Today’s free games include about fifteen titles from a variety of genres. From the Epic Games Store we have the very popular The Darkside Detective and a Jackbox party game. Some other genres represented include a couple of sports titles, visual novels, and some titles that include puzzle elements, among others!
Note: All of the images below are from the respective game’s Steam sales page.
If you’d like to see what was a available previously, I shared a lot of different free games from Steam in early November, and the week after that had various narrative-focused titles, platformers, and puzzle games, among others!
Aftershock: Coastline (FPS)
Fans of First-Person Shooters or Survival Horror games may want to check this one out! It’s inspired by both Resident Evil and BioShock with a really neat art style. The Steam page speaks of delving deep into a seaside bunker hoping to uncover its secrets while facing cosmic terrors that dwell within. 94% of 35 reviews are positive!
Backyard Basketball ’01 (Sports)
Surprisingly, this seems to be a release of a kids’ basketball game from a couple decades ago. The trailer was really fun and nice with a narrator who sounds like a kid. I also liked the art style as well. 92% of 63 reviews are positive!
Backyard Hockey ’02 (Sports)
The second kids Backyard Sports game for the week isn’t as popular as the previous one, but I still wanted to include it anyway. Much of what I said about the basketball title can be said here. However, in this one only 76% of 51 reviews are positive.
Billie Beetleneck -A detective tale- (Visual Novel)
The most stand out aspect of this game is that the music is really chill in the trailer and it is rather unassuming. I like the look of it and find it interesting how the main character is a beetle detective. The game doesn’t have many reviews, but all of them are positive.
Dispersio 3 (2D Platformer)
This is a retro-style 2D Platformer where you have to tackle different platforming challenges on various screens to make it to the end of the level. Sometimes there’s enemies to avoid, bullets shooting at you, or platforms that vanish and then come back. The latter of which remind me of early Mega Man games. There’s also a hard mode for hardcore players. 100% of 15 reviews are positive! By the way, the original Dispersio and Dispersio 2 (a retro-style metroidvania) are also available for free!
The Darkside Detective (Point & Click Adventure)
This extremely popular Point and Click Adventure game is free on the Epic Games Store this week!
Dream Slayers (Action-Adventure RPG)
While not remarkable looking, I liked that this game reminds me of earlier third-person 3D action RPGs taking place in a fantasy world with inventory management as part of its gameplay. It also features online multiplayer co-op and a lot of customization options for your character. 71% of 42 reviews are positive.
Fracta Regna (Turn-based Strategy)
For fans of turn-based strategy, here is a game to try out! It takes place on a hex-based grid that’s at an angle. I like the art style of how the characters move around on the board and think it shows a good deal of promise. 96% of 33 reviews are positive!
Honu (3D Puzzle Adventure)
I really liked the look of this first-person Puzzle Adventure game! The reason I say this is because it has a lot of nature imagery with trees and fields visible in much of the trailer. The game has you use a mix of magic and technology to solve different puzzles and progress further in the story. There’s a lot of different animal creatures you speak with and a number of the puzzles involve you shooting a beam of light out of your hands to move objects. 88% of 18 reviews are positive!
Jackbox Party Pack 4 (Party Game)
Here is the second free game from Epic this week! As the name tells us, it is a multiplayer party game. The trailer mentions using your phones to play the game, so hopefully the apps for it are till up to date.
The Last Elixir (Puzzle Simulation)
This is a narrative puzzle where you are a alchemist in a dungeon who prepares potions for your customers. These appear to be monsters! Unsurprisingly, the game features a dark fantasy theme. I like the music in the trailer as well. 92% of 26 reviews are positive!
Melodic Mage (Top-down Shooter)
An intriguing top-down shooter with rhythm-based gameplay. You are supposed to shoot and dodge attacking enemies in time with the music that is playing. I liked the pixel artwork as well. It has 8 positive reviews.
Powwow Bound: A Menominee Homecoming (Educational Adventure)
Here we have a casual adventure game that celebrates the culture of the Menominee people. It looks to be a pretty chill game where you get to take photos and learn some dance moves while learning about their culture and traditions.
Ravenwood 46 (Point & Click Horror)
This looks to be a simple narrative point and click horror game. You seem to be exploring a mansion of some sort and need to click on objects to interact with them and progress the storyline. I like the sound design with the narrator speaking, and the art style as well.
TEMPUS: A Wizard Awakes (Puzzle Platformer)
In this game you play as a retired wizard who comes across some stone-like creatures who need help getting somewhere. It’s a top-down Puzzle Platformer and is a student project. 81% of 11 reviews are positive!
Trail of Stars (Visual Novel)
Our last game of the day is an otome (presented from a woman’s perspective) Visual Novel that takes place in a medieval setting. From the trailer, it seems quite minimalistic with not much music or sound effects being present. I liked the art style, although it was kind of funny that all the characters look like their eyes are closed all the time. 100% of 21 reviews are positive!
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