As a gamer, it’s always a bit disappointing to see how little releases come out in the month or two right after another successful year has finished. In reality, it should be another month for developers and publishers to capitalize on,(just look at Dying Light) but this still tends not to be the case. There isn’t much for gamers to do besides attack their backlog, but if you keep a steady pace instead, it’s hard not to get a little bored. With this in mind, here are five under-the-radar titles, that should feed anyone’s gaming desires during the slow month ahead.

Lords of the Fallen

Price: Gamestop: $30.00 avg Amazon: $24.62 avg Digital : $43.33 avg

Description: A Dark Souls-lite game with some really good destruction physics and great atmosphere, Lords of the Fallen came out of nowhere from a studio previously known for bargain bin titles such as Enemy Front or Sniper Ghost Warrior. While it’s not completely rid of problems, the overall game was so well done that a sequel is already being done for a 2017 release!

Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC

Who it’s for: Fans of any game that bears a resemblance to the Souls games, but not to a point. Lords of the Fallen bears it’s own unique aesthetic, and contains some unquestionably well done customization mechanics such as a timed risk and reward system to bring back lost goods.

Who it’s not for: Gamers who have mastered the Souls series. Lords of the Fallen is a good middle ground between Dark Souls and a typical RPG, so it’s not really a good fit for someone who has 100%ed all those games back to back.

The Golf Club Collector’s Edition

Price: Gamestop: $25 avg Amazon: $28.86 avg Digital: $30 avg

Description: The Project Cars of golf games, The Golf Club is a pitch-perfect recreation of golf. It’s designed by fans of golf, for fans of golf and manages to have an array of social aspects to, such as a course creator. It’s also made by a small team of former PGA Tour devs and it shows. Rory Mcilroy PGA Tour’s got nothing on this, in any way shape or form.

Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One PC

Who it’s for: Fans of ultra-realistic sports games. The Golf Club pulls no boundaries, and expects you to know every in and out of golf in order to get the true, intended experience.

Who it’s not for: Fans of ultra-casual sports games. If you’re hesitant to get the newest PGA Tour based off the bad reviews, you might want to wait until something else rolls your way. The Golf Club is catered to a very specific and apparent audience.

Defense Grid 2

Price: Gamestop: N/A Amazon:N/A Digital:$11.24

Description: The long-awaited sequel to 2008’s cult classic tower defense game Defense Grid, Defense Grid 2 was a crowdfunding miracle, and came out to overwhelmingly positive reviews. It’s more than standard tower defense fare, and features a wide variety of enemies and upgrades to boost your defenses.

Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Linux, Mac OS

Who it’s for: Fans of complete and detailed tower defense games. Defense Grid 2 contains many modes (coop and single-player) each with their own entertaining story arcs. So far it’s one of the pinnacles of the genre.

Who it’s not for: People expecting much more than the genre provides. The game’s story and UI are nothing special, it’s just the overall experience that turns out to be fruitful in the end.

Strider

Price: Gamestop:$15 (Xbox and PC only) Amazon: $15 Digital: $11.64

Description: One of the few modern Capcom reboots done right, Strider maintains the franchises trademark tight controls, with a couple of new spins at the wheel. The upgraded visuals, soundtrack, and level design all strengthen the gameplay to near platforming perfection.

Platforms: Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows

Who it’s for: Fans of nostalgia fueled platformers. Strider is one of the few reboots in recent memory that captures what made the original great, and improves on it. The action is much faster than usual, but still manages to keep players in tune with a well designed control system.

Who it’s not for: Fans wanting more. As good as Strider is, it’s unlikely that more will be developed since the studio behind it was strangely acquired by Amazon, shortly before release.

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments

Price: Gamestop: $22 avg Amazon:$29.63 Digital:$20

Description: An episodic-like murder mystery adventure game, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments is a historical and detailed detective journey. In addition to playing mini-games in order to solve crimes, the player must make decisions based off of the environments and evidence around them, leading to multiple endings for the six available cases. The game also has some unnecessary, but funny touches such as a customization room to fit in with locals during missions.

Platforms: Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows

Who it’s for: Fans of modernized point and click adventure games. In many ways, Frogwares jumped the gun on a Telltale-like historical adventure game before many could put their hands on it. It’s a little rough around the edges, but manages to be very entertaining.

Who it’s not for: Fans of more hands-on adventure games. Despite being set in a Victorian era, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments doesn’t have many combat mechanics, as most of the game is centered around walking to different landmarks and questioning victims or witnesses.

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