It’s that time again. This past week saw roughly 250 new games listed to the Steam store, and odds are a large portion of them are absolute trash. Actually, I can confirm that most of them look like absolute trash considering that out of those that actually came out, I could only find maybe sixteen that appeared to be worth playing, and that’s kinda pushing the envelope of “worth playing.”
As with last week, MMO Fallout has not played the games that are on this list and cannot verify their value. They are simply a list of games that are not obvious shovelware trash, that being hentai puzzle sliders, unity asset flips, RPG maker games, and side scrolling flash titles.
Night & Day is a cute looking puzzle game and a rather interesting concept. You have two characters that are both controlled by the player, each with their own unique abilities. Dark cannot be in Lights…light, otherwise it is destroyed. Dark is also the only one of the two that is strong enough to push boxes. Your goal as the player is to navigate the two sprites in order to get them to their exit doors and complete the level.
Night & Day is out for $8.99 and was developed by Genexsin
Battles For Spain is in quite the unique scenario: A turn based strategy game set in the Spanish civil war. Battles For Spain centers around the battles of Guadalajara (1937), Teruel (1937), Mérida (1938), and Ebro (1938). According to the few reviews available, the game is pretty spot on with its history and is a very challenging game. At $26.99 and offering four scenarios with an estimated twelve hours of gameplay, it might be best to see how much replayability you’ll get before dropping some bones on this title.
It’s certainly a bold move for developer Headquarter S.L. considering the last time a video game released with its plot centered on the war, the public (in Spain) went absolutely bonkers. Back in 2007 a real time strategy game called Shadows of War: The Spanish Civil War released and generated huge controversy over allowing players to take the role of the fascists and even win the war. It was released exclusively in Spain and apparently wasn’t very good.
I don’t like MineRalph, and by that I mean if he came to my house and asked if he could borrow my morning Wall Street Journal I’d probably say no. But MineRalph isn’t just about a ball with a really unsettling looking face, it’s about…a ball with a really creepy looking face.
MineRalph is a physics-based puzzle game built on the Unity engine that promises hardcore gameplay for hardcore gamers. If you want the kind of hardcore snobbery that would lead a developer to describe their game as an “homage to a time where video games were allowed to be difficult,” you have come to the right place. Move the ball with your mouse, speed-run, enter into the $1,000 contest. There is also a free demo if you don’t want to plunk down the $15 right off the bat.
Trace of the Past probably shouldn’t be on the list, but considering the asking price is $4.24 and frankly the Steam list is desperate for anything, the potential entertainment value provided by a game trying to create a powerful narrative while also clearly being rather poorly translated from Russian to English might make it all worth it. Just read the game’s description to yourself in Yakov Smirnoff’s voice:
Trace of the Past — a first-person horror game, will show you a mystical story of Charles Worren’s life, a child of boarding school for orphans named ” Grief Hill” After some mysterious events in his Childhood, Charles ends up in psychiatric clinic and loses a half of his memories. In 19 years, he finds in his mailbox an envelope with an old photo inside, that shows Charles. The address is that boarding school for orphans ” Grief Hill” But who and what for sent him this photo? The boarding school has been closed for years. Charles decides to find it out and is off to his mysterious past.
What a country!
I like the concept. Third Eye is a hack and slash game set in an area we really don’t see…ever. Indian lore. You take control of Raakh, given the responsibility of guarding the sacred trident. You find yourself up against Shukracharya, one of the Seven Sages, and his demonic armies of evil. Can you save Prithvilok from the forces of evil?
At $14.39, probably.
Despite what its name may imply, Rashlander is not about successfully navigating the inflamed skin of a dermatology patient. Instead this title bills itself as a Lunar Lander Roguelike, Rashlander looks like Lunar Lander on meth. Fly around procedurally generated levels, avoid all sorts of hazards and land on things. Early Steam reviews have praised the game for tight controls, polished gameplay, and Twitch integration. If you enjoy arcade games, you will evidently enjoy Rashlander.
Currently on sale for $3.59 and developed by Ryan Davis.
Oddly enough, it’s only been five years since the last Age of Wonders game. Age of Wonders has everything you could want from a sci-fi turn based strategy game: Dinosaur-riding Amazons, cyborg-zombies, and more. Choose from six factions and make your way to victory through conquest, diplomacy, or doomsday technologies. With single player and online multiplayer available, you’ll find plenty to enjoy.
Steam reviews currently show 79% approval among the 713 people who have reviewed it so far. Keep in mind this is a full priced game from the established studio Triumph Studios who had worked on prior Age of Wonders titles and does cost the standard $50.
And speaking of established studios, why not bring in a From Software title? Metal Wolf Chaos XD is the re-release and not at all HD version of Metal Wolf Chaos, a very Japanese game that initially came out in 2004 in Japan on the Xbox and absolutely nowhere else. If you somehow missed this game the first time around, well now you can get your hands on it for the low cost of $24.99.
Considering the game only released in Japan the first time around, Metal Wolf Chaos centers around a wonderfully ridiculous and exaggerated (for the time) depiction of US politics:
“The country is in peril as President Michael Wilson defends the nation against a full-scale rebellion led by Vice-President Richard Hawk and the mechanized legions he commands. As the 47th President of the United States, it is your sworn duty to take your country back by any means necessary and end this unjust coup d’etat! Battle in your advanced mech – armed to the teeth – across iconic American landscapes including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Grand Canyon, and the front steps of the White House.”
84% of the 149 current reviews on Steam agree; Metal Wolf Chaos is an essential part of any patriot’s breakfast.
Also called Gunslugs 3 depending on which part of the Steam store page you’re reading, Gunslugs: Rogue Tactics is a roguelike game released by Orangepixel, a company that really likes putting out Roguelike games. Seriously, they’ve been doing it for roughly four years now. Gunslugs promises more stealth-oriented gameplay than you may have seen from past roguelikes, but with the ability to go in guns-a-blazing if you prefer. Honestly, the choice is up to you.
Gunslugs can be picked up for $13.49 by itself or as part of the Orangepixel collection.
Looking to get spooked? I know you are. Silver Chains has everything to make you feel uncomfortable; spooky children, ouija boards, people crawling on walls, an abandoned house that might not actually be abandoned (spoiler: It isn’t). Unravel the truth behind these spooky mysteries and do so in a game that is very good looking. It should be, it was developed on the Unreal engine.
Developed by Cracked Head Games and on sale for $21.24, Silver Chains will scare more than just your wallet.
Bad Hombre has a certain amount of charm in its stupidity, and the art style looks like someone created a game with today’s politics on the ZX Spectrum or Commodore 64. You evidently play as a drug runner trying to bring drugs into America, and in order to do so you’ll need to bypass the wall, the Pence Fence, and avoid Trump’s tacos from Trump Tower (the best tacos).
It’s a concept that seems just ridiculous enough to fall into the realm of being about something political without actually taking a political stance on it. At $11.99, you may be playing the life story of the developer’s drug supplier.
An actual MMO! Legends of Aria is a game that hopes to walk in the footsteps of Ultima Online. A sandbox MMO, Legends of Aria allows you to be what you want, as long as you want to be an adventurer, a crafter, or something else within the confines of the game’s skill system. You can even be a bard. With a skill system, you’ll build your character by using your skills and leveling them up over time. Stake your claim on the land and build a house, become a skilled craftsman and make the best horse chili in all the land (horse chili not actually available), or set forth and become a skilled murderer of other players.
Legends of Aria has a one-off price, currently at $19.79.
Biggous – A Cthulhu Adventure looks like a Double Fine game, or a modern day Lucas RPG. Judging by the trailer, the voice acting is top notch, animations are smooth and very well done, and overall the title feels like a modern day Sam & Max or Monkey Island game, but set in a world with an HP Lovecraft demon. 83% of over one hundred Steam users agree, it’s looking pretty good.
“Crazy cultists. Cthulhu. A talking cat. Gibbous takes you on an expansive, traditionally animated, hand-painted adventure. Play as three protagonists and explore a lushly rendered Lovecraft-inspired world, unraveling ancient conspiracies. A comedy cosmic horror adventure made in Transylvania!”
Now on sale for $17.99.
Cliff Empire is a really good looking game with a great aesthetic and an interesting concept. Nuclear war has made the surface of the Earth uninhabitable, and that can only mean one thing: Mole people? No, living on top of mountains. Cliff Empire promises that you’ll be able to set up multiple cities, manage trade between them, and even go down and walk around your cities on foot. Can you sustain life in the aftermath of a brutal nuclear war, or is humanity doomed to failure?
90% of the nearly one thousand reviews agree that this game is definitely worth it, and at $11.99 it won’t be a pain in your wallet. You may recognize developer Lion’s Shade from their Tempest pirate RPG.
You have to hand it to this week’s Steam list, there is quite a diversity of genres. Apsulov is horrifying looking, it bills itself as a future viking horror as you the player wake up in a research facility built to exploit the world of Yggrdrasil. Apsulov piles together Norse mythology and futuristic sci-fi in a head on collision, and the result is pretty freaking terrifying.
A first person action game, Apsulov currently holds a 92% approval rating of 63 users on Steam, and runs for $20.
One good thing about the proliferation of certain engines is that even indie games have begun to look very good. In Room 208 you play as Victor Rockford, spiritual medium brought forth to investigate the paranormal activity surrounding Room 1408 Room 208 of a hotel in a small town. Use your wits to get through the game’s numerous puzzles, deal with dynamic spawning enemies, and cower in fear in full 4K support.
Room 208 spawns in at $8.44, so it won’t’ break the bank to check this game out.
MMO Fallout 