For a gaming genre to go from unique and niche to oversaturated overnight, it only takes one game to break the mold.
Whether it’s Stardew Valley, Dark Souls, or Slay the Spire, as soon as they show that a formula has traction, the others soon jump on the bandwagon.
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Survive and thrive in these titles that stand out from the rest.
Then, slowly but surely, this genre becomes so commonplace that when someone mentions the genre at all, you tune out instantly or let out a faint groan.
We think it’s about time we called them out as a means of turning the attention of the developers out there to new and more interesting things. So, here are some genres we have seen quite enough of for the time being.
10 Boomer Shooters
Drag Them Back to Hell
With the exception of the occasional DOOM game, which will always be welcome in the gaming zeitgeist, I think it’s about time we reigned it in on all the boomer shooters that are trying to riff on the old-school DOOMs and Quakes of this world.
We have seen a few surprisingly interesting games within the genre that attempt to do something new, such as Anger Foot or Ultrakill. But, for every innovative Boomer Shooter, there are ten or more shallow DOOM clones.
I’m all for the gory violence and perpetual motion that comes with games like this. But, considering how similar they are in nature and how rarely they have substance beyond the core gameplay, I think we could cool it for a while.
9 Zombie Apocalypse
Shoot It In The Head
This may have been more apparent in the early 2010s, when you couldn’t avoid zombie media even if you tried. But, even though they aren’t quite as prevalent as they were then, there are still quite a lot of them.
They have their time and place, and series like Dying Light, which offers parkour-fueled gameplay to supplement the undead theme, are still worthwhile. But, aside from a few, we have seen it all before.
I blame Zombieland, I blame The Walking Dead, and I blame myself, along with all you other gamers out there, for consuming zombie media quite as vigorously. The genre is as dead as the zombies, and we all need to just move on.
8 Kart Racers
One-Note Racing
It should be an indicator that the only kart racer that has managed to stay relevant throughout the years has needed to go open-world this year, just to maintain the interest of fans. The reason is simple. This genre was played out decades ago.
This genre had its last true hurrah in the PSX era, where Mario Kart, CTR, Jet Moto, and a handful of others were in the spotlight. However, since then, there has been next to no innovation in the space.
I’ll allow for the occasional Mario Kart to come along now and again to sate the appetite of the fanatics. But it’s time for anyone gunning for the mustachioed plumber’s pole position to give it a rest.
7 Cat-Themed
Cozy Gamer Catnip
I say this as someone who owns five cats. The crowbarred-in cat theme that so many indie games run with these days needs to settle down. Mainly because, as someone predisposed to loving cats, I’m suckered in far too often.
I wouldn’t mind if the games were, across the board, very good. But, aside from the occasional standout, these games tend to prey on the good nature of the cozy gaming community, with some being a stone’s throw away from shovelware.
Thankfully, the good options tend to be pretty easy to spot, with games like Little Kitty, Big City, Stray, and Minneko’s Night Market showing their quality at a mere glance. But for all you nefarious developers selling toe beans and a dream, stop it.
6 Ubisoft Formula Open Worlds
Hope You Like Map Markers
I want to specify that I don’t want to see the demise of open worlds. It’s a popular genre for a reason, and when done right, there is nothing that can quite match the scope, scale, and immersion of an open-world game. That said, Ubisoft-formula open worlds can get in the bin.
You know the kind. The open worlds are less about exploring and existing within the world and more about bouncing around the map like a pinball, ticking off arbitrary tasks, and nabbing useless collectibles as you go.
If an open world is brave enough to take some big swings, I am more than willing to give it my attention. However, if I play another 7/10, safe as houses, cookie-cutter Assassin’s Creed game again, I might scream. Just let them pull that hidden blade on me and grant me that sweet release.
5 Survival Base Builder
Wood + Stone = Boredom
After playing the recent Story-Driven Sci-fi survival hit, The Alters, I came to the conclusion that I didn’t want fewer Survival games; I just wanted fewer dull base-builder games within the genre.
The type of game where you start dressed in a cloth rag with not a cent to your name and need to gather rock and stone to form primitive tools to build a basic base, and then gather resources in bulk to make your base the envy of all the other PVP players that will inevitably grief you and take all you have.
If a survival game offers harsh, punishing mechanics but doubles it with something beyond the norm, it’s fine by me. But if you’re just going to drop me on an island and ask me to roleplay as a caveman again, then I’m out.
I was on the fence about whether to include hero shooters or extraction shooters, but for me, the latter wins by a hair.
Mainly because this genre is so predictable, so grind-intensive, and so played out that it’s doubtful anything new within the sub-genre will succeed.
We have seen numerous Extraction Shooters emerge and fade away in recent years, with some being practically dead on arrival as they were unable to gather an initial player base, leaving them with little chance of survival.
There are some games that might give players hope for the genre, like Arc Raiders, but these are merely exceptions to the rule.
It’s a genre that has little more to offer us, and the sooner we kill this corporate cash cow option, the sooner they’ll move on and make genuinely interesting projects.
3 Roguelike Deckbuilder
Needs To Skip A Turn
This one has crept up on me in recent years, as there was a period where the term ‘roguelike deck builder’ would immediately grab my attention. However, flash forward to today, and when I hear this category, I immediately glaze over.
Unless you are doing something truly innovative in the space, such as Balatro, I don’t want to know about your Slay The Spire-inspired Deckbuilder. Quite frankly, the good ones of old are plentiful, endlessly replayable, and nothing has come along that has one-upped them in recent years.
If you want monster-based card gaming, play Slay The Spire. If you want grid-based action, then just play Into The Breach, and if you’re in the mood to roll dice, go with Dicey Dungeons. Anything else out there is just filler content.
2 Farming Simulator
An Ever-Dwindling Yield
As much as I love Eric Barone with all my heart, he does have one thing to answer for, and that’s the abundance of Farming Simulators that flooded and continue to flood the market thanks to his Harvest Moon-inspired hit.
Ever since Stardew Valley introduced players to farming, mining, fishing, and cultivating friendships, a wealth of indie games and even some AAA titles have tried to capitalize on this monumental indie darling’s success.
However, none of them have been able to match Stardew’s quality, and this has led to a huge saturation of uninspired and cookie-cutter farming sims on the market.
When the AAA scene starts trying in vain to follow a trend, you know that the writing is on the wall for the genre as a whole. Can we just accept that Stardew Valley is the definitive way to enjoy this genre and call it a day, please?
1 Friendslop
Glorified Shovelware
If there is one genre above all others that needs to collectively down tools and cease production, my vote would be for Friendslop to be erased from the gaming landscape.
For those unaware, Friendslop comes in many forms. It might be a lackluster multiplayer horror game with a cheap gimmick that has you team up with friends. It might be an endless climber like Chained Together that offers Getting Over It vibes. Or, it might be a game that can simply be labeled as ‘streamer bait.’
Occasionally, you’ll get a game in this genre that breaks through to earn the accolade of ‘flavor of the month’. However, I have never seen a game like this with staying power, as they tend to be cheap, shoddily made, and offer disposable gaming experiences.
It’s just a step up from shovelware, people. There are games out there with actual substance to be enjoyed. So, put down the gaming equivalent of a phone to doomscroll on and play something with nuance.
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