Although 60 Parsecs! isn’t exactly an original game, it builds on the core gameplay of its predecessor with more polished graphics, another dose of wacky humor, and a wider range of options. As a survival game with lower difficulty but a greater variety of story branches, it offers many hours of fun as you explore all the possible endings. It might just start to feel a bit repetitive later on, though…
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Hadr is a short art piece—don’t expect a conventional gaming experience. Instead, prepare yourself for an interactive take on a gallery visit, where your thoughts will drift and wander, much like a fluttering piece of fabric. The description on Steam might give you a hint: are real things disappearing, or just memories of them? (Probably only the visual representations of strings of numerical data rendered by a few dozen voxels projected onto your computer screen are disappearing, but shh. Ceci n’est pas une pipe.).
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If you love high-quality narrative RPGs, Disco Elysium is practically a must-have for you. Thanks to its compelling story, richly detailed world, numerous interesting characters, and well-written dialogue, it’s the best thing to come along in this genre in recent years—a fact further enhanced by its polished gameplay mechanics and overall production quality. Only fans of complex combat systems or those who don’t like to read will be disappointed here.
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Although SANABI is still in early early access, it already gives reason for cautious optimism. The fluid platforming gameplay encourages you to constantly search for a faster route, and the story and characters will keep you engaged. If the screenshots or videos on the official website catch your eye, don’t hesitate to invest in the game, because with a little polish, it could still pleasantly surprise you in the future. So while the game can’t earn a higher score in its current state, I’m rooting for the developers moving forward.
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Serious Sam: Tormental had the bar set low enough by the other indie spin-offs in the series, and then boldly set out to dance the limbo. The gameplay itself is fairly functional, though unoriginal. So, what you get is an average modern 2D rogue-lite with bullet hell elements and plenty of perks to unlock along the way. The only thing that might elevate this game is the presence of a well-known brand… whose fans will be turned off by the general disregard for the original series and the shoddy execution. If you’re not one of them, you might have some fun for a while—but you can do the same with the better titles that the developers cite as their inspiration. You can start with a Serious Sam game, but make sure it’s the good one, from Croteam.
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If you enjoy puzzle games—and especially if you’re into advanced spatial geometry—you definitely shouldn’t miss Patrick’s Parabox. This game offers excellent gameplay, well-designed levels, and overall high-quality production. Players looking for a challenge will find plenty of fresh and appropriately challenging fun that will keep them entertained for many, many hours.
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Despot's Game: Dystopian Army Builder will delight fans of turn-based battles who are looking for a bit of randomness and some ugly pixels in their lives. As with other tactical rogue-lites, you'll probably feel a bit lost at first, but once you get the hang of it, it starts to get fun. If the game has caught your interest, I recommend buying it as soon as possible, because the developers have made no secret of their plan to raise the price of the full version.
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When it comes to well-designed gameplay mechanics and attention to detail, Rain World far surpasses many other games in the genre. However, if its (well-hidden) story, overall stylization, and brutal difficulty don’t strike a chord with you, even its otherwise high-quality production won’t save it. On the other hand, a sufficiently stubborn, masochistic, or Zen-minded player may find a hidden gem in this game.
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Townscaper is a charming game for more artistically inclined players. Technically, everything works perfectly; the building system is sophisticated, and with a little patience, you can create truly remarkable works of art. However, the fun of the game literally depends entirely on what you can imagine and then bring to life. So if you aren’t particularly creative and need some goals or instructions while playing, Townscaper probably won’t thrill you much.
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This game left me with mixed feelings. While the interesting story and overall atmosphere—enhanced by a great soundtrack and visuals—are very appealing, the developers didn’t quite manage to blend them seamlessly with the gameplay elements. The high-quality presentation alone probably won’t save you from all the repetitive and shallow content in the levels you’ll be grinding through. While I have no doubt I’ll return to Vesper at some point, it certainly won’t be for its thrilling and original gameplay.
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Death and Taxes offers an entertaining look at how bureaucracy works in the afterlife. The combination of simulation and visual novel elements blends well with the game’s attractive graphics, pleasant music, and witty dialogue. It’s just a shame that the mechanical nature of the gameplay carries over into the story, and unless you’re willing to thoroughly explore every detail, the game will likely start to feel repetitive pretty soon. Your first playthrough will be great, the second maybe even better, but any subsequent ones will probably be just for the achievements or alternate endings.
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Pac-Man 256 is a surprisingly good port of the endless runner from Android/iOS. The mechanics, which are easy to understand but harder to master, give the game that classic arcade feel, and the good balance ensures plenty of fun. Most losses will likely be due to the player’s own skill rather than the game setting you up for a fall. This new Pac-Man is therefore a good title for occasional relaxation… though it’s true that aside from endless repetition aimed at unlocking everything or achieving the highest score, there isn’t much else to do here.
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Bethesda took a risk with its move into the strategy genre, and it paid off in this case. The world of Fallout fit the concept of a builder game surprisingly well, and the cartoony graphics also worked well. The very nice overall impression is marred only by the unfun combat and story elements, which could have been handled much better. In any case, Fallout Shelter is a good mobile game - but whether it's also a good addition to the Fallout franchise is for each player to decide. Since both the mobile and Steam versions are free, there's nothing easier than downloading one and seeing for yourself.
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The Franz Kafka Videogame has a pretty good treatment and a story that could have been good with a little better concept. As a game, however, it doesn't work very well. If you take advantage of the hints, you're done within an hour, because there's nothing to see here other than puzzles. On the other hand, if you try to figure everything out on your own, the game time gets significantly longer, but you'll spend this extra time getting stuck on illogical puzzles. Whichever way you choose, you probably won't get a happy feeling from playing. Doesn't that remind you of something...?
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Golden Light is a very specific and very surreal thing. The combination of rogue-lite gameplay with pixelated graphics, deliberately obscure instructions and peculiar game mechanics feels random at first, but is surprisingly well thought out. Along with this, you get a strange, very twisted story and a crazy game world. The game gradually turns out to be an experience that feels like it jumped out of the pages of a properly postmodern novel. For this reason, even the numerical rating is really only indicative and it's better to go by the overall mood, which I've tried to reproduce here at least a little. So if you found the review unnecessarily opaque and rambling and don't want to keep the wiki open all the time while playing, you'd better not get into this game. It doesn't get any better in terms of clarity.
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Before Your Eyes is a very interesting title that combines an emotional story with original controls. The simpler graphics are not at all a bad thing, and together with the soundtrack and intuitive gameplay, they form a hilarious whole. If you're in the mood for a shorter, yet engaging affair, I can only recommend this game. However, I strongly advise you to get a good webcam and prepare a well-lit background beforehand. You won't regret it.
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Coffee Talk is best enjoyed like coffee - slowly, in sips, and in no hurry. Playing it day by day, switching the soundtrack appropriately, and reading the conversations carefully will make for a very relaxing experience. In this way, the game becomes a charmingly relaxing affair, where perhaps you'll be happy to forgive the lack of interactivity.
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Among the Sleep is quite a controversial game. While the story (which the player has to experience for spoilers), the setting and the overall concept are imaginative, their assembly into a functional whole is lacking. As an unconventional horror one-shot it works well and some elements are intriguing, but especially in hindsight you'll see untapped potential everywhere. The feeling is then doubled when going through the museum in the DLC, where you can see how much work the developers put into their project.
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The Untitled Goose Game is a game with huge potential, but where the form outweighs the content. The graphics and sound design are very good and deserve praise, but it is balanced by mediocre gameplay without much depth. While the short game time or some linearity are not faults in themselves, I would advise you to think carefully about buying the game at full price.
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Cloud Gardens is an experimental game, so it's clear that not everyone will enjoy the title; a certain amount of friendliness will be required from the player. If you take this into account, you're in for a relaxing and soothing affair, from which you can take away an unusual experience and maybe even some nice screenshots. What's all the more disappointing, however, is the underdeveloped item and camera controls, which make gameplay unnecessarily difficult in places. The game is still in Early Access for now, though, so one can hope for future improvements.
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