10 Underrated Action-Adventure Games that were Badly Reviewed

While I highly value the responsibility my colleagues around the world have when reviewing video games, I also understand there's no universal truth that can override subjectivity.

As a result, regardless of whether a title has an extremely high or low average rating, I always try to form my own opinion before making definitive judgments, as I've been more than once surprised by trying otherwise.

Between masterpieces that I don't consider to be great and interactive disasters that I find entertaining, differing opinions are a fundamental part of interpreting video games, which is something we should celebrate.

In any case, there have been many occasions when my assessment of a game has differed from the consensus, which is why I invite you to read this article about ten badly reviewed action-adventure games that are actually pretty good.

10 Ryse: Son of Rome

A Captivating Technical Demo

Xbox One was, unfortunately, one of the most forgettable consoles of all time, but I dare say this led to such a drop in expectations that, when I first played it, I thoroughly enjoyed Ryse: Son of Rome.

Every few months, I succumb to the allure of an action game that offers nothing more than a power fantasy that prioritizes aesthetics over functionality, and I'd say I can recall few games that pull off said trade-off as well as this one.

To put it somewhat disparagingly but positively, it felt like a tech demo marketed as something more, and while I believe the criticism was entirely deserved, I also managed to empathize with the final product by appreciating what it did well, which wasn't insignificant.

Honestly, I think people exaggerate a lot when they say Ryse: Son of Rome is a bad game, because I, as someone addicted to wandering in the most remote corners of the Internet, have indeed tried some truly abject projects, and they are light years away from the fun and visual appeal of this beautiful, blood-soaked corridor.

9 The Order: 1886

Vindicated by Time

The phenomenon of a poorly received release eventually becoming a beloved game is quite common in the video game industry, and The Order: 1886 is an excellent example.

To call it a masterpiece would be a lie, but to deny it's a product of its time would be dishonest, as it follows the trends of a generation that sought what Ready at Dawn actually achieves at a high level.

That is to say, great cinematography, spectacular scenes, and the highest possible graphical fidelity, which overshadowed a less flashy gameplay that, I dare say, was far more entertaining and satisfying than was generally acknowledged at the time.

It wasn't a title destined to become a franchise, though not all games need to be, and The Order: 1886 came into my life many years later to satisfy my need for a game unlike anything I'd seen in the previous decade, which gives it considerable value over time.

8 ReCore

The Power of Good Ideas

ReCore is among the most unfortunate examples I've seen of how a title with good ideas can do little if its launch is technically flawed, though it definitely deserved much more than it received.

Progressively, the game received improvements that made the experience much more enjoyable, to the point of becoming an underrated adventure with a truly unique charm and a rather intriguing world.

The gameplay loop is solid, the movement is captivating, and over the years, the loading screens have been improved, as well as the amount of available content, but the verdict on its quality has already been established in the popular imagination.

In the end, it's still a creation of the great Keiji Inafune, so it's difficult to imagine anything less than brilliant coming from his mind. Therefore, if there's a title that deserves a second chance to overlook the problems that no longer exist, it's ReCore.

7 Immortals of Aveum

A Magic Shooter That's a Blast

Perhaps it's due to my devotion to magic-centric games, but playing Immortals of Aveum is the closest we'll get to a Call of Duty with sorcerers, and I think we don't appreciate it enough.

With the passage of time, I've learned to choose which games I take seriously beyond just gameplay, and since this isn't one of those cases at all, I allowed myself to enjoy the solidity of its gunplay and how it impacts more than just combat.

Considering there are very few “first-person magic shooters”, those who have enjoyed the gameplay in titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Lichdom: Battlemage, and GhostWire: Tokyo know exactly what to expect from this game, and it delivers in the best way possible.

Forget the story, dialogue, lore, and characters, because everything related to the narrative is extremely poor, but when it comes to being entertaining… I genuinely believe Immortals of Aveum is among the franchises I would most like to see receive a sequel.

6 Evil West

Superficial and Engaging Entertainment

Evil West, for better or for worse, belongs to the select group of games where it's tough to find a middle ground between love and hate, though I'm sure I'm much closer to the former.

Yes, it's frustrating, it can occasionally feel repetitive, and the story does nothing to improve the experience, but grounding everything in a universe composed of vampires and cowboys, and extrapolating that theme into the gameplay, makes it captivating in the right hands.

Without deep narrative pretensions and artificially open levels to fill space in the worst possible way, Flying Wild Hog knows how to strike a chord that, for me, is infallible: making combat a delight regardless of the means used to achieve it.

They did it with Shadow Warrior, they did it with Trek to Yomi, and they did it with Evil West: creating cinematic gameplay that blurs the line between monotony and the excellence of repetition, a delicate balance that, fortunately, finds a more than positive outcome here.

5 Remember Me

Dontnod's First Banger

Getting down to the point of “I genuinely can't understand how this game wasn't a smash hit”, Remember Me is the first chronological reason to love Dontnod Entertainment.

Creative melee combat that encouraged experimentation, environmental puzzles that blended seamlessly with the setting, an engaging story and narrative within a grand context, solid platforms to enhance the gameplay… It had everything you could ask for in a great action-adventure experience.

Perhaps it arrived at a time when the genre was supersaturated, or perhaps people felt it lacked higher production values, though my present-day self still vividly remembers the feelings I experienced in 2013, and a mediocre game doesn't achieve that.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but I'm grateful not only that Remember Me exists, but also that Dontnod has continued creating games of this kind and exploring other genres instead of being swayed by the excessive criticism their debut game received.

4 Mad Max

Straightforward Adrenaline

Every year, I say I'm tired of open-world games, though there's always one that reminds me why I end up returning to the genre no matter what, and Mad Max was the one to do it in 2015.

However, much to my dismay, the critics disagreed, giving it low reviews compared to the almost unanimous support that the user community gave for this great video game and adaptation.

With desolate landscapes, danger around every corner, equally prominent shooting and driving, so many explosions that would make Michael Bay proud, ample customization, and excellent worldbuilding, I honestly couldn't tell you what it lacks that prevents it from being praised to the point of absurdity.

Mad Max is one of those games that appeals to any post-apocalyptic fan regardless of their gameplay preferences, because everything it does is so well done that it's hard not to be motivated to enjoy all its content.

3 Days Gone

A Surprising Undervaluation

Considering its long PlayStation exclusivity, I was surprised to see Days Gone receive such a lukewarm reception, ultimately suffering from an undervaluation uncommon among blockbusters.

Games of its style and caliber tend to be rated over their capacities, but Bend Studio's work was relegated to the sidelines compared to its peers, despite being among the best post-apocalyptic games of its generation.

While its stunning graphics and technical aspects already solidify a foundation that's impossible to shake, its open structure and mechanics, combined with relentless action and survival gameplay, create a robust experience in every sense, even if it's not groundbreaking.

The only truly fierce criticism one can level at Days Gone is its lack of innovation, but it remains an excellent embodiment of all the elements that typically captivate within the genre's gameplay and themes.

As the years have passed, people have come to appreciate it properly and even regret the cancellation of its sequel, though that did not prevent its premiere from being rather mixed.

2 Darksiders 3

Expectations More Than Met

I'm fully aware Darksiders 3 is a significantly different game from its two main predecessors, but I don't think that's enough to justify the undeserved disdain it has garnered over the years.

Instead of being a Zelda-like game like the first or an open-world hack and slash like the second, Fury's adventure resembles FromSoftware's projects and delivers a game worthy of the franchise's quality, albeit through different means.

The combat remains superb, the protagonist and story maintain their intrigue and development, the bosses are as compelling as ever, and the exploration and progression remain the heart of the campaign, so I don't know where it actually falters.

Is the whip not as exciting as the scythes or the greatsword? Maybe, but Gunfire Games did an excellent job of perfectly adapting it to the enemies, gameplay style, platforming, and puzzles, adding even more value to their decision not to simply continue the formula for the sake of pleasing players.

With its diverse settings, constant integration of new abilities, and continuous evolution in both narrative and mechanics, Darksiders 3 is a magnificent sequel that I hope time will vindicate, as it has with other titles.

1 Nier

A Misunderstood Masterpiece

Taking the prize for the biggest gap between quality and critical acclaim, Nier is a masterpiece whose poor reception I can only justify by saying it was ahead of its time.

Otherwise, I can't comprehend how one of the century's most magnificent audiovisual displays, whose mechanics “only” suffer from being repetitive and archaic, could have been the subject of such discordant opinions.

Because of its heartbreaking story, unforgettable characters, unique gameplay identity, and one of the best soundtracks of all time, I think we can overlook that fighting and traversing its landscapes can become tedious after 20 hours, because at that point, you should be too immersed to care.

With the popularity of NieR: Automata and its re-release as Nier Replicant, it thankfully established itself as the cult classic it truly is, so my youthful memories of the game finally feel validated.

Even so, its 67 on Metacritic remains, which is quite low for the start of one of the best franchises in Square Enix history, and which probably continues to scare away thousands of players from enjoying a magnificent interactive experience.