While this week doesn’t have the most graphically impressive releases, it makes up for it with an eclectic selection of titles. Some of these include rolling down a hill chasing after cheese, programming Game Boy games, a surreal experimental game, various horror experiences, and more!
Note: As is per usual, all of the images below are from each game’s respective Steam sales page.
I’ve also prepared a YouTube video where I do a quick rundown of each game found below.
Astra Moment:DIMENSION (Music Rhythm)
We’re starting today’s games with a music rhythm game that you play with the keyboard. It’s a student-made project with a variety of music and leaderboard functionality, so they obviously put some effort into their release. I want to support it, so here it is!
Cheese Rolling (Party Game)
A bizarre multiplayer chase game where everyone rolls down a hill after some cheese for unknown reasons. Should you make it to the bottom, you gotta be careful because you can be boiled by lava. It seems really wacked, but people love it! 97% of 549 review are positive!
Come out, cat (Choose Your Own Adventure)
Here’s an unusual Choose Your Own Adventure game where you combine words to say a message for a cat to come out of its hiding place. I think this game was originally in Japanese, but it also has English language options. Despite some odd moments with the translation, people who play the English version still seem to like it! 98% of 239 reviews are positive!
Curse of Woney (JRPG)
While some of the assets in this RPG Maker game look poor, the trailer seems to present some intriguing ideas. Apparently it has roguelite elements and your goal is to follow a familiar around who is trying to free himself from a witch. I liked the voice acting and sound design quite a bit in the trailer, which are big reasons why I am showing it here!
Deep Snake (3D Snake)
This is like a 3D version of Snake where you are trying to eat as many apples as you can. Once you get one, your arrow indicator changes to point to your next bite to eat, which may cause you to double back on yourself. Don’t dismiss it out of hand, 95% of 83 reviews are positive!
Depths Unseen (2D Platformer)
A big reason why I wanted to mention this game was because of the art design of the player character. With his shadowy figure and big white eyes, they made me really want to see more of it. The sound design and the game’s simple look fit well together, too!
Dreamcatcher 2003 (Overhead Horror)
Despite being a simple looking game, the weird imagery from the trailer is something else! It is a psychological horror title that looks like an 8-bit JRPG. It is almost to 10 reviews, with all the ones I saw being positive!
ESA SHIELD (Planet Defense Simulation)
A simulation game where you protect the planet from incoming asteroids by setting up deflective barriers. Apparently it takes only about 20 minutes to beat since it ends after you deflect the first asteroid, but people seem to like it. I think it shows promise! 87% of 16 reviews are positive!
FlipSum – A Puzzle By Claris Richter (Number Puzzle)
A simple looking number logic puzzle game that is similar to Sudoku. The graphics are not impressive but that’s not a big deal in a game like this. You flip, cancel, and balance numbers to reach the target values.
GB BASIC (Game Programming)
This is a game development program on Steam that you can use to build Game Boy games. Once you’re done working with it, it makes a Game Boy compatible rom that you can use with an emulator! From watching the trailer I think it looks really impressive! It shows editing sprites, adding tiles to a room that looks like a Zelda game, and playing music. If you already have programming experience, this may be something worth trying!
HardDriverz (Kart Racing)
When it comes to graphics, this one is among the best looking for the week! It’s an arcade kart racer with a real neat sci-fi look to it. To me, it seems to take inspiration from Mario Kart and F-Zero, at least a little bit. 84% of 13 reviews are positive!
Haus Of Irndrous (First Person Horror)
One of multiple first-person horror games for the week. It takes place in a seemingly empty house with a bunch of flashing lights. I kind of like the off-putting sound in the trailer as well. The developer seems to have put a lot of effort into making the game distinctive, so I don’t know why it doesn’t have any reviews yet
Hekaba (3D Puzzle Platformer)
I did kind of like the look of this 3D Puzzle Platformer that has an ancient Egyptian aesthetic to it. A lot of the gameplay involves completing pressure plate puzzles to advance to the next section of the temple.
Luffi: Homebound (Relaxing Overhead Exploration)
Some may enjoy this casual exploration game where you play as something like looks like a mix of a cat and a racoon. The music is rather chill in the trailer and it seems like a pleasant experience for those who like such games!
Machinarium (Point and Click Adventure)
For point and click adventure fans this is the game of the week! it is from the same developer as Samorost, which I reviewed here. I like the mechanical focus of this game. It is currently free on the Epic Games Store!
MachineGunner2 : Bullet Transcending (Minimalistic Twin-stick Shooter)
Despite its simple graphics, I’d like to try out this game. You seem to control multiple characters that can shoot in different directions and are supposed to destroy colored rectangles on the side of the screen. There’s almost no reviews for it.
Make Way (Party Racing)
Fans of racing games and party titles may want to check this one out! In it you have multiple players who race on short courses, but before you do so, you all lay a random assortment of track pieces down. Then you go race what you just built! From what I’ve seen from videos, it gets pretty hectic! The game is free on the Epic Games Store!
Master of Piece: Prologue (Board Game Roguelite Deckbuilder)
Personally, this title is a bit difficult to describe. From the sales page, it seems to be a roguelite deckbuilder that has the look of a small board game. There’s a couple of reasons why I am including it. One is that I think the graphical style is pretty neat, and also the developers have improved the game based on constructive feedback from fans. 92% of 28 reviews are positive!
Ocean’s Venus (Puzzle Horror)
This is a pretty straightforward horror adventure game that takes place on an ocean liner. You’re supposed to repair some damaged equipment on the ship. Along the way you solve various puzzles. There doesn’t seem to be too many reviews for it, but one person is pretty enthusiastic about it and how it seems to be simple, but works!
Scaredy Cat (Casual Action Adventure)
A 3D Action Adventure game played from multiple perspectives where you play as a cat who needs to get a rare flower. This so that it can say that it is not a scaredy cat. I enjoy the art style quite a bit, and it is a student project that was made in a few months.
Silent Residence (First-person Horror)
I debated on including this game or not. The concern I had was that even though this is a first-person horror game, it may not be the easiest for fans of the genre handle. The story plays out from the perspective of someone fighting multiple personalities or schizophrenia. Because of that, decide for yourself if it is right for you. Otherwise, many players seem to be really enthusiastic about it due to quality graphic and audio design. 90% of 22 reviews are positive!
Topzerah (2D Boss Fights)
While this is a silly looking 2D boss battle game that has artwork that reminds me of Microsoft Paint, I think it works here. Plus, I kind of like the music in the trailer. A bunch of the game was made by one person, which I can respect. Beyond that, it also allows you to create your own boss battle, which is cool!
Watertight (First-person Horror)
A first person horror game that seems to be getting quite popular. In it you are in a submarine that is looking for the wreckage of the Titanic and while doing so your vessel is damaged. You need to restore life support systems, but eventually discover that there’s something hunting you. 93% of 33 reviews are positive!
What The Hack!
I like the vibe of this game from the trailer. It’s a 3D Platformer where you play as a robot or computer thing and need to escape a facility that wants to destroy you. According to the tags, it is supposed to be comical as well. 100% of 17 reviews are positive!
xd1 (Surreal Experience)
The sales page for this game says it is a roguelike game. Yet, I cannot make sense of it from the trailer. It definitely has its own style, though, and I appreciate its surreal and experimental elements. 94% of 38 reviews are positive!
Youmu’s Cube Adventure (Precision Platformer)
As a character in the shape of a cube and inhaled by a monster, you move around the screen and make your way to the exit. Touching the walls or getting hit by enemies will cause you to be killed in this precision platformer. The game has 100 levels and 6 worlds, and the trailer does a good job of explaining the premise and showing different gameplay concepts to potential players. I like it!
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