Despite Parry Nightmare's short runtime, it makes the most of every action-packed second by flawlessly combining addictive, high-tempo, parry-based combat and attention-grabbing visual storytelling baked directly into the enemies' sprite art and level design.
If you're into side scroller beat 'em ups, then look no further. Anomaly Agent supplies you with a plethora of weapons and moves to deal with combatants in style. The story isn't a masterpiece, but it definitely has compelling moments, usually fueled by the garish and lively characters.
The Inquisitor fumbles what could have been the premiere mystery game of 2024. Despite the strong setting and cast, the mystery rapidly unravels into nothing but noise, and the gameplay is bereft of difficulty. The never-ending stream of bugs means that whatever joy you can find in the game will most certainly be derailed.
Turnip Boy Robs A Bank understood what it wanted to be, an extension of the Turnip Boy world with refreshing new roguelite elements to spice up the combat. Everything from the bank setting, to the soundtrack, to the characters both new and old, hold up to the excellence that was the first game. However, some points have to be shaved off for the game's ending, which feels drawn out and tedious.
The Finals is the kind of game that you play when you want to live an action film. You'll most definitely find a playstyle you like in one or more of the three classes. While there are too many factors outside of player control to consider this a truly high-level competitive game, it sure is a fun time. That being said, if you've been disappointed by recent FPS titles, then try The Finals for some high octane gameplay.
Torn Away mixes beautiful hand-drawn aesthetics with the grim story of a little girl trying to survive a war and make it home. The game excels at establishing tone and getting the player to feel a sense of connection to the main character, Asya, through heartfelt character interactions and mini-games. While the brutal story beats hit hard at the beginning of the game, they lose some of their steam towards the end when you begin to expect them.
If you're a fan of Dredge, then I would recommend The Pale Reach without hesitation, it's a good piece of new content to sate your appetite until Ironhaven releases. However, keep in mind that this DLC won't change your experience of the main game all that much if you've already completed it, it just gives you another chain to explore. All in all, it's like adding another puzzle piece to a completed puzzle.
Conrad Stevenson's Paranormal P.I. immerses players in New Eidolon's numerous haunted locations and history. Although hunting ghosts can be tedious, the game always excels with its ghost stories and they always finish in a satisfying manner. However, if you just glanced at the Steam page and thought it looked like Phasmaphobia, then you're going in with the wrong expectation. It'll be like expecting milk and getting orange juice.
Wizard with a Gun excels at providing players with a deep magic system and a wild world to inflict it on. With the world hanging on by a thread, it's up to you to rewind time again and again until your mission is complete.
While Gunbrella might struggle with providing a challenge, it more than makes up for it by providing a dark, gritty world where your choices have very real consequences. Not all is doom and gloom, as the comedy flows like polluted water down a city's gutters on a rainy night, and you can bet it's accompanied by some killer jazz!
Dredge is an indie horror gem that will be looked upon fondly by anyone with an affinity for adventure and mystery. Every part of the game is engaging and otherworldly, yet distinctly down to earth. From the charming low-poly graphics, to the deeply emotion-invoking soundtrack, to the heartfelt story, Dredge understands how to make the player feel immersed in its dark yet beautiful world.
While Gylt has some tragic elements in its story, it's even more tragic that it was tied to the sinking ship that was Google Staida. Luckily, with its re-release, adults and children alike will be able to get lost in the Lovecraftian lore, unnerving enemy design, and clean aesthetics. Overall, Gylt packs intrigue into every aspect of its gameplay and story without telling you the answers outright, leading to great moments of discovery.
DOOMBLADE offers fantastic combat, lore, and art direction which propel it to greatness. Despite progressing and backtracking being confusing and tedious at times, and a few lackluster boss fights, the occasional dullness was alleviated by great music and worldbuilding that spurs intrigue. The devs created a world that I was continuously getting lost in, both literally and figuratively.
With a cliche yet surprisingly untapped theme, Greyhill Incident had the potential to be a great indie horror game. Sadly, any potential the game may have had was squandered by extremely janky gameplay. While the game is beautiful and atmospheric, its looks don't save it from being at best a painful walking sim, and at worst a total chore.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is an excellent retro shooter that, to both its benefit and detriment, doesn't take risks. The repetitive bosses and poor communication to the player might turn some people away. However, Its tight core gameplay loop is gory and punchy, and it captures the essence of what it feels like to be a space marine in both movement and power.
Contraband Police gives players meaningful choices, both big and small, that make the player feel like they have an impact on the world they find themselves in. Fun and interesting adventures are frequent and well paced, and the game offers a polished core gameplay loop with an action spin that greatly expands on what Papers Please started.
Overall, Perish is a game that achieves conceptual brilliance and incorporates it down to the finest detail in many areas. Unfortunately, it stumbles when it comes to the execution. Some poor gameplay decisions hold it back, notably enemy design and spawn rates. It's entirely possible that with future updates, the game will heal its scars, but for now, they run deep, blemishing the gameplay; yet, the aesthetics remain immaculate.
Overall, Crime Boss: Rockay City offers so many conceptually interesting gameplay mechanics that could work well together, but either doesn't give the player enough opportunities to use them, or fails to tie them into other aspects of the game. There is some minor depth to the game, but it's overshadowed by what could have been. On top of that, too many elements feel like they're out of the players hands, and lead to cheap deaths. If you simply need to play Crime Boss: Rockay City, then you'll be pleased to hear that it's only $40, and even less if you wait for a sale.
The Settlers: New Allies is a game with great presentation and poor execution, It's $60, but I would struggle to recommend it at even half that price given how lacking in content it is. The gameplay is lagging heavily. Although tightly woven together, it doesn't really matter when there's so little to play with. It's like being in a sandbox with no toys or tools.
Whether or not you enjoy puzzle adventure games, Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition is worth a try for its spooky ambiance, laugh out loud humor, and amazing plot. It might have poor gameplay in some sections, but that poor gameplay is overwhelmingly outnumbered by great moments. Add in the many fun, visually distinct characters to meet, and there are very few reasons to skip Yuppie Psycho. This game will have you charmed from the first scene all the way to one of the seven endings.