For the SGR Book of the Month choice this month, Ross picked out Until Dawn. This is a game I had not heard of until Ross made it the game we would play for this month’s “book.” I didn’t see a lot of people streaming it on Twitch.TV, nor were any or my social media feeds really hyped for this game. I honestly wasn’t expecting that much from this title.

Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. The game totally rocked my world. I enjoyed my first tenish hours with it. I completed my first playthrough in two evenings. The story was interesting. Well, that is if you like generic horror movies. The audio just blew me away. It was an experience that I totally enjoyed.

That got me thinking about other games that became unexpected gems. Another recent game that caught me by surprise was The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. That game might be short, but man what an experience it is. The world is so beautifully constructed. The story is solid. A few of the puzzles brought on a good challenge. I went into the game with some pretty level expectations. I left just amazed at what I had played. Hell, I haven’t even deleted it off of my PS4, and I’m so out of friggin’ hard drive space!

Some other unexpected gems include Elite: Dangerous, Pillars of Eternity, Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons, Journey, and Demon’s Souls. Sure some of these games are “big” titles, but I went into all of them with the thought that they’d be fun for a bit, but then dwindle in their entertainment value and just end up fading into a distant memory. All of these games, and so many more, have left big impressions on me. Either because I become stupidly addicted to them, or providing a story so powerful that I was left dealing with the aftermath for a few days. That, lovely readers, is the power of those unexpected gems in the video game world!