With Steam sales coming to a close, here are some hidden gems of mine.

[Shinobido Heart]

Who doesn't like hidden gems? Needles in a haystack, diamonds in the rough.

Good games that don't get enough attention, and end up falling behind in another games shadow.

Here is a list of games that I've played, that I consider hidden gems and possibly worth your time.

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The Vagrant on Steam

Guide Vivian the Vagrant, through vibrant and dynamic landscapes while hacking and slashing a path from a quiet coastal village through mysterious forests, haunted castles, and wrecked battlegrounds. When the endless barrage of enemies have been vanquished, what solace will be left for our hero?

store.steampowered.com

There's a reason why The Vagrant shows up in so many hidden gem lists. It usually goes on sale for less than $1.60, and for the amount of content it offers, it's an absolute steal. Not to mention being inspired by Vanillaware games. It may be rough around the edges, but it's still a good deal.

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Akane on Steam

2121 A.D, with no escape options, Akane prepares for her final battle in the rain-soaked neon streets of Mega-Tokyo. Akane is an arena arcade slasher. Take out as many yakuza as possible, slashing and shooting in a one-hit-one-kill fight to the death.

store.steampowered.com

Akane is a hard, and challenging game, if you die you have to start again from the beginning. For some, that may be an immediate turn off, but the game plays pretty well and it features a nice soundtrack. There are unlockables to work towards that may make the game easier or more tolerable.

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Within the blade on Steam

Bloody stealth platformer, about the ninja in which you cut the enemies into pieces.

store.steampowered.com

Pixel Shinobi: Nine Demons of Mamoru is (or was) an Early Access game, but one of the few that I think deserves a notable mention. It's also a hard and challenging game with tight controls, with a skill tree of varying skills to learn, and crafting to create ninja tools. May also have some english translation issues but for what's available here, I think it's worth it.

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Wallachia: Reign of Dracula on Steam

Wallachia Reign of Dracula is a retro-styled action platformer/shooter game.

store.steampowered.com

Developed my Migami games, known for Castlevania: The Lecarde Chronicles, Wallachia is a retro-style side scrolling shooter with a nice soundtrack. Also has a collaboration costume to unlock from Bloodstained Ritual of the Night. This game doesn't really go on sale, but it's cheap enough to be worth a mention. To avoid confusion, this is not a metroidvania kind of game. There are stages you play through.

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Save 67% on Kenshi on Steam

A free-roaming squad based RPG. Focusing on open-ended sandbox gameplay features rather than a linear story. Be a trader, a thief, a rebel, a warlord, an adventurer, a farmer, a slave, or just food for the cannibals. Train your men up from puny victims to master warriors.

store.steampowered.com

A beloved game of mine and to me, the holy grail of hidden gems. This is a game you could easily sink hundreds of hours into and has steam workshop support. I wrote a very lengthy write up of my adventures here:
https://www.resetera.com/threads/be...d-kenshi-wanted-to-share-my-adventures.90300/

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Jet Lancer on Steam

Jet Lancer is a high-velocity aerial combat shooter where you duel enemy aviators, hunt giant robots, and defy death at supersonic speeds as you evolve from an unknown rookie aviator into a once-in-a-generation ACE pilot.

store.steampowered.com

A recent gem I came across, and possibly 2020's hidden gem for me. It's "Anime Luftrausers", with a colorful artstyle, pixel art characters, fast paced dog fights, unlockable upgrades, plenty of missions, a small open world area to explore, a True Ending, New Game+, and an Arcade Mode. Oh, and a fantastic soundtrack!
https://www.resetera.com/threads/dont-sleep-on-jet-lancer.353848/

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Sands of Salzaar on Steam

Bringing you to an exotic desert where you’ll recruit, train, and guide your troops into battle against rival cities and factions. Embark on an adventure that’s uniquely yours; Customizable characters, professions, and factions. The land is filled with a variety of hidden secrets.

store.steampowered.com

Another recent gem, this game is in Early Access and recently got an English Update. However, the English Update isn't complete. If you like Mount & Blade, with cool-down based skills, this might be worth your time. This game also supports steam workshop, but most mods may be in chinese.
https://www.resetera.com/threads/sands-of-salzaar-bannersaga-meets-mount-blade-meets.351424/

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Exanima on Steam

Explore, fight, survive and unravel mysteries in this unique and unforgiving 3D isometric RPG set in an original dark, low fantasy world. Exanima's exceptional attention to detail and realistic simulation of all things aim to provide a deeply immersive and dynamic gameplay experience.

store.steampowered.com

Exanima is an Early Access game that released back in 2015, and is notorious for its slow updates. This is also a hard and challenging top down isometric dungeon crawler with an Arena Mode and a Practice Mode. The whole game revolves around physics, including its combat system. Normally, I'd recommend this game but a recent update made changes to the games save system which makes the game too unbearable to play. So as of right now, I actually don't recommend this game but at the very least keep an eye on it.

 

[napkins]

i love hidden gems threads

i got this years ago but have been playing it a lot recently. it's a lot like spelunky but more combat focused. has local co-op and online through a mod:

 

[Deleted member 76797]

if you love turn based combat you owe it to yourself to check this out

Save 75% on Star Renegades on Steam

Star Renegades is a dimension spanning rogue-lite strategy RPG. Outsmart uniquely generated adversaries, forge bonds between heroes and end the cycle!

store.steampowered.com

also on gamepass

 

[Deleted member 12323]

Who doesn't like hidden gems? Needles in a haystack, diamonds in the rough.

Good games that don't get enough attention, and end up falling behind in another games shadow.

Here is a list of games that I've played, that I consider hidden gems and possibly worth your time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Vagrant on Steam

Guide Vivian the Vagrant, through vibrant and dynamic landscapes while hacking and slashing a path from a quiet coastal village through mysterious forests, haunted castles, and wrecked battlegrounds. When the endless barrage of enemies have been vanquished, what solace will be left for our hero?

store.steampowered.com

There's a reason why The Vagrant shows up in so many hidden gem lists. It usually goes on sale for less than $1.60, and for the amount of content it offers, it's an absolute steal. Not to mention being inspired by Vanillaware games. It may be rough around the edges, but it's still a good deal.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akane on Steam

2121 A.D, with no escape options, Akane prepares for her final battle in the rain-soaked neon streets of Mega-Tokyo. Akane is an arena arcade slasher. Take out as many yakuza as possible, slashing and shooting in a one-hit-one-kill fight to the death.

store.steampowered.com

Akane is a hard, and challenging game, if you die you have to start again from the beginning. For some, that may be an immediate turn off, but the game plays pretty well and it features a nice soundtrack. There are unlockables to work towards that may make the game easier or more tolerable.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Within the blade on Steam

Bloody stealth platformer, about the ninja in which you cut the enemies into pieces.

store.steampowered.com

Pixel Shinobi: Nine Demons of Mamoru is an Early Access game, but one of the few that I think deserves a notable mention. It's also a hard and challenging game with tight controls, and may have some translation issues but for what's available here, I think it's worth it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wallachia: Reign of Dracula on Steam

Wallachia Reign of Dracula is a retro-styled action platformer/shooter game.

store.steampowered.com

Developed my Migami games, known for Castlevania: The Lecarde Chronicles, Wallachia is a retro-style side scrolling shooter with a nice soundtrack. Also has a collaboration costume to unlock from Bloodstained Ritual of the Night.


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Save 67% on Kenshi on Steam

A free-roaming squad based RPG. Focusing on open-ended sandbox gameplay features rather than a linear story. Be a trader, a thief, a rebel, a warlord, an adventurer, a farmer, a slave, or just food for the cannibals. Train your men up from puny victims to master warriors.

store.steampowered.com

A beloved game of mine and to me, the holy grail of hidden gems. This is a game you could easily sink hundreds of hours into and has steam workshop support. I wrote a very lengthy write up of my adventures here:
https://www.resetera.com/threads/be...d-kenshi-wanted-to-share-my-adventures.90300/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jet Lancer on Steam

Jet Lancer is a high-velocity aerial combat shooter where you duel enemy aviators, hunt giant robots, and defy death at supersonic speeds as you evolve from an unknown rookie aviator into a once-in-a-generation ACE pilot.

store.steampowered.com

A recent gem I came across, and possibly 2020's hidden gem for me. It's "Anime Luftrausers", with a colorful artstyle, pixel art characters, fast paced dog fights, unlockable upgrades, plenty of missions, a small open world area to explore, a True Ending, New Game+, and an Arcade Mode. Oh, and a fantastic soundtrack!


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sands of Salzaar on Steam

Bringing you to an exotic desert where you’ll recruit, train, and guide your troops into battle against rival cities and factions. Embark on an adventure that’s uniquely yours; Customizable characters, professions, and factions. The land is filled with a variety of hidden secrets.

store.steampowered.com

Another recent gem, this game is in Early Access and recently got an English Update. However, the English Update isn't complete. If you like Mount & Blade, with cool-down based skills, this might be worth your time. This game also supports steam workshop, but most mods may be in chinese.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Exanima on Steam

Explore, fight, survive and unravel mysteries in this unique and unforgiving 3D isometric RPG set in an original dark, low fantasy world. Exanima's exceptional attention to detail and realistic simulation of all things aim to provide a deeply immersive and dynamic gameplay experience.

store.steampowered.com

Exanima is an Early Access game that released back in 2015, and is notorious for its slow updates. This is also a hard and challenging top down isometric dungeon crawler with an Arena Mode and a Practice Mode. The whole game revolves around physics, including its combat system. Normally, I'd recommend this game but a recent update made changes to the games save system which makes the game too unbearable to play. So as of right now, I actually don't recommend this game but at the very least keep an eye on it.

Click to shrink...

picked up vagrant. thanks

 

[IDontBeatGames]

I'mma watch this thread to see if there's anything worth picking up that interest me

 

[MouldyK]

I wouldn't class Kenshi, a title which has sold 1,000,000 copies, as a hidden gem haha.

 

[Shinobido Heart]

I wouldn't class Kenshi, a title which has sold 1,000,000 copies, as a hidden gem haha.

Click to shrink...

Hmm, you may be right. It was in development for 12 years so people may have forgotten about it.

 

[Brazil]

I wouldn't class Kenshi, a title which has sold 1,000,000 copies, as a hidden gem haha.

Click to shrink...

I'd literally never heard of it, so hey!

 

[The Lord of Cereal]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/219780/Divinity_II_Developers_Cut/

Not really a hidden gem since the Original Sin games have become pretty popular and big hits, but it is still a cheap and incredibly fun RPG. The combat is jank as all hell and the difficulty spikes quite a bit because of it, but the story, the writing and literally everything else is incredibly top tier, and even the combat was still pretty fun at times. Still, for $2, it's truly an amazing deal


Also the soundtrack is pretty damn great too

 

[Vexii]

Exanima on Steam

Explore, fight, survive and unravel mysteries in this unique and unforgiving 3D isometric RPG set in an original dark, low fantasy world. Exanima's exceptional attention to detail and realistic simulation of all things aim to provide a deeply immersive and dynamic gameplay experience.

store.steampowered.com

Exanima is an Early Access game that released back in 2015, and is notorious for its slow updates. This is also a hard and challenging top down isometric dungeon crawler with an Arena Mode and a Practice Mode. The whole game revolves around physics, including its combat system. Normally, I'd recommend this game but a recent update made changes to the games save system which makes the game too unbearable to play. So as of right now, I actually don't recommend this game but at the very least keep an eye on it.

Click to shrink...

What changed about the save system? Have my eye on this but want to know what changed?

 

[Jokerman]

It's not really a hidden gem either but more people need to experience Noita.

 

[Deleted member 56803]

A House of Many Doors on Steam

Explore the House, a parasite dimension that steals from other worlds, in a train that scuttles on mechanical legs.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Davey Cakes]

It's not really a hidden gem either but more people need to experience Noita.

Click to shrink...

I bought this game during the Summer Sale, I believe. It was an impulse buy. I don't know why I keep buying Roguelikes as I don't even have time for more straightforward games, but something about Noita just looked interesting. The reviews were very good.

What makes it stand out?

 

[His Majesty]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/219780/Divinity_II_Developers_Cut/

Not really a hidden gem since the Original Sin games have become pretty popular and big hits, but it is still a cheap and incredibly fun RPG. The combat is jank as all hell and the difficulty spikes quite a bit because of it, but the story, the writing and literally everything else is incredibly top tier, and even the combat was still pretty fun at times. Still, for $2, it's truly an amazing deal


Also the soundtrack is pretty damn great too

Click to shrink...

Terrific game, yes. Pouring one out for Kirill Pokrovsky.

 

[Shinobido Heart]

What changed about the save system? Have my eye on this but want to know what changed?

Click to shrink...

The game used to save at the beginning of each stage. So let's say you died on stage 5, you would spawn at the beginning of stage 5.

Now with the recent update, let's say you died on stage 5 again...well, the game is gonna put you back to stage 2 where the Portal gate is.

I've no idea why they made that change, it makes no sense.

 

[Futabaisthebest<3]

The game used to save at the beginning of each stage. So let's say you died on stage 5, you would spawn at the beginning of stage 5.

Now with the recent update, let's say you died on stage 5 again...well, the game is gonna put you back to stage 2 where the Portal gate is.

I've no idea why they made that change, it makes no sense.

Click to shrink...

Oof, I still have that listed on my wishlist. I might remove it if they didn't reverse it back.

 

[Morrigan]

I've been playing this lately. It's really good. Imagine something similar to classic Contra gameplay (though you do have a bit of HP instead of dying in 1 hit), with incredible pixel art, solid level design and enemy variety, cool bosses and guns, and a ripping metal soundtrack. I know Slain didn't have many fans, but this is improved upon it in every way. And it's really cheap right now!

 

[karnage10]

i'm not sure if there are hidden gems but since they aren't usually talked about my vote goes for:

basically a tycoon game that has trains (main focus), bus, trams, airplanes and boats. It does what most other tycoon games do. Where it shines however is in 2 points. 1) the models are gorgeous 2) the stations are very modular but simple to set up
The only con is that it doens't have rival companies so the sandbox game is all about you optimizing routes and adapting to the ages. It has a relatively lenghty campaign that is full of missions with challenges

BFGA2 brings the 40k warships to live. using unreal engine this RTS has some shiny graphics and sound effects. THe cool part? 3 campaigns - imperials forces (astartes, mechanicus and the imperal fleet), necrons and tyranids. Chaos is a DLC campaign. The rest of the factions like Tau, eldar and greenskins are still available in skirmish to master.
The game shines with the range of weapons and variety between factions. The voice action is very good. The enthusiams of the VA is amazing.
The game lacks moderation. Each campaign lasts for 100 turns with 2-5 battles/turn. So chances are that you will get tired of the game before finish the campaigns.


CSD3 is all about making food and hating yourself because of how stressful it is. It is a very hard game to describe. It is PERFECT for CO-OP. There is something special about a friendship that can survive the harsh realities of the cooking in this game.
From the way the game incentivizes to use harder plates to the game forcing you to choose those plates. To upgrades for your progresions, etc. This game is really good.
If I had to put a con in i'd say that the lack of francesinha on the menu is hard to forgive.

 

[Capra]

A laidback "photography sim" with a cool cyberpunk anime Dreamcast aesthetic and a fantastic soundtrack by Thor High Heels, and also a devastatingly-relevant, politically-charged game about civil unrest, environmental collapse, and police brutality at the end of the world.

 

[Tatsu91]

I've been playing this lately. It's really good. Imagine something similar to classic Contra gameplay (though you do have a bit of HP instead of dying in 1 hit), with incredible pixel art, solid level design and enemy variety, cool bosses and guns, and a ripping metal soundtrack. I know Slain didn't have many fans, but this is improved upon it in every way. And it's really cheap right now!

Click to shrink...

I didn't quite finish slain but this is much better.

 

[Morrigan]

I didn't quite finish slain but this is much better.

Click to shrink...

I did finish Slain, the Back from Hell edition is pretty decent, but yeah, this is improved in just about every way. Level design is much stronger, as is the enemy variety.

 

[Rosebud]

Very short and great games:

 

[M. Wallace]

I bought Van Helsing for $5. Pretty good.

 

[jon bones]

been looking for lofi games to play on my macbook - will keep an eye on the thread!

 

[CGriffiths86]

 

[karnage10]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1046030/

Click to shrink...

put the link into the camera/medea button so that it creates a link like this.

 

[hwarang]

I've been playing this lately. It's really good. Imagine something similar to classic Contra gameplay (though you do have a bit of HP instead of dying in 1 hit), with incredible pixel art, solid level design and enemy variety, cool bosses and guns, and a ripping metal soundtrack. I know Slain didn't have many fans, but this is improved upon it in every way. And it's really cheap right now!

Click to shrink...

wtf is with all these cool looking indie games I've never heard of.

 

[XR.]

put the link into the camera/medea button so that it creates a link like this.

Click to shrink...

It's a thread for hidden gems after all!

 

[DenverCo]

Thank you for all recommendations. Keep them coming. I have $15 left to spend.

 

[Rosebud]

been looking for lofi games to play on my macbook - will keep an eye on the thread!

Click to shrink...

 

[Zomba13]

Click to shrink...

Ooooh this is a good shout. Such a chill, relaxing game.

 

[nded]

BallisticNG is in my opinion the best antigrav racer on Steam right now. There are a lot of stellar user created tracks in the Workshop and you can even download Wipeout ships. Pick up the official expansions while you're at it; one's free and the other is super cheap.

 

[RedOnePunch]

Not exactly a hidden gem but I bought and played sayonara wild hearts last night and it's fantastic. It's like half off right now

wtf is with all these cool looking indie games I've never heard of.

Click to shrink...

Valfaris is a lot of fun If you like side scrolling action games

Blazing Chrome is great too

 

[Deleted member 12323]

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

 

[dosh]

Click to shrink...

I enjoyed it a lot. It's a really beautiful, relaxing and fun game. Looking back at your islands once the town, fields and markets are built is extremely rewarding.

 

[Dlanor A. Knox]

Gujian 3, a popular RPG series in China, you could almost call it their "final fantasy".

It has a huge focus on story though so expect a lot of cutscenes, the game got an english translation at the end of 2019, but sadly it's far from perfect, it's understandable enough though, but it just doesn't feel "natural".

The game is great however, it has an amazing art direction, great music, a fun and fast paced combat system, and a good story. It's currently sitting at 18.74€ on steam and for the amount of content the game has to offer, it's a steal.

It took me 70 hours to finish the game and I didn't do everything, it's a huge RPG with lots of different mechanics. There's fishing, a complete card game minigame, base building, and even a whole Captain Toad like minigame.

Couple screenshots I took:

 

[YaBish]

A laidback "photography sim" with a cool cyberpunk anime Dreamcast aesthetic and a fantastic soundtrack by Thor High Heels, and also a devastatingly-relevant, politically-charged game about civil unrest, environmental collapse, and police brutality at the end of the world.

Click to shrink...

I'm super interested in this based on what I've previously heard. How long is it w/ DLC?

 

[Capra]

I'm super interested in this based on what I've previously heard. How long is it w/ DLC?

Click to shrink...

Steam says I've put in 8 hours after hitting the end of the DLC, but that's counting me going back through all the maingame levels to do the optional objectives and without doing the same for Macro. With the DLC I think it's a good length for this style of gameplay. You can spend a lot of time just playing around to get cool shots with different camera settings and filters too.

 

[Deleted member 29691]

Great post OP thanks for thiccening my backlog.

 

[IDontBeatGames]

Just bought this out of interest, I'm like 30 minutes in and this is way more fun single player than I thought it'd be. Plus, it's super cheap and includes multiple DLCs for free (5)

 

[Shinobido Heart]

Great post OP thanks for thiccening my backlog.

Click to shrink...

Hey your welcome! Hope there is something here that catches your eye. :)

Just bought this out of interest, I'm like 30 minutes in and this is way more fun single player than I thought it'd be. Plus, it's super cheap and includes multiple DLCs for free ($5)

Click to shrink...

Huh, that looks pretty fun. o.o

 

[IDontBeatGames]

Huh, that looks pretty fun. o.o

Click to shrink...

Apparently it's super fun for co-op but just as fun for Multiplayer. It also has a really good looking art style in my opinion:

It's roguelite with JRPG Combat and it's a tabletop game (as it says in the image) but it's been way more fun than I expected and for 7.49 or 7.99 (whatever the hell this cheap price was), it's been already worth it so far

 

[Haklen]

I'll vouch for Jetlancer as the best thing I didn't know came out last year so far. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Mudo]

been looking for lofi games to play on my macbook - will keep an eye on the thread!

Click to shrink...

You played A Short Hike?
Also Anodyne 2
Very cool aesthetics and also fun games !

 

[BigDes]

A Hand With Many Fingers on Steam

Unravel a real conspiracy from deep within the CIA’s archives. Search classified documents and follow new leads in this non-linear investigative thriller.

store.steampowered.com

A Hand With Many Fingers is basically a game where you piece together a real life scandal involving finance and the CIA by going into an archive room and getting archives and pinning them to a board and working out how everything fits.

If you are tired of all spy games being more James Bond and less George Smiley then this is for you.

 

[karnage10]

A Hand With Many Fingers on Steam

Unravel a real conspiracy from deep within the CIA’s archives. Search classified documents and follow new leads in this non-linear investigative thriller.

store.steampowered.com

A Hand With Many Fingers is basically a game where you piece together a real life scandal involving finance and the CIA by going into an archive room and getting archives and pinning them to a board and working out how everything fits.

If you are tired of all spy games being more James Bond and less George Smiley then this is for you.

Click to shrink...

weird game. added to wishlsit for next sale

 

[Untogether]

I somehow managed to fuck up replying to this thread to the point that Quote no longer works, but these are games already mentioned that I second.



A PS1 / VHS aesthetic style Japanese horror game. It has a slow pace and a relies on building a sense of dread rather than all out jump scares, much like the difference between Japanese horror movies and Western ones. It's a walking simulator at its core with a run time of about your average movie, but I enjoyed this to the point that on finishing I went and bought the complete Chilla's Art catalogue on Steam. (Originally recommended by Rosebud)



BallisticNG is a super fast anti-grav racer. I also really like Redout but BallisticNG is probably the closer love letter to original Wipeout. Given that Sony killed Wipeout because they are evil and insane, this is one of the best (and crazy cheap) ways to get that feeling back. (Originally recommended by nded)



(Recommended by Dlanor A. Knox) Guijan 3 is a huge action RPG that offers tens of hours of gameplay and is a ridiculous value for money proposition in terms of the cost. It's a Wuxia game that has a bunch of different gamplay elements, (from memory, it was offering entirely new mechanics at the 40 hour mark), that you could easily sink 80-100 hours into. It looks pretty amazing too.

 

[medyej]

Want some winter-y vibes? A good short game about being stranded at an antarctic research base. No horror or monster or anything, just trying to escape and stay warm. Really nice and short experience.

 

[Jokerman]

I bought this game during the Summer Sale, I believe. It was an impulse buy. I don't know why I keep buying Roguelikes as I don't even have time for more straightforward games, but something about Noita just looked interesting. The reviews were very good.

What makes it stand out?

Click to shrink...

The spell system. I'm no expert on roguelikes but it seems quite unique in that regard.

 

[dreamfall]

Y'all got any VN recommendations before this sale is over? I want to read something great!