Nightmare Reaper

There are so, so many more games to mention. There’s Cultic and Turbo Overkill, Rise of the Triad’s remaster, or Forgive Me Father. Or what about 2-bit zombie shooter Waves of Rotting Flesh, and the amazing rear-view camera of Hellscreen? Oh, and you MUST play the 2.5D Metroidvania based on the surrealist artwork of Polish painter Zdzisław Beksiński, Vomitoreum. But for the sake of stopping, I’m going to end with Nightmare Reaper

When I first played Nightmare Reaper, I didn’t get it. It was good, I was having fun, but it felt like something was missing. And then I died. And in death, I discovered what this game is really about: it’s a procedurally generated boomer shooter, with generation good enough that everything feels like a hand-crafted, unique level.

Oh, and even better, every three levels the assets all change, the environments are new, and you’re advancing as if playing a bespoke shooter. There are so many weapon types, from sawblades to rifles, rocket launchers to chain whips, magic books and super-kicking boots.

And then, when you level up, you use the coins you’ve gathered to play minigames based on classic arcade games! There’s even a mini-Pokémon game hidden in here!

Nightmare Reaper is huge, and hugely fun, and like nothing else on the list.

Updated: 01/11/24, 9:45 a.m. ET: Swapped out Ion Fury for the far more interesting and involved Cultic: Chapter One