The hidden gems of the Steam Summer Sale 2021

[IDontBeatGames]

LIBERATED on Steam

Lock, load, and get ready for a new kind of action adventure! Immerse yourself in a noir rain-soaked city inside a paperback comic. Uncover a cyberpunk conspiracy against human rights. THIS is the revolution.

store.steampowered.com

Slightly cheaper on

Green Man Gaming

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this looks sick

 

[SapientWolf]

Synthetik is reeeeally good. I have a ton of reverence for Crusader: No Remorse, and this game very much feels like a modern take on that.

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I ran out of ammo on my first run and bounced off of it but I love Crusader so I'm willing to give it another shot.

 

[MrWindUpBird]

Don't get Little Dragon's Cafe. I love that genre but little dragon's cafe was so bad I actually stopped trusting Aksys as a publisher as they were willing to publish it and refused to address any of the numerous issues that game had, even just in terms of performance. It also has a really boring feedback loop—I gave it a solid 10 hours when I was bored. It doesn't get better.

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Well that's kind of disappointing. It looked pretty cute from the trailers but if it's as bad as you say, I'm not sure I really want to spend the money on it. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[ZedLilIndPum]

Thanks everybody, you've really helped to narrow it down for me lol

I do like the Steam sale though because it reminds me I have an ok gaming laptop and the diversity of games on PC is unparalleled.

 

[Rosebud]

Bought this yesterday because you can use any song you want, it's very fun

 

[Buried In Time]

 

[IDontBeatGames]

Buried In Time keeps posting some good ass suggestions, my wallet could only take so much damage!

 

[Buried In Time]

 

[TeenageFBI]

Just snagged this but haven't played it for myself yet, supposedly one of the better somewhat below the radar horror games on Steam that I've seen on various lists over the years...

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.I don't know that I would call Lisa horror. Thats exactly what it puts its characters through though.

Its a post apocalyptic RPG with some odd humor and a lot of darkness and tragedy. Its amazing.

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Gotta be honest, I haven't played much of this yet but I'm impressed every time I thumb through the soundtrack. Shit's wild.

 

[anariel]

Streets of Fury EX is a really dumb game. I'm not really sure how else to put it. It's a ridiculously over the top FMV beat em up with crazy juggles, janky animations, and cancels everywhere. It's a ton of fun with a friend. I really can't say it enough, though: holy shit this game is stupid. And I love it. Somehow it plays really, really well. And there's a demo!

The devs (Guard Crush) went on to work on Streets of Rage 4.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

Tactical rogue-like topdown-shooter with loads of build variety and weapons:

SYNTHETIK: Legion Rising on Steam

SYNTHETIK is an unforgiving tactical shooter rogue-lite where freedom and experimentation is key. Fight in a world overrun by the Machine Legion and their Gods. Experience the next level in gun-play and dive into unparalleled build options and Android upgrades. Can you defeat the Heart of...

store.steampowered.com

EA's strike series but with mechs and super-stylish Cyberpunk presentation:

Brigador: Up-Armored Edition on Steam

Pilot a mech to hunt down and destroy the oppressive government of a cyberpunk autocracy. In this fast-paced, top-down-shooter, use overwhelming firepower to destroy columns of tanks and level buildings. Unlock up to 56 unique vehicles and 40 weapons.

store.steampowered.com

Probably Supergiant Games most overlooked game. A mashup between visual novel, RPG and ... sports game. But don't be afraid, the sports part is super arcadey and fun:

Save 80% on Pyre on Steam

Pyre is a party-based RPG from the creators of Bastion and Transistor. Lead your band of exiles to freedom through a series of mystical competitions in the Campaign, or challenge a friend to a fast-paced ritual showdown in the head-to-head Versus Mode.

store.steampowered.com

Crazy turbo puzzler where you have to find creative solutions for problems in a few seconds. Stupid fun:

McPixel bei Steam

McPixel ist ein Rette-den-Tag-Typ, den Sie durch 100 kleine Level führen und verhindern, dass irgendetwas explodiert. Sie haben nur 20 Sekunden, um den Tag zu retten! Denken Sie schnell!

store.steampowered.com

Friendly reminder, that Octopath Traveler is available on Steam (and Xbox). I enjoy this game a lot. It doesn't have a great story or dungeons, but the battle system is fun and there is a lot of stuff to grind for (jobs, equipment, super bosses):

OCTOPATH TRAVELER™ on Steam

Eight travelers. Eight adventures. Eight roles to play. Embark on an epic journey across the vast and wondrous world of Orsterra and discover the captivating stories of each of the eight travelers.

store.steampowered.com

The best retro-inspired FPS. Also a work of art with sublime art style and music and some crazy later level designs.

AMID EVIL on Steam

A retro FPS for the ages! Once branded a HERETIC. Now YOU have been chosen as our champion! Reclaim our sacred weapons. Take back our ancient lands. If you can stand... AMID EVIL.

store.steampowered.com

The best alternative to Beat Saber:

Dance Collider on Steam

It's your time to become a dance master and take down Uriel! Battle 9 of the best dancers from around the globe and compete on global leaderboards. Featuring 45 Songs by F-777 and a VR dance editor. Dance Collider is the ultimate dance and rhythm game.

store.steampowered.com

Sword fighting first-person rogue-lite fitness game:

Until You Fall on Steam

Fantasy and synthwave collide in this physically active VR sword fighting game. Grow stronger as you battle through an awesome neon environment and strike down magic-infused monstrosities in this hack-and-slash roguelite. Fight. Fall. Rise Again.

store.steampowered.com

The best Diablo-like out there (even better than D2 and Path of Exile). Get the DLC with it, totally worth it:

Save 75% on Grim Dawn on Steam

Enter an apocalyptic fantasy world where humanity is on the brink of extinction, iron is valued above gold and trust is hard earned. This ARPG features complex character development, hundreds of unique items, crafting and quests with choice & consequence.

store.steampowered.com

 

[anariel]

You can't help but feel they only want to hurt you. But you know you must move forward. You must fight.

Some of the first words you see in Lucah: Born of a Dream. I'm not sure where to start with this, really. From a gameplay perspective, it almost plays like a 2D character action game once you get your moveset. From an aesthetic standpoint, it has a surreal feel to it, and a very angry, erratic and violent look. But what stuck with me most was its themes and story, and what this whole adventure is about. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say I love it very much.

 

[thenexus6]

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/3669/Rusty_Lake_Bundle/

ALOT of games for such a low price. Really awesome games.

Point and click, find objects, solve puzzles. Eerie, Twin Peaks esque weirdness.

 

[Chromie]

This game is so goddamn good, it's a shame it was apparently not super successful.

The controls take a bit of getting used to, the default scheme reminded me of those EA "Strike" games from the 90's; however, the dev has updated the game a lot over time and so now there are several options to choose from to find something you're more comfortable with. Plenty of difficulty modifiers as well so you can tailor the experience to your liking.

Missions are pretty bite-sized, maybe 15-20 minutes on average if you do everything. I'll usually just play 1 or 2 at a time.

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You are obligated to post the soundtrack at least. The soundtrack is INCREDIBLE And MandaloreGaming's excellent review.

 

[Paroni]

I got no idea how I had not ran into Mini Healer before this summer sale, but better late than never. It's ridiculously fun and seems to have tons of content despite still being in early access. It's essentially a single player game about being healer in MMO raid bosses.
In Mini Healer, you play as a healer of adventuring party, which also has a tank, a berserker and a ranger. You are tasked with keeping the party alive while they punch the bosses to death. In between the fight, you can invest talent points and equip loot which affects the entire party, and there is wide potential for different builds that don't only amplify your healing, but boosts other party members as well.

 

[addyb]

Not sure this is a 'hidden' gem but i always like to recommend this.

Viscera Cleanup Detail on Steam

In Viscera Cleanup Detail, you step into the boots of a space-station janitor tasked with cleaning up after various horrific sci-fi horror events. Instead of machineguns and plasma-rifles, your tools are a mop and bucket. That hero left a mess, and it's up to you to deal with the aftermath.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Nucarn]

Just snagged this but haven't played it for myself yet, supposedly one of the better somewhat below the radar horror games on Steam that I've seen on various lists over the years...

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This game made quite an impression on me, it's nothing extraordinary gameplay wise. It's a take on how earthbound plays, competent at that.

But what I loved about my time with it was for sure the characters, in particular the 'bad' guys. Most of them went through some messed up stuff.

I don't see the game as a horror game, but more like a psychedelic setting, difficult to explain. It can get into creepy territory but only because of the setting it is on.

What I also found quite interesting here were the really impactful choices that even affects the gameplay for the rest of the playthrough.

Overall I really liked this and definitely an interesting take on the earthbound formula!

 

[Cyanity]

So it looks like Cyberpunk is on sale. I'll probably wait for a further sale before dipping in, but was wondering if anyone with experience with the game knows whether CD Projekt Red fixed any of the glaring ai or visual bugs the game had at launch yet?

edit - sorry wrong thread

 

[Buckle]

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass.

Earthbound but you can shapeshift and become a 1950s vampire or a bear. Also that whole "darkness lurking under the surface" thing.

 

[CannonFodder52]

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/3669/Rusty_Lake_Bundle/

ALOT of games for such a low price. Really awesome games.

Point and click, find objects, solve puzzles. Eerie, Twin Peaks esque weirdness.

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Nice, I'll check that out. I'm looking for more indie horror stuff in general at the moment.

 

[Deleted member 13798]

Dropsy and Hypnospace Outlaw are the same designer. Mind blown, also it makes sense. Both of those are gems.

 

[CannonFodder52]

Dropsy and Hypnospace Outlaw are the same designer. Mind blown, also it makes sense. Both of those are gems.

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The writer, Xalavier Nelson Jr., also worked on both Hypnospace Outlaw and An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs. These are all games I've gotta play someday soon.

 

[Deleted member 2317]

Anyone recommend some fun multiplayer or coop hidden gems to play with friends? PVP, PVE, or whatever doesn't really matter. (for at least 3 players)

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By far some of the best same screen action I've played, honestly, the only complaint is that after 20+ hours of this really fun arcade game is that we've played through a very large portion of its content. Frantic fun! Some people admittedly did not enjoy at all how fast it can be, or how uh, mean the damage values can be.

 

[Moogle]

The character design is kind of ehhhhhhh but The Vagrant is a surprisingly competent Vanillaware-style beat em up. Its base price is already stupid cheap, but it's really a steal at $1.59 imo.

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Odin Sphere is one of my favourite games, so I'm interested in checking this out but LOL you weren't kidding about that character design 😬

 

[IDontBeatGames]

How's this game?

 

[Sheepinator]

$8 for one of the best time loop adventure games ever made. Hamlet, but with like fifteen different endings! Incredibly well written and with fantastic puzzles.

do not miss this!

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I'm tempted. Did you ever play Sexy Brutale? I really liked that. Great art and music style, fun time loop adventure.

 

[makonero]

I'm tempted. Did you ever play Sexy Brutale? I really liked that. Great art and music style, fun time loop adventure.

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No, I didn't get a chance with it. I definitely want to someday.

elsinore was my game of the yearwhen it came out. I can't recommend it enough.

 

[Insomniac]

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/3669/Rusty_Lake_Bundle/

ALOT of games for such a low price. Really awesome games.

Point and click, find objects, solve puzzles. Eerie, Twin Peaks esque weirdness.

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For anyone who gets in on these, there's also a couple free games in the series that are worth playing:

Cube Escape: Paradox on Steam

The tenth Cube Escape follows the story of detective Dale Vandermeer who finds himself trapped in two different universes and needs to escape. Cube Escape: Paradox will be released together with the accompanying Paradox: A Rusty Lake Film.

store.steampowered.com

Samsara Room on Steam

You woke up in a mysterious room you have never seen before. Can you find another way out? Samsara Room is a remake of the praised predecessor of the Rusty Lake & Cube Escape series.

store.steampowered.com

 

[anariel]

Monolith is a neat little roguelite. It's kind of Binding of Isaac as a bullet hell. Minus the poop. Pilot a little ship through rooms, picking up upgrades and a bunch of different weapons. Good music, neat aesthetic. If I had one dig against it, it'd be that there's not a huuuuge variety of drops, so it's more about just getting better at the game than the runs being wildly different from one run to the next.


Tangledeep is just a really solid roguelike. It's not necessarily doing anything super new, but it's doing everything really well. It looks great, it sounds great, and it plays great. Bunch of different classes and gear, so there's a lot of replayability.

Odin Sphere is one of my favourite games, so I'm interested in checking this out but LOL you weren't kidding about that character design 😬

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Yeah, it's...pretty bad. I wouldn't fault anyone for writing the game off immediately because of it.

 

[skeezx]

How's this game?

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a must have, if boomer shooters are your bag to whatever extent

 

[White Glint]

I grabbed Nex Machina because of all the good stuff I've heard about it and it's definitely an overlooked gem. However in full screen I'm not seeing it run at high framerates despite metrics saying it is and also in windowed mode it is visibly running at high framerates. Easy to tell by how the bullets break up or flow smooth. Any ideas?

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

How's this game?

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Best in class. Like legit one of the best FPS ever made. Absolutely loved it and can't wait for the DLC.

 

[5taquitos]

I grabbed Nex Machina because of all the good stuff I've heard about it and it's definitely an overlooked gem. However in full screen I'm not seeing it run at high framerates despite metrics saying it is and also in windowed mode it is visibly running at high framerates. Easy to tell by how the bullets break up or flow smooth. Any ideas?

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It's a known issue, there's a fix at the bottom of the PCGamingWiki page here:

Nex Machina - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

www.pcgamingwiki.com

btw, everyone in this thread should familiarize themselves with this site.

 

[White Glint]

It's a known issue, there's a fix at the bottom of the PCGamingWiki page here:

Nex Machina - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

www.pcgamingwiki.com

btw, everyone in this thread should familiarize themselves with this site.

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Sweet, thanks.

 

[Aaron D.]

You are obligated to post the soundtrack at least. The soundtrack is INCREDIBLE And MandaloreGaming's excellent review.

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Yeah, Brigador soundtrack is absolutely god-tier.

Man what a killer game.

The Deluxe edition features 2 Soundtracks, 2 EPs and an audiobook.

Over 40 synth-wave tracks from Makeup and Vanity Set that absolutely shred.

Def. worth a few extra bucks.

 

[More_Badass]

How's this game?

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One of the masterpieces of the old-school shooter revival. It's actually my favorite of the bunch

 

[AdamT]

Nostalgia called:

 

[John Rabbit]

How do I do a Steam code/giveaway? I want to do a giveaway in this thread but I have no idea what to do for the "code" part.

 

[BlackRainbowFT]

Here's a mix of hidden gems, semi-hidden gems and forgotten gems.

I'm not sure the Creeper World series is THAT hidden... it kinda used to be, before the switch to 3D. Anyway here's Creeper World 4:

Creeper World 4 on Steam

The unstoppable fluid enemy has returned and destroyed every world in its path! Defend against Creeper as it floods across the 3D terrain in this real time strategy game where the enemy is a fluid.

store.steampowered.com

Hell Yeah!, a criminally underrated 2D platformer:

Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit on Steam

A crazy action-adventure platformer... In Hell.

store.steampowered.com

Atom Zombie Smasher, a forgotten abstract zombie tactical game:

Atom Zombie Smasher on Steam

The zombie apocalypse is upon us and it's up to you to evacuate everyone before they fall prey to the undead. Conduct massive rescue operations with a helping hand from snipers, artillery crews, orbital bombardments, and more.

store.steampowered.com

Tomb of Tyrants: a weird blend of match-3 and dungeon crawling:

Save 70% on Tomb of Tyrants on Steam

Claim and defend the Tomb of Tyrants against greedy adventurers by matching tiles to build a deadly dungeon full of traps, minions, and more!

store.steampowered.com

Quern - Undying Thoughts: I'm not sure if this game can be considered a hidden gem since it's well-known among Myst-like aficionados...

Save 55% on Quern - Undying Thoughts on Steam

Discover the truth about Quern’s past, unfold the mysteries of its present, and be the explorer who shapes its future. Quern introduces reusable puzzle mechanics to the classic genre, making the player think about the game as a whole, and not just as a series of individual challenges.

store.steampowered.com

For some reason Joe Danger is never brought up and oddly enough it has only 62 reviews on Steam.

Joe Danger on Steam

Can you put the world’s most determined stuntman back into the limelight? Combo, boost and pull ludicrous stunts as Joe attempts to race his way back into the record books in over 100 eye-popping levels. Leap school buses full of screaming kids and pools of ravenous sharks! Dodge spikes and...

store.steampowered.com

 

[Rudr]

How do I do a Steam code/giveaway? I want to do a giveaway in this thread but I have no idea what to do for the "code" part.

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The code part is where you put the steam code to redeem the game.

 

[anariel]

Fight'N Rage has some...questionable character designs, to say the least. But if you can get past that (won't blame you if you can't!), it's also one of the best playing beat em ups out there.


Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is kind of like River City Rampage if it focused on the story of a juvenile delinquent growing up and trying to find their place in the world.

 

[Sei]

I haven't played it yet, but this has been on my wishlist for a while and I've heard good things about it:

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I bought this game and really enjoyed it. Really neat small and compact story. Have to replay a few times to get all the achievements.

A few more recommendations.



Neat PS1 style horror game. Some of their other games are on their Itchio, and they have a demo for their new game which is also really good.



Collection of short horror games, really interesting.

 

[Shodan14]

 

[wellpapp]

Best in class. Like legit one of the best FPS ever made. Absolutely loved it and can't wait for the DLC.

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I kinda fell of it after playing one episode, getting kinda repetetive unlocking all weapons rather fast and enemies being boring.. but yeah, the looks and design + with full on blasting RTX looks kinda crazy.

 

[Aaron D.]

Incredibly funny writing.

Striking presentation.

Pro-tip: In the opening, keep inspecting the bookcase in your room to unlock Walking Stupid book/perk. You have to then equip it. Worth the effort!

 

[.exe]

Incredibly funny writing.

Striking presentation.

Pro-tip: In the opening, keep inspecting the bookcase in your room to unlock Walking Stupid book/perk. You have to then equip it. Worth the effort!

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Fantastic game. Had zero expectations going in, but I ended up binge playing it over like two days.

 

[skeezx]

if you're into rougelite shooters like Immortal Redneck, Tower of Guns, ect this will be your next jam. the best feeling controls/gunplay i've experienced recently

is still in EA though

 

[JustTeaThankYou]

Somewhat of a side point, but remember that if you bought either of the two itch.io bundles you may own some of the indie recommendations already. This site makes it really easy to double check (some games listed in this thread are definitely in these bundles): https://randombundlegame.com/

 

[Deleted member 2834]

last years GOTY. if you can handle a bit of jank and a bit of a wonky translation at times its an incredible anime xcom like with tons of systems. its so good.

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This game would be much better with fewer systems. I enjoy it more than X-Com but I just find the amount of shit to pay attention to overwhelming.

 

[diablogg]

The best Diablo-like out there (even better than D2 and Path of Exile). Get the DLC with it, totally worth it:

Save 75% on Grim Dawn on Steam

Enter an apocalyptic fantasy world where humanity is on the brink of extinction, iron is valued above gold and trust is hard earned. This ARPG features complex character development, hundreds of unique items, crafting and quests with choice & consequence.

store.steampowered.com

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