Games That You Didn’t Know Had A Competitive Scene
Esports is a thing of the present and will be for the future. With Dota 2’s annual The International event racking up over millions in its prize pool, it is evident that esports has received global recognition as it should.
Not only has Dota 2 contributed to the esports scene, games like CS:GO, Valorant and League of Legends have all graced the global stage where the best of the games pit against one another.
And like all popular trends, there are quite a few hidden gems within the esports scene where a competitive scene is very much unexpected.
Let’s take a look at some games that have gone under the radar despite having competitive tourneys and professional players.
Pokemon
No, we are not talking about Pokemon UNITE or Pokken Tournament. The competitive scene that we’re referring to is from the mainline games like the classic Sapphire and Diamond versions.
While the mainline games are plot-driven and relatively easy to play, once you understand a little about the competitiveness of the game, your perception of the game changes entirely.
The tournaments are usually held in Single or Double Battles where moves that may not see play in your regular Pokemon run, can be insanely useful in these competitive scenarios.
Yup, Pokemon isn’t as friendly as it seems to be.
Stardew Valley
Eric Barone is one of the few developers out there that puts their heart into the game that they develop and Stardew Valley has been nothing but a success.
Loved by many, Stardew Valley and esports are probably two elements that just don’t gel well with one another and when Eric announced on his Twitter that he would be collaborating with Unsurpassable Z to host a Stardew Valley tournament with a prize pool of $40K, we were extremely surprised.
The tournament consists of different challenges with varying difficulties and the players would need to complete them as quickly as possible. The winners would be the ones who finish the quickest. The event was mainly targeted at speedrunners and players that have a firm understanding of the game’s mechanics.
Although the competitive scene for Stardew Valley isn’t as developed as the mainstream games out there, it is fascinating to see an indie game being approached in a competitive way.
Catherine
Like Pokemon, Catherine is a game where the intent of the game isn’t to compete but is to serve as an experience.
Catherine’s gameplay itself is very unique. It uses a pseudo-block-building and fighting genre as its framework, requiring its players to combine both their creativity and reactionary skills.
And with a decent skill ceiling, there are bound to be players that are significantly better than the rest. With that, a competitive scene for the game was born and has even found its way into EVO—arguably the most premier fighting game tournament.
Shrek Super Slam
Aside from being a meme and a comic relief, Shrek has seen some involvement in the competitive gaming scene.
Like many games we’ve mentioned, Shrek Super Slam was never intended for competitive play and it was mainly designed to be a couch and party game.
Combining high-mechanic gameplay and the Internet’s love for Shrek, Shrek Super Slam blew up and had several tournaments hosted.
Enthusiasts of the game hope that the game—despite it being rather dated—will pick up the pace and will see Shrek Super Slam being featured at EVO.
Clone Hero
One of the most disappointing things about the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games is that there was no competitive scene for it, even when there are players who can play a track perfectly while blindfolded.
Clone Hero is actually a free-to-download game that is heavily inspired by the aforementioned titles. Created by Ryan Foster, this rhythm game is an open-source game where players who don’t have the consoles to play Guitar Hero or Rock Band can enjoy a similar experience with Clone Hero.
And as the game’s community grew, players were becoming better, more competitive, and it was a matter of time before competitive online servers were created where the best get to compete with the best.
While Clone Hero is free-to-play, most of the games mentioned do require you to purchase the game like Catherine and Stardew Valley, both of which can be bought on Steam. So, if you’re eager to put your competitive mask on, you can top up your Steam Wallet funds with our codes here!
