Roadwarden($7.36) - A text based RPG wherein you play as a roadwarden and influence the future of the land with a 3 day time limit. Good story
Fear and Hunger 1 & 2($5.59 & $9.59) -The dark souls of rpgmaker games. Loot is randomized for each playthrough. There's a dismemberment system that also applies to you. You lose your legs, it's gone for good the entire playthrough.
Frostpunk($5.99) - You manage the last city on earth in the middle of the eternal frost.
FTL: Faster than light($2.49) - 2d Spaceship simulation rougelike with randomized map. Your goal is to reach the last star sector and defeat the mother ship.
Fran Bow ($3.74) - 2d Point and click psychological horror where you play a young girl with an unfair destiny
From the same people as FTL, Into The Breach is one of the only games I consider a “perfect game” — there is almost nothing about it that could be improved without it just being a different game. I 100%'ed that game 1.5 times and it’s absolutely amazing.
It’s a turn-based tactics game with absolutely perfect interface (the way they went about its design is a whole interesting thing in itself); like chess but you only need to think 1.5 moves into the future.
I don’t hear much about Kenshi except for within folks who already play and let’s players on YouTube, but it’s one of my all time favorites. Can be hard to get into but watching a beginner video or reading some wiki will let you get into this massive, strange world. Currently only 13.50, which I think works out to like 2 cents an hour for me.
I can second Kenshi even if I’ve never been able to go too far into the game. However it is really a gem and I hope I’ll find the time to get back to it
Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Old school D&D and tactics RPG. It’s indie so has rough edges here and there, but it’s so fun, and there aren’t a ton of games that fill the void.
Dungeon of the Endless - It’s a tower defense / tactical game with great pixel art and one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard.
Battle Chasers: Nightwar - Excellent RPG that will remind you of old school Final Fantasy.
Tower of Time - Excellent tactical RPG
Detroit: Become Human - Cinematic narrative game about androids becoming self aware.
The Dark Anthology: Man of Medan - Cinematic narrative horror game, the first in a series of several, therefore if you enjoy there’s a lot more where that came from. (Made by the same studio that created Until Dawn.)
Huh. Didn't realize it started today. Will have to check my wishlist.
Anyway, recs in no particular order:
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a lovely little game. Some great East Asian influences, and a really great art style. Combat is sometimes surprisingly difficult. Some fun puzzles and platforming make up a lot of the game.
Death and Taxes is a short and darkly humorous game where you take on the role of the Grim Reaper and decide who lives and who dies in a workplace-like fashion. If you're a fan of the web series, Purgatony, this might remind you of that. It's got a touch of satire to it as well, but not super pronounced. You'll find that mostly in the details and consequences of who you let live and who you let die (and there are consequences, some very significant).
Heaven's Vault is a narrative game that takes place in space. Linguistics (or rather translating text) plays a role in the game and it's got a hand drawn, cel-shaded kind of art style.
A Story About My Uncle is a first person, narrative driven, and entirely nonviolent game, with a bunch of cool swingy mechanics (so lots of gameplay, just not shooty bang stuff) and a fairly sweet story. You meet all sorts of fantastic, alien creatures on your adventure, platforming through a strange and beautiful world. Art direction is lovely, honestly.
ABZÛ is just straight up awesome relaxation (with a few less relaxing points every so often) from some of the devs who brought you Journey and Flower. This time, it's all about diving and swimming through fascinating locations that vary from colorful reefs to areas reminiscent of long forgotten temple ruins (the name comes from the Sumerian and Akkadian word referring to underground aquifers that played an important part in some Babylonian mythology).
Quantum Conundrum - Do you like Portal but wish it had a little John DeLancie commenting on your actions? Then this is for you! A fun puzzle game heavily inspired by Portal (the lead dev worked on the original Portal, if I recall). It's aimed at a slightly younger audience, but I think it works for everyone. Good vibes all around.
Okay, not a hidden gem exactly, but if you like space, No Man's Sky isn't the disappointing game it was on release. I'd urge anyone who likes space and exploration to at least give it a shot. You can turn on creative mode and not worry about any survival elements as well. It's got a bit of a plot to get you used to the galaxy (and also explain some of the lore), but you can just do whatever you want and ignore that. Three alien races and you can learn words from their language by interacting with them or interacting with pillars on various planets that will teach you a word. I like this part of the game a lot for some reason. There's some other lore hidden around as well, but it's really up to you if you want to discover it or not.
Edit: I forgot about Blacktail. I haven't finished it yet, but it's a new take on the Baba Yaga myth and stars the voice actress who played Meg in Hades. That lovely, husky voice.
Edit 2: If you're looking for something a little old school, Jade Empire is a fantastic game by BioWare. KOTOR, but with real time combat that's heavily inspired by kung fu films and carries that general vibe with a bunch of East Asian visual aesthetics thrown in. If you like Crouching Tiger and similar movies, this is a great game to play, especially if you're also a fan of BioWare's RPGs (or just RPGs in general, honestly).
These next three are very hit or miss and some may find them either unpolished or just not that enjoyable. I'm listing them because they've got either an interesting story, or interesting mechanics. You'll notice the last two have a "mixed" rating, so this is more about "if you like the idea, maybe try it".
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a narrative game that puts you in the shoes of a blind princess. It was made to be a game that blind people can enjoy, and the controls and mechanics are fairly basic (and it's keyboard only as far as I remember, but there might be controller support, I don't know), but the audio design is fantastic (for obvious reasons). There's some combat, and it's all about timing and listening for cues. I honestly think it's a fantastic game, but it's not for everyone. Good news is that it has a demo! Try it out first. Also, WEAR HEADPHONES. It's actually a necessity here. Binaural recording and object placement is entirely dependent on your ability to hear things (since you can't see anything, though it's got some pleasant screensaver-type visuals which do fit the theme of the area you're in).
eXperience112 is a bit of a weird game. It's kind of a point and click adventure, but you don't control the main character. It takes place on an ocean vessel where something's gone wrong. You essentially play a camera operator and what seems to be the only survivor speaks to you directly so you can point her in the right direction. Also, she remembers when you last saved. If you don't play for a while, she'll comment on the fact that you left her alone for a while. It's buggy, but interesting.
The Occupation is kind of the middle ground between a walking sim and immersive sim, which sounds like a weird description. It has narrative and some gameplay elements that you'd find in immersive sims (open-ish levels, multiple characters to speak to and ways to complete a level, some stealth, etc.), and every level takes place in real time, which is important because you'll have scheduled appointments for interviews and you'll be gathering evidence before that time is up, so you'll be looking at your in-game watch often. That watch is the reason I find it gets into walking sim territory, because you're kind of restricted by it and it sometimes makes things feel a little "on-rails". The whole thing takes place after some terrorist event killed someone close to the main character, set in a kind of dystopian London, but with a very '70s/'80s vibe in aesthetics. It has a demo, so try that first. If you don't like it at all, you won't like the game. If you find it intriguing, later levels get more intense, so you might be interested in buying the full game. If you like the demo, then yeah, maybe buy it. It's not too long to complete.
Most of the games I listed aren't too long or time-consuming. The only significant exceptions are Kena and No Man's Sky. The rest can be generally completed in a few hours or a couple of days. Kena isn't super long either, but it does require a bit more of a commitment than the others.
Edit 3: Add Jade Empire to the "not short/quick" games list. Definitely requires some time investment.
I loved Heaven's Vault, it hit all the things I love: detective/mystery novel, rich dialogue trees, languages. The only problem is when it's over there aren't any other games like it.
I feel like over time No Man's Sky feels increasingly like I have too many mods installed. Every update felt like it had its own hub and NPCs and progress track that didn't interact with any of the others. The game is still huge and it has turned into the game everyone was disappointed it wasn't at launch, but I felt overwhelmed on which things were part of the core story I needed to complete and which parts were rabbit holes that wouldn't connect to that.
Yeah. I think the issue in NMS is that they keep adding new systems (good) that do the same things as other systems (hmm) and can't interface with those systems (bad). Like, why is town building not at all like base building? Why does base building have its own rudimentary town building part, but it kinda just stops? Why do they have beautifully realized frigates in space, and crashed frigates ont he ground, but no relationship between the two?
I really want to love it, it contains essentially everything I like in a game, but it just constantly falls short on depth each time. I'm due to go back and sink another few hours into it but I also feel pretty confident that I'll finish off again feeling the ache of missed opportunity.
All that, and also I just think the writing in the game is phenomenally bland. It's not bad at all, it just never captures my interest in the slightest. I'd love to get my hands on the basic framework of the story and totally rewrite it.
Oh, shit. I forgot about settlements. That whole mechanic suuuuuuucks to me. I had to just ignore it.
And yeah, plot's paper thin. Mainly there to just edge you in the right direction with learning mechanics and whatnot, but I still find some of it interesting, mostly in theory. Maybe because I just fill in the gaps with my own headcanon, I guess.
Not that there's much canon to be had, but there is at least some lore to be discovered relating to how certain races came to be and the whole Atlas and "Traveler" concept essentially being the quick explanation for why literally everyone's experience is "canon".
Still, do agree for the most part. Also, I must admit that my recommendation was based on my time with it a few updates ago. Played it recently and there's definitely a lot more, some interesting, some "too much" (like settlements).
Might move it down into my "maybe" category because it probably fits better there.
I am going to recommend, perhaps, my favorite game of all time, Outer Wilds from the studio Mobius Games.
But please please promise to go in completely blind. Your awareness and knowledge of the world is the key mechanic, so almost any info not only spoils the mystery, but also robs you of literal measurable minutes in gameplay.
All I can say - it is a very touching first-person immersive stimulation game in space about, essentially, alien archeology. Expect wonder, discovery, some frights, have your mind completely blown every 10-20 minutes. It will probably make you cry a couple times as well.
It is one of those games when, after finishing it, you immediately get sad because you will never experience it again in the same way. So you start annoying everyone into playing it, just to enjoy discussing it and seeing someone else play.
But, to be clear without giving spoilers, by “simulation game in space” it means getting in a ship and flying from planet to planet, while dealing with things like gravity and momentum. In my opinion just the right amount of challenge that it starts hard but doable, but is possible to get good at in the late game. So that was lots of fun.
Also, while I will not reveal plot here, I feel given feedback from some of my friends that didn’t like it the way I did, that maybe setting some tone expectations may help. The gameplay experience is mostly about exploring the planets, learning stuff, observing things, and making connections in you, the player. There’s archeological evidence out there in space, and it’s your job to figure out the history. It’s not boring, though! It feels more like a giant puzzle. But you should go in with an exploration mindset and if a particular path doesn’t work out, maybe it’s not time yet. Just try exploring something else!
One of my friends was too “goal oriented” and just kept hammering a given path over and over and it made them frustrated, which is a shame.
Also, while the DLC is also good, I waited until after the main game to play it, and I’m glad I did. I don’t know how it works to have the DLC running at the same time as the main game, but they’re two pretty independent stories / investigations and I wouldn’t want to get accidentally caught up in one while trying to piece together the other. I feel like that would be pretty confusing.
I highly recommend CrossCode, currently only costs $6 (It also has a free demo if you want to try it first). It’s a really well polished game with a great story, and the action is amazing too. It also includes difficulty settings you can change if you feel yourself getting too frustrated (as I did sometimes). This video also sums it up pretty well. Hope you enjoy!
I don’t understand how it’s not a classic. The music and art is amazing, the story and characters are charming, the battle system is fun, it’s full of side quests and places to explore. Maybe it’s because the dungeons are literally 2 hours of non-stop puzzles (they went a bit hard on the puzzles), but if you can get past that, it’s definitely worth your time!
My Time at Portia (farming / exploring), Coral Island (farming / exploring), Monster Sanctuary (catching monsters / exploring), and Travellers Rest (manage a bar, and there's co-op) are so good.
Shakedown: Hawaii - 80% off at 3,99€ - Think GTA for the 16-bit era.
2Dark - 90% off at 2,49€ - Think Alone in the Dark but top-down and in retro/voxel style, from the original creator of Alone in the Dark.
UnderRail - 60% off at 5,67€ - Hidden or not, this one can't be recommended enough to fans of the original Fallout (1 & 2, isometric) games.
Space Haven - 60% off at 8,79€ - In-depth colony/spaceship building & management sim with cozy graphics.
Crystal Caves HD - 60% off at 2,63€ - A true testament to how to faithfully bring an old platformer into HD, while also innovating on the original. Also contains a lot of hidden gems.
Supraland Complete Edition - 54% off at 15,71€ - First-Person-Metroidvania in a literal sandbox, lots of freedom, lots of puzzles and exploring. Contains the DLC. Get this to gear up for the eventual release of the sequel Supraworld. The standalone Supraland Six Inches Under is also worth getting, but is "only" at 45% off, which is still great.
I don't have any games to recommend but I wanted to thank people here for some actually good suggestions. I feel like I've been taken for a bit of a ride at that other place by shills in similar threads compared to this.
just grabbed god of war, disco elysium, and hellblade senuas sacrifice...
as far as recommendations go, Mass Effect legendary edition and dragon age are very enjoyable if you like RPG with a focus on lore, story and characters. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a wonder and a steal at $20. Witcher 3 for $12. Horizon Zero Dawn for $16.50
I love GOG and their anti-DRM stance but I just can't bring myself to buy games there when they don't even have a native Linux launcher. Steam, on the other hand, just works.
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