Indeed.

Since I've missed a number of days I'll give an extra chance for some of these:

7) It's not a game.

???

6) Genre suprise.

The genre it turns out to be is horror.

5) This game went free-to-play many years after it's release, but not many seemed to notice.

Testing site for AI research.

4) The best-selling licensed game ever (I'm pretty sure).

Atlus started the Etrian Odyssey series on the DS, using the touchscreen for showing and drawing the map, while the upper screen showed the usual stuff: the environment outside of battle and the battle screen while fighting. The game was great and justified many sequels. On the 3DS Atlus remade this first game, now with the graphical engine of the fourth game and some quality of life improvements. But also with one very important thing: an additional story mode, which played differently and has a more cohesive story than the original mode. You can play both modes. As this basically doubles the content, Untold: The Millenium Girl stands as it's own game, not only an improved version of the first game.

The original game (and therefore this remake) offer a very satisfying dungeon delve. You explore the maps while mastering the dangers of the labyrinth. You are tasked with mapping alongside the exploration of the labyrinth. The labyrinth uses traps, tresure chests, on the map visible boss enemies (called foes) and a lot of other stuff to spice up things. The battle system offers a well working turn based battle with many options like magic, different skills and items. Other than battles, the labyrinth has a lot of smaller events taking place at certain places.

The remake offers additionally a story mode with fixed characters (but including a lot of customization), additional mazes and anime cutscenes to drive the story. Between classic mode and story mode this remake offers you a lot of content. And all with a great RPG as base and the exploration of an unknown maze as task.

I always liked already in the original game, how the style of the labyrinth changes the deeper you go into it. You have plenty to do while leveling up. Being it missions from the townsfolk or collecting monster materials for new items in the store. With the remake offering so much more it is a great RPG experience. This game at this spot represents in part the whole series, all very good classic RPGs.

Sadly so far Atlus hasn't graced the Switch with any Etrian Odyssey game, I had liked to see how they evolve the series on the new platform. Maybe Atlus intends to let it die with the 3DS. Which would be a shame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh8uEvcP-Aw

#5 is still unguessed. And it is time to break into the TOP 3 with my hints.

#5: Pandora's Tower guessed by drbunnig
Eating gross beast flesh.
Help your love to get free from the curse.

#4: Tokyo Mirage Session #FE guessed by UnderwaterFunktown
Being a japanese Pop-Idol as cover to fight mysterious otherworldly mirages.

#3
Yes, We were naughty. Completely naughty.

Pandora's Tower?

Yes!

Correct.

I've been gone too long from this thread.

I don't have any clues, but wanted to take some time to highlight two games never-before-seen on my list: Super Mario 3D World and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

I played both for the first time this year: Ori at launch on Game Pass and SM3D World on WiiU (7 years late )

Anyway, I adore both. I was a little skeptical about 3D World, since 3D Land has always been toward the back end of my favorite 3D Mario games. But it's absolutely amazing. Great graphics and sound, and super creative levels, mechanics, and platforming conceits. I think it can go toe-to-toe with games like Galaxy.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps, meanwhile, is a masterpiece. Right now, it's the only Metroidvania I believe can compete with Super Metroid. I would have ranked it higher, but it suffered from some pretty glaring technical issues at launch. I look forward to playing it again post-patch and re-evaluating it.

Hopefully I can play more "heavyweight" games in 2021 and add some fresh titles to the list. It's been a little stagnant...

It's a bit funny that you play SM3D World now, when it comes to Switch early next year with added content (which we know nothing about), but it is always fun to discover awesome games that you missed the time they were new. Playing them late means you can play them without hype clouding your experience.

3) A lot of this game's fun comes from its factions; one new introduction here is a faction of wandering musicians. Some classics return though: one for fighters, one for mages, one for thieves and one for assassins.

2) You and your party are powerful sorcerers, but the game spells that word differently.

Your party ideally consists of a group of unique characters with origin stories and quest lines, but if you get one of them killed you can get more boring replacements.

1) A protagonist who frequently moans about how much he hates getting involved in human affairs spends half his time doing exactly that, while looking for his adopted daughter and facing an invading alien army.