Games That Started Terribly But Ended Up Legendary

It’s rare for a game to be amazing from the very beginning. Often, even great games take a little while to really get going. Keeping players interested is tough, and if the first few hours aren’t fun or engaging, they might lose interest.

A weak start – whether it’s dull, lengthy, or overly difficult – can easily discourage even the most dedicated players. But those who persevere will discover truly amazing experiences that are unique to the game, even if they’re initially masked by a slow or uninspired opening.

Death Stranding

Beyond Slow-Burning

Hours of slow walking and cryptic cutscenes with seemingly no connection.
Unlocking vehicles and other transport options makes exploration less tedious.

Death Stranding starts with lengthy cutscenes, vast empty landscapes, and slow movement that can be frustrating. The beginning of the game focuses heavily on these solitary moments, with little immediate reward, which can make the initial hours feel slow and difficult for some players.

Once the game world truly expands, everything changes. You’ll gain new ways to get around, making it much easier to explore large areas, and the story will start to come together with every step you take. What starts as a bizarre and unusual journey quickly becomes a bold and memorable experience, unlike anything else available—except, perhaps, Death Stranding 2.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Trudging Through The Snow

Heavy tutorials and a long, restrictive prologue.
Opens up into an immersive open-world unlike any other.

The beginning of Red Dead Redemption 2 feels very different from the rest of the game. It starts in the snow-covered mountains, and players are held back by lots of instructions and limited control – making it frustrating when all they want to do is freely roam the world.

Okay, so it starts a little slow, I’ll admit. But if you stick with it, this game really opens up. The world is incredible – it’s so detailed and feels truly alive, with characters and places that constantly change. And the story? Wow. It completely surprised me. I honestly think it’s one of the most emotionally powerful stories I’ve ever experienced in a game, and it totally changed my opinion of what I thought the game would be.

Persona 5

One Of The Longest Prologues Of All Time

Constant hand-holding in the early hours.
Stylish combat and long-term storytelling bring the world to life.

The beginning of Persona 5 focuses heavily on tutorials, gradually introducing its social mechanics, and establishing the story with a very structured path. A lot of features aren’t available right away, and the game really finds its flow after several hours of play.

As you play, the game evolves into a truly exceptional RPG – it’s both incredibly ambitious and remarkably well-made. Battles become fully customizable, giving you complete control over how each encounter plays out. Ultimately, Persona 5 delivers on its potential, becoming a deeply emotional and mechanically complex RPG that rivals the very best in the genre.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Brutal In the Beginning, Beautiful In The End

Players starts weak and the combat is incredibly punishing
Realistic progression makes every milestone feel earned

Kingdom Come: Deliverance offers a realistic journey from humble beginnings as a peasant to becoming a knight, complete with all the struggles and difficulties along the way. At first, combat can feel clumsy, and even simple things like learning to read are tough, highlighting just how fragile life was in medieval Bohemia.

As players become more skilled and unlock more of the game, it truly shines as a detailed medieval role-playing experience, realistically simulating life in that period. The gameplay becomes intuitive with progression, and the story unfolds organically, allowing players to make their own choices. It all leads to a satisfying and emotional ending, hinting at what’s next for the main character, Henry.

Yakuza 0

Hours Of Setup Before The Madness Begins

Dialogue-heavy opening with slow pacing.
The world opens up with a range of insane side quests that completely change the feel of the combat.

At the beginning of Yakuza 0, players have limited fighting moves and can’t explore as freely as in later games, which might feel different for those familiar with the series. The game spends a lot of time establishing its story and world, and this can be a bit much for new players. Some might find this initial setup too slow or complicated to get through.

Once you’ve unlocked all the abilities and areas, the game truly opens up, letting you create your own adventures. Even smaller side quests become surprisingly satisfying, and the story starts to develop naturally into a thrilling crime saga. You’ll become invested in the characters and experience moments that will leave you wanting to play for hours.

Dragon’s Dogma

Turning Many Players Away From The Start

Generic fantasy tone with confusing systems.
Exceptional storytelling that spans the entire playthrough.

Dragon’s Dogma starts off in a fairly typical way for fantasy role-playing games. It introduces the world with simple combat and quests that feel familiar, and doesn’t immediately stand out from the crowd.

As you progress and unlock new character classes, the battles become incredibly impressive, letting you fight huge monsters in spectacular, movie-like scenes. The story also takes an unexpected and thought-provoking turn near the end, changing how you understand everything that happened and completely challenging your initial impressions.

Okami

Gorgeous Yet Exhausting

Excessive text that makes tutorials drag on.
Environments later become a playground no longer limited by instructions.

The beginning of Okami features a lengthy tutorial with frequent interruptions and not much complex gameplay, making it hard to fully enjoy the game’s stunning visuals. Players often find the first few hours slow due to a lot of talking and limited freedom, which can discourage them before the game truly captivates them.

After a slow start, the game quickly becomes a beautiful and exciting adventure. The challenges get more interesting, the fighting feels smooth, and the story blends seamlessly with the gameplay, culminating in a truly touching and unforgettable experience.

Driver

Defining Barrier To Entry

Absurdly difficult tutorial section.
Revolutionary driving mechanics and cinematic sequences that were ahead of their time.

The opening garage tutorial in Driver is well-known for being incredibly difficult. It requires players to perform tricky driving skills with very little guidance. Because of this, many players couldn’t get past the beginning, even though the rest of the game is excellent. As a result, the tutorial often gets a worse reputation than it actually deserves.

After a slow start, Driver proves to be a remarkably ambitious and forward-thinking open-world driving game. Its realistic handling, thrilling cinematic chases, and expansive city environments deliver a uniquely immersive and exciting experience that set the standard for the genre. The initial difficulty now seems like an unnecessary hurdle to accessing a truly groundbreaking game that helped shape modern driving games.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

A Lot To Learn All At Once

Starts very slowly without much hope of expanding.
Unmatched quest and narrative design kicks down the door as soon as the tutorial is over.

The game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt starts in White Orchard, an area designed to teach players the ropes. It strongly encourages following a set path and learning the game’s mechanics as intended. This careful introduction can make the first few hours feel a bit slow and the story seem simple, even though the game is widely praised.

While the beginning of the game is relatively simple, it truly opens up when you reach the bigger cities of Velen and Novigrad. You’ll soon find yourself caught up in a complex network of quests that all connect and build on each other. The combat also becomes incredibly flexible, letting you fight in almost any way you can imagine. It starts slow, but quickly becomes an expansive and exciting experience.

Assassin’s Creed 3

Significantly Delaying The Action

Delayed access to the main protagonist.
Large-scale battles that give the game a unique identity within the franchise.

Okay, so Assassin’s Creed 3… it starts a little slow, honestly. You spend a good chunk of time playing as Haytham Kenway before you actually get to be the main assassin. He’s a really interesting guy, but it’s weird at first because you’re not getting that classic Assassin’s Creed freedom right away. A lot of people were a bit frustrated by that, expecting to jump in and explore immediately.

Once the story truly gets going, the game opens up into a large and exciting world filled with challenging fights and interesting missions that will keep players hooked. Despite a somewhat slow start, Assassin’s Creed III is still considered one of the best games in the series, proving that a story revealed at a steady pace can be incredibly satisfying.

2025-12-11 11:40