Era's 2021 Hidden Gems

[flyinj]

A thread for games you thought were excellent in 2021 that have gone under the radar.

I'll start-

A mix of Test Drive Unlimited and Truck Simulator. Fantastic physics coupled with a huge variety of vehicles and tasks to do in an open world:

Motor Town: Behind The Wheel on Steam

Enjoy realistic driving in the open world. Relaxing cargo deliveries or driving buses and taxis will give you enough money to buy new cars and parts. You can test your driving skills at the race track. It's all about pure driving pleasure!

store.steampowered.com

Demo is available as well.

 

[DNAbro]

I will keep talking about this game any chance I get

Let me try and sell you on this free horror visual novel, Echo, which is now my current GOTY

This is going to be a very hard sell for a majority of people but considering how it has completely enraptured me for the past 4 days I need more people to know about it cause somebody out there is going to read this and possibly discover a new personal favorite and new possible GOTY. As a note...

www.resetera.com

Echo is a fantastic, free and original gay horror visual novel that has gone down for me as one of my top horror games and one of my top visual novels. It's very good and more people should give it a try or at least know it exists.

 

[Xtortion]

Inscryption is batshit insane. If you have an affinity for card games, stop what you're doing and play it right now - it's a compete love letter to all facets of the genre. If you aren't familiar with card games but enjoy strategy/turn based games, I'd still give it a hearty recommendation for its atmosphere and theming.

 

[Anno]

Rift Wizard! If you're into the combat/build experimentation side of roguelikes definitely give it a try.

 

[andymcc]

Clockwork Aquario for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Buy Clockwork Aquario and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.

www.nintendo.com

A must buy if you like retro games.

 

[SunBroDave]

To The Moon 3, aka:

A beautiful, beautiful story. Pixel art, and yet extremely emotional. A fantastic way to spend a night.

 

[cecilpaladin32]

Archvale - what a fantastic little surprise! Scratched the dual stick shooting action I wanted while not being a rogue-like. What a way to end the year - probably my favorite release in 2021!

 

[Xwing]

If you liked A Hat In Time, you're probably also going to greatly enjoy Here Comes Niko!

 

[TooBusyLookinGud]

Archvale.

Archvale on Steam

Take up your weapon in this RPG bullet-hell world and embark on a journey to right wrongs from long ago. Only you can defeat the evil forces of the Undying guardians and reunite the world with the fabled Archvale.

store.steampowered.com

Archvale - what a fantastic little surprise! Scratched the dual stick shooting action I wanted while not being a rogue-like. What a way to end the year - probably my favorite release in 2021!

Click to shrink...

👆

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

FPS x Rogue-lite with motivating permanent progression and tight gameplay. Lots of build variety as well:


Charming Action adventure with great soundtrack and some of the most beautiful pixel art around:

 

[Exist 2 Inspire]

Very enjoyable and kinda addictive lol.

 

[gitrektali]

I feel like everyone forgot/missed out on this incredible title

 

[flyinj]

I feel like everyone forgot/missed out on this incredible title

Click to shrink...

Thank you! I played the demo and dug it but forgot about it.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

Definitely Mundaun.

Mundaun is a first-person adventure game made almost entirely by one person. The entire game has hand-drawn textures to mimic the look of pencil or charcoal drawings. The game is dubbed entirely in Romansh, a rare language spoken only in the Swiss Alps. It is a folklore inspired horror game and a cool story about a curse and in a small Swiss mountain village.

The art style is totally wild, and it sometimes looks outright weird in motion. When I first watched the trailer I was unimpressed. But when you actually play the game you become immersed in the visuals and it starts to feel much more natural within the context of the story.

I loved this game. It has multiple endings but the endings are only determined based on actions you take in the final chapter, so you're able to replay that chapter to see every ending without having to replay the whole game. There's some great screenshots of the game here. Here's some that I liked especially.

Click to shrink...

I really urge anyone who likes first person adventure and horror like The VVitch to give it a try. It is not a deeply disturbing game, it is actually almost whimsical in its horror. I liked it a lot. It's not a big investment if you want to give it a try. It's usually less than $20.

Actually, here's a Steam Key for it: 72VFZ-5CCP5-FY3JP

I hope someone likes it!

 

[Mocha Joe]

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars on Steam

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is an RPG set in a world of swords and sorcery, told entirely through the medium of cards.

store.steampowered.com

Pretty cool game with some good looking character designs. If you can get it on sale and like the demo, I would recommend it

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

This is a legit fun BR:

 

[BentMyWookiee]

I feel like everyone forgot/missed out on this incredible title

Click to shrink...

100% agree that Olija is really great. I played it when it came out at the beginning of the year and it's still one of my favorite games that I played of 2021. Definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it.

 

[ghostcrew]

Excited to keep reading recommendations. Some amazing ones so far.

It's not exactly an underground, unknown gem but I wish I heard more people talking about Overboard this GOTY season.

It's the latest game by Inkle (Heaven's Vault, 80 Days etc) and it's a murder mystery/visual novel thing where you are the murderer and you're on a cruise ship destined for New York and you have to avoid suspicion and get away with the crime (and keep the life insurance) until you reach port.

It's AMAZING and one of the highest reviewed games of the year. So superbly written.

Available on PC, Switch and mobile.

 

[CannonFodder52]

Mundaun definitely seems to have gone under the radar.

Mundaun on Steam

Mundaun is a lovingly hand-penciled horror tale set in a dark, secluded valley of The Alps. Explore various areas full of secrets to discover, survive hostile encounters, drive vehicles, fill your inventory, and solve a variety of handcrafted puzzles.

store.steampowered.com

If you like interesting horror games, you should check out Mundaun

Just powered through this game over the last two days and this is one of the best horror games I've played in a while. It's a first-person, Swiss folk-horror game with a weird hard drawn artstyle, set in the Swiss alps and entirely voiced in Romansh. The game has a wide-linear structure and...

www.resetera.com

 

[GhoulOne]

Definitely Mundaun.

Mundaun is a first-person adventure game made almost entirely by one person. The entire game has a hand-drawn textures to mimic the look of a pencil or charcoal drawings. The game is dubbed entirely in Romansh, a rare language spoken only in the Swiss Alps. It is a folklore inspired horror game and a cool story about a curse and in a small Swiss mountain village.

The art style is totally wild, and it sometimes looks outright weird in motion. When I first watched the trailer I was unimpressed. But when you actually play the game you become immersed in the visuals and it starts to feel much more natural within the context of the story.

I loved this game. It has multiple endings but the endings are only determined based on actions you take in the final chapter, so you're able to replay that chapter to see every ending without having to replay the whole game. There's some great screenshots of the game here. Here's some that I liked especially.



I really urge anyone who likes first person adventure and horror like The VVitch to give it a try. It is not a deeply disturbing game, it is actually almost whimsical in its horror. I liked it a lot. It's not a big investment if you want to give it a try. It's usually less than $20.

Actually, here's a Steam Key for it: 72VFZ-5CCP5-FY3JP

I hope someone likes it!

Click to shrink...

Wow thank you! This looks great, I'm excited to check it out!

 

[ghostcrew]

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars on Steam

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is an RPG set in a world of swords and sorcery, told entirely through the medium of cards.

store.steampowered.com

Pretty cool game with some good looking character designs. If you can get it on sale and like the demo, I would recommend it

Click to shrink...

I've been very tempted to pick this up in the current sale.

 

[Aeana]

Murder By Numbers. A cross between Ace Attorney and Picross, with music by the composer if Ace Attorney 1 and Ghost Trick.





Edit: oh my god this came out in 2020. No way. Time what is it

 

[Dutch Masters]

Chivalry 2 for me.

It suffers from being an Epic exclusive on PC and it had a rocky start but that's been ironed out by patches.

It's probably the game I've put the most hours into this year.

 

[flyinj]

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars on Steam

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is an RPG set in a world of swords and sorcery, told entirely through the medium of cards.

store.steampowered.com

Pretty cool game with some good looking character designs. If you can get it on sale and like the demo, I would recommend it

Click to shrink...

I liked the demo, but I read that the combat is incredibly easy which kind of ruins the whole experience? Has that been addressed with any patches?

 

[CharlesAznable]

Tormented Souls. There's a great thread about it here

Really well done survival horror game throwback to PSone era Resident Evil.

 

[demu]

I will always bring up Before Your Eyes if you give me the chance. It's the most emotional game I've ever experienced.

 

[SteveWinwood]

hi yes cruelty squad is the best game of the year

Cruelty Squad | Early Access |OT| Corporate assassination brought to you by Consumer Softproducts tm

cruelty squad is a hyperviolent anti-capitalist immersive sim that ends up answering the question what if hotline miami had a threeway with rainbow six and deus ex and all the textures were made in kid pix with the sole purpose of trying to give you a headache it also hates you and you hate you...

www.resetera.com

an oasis of love and friendship

also human organs

 

[Deleted member 17210]

Clockwork Aquario for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Buy Clockwork Aquario and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.

www.nintendo.com

A must buy if you like retro games.

Click to shrink...

Yep. And on a related note, this year's remake of Monster World IV was also far too ignored.

 

[stn]

Haven't played it yet, but I have Xuan Yuan Sword 7 coming in the mail tomorrow. Heard it is very solid and very much a hidden gem.

 

[cabelhigh]

More people need to play Slipways! It can take a while to click but once it does its hands-down one of the best puzzle games ever

 

[oni-link]

Archvale - what a fantastic little surprise! Scratched the dual stick shooting action I wanted while not being a rogue-like. What a way to end the year - probably my favorite release in 2021!

Click to shrink...

Oh it's not a rogue like? I thought it was for some reason

So it's just a bullet hell ARPG?

 

[Mocha Joe]

I've been very tempted to pick this up in the current sale.

Click to shrink...

Definitely try the demo, it will determine if the game is for you. Its also a Yako Taro game and not a ton of people know that.

Its not a 10/10 game or anything but has a couple cool ideas with its combat. Definitely has feels of lower budget. Also the game is entirely voice by the VA of the Drifter in Destiny 2 haha. He does an amazing job

I liked the demo, but I read that the combat is incredibly easy which kind of ruins the whole experience? Has that been addressed with any patches?

Click to shrink...

I don't see a hard mode added via patch or even any mods. They did just patch in a faster speed mode or something along those lines.

Definitely agree however. Its a good stepping stone and I hope the team that made this gets another chance at a similar styled game with a higher budget.

 

[AntiMacro]

Anvil (or Anvil: Vault Breaker or Anvil: Vault Breakers...the PR for this is all over the place) in Early Access on Steam or Xbox One/Series S|X (also available on Xbox Game Pass).

Broken way down, it's a 3/4 perspective twin-stick shooter solo/co-op roguelike where you explore environments and fight creatures to gather weapons to take on bosses. A complete run gets you a permanent gear unlock, and you can use up to 4 pieces of that gear - depending on how far into the game you've made it - to give your characters a starting boost. I current run one piece that ups my attack speed by 30% and another that gives me unlimited ammo. That's the only part of your build you can control.

As you do a run you'll find random weapon drops from Tier 1-3, each with random skills. These skills have multiple levels, and the higher level ones can get pretty powerful. You'll also gather currency from enemies and barrels that you can spend at upgrade stations to add skills that improve your health, defense, weapon/skill power, etc... There ARE some with drawbacks though, like +50 skill power, but you take 5% as damage when you use a skill, or a great defense boost with health regen, but it caps your health at 30% of the max.

The catch is you can't really control what you're going to get for weapon drops or available skill upgrades, so you may need to adjust your run tactics on the fly - especially as the more melee-focused Breakers. There's a pretty wide variety of characters available, locked outside of a few 'free' characters and a rotation of temporarily available ones, but the game's free battlepass system gives you the currency needed to buy new ones fairly quickly.

The game is in Game Preview on Xbox and Early Access on Steam so there's a few oddities - like almost nothing being explained to you. It could use a tutorial of some kind, or even just a space with some bots to fight to try out skills before getting tossed out into the wild.

 

[Aaron D.]

I'm just gonna drop my GOTY write up as it's all hidden gems.

1. Dysmantle

DYSMANTLE on Steam

Ascend from your shelter. Ruin everything. Escape the wretched island. ⚔️🔨🎣🌱🌵🍰 Explore. Fight. Level up. Survive. Gather. Craft. Harvest. Hunt. Build. Farm. Solve puzzles. Fish. Cook. Live. Enjoy the bittersweet post-apocalypse.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

The best way I could describe Dysmantle is it feels like a Complete Package (tm.). Like the devs have the craft & care to look at every element of design and infuse it with a level of polish & TLC that's incredibly admirable.

It comes across in every element you look at, whether it's the bright, colorful visuals, satisfying UI navigation & design, smart progression loop, "just right" power-curve, the butter-smooth game engine that they built from scratch (lightning-fast startup & load times on my HDD impressed). And much, much more.

One tiny example that explains it all. So one of the accessibility options is a toggle to change the Shift to sprint from hold-down to just tap once to keep running. There's no stamina meter so when you start you can sprint for as long as you want. Cool. But what I noticed was that when you stop by letting your finger off the WASD directional keys you still have a .5 second window to press back down on the directional keys to keep sprinting without having to hit the Shift key again. This is perfect if you get accidentally stopped by a terrain object or you're just picking up a loot item off the ground.

It's such a small thing but the devs were thinking of character momentum & game flow when they coded that in. It's something I've never seen before and it really speaks to the level of fine-detail that they're operating from.

I'm over 130 hours in and have only uncovered about 50% of the map (though complete deforestation is part of my gameplay style, lol). Content updates are on a regular & consistent 2 week cycle, give or take.

It's a lighthearted take on zombie survival games with an inviting tone yet deceptively deep game systems. Balances arcade action & depth pretty darn well so it feels fresh but isn't "lite".

2. PowerWash Simulator

PowerWash Simulator on Steam

Release the Pressure with PowerWash Simulator! Wash away your worries with the soothing sounds of high-pressure water. Fire up your power washer and blast away every speck of dirt and grime you can find, all with the simple satisfaction of power-washing to a sparkling finish.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

The Zen element of PWS has been covered elsewhere and yes it's the major selling point as you can literally feel the tension in your body melting away every time you boot it up.

But I'd like to highlight the expert learning curve found in the increasingly complex work orders.

You start in a small garage with what will soon be your very own work truck. A easy task with 5 flat surfaces, front, sides, back, roof. Simple enough.

Then things get a little more spicy. Outside jobs featuring common fence posts, rails & pickets that need to be approached from a 360° angle in order to nab all that dirt from every side. Sometime using ladders and scaffolding to treat multilevel targets.

Fast forward to late game and you suddenly find yourself face to face with a rescue helicopter. It's not the size of the job, but rather to unique complexity of all the moving parts. The fine geometric details found within the rotor mast, transmission and hydraulic control unit.

Each new job trains the player to get in there and soak down targets of increasing complexity at a natural pace so it's not just a simple rinse & repeat affair (lol). Terrific pacing on offer here that makes you look forward to what's coming next.

Bright & eye-popping presentation deserve special props too. Along with simply fantastic game-engine performance. The world just feels just fine to inhabit. Super inviting.

PWS is therapy in game form.

3. Northern Journey

Northern Journey on Steam

A norwegian happysad game set in a northern land! Adventure through a beautiful and very varied wilderness. Dive, fly, use ziplines and find different weapons to aid your journey to reach the cold mountains and below. Encounter over 50 unique bosses and enemy types!

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

I randomly saw one of my favorite Twitch streamers playing this and had to stop the stream like 20 minutes in so I could immediately purchase the game for myself.

This thing has atmosphere locked down. Sports a creepy, surreal vibe. Not like horror, but more like old folklore/fairytale-bizarre characters and story beats. It's unsettling but at the same time curiously engaging where you want to inhabit the world to see where everything goes next. An interesting balance.

Gameplay feels great where it's equal measures walking sim with combat and enemy/boss encounters (kinda like Elder Scrolls I guess?). Movement speed is surprisingly hyper-fast and feels great, kinda like OG Quake locomotion. Also has those Dark Souls path unlocks where areas loop back into themselves creating shortcuts for easy back & forth traversal.

Lots of biome diversity where each new map introduces fresh new themes with a common Nordic wilderness through line. With little handholding, the dev trusts the player to figure things out on their own. You're given a journal with generalized goals, but there's zero quest markers leading you by the nose from Point A to Point B. A refreshing break from the icon-laden maps of modern game design.

The entire production is made by one guy out of Norway. Music, art, coding. Everything. And it's only $12. Feels like an absolute steal at the asking price.

Just keep in mind that as it's a one-man production it's a bit crusty around the edges. Everything fits together and works just fine, only don't go in expecting TLOU2 production values. I personally find this approach to game design endearing as hell. What I love about solo dev projects is that it's the undistilled vision of a single mind without compromise. A window into the creativity of a single person that isn't muddied by dozens of other voices in the room. It feels so pure and refreshing.

I'm just amazed of the sheer scope of this project with all the above taken into consideration.

4. Galactic Mining Corp

Galactic Mining Corp on Steam

Galactic Mining Corp is a unique rogue-lite, action game with crafting and base building mechanics. Head into uncharted space and discover a universe of locations to exploit for riches! Use your profits to expand your HQ, hire a crazy work force, obtain new drill components and upgrade everything.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

Addictive progression loop with a mind-bending number of upgrades across multiple categories. There's always multiple goals to chase at any given moment, giving progress a strategic & personal feel.

Great risk/reward gameplay that makes drilling tactical in nature. Do you try to get to the core with depleting HP or do you stick to higher levels to scoop up resources & loot?

Absolutely fantastic art direction along with a catchy soundtrack that gives the game a super-fun tone & vibe. Best arcade-like game I've played in years.

Dev is friendly & responsive in the Steam forums.

5. Cruelty Squad

Cruelty Squad on Steam

An immersive power fantasy simulator with tactical stealth elements set in a sewage infused garbage world

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

An absolute fever-dream delivered via Rainbow Six / Hitman trappings. Gloriously subversive. The sensory-overload presentation is certainly gonna be a love-it / hate-it affair as I don't think there's any middle ground to be found within, but I think it's dreamy.

What's funny is the more time I put into it, the more I realized that gonzo presentation aside, it's actually a baller tactical shooter. AI is pretty brain-dead, but the speed at which you can be taken down demands thoughtful movement & positioning. Each engagement can trigger game-over in a matter of seconds, and with no mid-level saves, the further you progress the more tense it becomes. Crazy weapon & body-augment variety make for a legit fun gameplay loop (use your own intestines as grapple-hook? sure, why not).

It's a super-wacky shooter with a daring presentation. Come for the spectacle. Stay for the diverse infiltration options & satisfying gunplay.

Love the zero-f's verve on display.

6. Dyson Sphere Program

Dyson Sphere Program on Steam

Build the most efficient intergalactic factory in space simulation strategy game Dyson Sphere Program! Harness the power of stars, collect resources, plan and design production lines and develop your interstellar factory from a small space workshop to a galaxy-wide industrial empire.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

Factorio is for sure the King of the Castle regarding production-line automation titles. But oddly, I've found Dyson Sphere Program to be the most inviting & user-friendly.

Dyson deftly walks the line between Factorio and Satisfactory that feels Goldilocks "just right" between dry complexity of Factorio and sexy presentation of Statisfactory. DSP is a best of both worlds scenario for me.

I've got mad respect for both Factorio & Satisfactory, but neither managed to hook me as quickly & confidently as Dyson has thus far. You'd be hard pressed to guess Dyson is in Early Access, given how polished and feature-rich it feels straight out of the gate.

Love the idea of planet hopping within a single campaign, ferrying resources between planets to supply other mineral-starved locals. It makes the scope feel grand in nature. Presentation is on point too. Everything looks super-colorful & detailed. The day/night cycle rocks when your spaghetti layouts are all lit up at night. It's refreshing when complex ideas and gameplay systems are coupled with bright, inviting front ends.

7. Shadow Empire

Shadow Empire on Steam

Shadow Empire is a deep turn-based 4X wargame with a unique blend of military focus, procedurally generated content and role-playing features.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

Staggering strategic depth from a solo dev. Shadow is an enticing hybrid of 4X, hex wargame, and a dash of rpg personnel/faction management. Pretty unique setting too for the genre as well.

What struck me most was just how interconnected every decision can be. Every move you make has a cascading affect into other game systems and subsystems. Amazing sense of possibilities.

It can certainly be obtuse at times and is astonishingly deep. "Why yes I'd like to adjust the planet's axis tilt, gravity and barometric pressure during game setup. I am going to be designing aircraft after all. And they need to get off the ground." It makes the complexity of Paradox grand-strat titles feel like checkers in comparison. Thankfully it comes with a 350 pg. manual, lol.

So while I spend most of my time feeling like that, dog-scientist "I Have No Idea What I'm Doing" meme, I simply love that these types of games exist. Likely never master it, but boy is it fun trying.

8. City of Gangsters

City of Gangsters on Steam

In this management tycoon game, you’ll start a criminal operation from nothing and grow it into a well-oiled money machine! Build speakeasies and illegal distilleries. Manage production chains and resource distribution. Leverage favors, chase down debtors, and bribe the police to look the other way.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

CoG is a fun bootlegging tycoon logistics game set in the US prohibition era.

Slowly expand your territory one street corner at a time by exerting neighborhood influence via fronts, favors & "protection". Develop relationships that are critical for raw ingredients trade and illicit sales. Open speakeasies and gambling dens. Bribe the police to look the other way. Keep an eye out for rival gangs and street hoods. Grow your own gang and pawn off delivery routes to focus on bigger picture demands.

It's a novel take on logistics management and empire growth. With an inviting tilt-shift presentation. UI and navigation is smart & responsive. Data tracking is comprehensive. Nice touch that authentic era-specific maps (Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati) are in play and they are huge & sprawling. More on the way via DLC (I can't wait for NYC & Boston).

CoG definitely elicits that "one more turn" addiction and has a breezy game loop that feels almost board game-like in nature.

Great 'Sunday morning with a cup of joe' title.

 

[bytesized]

Unsighted! In my top 3 of the year most definitely. This game is like a mix of the best things from Zelda and Metroid. Don't miss it!

 

[ghostcrew]

Clockwork Aquario for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Buy Clockwork Aquario and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.

www.nintendo.com

A must buy if you like retro games.

Click to shrink...

Ok, buying this tonight! Fascinating.

 

[SteveWinwood]

I'm just gonna drop my GOTY write up as it's all hidden gems.

1. Dysmantle

DYSMANTLE on Steam

Ascend from your shelter. Ruin everything. Escape the wretched island. ⚔️🔨🎣🌱🌵🍰 Explore. Fight. Level up. Survive. Gather. Craft. Harvest. Hunt. Build. Farm. Solve puzzles. Fish. Cook. Live. Enjoy the bittersweet post-apocalypse.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

The best way I could describe Dysmantle is it feels like a Complete Package (tm.). Like the devs have the craft & care to look at every element of design and infuse it with a level of polish & TLC that's incredibly admirable.

It comes across in every element you look at, whether it's the bright, colorful visuals, satisfying UI navigation & design, smart progression loop, "just right" power-curve, the butter-smooth game engine that they built from scratch (lightning-fast startup & load times on my HDD impressed). And much, much more.

One tiny example that explains it all. So one of the accessibility options is a toggle to change the Shift to sprint from hold-down to just tap once to keep running. There's no stamina meter so when you start you can sprint for as long as you want. Cool. But what I noticed was that when you stop by letting your finger off the WASD directional keys you still have a .5 second window to press back down on the directional keys to keep sprinting without having to hit the Shift key again. This is perfect if you get accidentally stopped by a terrain object or you're just picking up a loot item off the ground.

It's such a small thing but the devs were thinking of character momentum & game flow when they coded that in. It's something I've never seen before and it really speaks to the level of fine-detail that they're operating from.

I'm over 130 hours in and have only uncovered about 50% of the map (though complete deforestation is part of my gameplay style, lol). Content updates are on a regular & consistent 2 week cycle, give or take.

It's a lighthearted take on zombie survival games with an inviting tone yet deceptively deep game systems. Balances arcade action & depth pretty darn well so it feels fresh but isn't "lite".

2. PowerWash Simulator

PowerWash Simulator on Steam

Release the Pressure with PowerWash Simulator! Wash away your worries with the soothing sounds of high-pressure water. Fire up your power washer and blast away every speck of dirt and grime you can find, all with the simple satisfaction of power-washing to a sparkling finish.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

The Zen element of PWS has been covered elsewhere and yes it's the major selling point as you can literally feel the tension in your body melting away every time you boot it up.

But I'd like to highlight the expert learning curve found in the increasingly complex work orders.

You start in a small garage with what will soon be your very own work truck. A easy task with 5 flat surfaces, front, sides, back, roof. Simple enough.

Then things get a little more spicy. Outside jobs featuring common fence posts, rails & pickets that need to be approached from a 360° angle in order to nab all that dirt from every side. Sometime using ladders and scaffolding to treat multilevel targets.

Fast forward to late game and you suddenly find yourself face to face with a rescue helicopter. It's not the size of the job, but rather to unique complexity of all the moving parts. The fine geometric details found within the rotor mast, transmission and hydraulic control unit.

Each new job trains the player to get in there and soak down targets of increasing complexity at a natural pace so it's not just a simple rinse & repeat affair (lol). Terrific pacing on offer here that makes you look forward to what's coming next.

Bright & eye-popping presentation deserve special props too. Along with simply fantastic game-engine performance. The world just feels just fine to inhabit. Super inviting.

PWS is therapy in game form.

3. Northern Journey

Northern Journey on Steam

A norwegian happysad game set in a northern land! Adventure through a beautiful and very varied wilderness. Dive, fly, use ziplines and find different weapons to aid your journey to reach the cold mountains and below. Encounter over 50 unique bosses and enemy types!

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

I randomly saw one of my favorite Twitch streamers playing this and had to stop the stream like 20 minutes in so I could immediately purchase the game for myself.

This thing has atmosphere locked down. Sports a creepy, surreal vibe. Not like horror, but more like old folklore/fairytale-bizarre characters and story beats. It's unsettling but at the same time curiously engaging where you want to inhabit the world to see where everything goes next. An interesting balance.

Gameplay feels great where it's equal measures walking sim with combat and enemy/boss encounters (kinda like Elder Scrolls I guess?). Movement speed is surprisingly hyper-fast and feels great, kinda like OG Quake locomotion. Also has those Dark Souls path unlocks where areas loop back into themselves creating shortcuts for easy back & forth traversal.

Lots of biome diversity where each new map introduces fresh new themes with a common Nordic wilderness through line. With little handholding, the dev trusts the player to figure things out on their own. You're given a journal with generalized goals, but there's zero quest markers leading you by the nose from Point A to Point B. A refreshing break from the icon-laden maps of modern game design.

The entire production is made by one guy out of Norway. Music, art, coding. Everything. And it's only $12. Feels like an absolute steal at the asking price.

Just keep in mind that as it's a one-man production it's a bit crusty around the edges. Everything fits together and works just fine, only don't go in expecting TLOU2 production values. I personally find this approach to game design endearing as hell. What I love about solo dev projects is that it's the undistilled vision of a single mind without compromise. A window into the creativity of a single person that isn't muddied by dozens of other voices in the room. It feels so pure and refreshing.

I'm just amazed of the sheer scope of this project with all the above taken into consideration.

4. Galactic Mining Corp

Galactic Mining Corp on Steam

Galactic Mining Corp is a unique rogue-lite, action game with crafting and base building mechanics. Head into uncharted space and discover a universe of locations to exploit for riches! Use your profits to expand your HQ, hire a crazy work force, obtain new drill components and upgrade everything.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

Addictive progression loop with a mind-bending number of upgrades across multiple categories. There's always multiple goals to chase at any given moment, giving progress a strategic & personal feel.

Great risk/reward gameplay that makes drilling tactical in nature. Do you try to get to the core with depleting HP or do you stick to higher levels to scoop up resources & loot?

Absolutely fantastic art direction along with a catchy soundtrack that gives the game a super-fun tone & vibe. Best arcade-like game I've played in years.

Dev is friendly & responsive in the Steam forums.

5. Cruelty Squad

Cruelty Squad on Steam

An immersive power fantasy simulator with tactical stealth elements set in a sewage infused garbage world

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

An absolute fever-dream delivered via Rainbow Six / Hitman trappings. Gloriously subversive. The sensory-overload presentation is certainly gonna be a love-it / hate-it affair as I don't think there's any middle ground to be found within, but I think it's dreamy.

What's funny is the more time I put into it, the more I realized that gonzo presentation aside, it's actually a baller tactical shooter. AI is pretty brain-dead, but the speed at which you can be taken down demands thoughtful movement & positioning. Each engagement can trigger game-over in a matter of seconds, and with no mid-level saves, the further you progress the more tense it becomes. Crazy weapon & body-augment variety make for a legit fun gameplay loop (use your own intestines as grapple-hook? sure, why not).

It's a super-wacky shooter with a daring presentation. Come for the spectacle. Stay for the diverse infiltration options & satisfying gunplay.

Love the zero-f's verve on display.

6. Dyson Sphere Program

Dyson Sphere Program on Steam

Build the most efficient intergalactic factory in space simulation strategy game Dyson Sphere Program! Harness the power of stars, collect resources, plan and design production lines and develop your interstellar factory from a small space workshop to a galaxy-wide industrial empire.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

Factorio is for sure the King of the Castle regarding production-line automation titles. But oddly, I've found Dyson Sphere Program to be the most inviting & user-friendly.

Dyson deftly walks the line between Factorio and Satisfactory that feels Goldilocks "just right" between dry complexity of Factorio and sexy presentation of Statisfactory. DSP is a best of both worlds scenario for me.

I've got mad respect for both Factorio & Satisfactory, but neither managed to hook me as quickly & confidently as Dyson has thus far. You'd be hard pressed to guess Dyson is in Early Access, given how polished and feature-rich it feels straight out of the gate.

Love the idea of planet hopping within a single campaign, ferrying resources between planets to supply other mineral-starved locals. It makes the scope feel grand in nature. Presentation is on point too. Everything looks super-colorful & detailed. The day/night cycle rocks when your spaghetti layouts are all lit up at night. It's refreshing when complex ideas and gameplay systems are coupled with bright, inviting front ends.

7. Shadow Empire

Shadow Empire on Steam

Shadow Empire is a deep turn-based 4X wargame with a unique blend of military focus, procedurally generated content and role-playing features.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

Staggering strategic depth from a solo dev. Shadow is an enticing hybrid of 4X, hex wargame, and a dash of rpg personnel/faction management. Pretty unique setting too for the genre as well.

What struck me most was just how interconnected every decision can be. Every move you make has a cascading affect into other game systems and subsystems. Amazing sense of possibilities.

It can certainly be obtuse at times and is astonishingly deep. "Why yes I'd like to adjust the planet's axis tilt, gravity and barometric pressure during game setup. I am going to be designing aircraft after all. And they need to get off the ground." It makes the complexity of Paradox grand-strat titles feel like checkers in comparison. Thankfully it comes with a 350 pg. manual, lol.

So while I spend most of my time feeling like that, dog-scientist "I Have No Idea What I'm Doing" meme, I simply love that these types of games exist. Likely never master it, but boy is it fun trying.

8. City of Gangsters

City of Gangsters on Steam

In this management tycoon game, you’ll start a criminal operation from nothing and grow it into a well-oiled money machine! Build speakeasies and illegal distilleries. Manage production chains and resource distribution. Leverage favors, chase down debtors, and bribe the police to look the other way.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

CoG is a fun bootlegging tycoon logistics game set in the US prohibition era.

Slowly expand your territory one street corner at a time by exerting neighborhood influence via fronts, favors & "protection". Develop relationships that are critical for raw ingredients trade and illicit sales. Open speakeasies and gambling dens. Bribe the police to look the other way. Keep an eye out for rival gangs and street hoods. Grow your own gang and pawn off delivery routes to focus on bigger picture demands.

It's a novel take on logistics management and empire growth. With an inviting tilt-shift presentation. UI and navigation is smart & responsive. Data tracking is comprehensive. Nice touch that authentic era-specific maps (Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati) are in play and they are huge & sprawling. More on the way via DLC (I can't wait for NYC & Boston).

CoG definitely elicits that "one more turn" addiction and has a breezy game loop that feels almost board game-like in nature.

Great 'Sunday morning with a cup of joe' title.

Click to shrink...

you have good taste and opinions

 

[Host Samurai]

Demon Turf
Spectacular Sparky
Mayhem Brawler
Toonaki Justice

 

[Bede-x]

The Riftbreaker is an excellent combination of Factorio and a twin stick shooter:



Running on Exor's inhouse engine it also looks really good, though it does become rather demanding near the end of the game, with large enemy hordes attacking your bases, so the framerate may falter if your system isn't up to it. It's on Game Pass as well, both Xbox and PC.

 

[flyinj]

I'm just gonna drop my GOTY write up as it's all hidden gems.

1. Dysmantle

DYSMANTLE on Steam

Ascend from your shelter. Ruin everything. Escape the wretched island. ⚔️🔨🎣🌱🌵🍰 Explore. Fight. Level up. Survive. Gather. Craft. Harvest. Hunt. Build. Farm. Solve puzzles. Fish. Cook. Live. Enjoy the bittersweet post-apocalypse.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

The best way I could describe Dysmantle is it feels like a Complete Package (tm.). Like the devs have the craft & care to look at every element of design and infuse it with a level of polish & TLC that's incredibly admirable.

It comes across in every element you look at, whether it's the bright, colorful visuals, satisfying UI navigation & design, smart progression loop, "just right" power-curve, the butter-smooth game engine that they built from scratch (lightning-fast startup & load times on my HDD impressed). And much, much more.

One tiny example that explains it all. So one of the accessibility options is a toggle to change the Shift to sprint from hold-down to just tap once to keep running. There's no stamina meter so when you start you can sprint for as long as you want. Cool. But what I noticed was that when you stop by letting your finger off the WASD directional keys you still have a .5 second window to press back down on the directional keys to keep sprinting without having to hit the Shift key again. This is perfect if you get accidentally stopped by a terrain object or you're just picking up a loot item off the ground.

It's such a small thing but the devs were thinking of character momentum & game flow when they coded that in. It's something I've never seen before and it really speaks to the level of fine-detail that they're operating from.

I'm over 130 hours in and have only uncovered about 50% of the map (though complete deforestation is part of my gameplay style, lol). Content updates are on a regular & consistent 2 week cycle, give or take.

It's a lighthearted take on zombie survival games with an inviting tone yet deceptively deep game systems. Balances arcade action & depth pretty darn well so it feels fresh but isn't "lite".

2. PowerWash Simulator

PowerWash Simulator on Steam

Release the Pressure with PowerWash Simulator! Wash away your worries with the soothing sounds of high-pressure water. Fire up your power washer and blast away every speck of dirt and grime you can find, all with the simple satisfaction of power-washing to a sparkling finish.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

The Zen element of PWS has been covered elsewhere and yes it's the major selling point as you can literally feel the tension in your body melting away every time you boot it up.

But I'd like to highlight the expert learning curve found in the increasingly complex work orders.

You start in a small garage with what will soon be your very own work truck. A easy task with 5 flat surfaces, front, sides, back, roof. Simple enough.

Then things get a little more spicy. Outside jobs featuring common fence posts, rails & pickets that need to be approached from a 360° angle in order to nab all that dirt from every side. Sometime using ladders and scaffolding to treat multilevel targets.

Fast forward to late game and you suddenly find yourself face to face with a rescue helicopter. It's not the size of the job, but rather to unique complexity of all the moving parts. The fine geometric details found within the rotor mast, transmission and hydraulic control unit.

Each new job trains the player to get in there and soak down targets of increasing complexity at a natural pace so it's not just a simple rinse & repeat affair (lol). Terrific pacing on offer here that makes you look forward to what's coming next.

Bright & eye-popping presentation deserve special props too. Along with simply fantastic game-engine performance. The world just feels just fine to inhabit. Super inviting.

PWS is therapy in game form.

3. Northern Journey

Northern Journey on Steam

A norwegian happysad game set in a northern land! Adventure through a beautiful and very varied wilderness. Dive, fly, use ziplines and find different weapons to aid your journey to reach the cold mountains and below. Encounter over 50 unique bosses and enemy types!

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

I randomly saw one of my favorite Twitch streamers playing this and had to stop the stream like 20 minutes in so I could immediately purchase the game for myself.

This thing has atmosphere locked down. Sports a creepy, surreal vibe. Not like horror, but more like old folklore/fairytale-bizarre characters and story beats. It's unsettling but at the same time curiously engaging where you want to inhabit the world to see where everything goes next. An interesting balance.

Gameplay feels great where it's equal measures walking sim with combat and enemy/boss encounters (kinda like Elder Scrolls I guess?). Movement speed is surprisingly hyper-fast and feels great, kinda like OG Quake locomotion. Also has those Dark Souls path unlocks where areas loop back into themselves creating shortcuts for easy back & forth traversal.

Lots of biome diversity where each new map introduces fresh new themes with a common Nordic wilderness through line. With little handholding, the dev trusts the player to figure things out on their own. You're given a journal with generalized goals, but there's zero quest markers leading you by the nose from Point A to Point B. A refreshing break from the icon-laden maps of modern game design.

The entire production is made by one guy out of Norway. Music, art, coding. Everything. And it's only $12. Feels like an absolute steal at the asking price.

Just keep in mind that as it's a one-man production it's a bit crusty around the edges. Everything fits together and works just fine, only don't go in expecting TLOU2 production values. I personally find this approach to game design endearing as hell. What I love about solo dev projects is that it's the undistilled vision of a single mind without compromise. A window into the creativity of a single person that isn't muddied by dozens of other voices in the room. It feels so pure and refreshing.

I'm just amazed of the sheer scope of this project with all the above taken into consideration.

4. Galactic Mining Corp

Galactic Mining Corp on Steam

Galactic Mining Corp is a unique rogue-lite, action game with crafting and base building mechanics. Head into uncharted space and discover a universe of locations to exploit for riches! Use your profits to expand your HQ, hire a crazy work force, obtain new drill components and upgrade everything.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

Addictive progression loop with a mind-bending number of upgrades across multiple categories. There's always multiple goals to chase at any given moment, giving progress a strategic & personal feel.

Great risk/reward gameplay that makes drilling tactical in nature. Do you try to get to the core with depleting HP or do you stick to higher levels to scoop up resources & loot?

Absolutely fantastic art direction along with a catchy soundtrack that gives the game a super-fun tone & vibe. Best arcade-like game I've played in years.

Dev is friendly & responsive in the Steam forums.

5. Cruelty Squad

Cruelty Squad on Steam

An immersive power fantasy simulator with tactical stealth elements set in a sewage infused garbage world

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

An absolute fever-dream delivered via Rainbow Six / Hitman trappings. Gloriously subversive. The sensory-overload presentation is certainly gonna be a love-it / hate-it affair as I don't think there's any middle ground to be found within, but I think it's dreamy.

What's funny is the more time I put into it, the more I realized that gonzo presentation aside, it's actually a baller tactical shooter. AI is pretty brain-dead, but the speed at which you can be taken down demands thoughtful movement & positioning. Each engagement can trigger game-over in a matter of seconds, and with no mid-level saves, the further you progress the more tense it becomes. Crazy weapon & body-augment variety make for a legit fun gameplay loop (use your own intestines as grapple-hook? sure, why not).

It's a super-wacky shooter with a daring presentation. Come for the spectacle. Stay for the diverse infiltration options & satisfying gunplay.

Love the zero-f's verve on display.

6. Dyson Sphere Program

Dyson Sphere Program on Steam

Build the most efficient intergalactic factory in space simulation strategy game Dyson Sphere Program! Harness the power of stars, collect resources, plan and design production lines and develop your interstellar factory from a small space workshop to a galaxy-wide industrial empire.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

Factorio is for sure the King of the Castle regarding production-line automation titles. But oddly, I've found Dyson Sphere Program to be the most inviting & user-friendly.

Dyson deftly walks the line between Factorio and Satisfactory that feels Goldilocks "just right" between dry complexity of Factorio and sexy presentation of Statisfactory. DSP is a best of both worlds scenario for me.

I've got mad respect for both Factorio & Satisfactory, but neither managed to hook me as quickly & confidently as Dyson has thus far. You'd be hard pressed to guess Dyson is in Early Access, given how polished and feature-rich it feels straight out of the gate.

Love the idea of planet hopping within a single campaign, ferrying resources between planets to supply other mineral-starved locals. It makes the scope feel grand in nature. Presentation is on point too. Everything looks super-colorful & detailed. The day/night cycle rocks when your spaghetti layouts are all lit up at night. It's refreshing when complex ideas and gameplay systems are coupled with bright, inviting front ends.

7. Shadow Empire

Shadow Empire on Steam

Shadow Empire is a deep turn-based 4X wargame with a unique blend of military focus, procedurally generated content and role-playing features.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

Staggering strategic depth from a solo dev. Shadow is an enticing hybrid of 4X, hex wargame, and a dash of rpg personnel/faction management. Pretty unique setting too for the genre as well.

What struck me most was just how interconnected every decision can be. Every move you make has a cascading affect into other game systems and subsystems. Amazing sense of possibilities.

It can certainly be obtuse at times and is astonishingly deep. "Why yes I'd like to adjust the planet's axis tilt, gravity and barometric pressure during game setup. I am going to be designing aircraft after all. And they need to get off the ground." It makes the complexity of Paradox grand-strat titles feel like checkers in comparison. Thankfully it comes with a 350 pg. manual, lol.

So while I spend most of my time feeling like that, dog-scientist "I Have No Idea What I'm Doing" meme, I simply love that these types of games exist. Likely never master it, but boy is it fun trying.

8. City of Gangsters

City of Gangsters on Steam

In this management tycoon game, you’ll start a criminal operation from nothing and grow it into a well-oiled money machine! Build speakeasies and illegal distilleries. Manage production chains and resource distribution. Leverage favors, chase down debtors, and bribe the police to look the other way.

store.steampowered.com

Spoiler

CoG is a fun bootlegging tycoon logistics game set in the US prohibition era.

Slowly expand your territory one street corner at a time by exerting neighborhood influence via fronts, favors & "protection". Develop relationships that are critical for raw ingredients trade and illicit sales. Open speakeasies and gambling dens. Bribe the police to look the other way. Keep an eye out for rival gangs and street hoods. Grow your own gang and pawn off delivery routes to focus on bigger picture demands.

It's a novel take on logistics management and empire growth. With an inviting tilt-shift presentation. UI and navigation is smart & responsive. Data tracking is comprehensive. Nice touch that authentic era-specific maps (Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati) are in play and they are huge & sprawling. More on the way via DLC (I can't wait for NYC & Boston).

CoG definitely elicits that "one more turn" addiction and has a breezy game loop that feels almost board game-like in nature.

Great 'Sunday morning with a cup of joe' title.

Click to shrink...

Another huge recommendation from me for Powerwash Simulator. Incredibly fun game.

A great list overall as well. I played many of those and thought they were all excellent.

Dysmantle looked interesting, seeing how good your other recs are I'm going to check it out

 

[cecilpaladin32]

Oh it's not a rogue like? I thought it was for some reason

So it's just a bullet hell ARPG?

Click to shrink...

Yep same impression I had from the initial trailer, but no it is not. I think technically the placement of rooms is procedurally generated (edit: so two different players can have different map layouts between them but not within their individual games), but it is just a "regular" single player ARPG with no rogue elements!

 

[Fonst]

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is a lovely culmination of Sherlock and their The Sinking City game to make a full world that Sherlock can go around and solve big and small mysteries. Loads of fun!

 

[BlueBrand]

Astalon: Tears of the Earth on Steam

Uphold your pact with the Titan of Death, Epimetheus! Fight, climb and solve your way through a twisted tower as three unique adventurers, on a mission to save their village from impending doom!

store.steampowered.com

Wonderful metroidvania game that feels like a long lost MSX/PCE game, where the main hook is that you get to play as multiple characters to work your way through the Castle.

 

[Bing147]

Before Your Eyes has already rightly been mentioned so I'll go with Song of Iron. My review is quoted on the page so you can see the quote or look up the whole thing but its a great 2D game in the spirit of something like Inside, with deep combat that takes a bit to master but feels wonderful once you do and great world design where enemies come from the foreground and background which adds awesome depth. There's a lot of ways to take on different challenges and it doesn't overstay its welcome. The ending goes kind of crazy in a way which really shouldn't work but does because the twist doesn't actually undermine what came before, even if at first you might think it would. Instead, it actually serves to offer depth to what came before in a rather wonderful way.

Song of Iron on Steam

Behind you lies a trail of broken helms, shattered shields. You hold the axe of a fallen foe. Worn and dented, it will suit it's purpose. What lies ahead is still a mystery. Your goal is not.

store.steampowered.com

 

[StrangeRoboMemory]

Clockwork Aquario for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Buy Clockwork Aquario and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.

www.nintendo.com

A must buy if you like retro games.

Click to shrink...

Wow, is this actually an unreleased arcade game that was cleaned up and completed, or is that just a fanciful conceit?

 

[Gray]

I'm recommending Chorus. An excellent space shooter game that's better than it seems to be. There's a demo, you can try it for yourself. I know I decided to buy it while in the middle of the demo. It is absolutely a great game that too few people seem to be aware of.

Save 75% on Chorus on Steam

Take control of Nara on a quest to destroy the dark cult that created her. Unlock devastating weapons & mind-bending abilities in an evolution of the space-combat shooter. Along with Forsaken, her sentient starfighter, explore ancient temples, engage in zero-g combat & venture beyond waking reality.

store.steampowered.com

 

[cubistic]

Check out Toodee and Topdee if you like puzzle platformers. Really clever 2D/3D puzzles with a lot of variety. And you can play it solo.

 

[YaBish]

Dorfromantik is an excellent Carcassone-esque puzzle game

 

[TubaZef]

Dodgeball Academia:


It feels a lot like those Game Boy Mario Tennis/Golf RPGs but with dodgeball. The dodgeball feels great, the writing is pretty funny and the art so charming. Really worth checking out.

It's available in every console and on PC/Xbox Gamepass

 

[Daimon]

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights. It's a good metroidvania and one of my favorite games of 2021.

It's currently on sale on Steam, eShop, PS Store and Xbox Store.