West changed the action companions was in the dialogue and storytelling, which seems vague today, but was an action-adventure novel at the time. It did a lot to shape the cinematic storytelling common in action games today, and should be recognized for doing so rather than being overshadowed by more popular games.

7

The Saboteur (2009)

Visual Design at Its Best

Video games are a visual medium, and visual design is just as important here as it is in movies. There are several ways to communicate information, with the most boring text, the least interesting dialogue, and visual cues usually being the best option. Saboteur is notable for its use of color – Paris is shown in black and white, but gradually gains color as its districts are liberated.

I’m a fan of counter-narratives, and Saboteur’s use of visuals to show the changes in its world works well for me. This is a great example of game design and a cinematic way to show how the world changes, rather than using percentages on the map. Its evolving world created a tangible sense of progress years before the freedom of space became a staple of open-world games, and it made Saboteur a game of fiction.

6

Binary Domain (2012)

More Strategic Combat

Enemy design is important in many games, but in Binary Domain it takes center stage. While most third-person shooters focus on big explosions and big set pieces, Binary Domain tried to make every bullet a story. Rather than simply lowering enemy health bars, players can shoot each robot’s limbs, disarm them, move slowly, or cause enemies to attack their allies.

This dynamic damage system makes battles more gentle and strategic, like the combat system of Mass Effect 2. Binary Domain has never achieved mainstream success, but its enemy formations remain the most creative ideas of the genre. Few shooters have matched its level of aggressive combat more than a decade later.

5

Oni (2001)

Multi-Variety Combat

I love a game that allows me to approach battles in multiple ways, and Oni was one of the first to do so thanks to its hybrid combat system. Oni gives you the option of using guns or melee up close and the ability to switch between them while you fight. Surprisingly, while many games of this era have not aged well, this system has held up very well.

Oni promotes fluid gameplay with a seamless transition between the two styles depending on the situation. Throws, combos, dodges, and guns are all part of a single combat system that encourages you to adapt. Oni was overshadowed by Bungie’s work on Halo, but introduced ideas that would become commonplace in modern action games built around multiplayer combat.

4

Freedom Fighters (2003)

Issue Orders to the Market

RPGs are usually turn-based games, but targeting allies was an important part of Freedom Fighters, allowing you to pull off simple commands like in Mass Effect. Freedom Fighters used a novel combination of space controls and team commands, and proved how fun they can play together. Freedom Fighters organized tactics and strategies and showed that sometimes simple is really better, making you feel like a real leader and part of a successful team.

During the game, Freedom Fighters opened up new options for liberating regions. This encourages you to consider strategic approaches when approaching goals. Many action games released since then have used similar freedom mechanics, but Freedom Fighters rarely gets the credit it deserves for proving just how engaging it can be.

3

Shinobi (2002)

Fighting Style

Style isn’t everything, but it goes a long way in making you feel like a badass while playing the game. Shinobi has got that down masterfully with their Tate system (not like that guy, here it’s pronounced ta-te), where you can kill the first enemy in the group and have time to freeze. The moment it comes out, all the enemies die at once, and you feel like a hero from a Japanese movie.

Action games in particular benefit from the cool rule, and Shinobi’s unapologetic acceptance does a lot to its appeal, but it’s also the direction action games have taken since then, even if it’s not a literal example. Aside from its fun, this combat system also encouraged grip in a way that few action games attempted at the time.

2

Hand of God (2006)

The Magic of Combos

God Hand stands out in many ways, the most notable of which is its difficulty system and its combat system. Difficulty is an important part of many games, but God’s Hand system is adapted according to the skill of the player. There are pros and cons to this process, but the takeaway here is that looking to try new things is essential to the development of the industry.

Another area that God Hand pioneered was combat, particularly its customizable combo system that allows you to create your own fighting style by assigning different input attacks. This allowed a lot of freedom to experiment with different combinations in combat, something that was rare at the time, but very common in action games today.

1

The Vanquish (2010)

Speed ​​Over Caution

Vanquish rarely gets the recognition it deserves, despite its innovation in the action genre. A third-person shooter, Vanquish abandoned the cover-based level design common at the time in favor of aggression, speed, and intensity. Rather than crouching behind cover, Vanquish encouraged you to keep moving to survive, which dramatically changed the flow of combat.

It didn’t get rid of the cover system, but it made you penalized for relying on it. Many modern shooters now embrace the same mobility and momentum that Vanquish pioneered back in 2010, and it’s sadly overlooked even in the shooter community.