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Hidden Gems and Under-The-Radar Recommendations - Steam Winter Sale 2016

D

Dream_Journey

Member
gngf123 said:
Momodora 4 is amazing, I agree.

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http://store.steampowered.com/app/428550/
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I didn't heard about this game, looks so fun!

Thanks for recommend.
 
G

gngf123

Member
derFeef said:
No, Cave Story looked like any other platformed/-vania, but I will check it out again, thanks.
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Cave Story was a thing long before all these indie platformers/metroidvanias existed, and yet it is still better than the vast majority of the games it inspired.

It has been around for what, 14 years now? Close to that.
 
S

Syril

Member
nan0 said:
Are there any Roguelikes without permadeath and self-proclaimed high difficulty? I really want to enjoy these games, but I don't like the constant restarting. Like SanctuaryRPG on softcore.
Click to expand...
I can name some, but I don't know of any on Steam.
 
R

Relaxed Muscle

Member
Got ignored in the main thread, so I'll try here:

Would you recommend House of the Dying Sun to someone that loved Colony Wars back in the day?

Or is way more simulation?
 
Davey Cakes

Davey Cakes

Member
gngf123 said:
Cave Story was a thing long before all these indie platformers/metroidvanias existed, and yet it is still better than the vast majority of the games it inspired.

It has been around for what, 14 years now? Close to that.
Click to expand...
Cave Story is, like, the granddaddy of indie action-platformers with pixel art. It's always weird hearing people refer to it as obscure in any way.

I'd say the same about La Mulana for difficult indie Metroidvanias. I mean, the original was inspired by the MSX and you see lots of retro-styled games in the same vein these days.
 
Boss Doggie

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Raiden III and IV are in Steam, as well as Ikaruga

If you guys need a good ol' arcade vertical shmup, go get those two, Ikaruga is more of a barrier/bullethell shmup, but still a good one.
 
D

Deleted member 10571

Unconfirmed Member
While I looked for Thief 1&2, I found out it's also really cheap right now :) Not sure if part of the sale, but yeah.
 
P

Pellaidh

Neo Member
nan0 said:
Are there any Roguelikes without permadeath and self-proclaimed high difficulty? I really want to enjoy these games, but I don't like the constant restarting. Like SanctuaryRPG on softcore.
Click to expand...

Tales of Maj'Eyal is one of the more well regarded PC roguelikes, and it has several difficulty and permadeath options. While most of it is available for free, the option for infinite lives is sadly locked behind the paid version (3.5€ on sale). Can't really say much more since I didn't play it much (and only ever on the free version quite some time ago), but it does seem to have what you're looking for.
 
M

Miletius

Member
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Gonna plus Renowned Explorers since I've been playing it the last couple of days. What seems like a very light experience at first is actually a very cool random encounter board game rogue-like. It has a surprising amount of strategic depth and it's turned based combat system is a fairly unique take on the genre.

At any rate, it's on sale for $ 7.99 so give it a shot if you like those sort of games.
 
D

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
Saw this game was on sale for super cheap and had to recommend it:

Verde Station - $0.49


Here was my Steam review for it:

Verde Station is a short atmospheric walking sim where you play as a man on a voyage trip into space studying the ability to sustain life over an extended period of time while on-board a ship. You are given everything you need to survive and a series of tasks to complete while on the voyage ranging from maintenance to watering the plants, and have the whole ship to yourself in complete solitude. But... Are you really alone?

There's a lot of things to interact and mess about with in Verde Station, a number of small secrets to uncover, and it is generally fun to explore the ship and perform the small tasks it asks of you through the game's CMD-light systems to run various actions its programmed to do. Lots of small things the game sets-up that are fun to take part in, ranging from book dominoes, to disposal waste, to testing the ship's departments, or playing music.

But where the game succeeds in best is its atmosphere. The story is a bit light (despite there being some rather lengthy 'crew logs' you can read from previous(?) people who did this experiment). Yet the game does a good job at both capturing the feel of being alone on a spaceship to do your tasks and entertain yourself with the utmost freedom, and yet, make you paranoid, and maybe even a bit fearful, that you're not alone, and something far more terrifying is happening and slowly coming for you.

There's not much more I can say without spoiling it, but it's quite the interesting little experience I found myself quite fond of it. If you want to be isolated(?) on a spaceship for an hour or so, I say take the time to play through it. One of the more unique walking simulators out there.
Click to expand...
 
H

Hupsel

Member
Miletius said:
header.jpg


Gonna plus Renowned Explorers since I've been playing it the last couple of days. What seems like a very light experience at first is actually a very cool random encounter board game rogue-like. It has a surprising amount of strategic depth and it's turned based combat system is a fairly unique take on the genre.

At any rate, it's on sale for $ 7.99 so give it a shot if you like those sort of games.
Click to expand...

I agree, great, great game full of charm.
 
E

etrain911

Member
Does anyone have any recommendations for any chill Animal Crossing-esque games?

I'm about to pick up Overcooked and Star Dew Valley.
 
S

Speevy

Banned
etrain911 said:
Does anyone have any recommendations for any chill Animal Crossing-esque games?

I'm about to pick up Overcooked and Star Dew Valley.
Click to expand...

I bought Stardew Valley on GOG, but I remembered that the thing I like the least about these games is actually the farming.

I'm all for anti-stress games, but Animal Crossing actually doesn't entice you to do anything, nor does it impose its own abbreviated sense of time on you.

Don't get me wrong. Stardew Valley is by every account absolutely fantastic, but it's not Animal Crossing. It may even be better than AC to the right person, but it still isn't Animal Crossing.
 
d00d3n

d00d3n

Member
gngf123 said:
Momodora 4 is amazing, I agree.

header.jpg

http://store.steampowered.com/app/428550/
Click to expand...

I went on a metroidvania craze after playing through Momodora earlier this year and bought most titles available on Steam. It surprised me how few games I actually liked, despite thinking of myself as a fan of the genre. It appears to be incredibly difficult to get the core production values in a metroidvania game right, because almost all imitators fail miserably. Shadow Complex, Guacamelee, Ori and the Blind Forest and now Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight are really in a league on their own. The feeling of jumping, attacking, basic animations, art quality and the soundtrack have to be top notch from the start to make the metroidvania concept addictive. Clever level design is almost irrelevant if those core components are lacking.

Anyway, I can't recommend Momodora enough this year. I am a jaded 31-year-old who mostly buys games for the gameified thrill of expanding my Steam collection these days, but I couldn't stop playing Momodora for the ten hours that it lasted me back in March. If you hesitate to play indie games because a lot of them are, frankly, quite janky and half-done, then Momodora is a beautiful exception to that rule and possibly a cure for your jadedness as well.
 
O

OniBarubary

Banned
d00d3n said:
I went on a metroidvania craze after playing through Momodora earlier this year and bought most titles available on Steam. It surprised me how few games I actually liked, despite thinking of myself as a fan of the genre. It appears to be incredibly difficult to get the core production values in a metroidvania game right, because almost all imitators fail miserably. Shadow Complex, Guacamelee, Ori and the Blind Forest and now Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight are really in a league on their own. The feeling of jumping, attacking, basic animations, art quality and the soundtrack have to be top notch from the start to make the metroidvania concept addictive. Clever level design is almost irrelevant if those core components are lacking.

Anyway, I can't recommend Momodora enough this year. I am a jaded 31-year-old who mostly buys games for the gameified thrill of expanding my Steam collection these days, but I couldn't stop playing Momodora for the ten hours that it lasted me back in March. If you hesitate to play indie games because a lot of them are, frankly, quite janky and half-done, then Momodora is a beautiful exception to that rule and possibly a cure for your jadedness as well.
Click to expand...

Buy Valdis Story.
 
d00d3n

d00d3n

Member
OniBarubary said:
Buy Valdis Story.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I dismissed that game after having a bad experience on my laptop, but it feels great on my main desktop. Movement, jumping and grabbing ledges feel good. The soundtrack is excellent. I will definitely continue playing the game.
 
D

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
O

OniBarubary

Banned
d00d3n said:
Thanks! I dismissed that game after having a bad experience on my laptop, but it feels great on my main desktop. Movement, jumping and grabbing ledges feel good. The soundtrack is excellent. I will definitely continue playing the game.
Click to expand...

Yassss. Excellent.
 
J

JoeyJungle

Banned
Thinking of getting Armello or Thea: The Awakening, I don't know much about either but see them recommended a bunch in strategy game threads. Should I pick up one over the other?

Ladekabel said:
Games like Torchlight is a bit harder for under 5€. Victor Vran is alright though I stopped after an hour or two because I didn't get great loot and wasn't overall feeling it. People rave about Grim Dawn and claim it is the best since Diablo 2. Costs 13,74€.
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Yeah, Grim Dawn is my favorite out of all of those. It does the Dark setting the best, and has the most interesting stat/upgrade system (basically works the same as Diablo 2's skill tree, invest in learning new skills vs buffing current ones). Titan Quest and Path of Exile (free game, only pay for costumes and custom animations) are also good!
 
D

Dane_gerClose

Member
Probably already posted, but a definite shoutout to Solus Project, on sale for $9.99. Fantastic survival game dripping with wonderful (imo) Ridley Scott-esque atmosphere. You can also get it in a bundle with The Ball, a unique and cool puzzle adventure game for only about 12 dollars. Total steal. Here's hoping Solus Project comes to PS4 as well, would double dip for sure.
 
I

Imur

Member
Boss Doggie said:
Raiden III and IV are in Steam, as well as Ikaruga

If you guys need a good ol' arcade vertical shmup, go get those two, Ikaruga is more of a barrier/bullethell shmup, but still a good one.
Click to expand...


Is Ikaruga noob friendly? I played Crimzon Clover and liked it, but wouldn't want to start over at the beginning after 3 or so hits. Infinite Coins would be nice or at least Level select.
 
J

JoeyJungle

Banned
Imur said:
Is Ikaruga noob friendly? I played Crimzon Clover and liked it, but wouldn't want to start over at the beginning after 3 or so hits. Infinite Coins would be nice or at least Level select.
Click to expand...

I think you unlock infinite retries after like 90 minutes of playtime in levels (at least, that's how the gamecube version worked), and up until that point you keep unlocking extra lives. It's a difficult game, but I enjoyed it. I think the gamecube version was the first shmup I bought (complete with the Frothing Desire boxquote!), I never ended up beating it but I liked it a lot. I especially love the art style for the game, and extravagant use of thick laser beams.
 
C

Classic_Gs

Member
Crab Milk Mickey said:
Assault Android Cactus (50% off - € 6,99)
filament.gif

My favourite twin-stick shooter in years because of how expertly crafted it is, regardless of it being WitchBlade's debut title. It may come off of as primarily a co-op experience (local only for what it's worth) but it carries enough meat to its bones to still be a worthwhile single player endeavour, especially when gunning for the S+ ranks per stage. For starters: although it doesn't seem that way on the surface, there is very little randomness that comes into play here, allowing for plenty of room for refinement in one's approach to a level or boss fight. The often dynamic arenas themselves can pose as big of a threat as the robot opposition (something you rarely see in a shooter of this style) with hardly any 'gimmick' recycling to boot, with the enemies simultaneously being sufficiently varied. There's 9 playable androids to choose from, nearly all of them with a noticeably different strategy yet still viable to achieve the highest ratings with. Said characters vary from someone wielding a railgun with proximinity mines on the side, someone who spews lava whilst carrying a giant fuckin' drill, someone who can only damage others through her separate robot (meaning you have to pay attention to three different things simultaneously) or someone with a chargeable vorpal blade allowing for long-distance and highly damaging dashes. The soundtrack is upbeat and compliments the frantic action nicely, there's a lot of effort put into audiovisual readability to prevent a need to constantly glance over to the HUD for crucial information, the bosses are designed around reasonable 'bullet hell' patterns without overstaying their welcome and there exist numerous EX Options (first-person camera, visual filters, upping the enemy count et cetera) for a change of pace. Several other modes too outside of the campaign, such as a Boss Rush, an Infinite Survival and a Daily Challenge.
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I love this thread and end up buying at least a few games every year. Thanks for this recommendation as this game is legit. Love how fast a fluid it is and the challenge is there which I appreciate. I dig the sound effects too.
 
A

AbundantChoice

Member
To whoever reccommended Expand in this thread, a big thanks.

It may only last ~2 hours, but it's a *fantastic* 2 hours. It doesn't overstay it's welcome, and each variation on the mechanic hangs around just long enough to feel good and not repetitive.
 
B

BobJustBob

Member
etrain911 said:
Does anyone have any recommendations for any chill Animal Crossing-esque games?

I'm about to pick up Overcooked and Star Dew Valley.
Click to expand...

This isn't a recommendation, but Castaway Paradise is probably the closest thing I've seen to Animal Crossing on Steam. I've only played a very little bit of the F2P mobile version, so I'm not sure how the transition to premium PC game went or how good the game was in the first place.
 
P

Professor Lexicovermis

Member
NEO AQUARIUM: King of Crustaceans

Picked this up on a whim, and it's... interesting? This is an underwater, third-person shooter/fighting game in which you play as a crab (or colony of barnacles) and blast the opposing crustacean into little bits of seafood. Each character has unique attributes, a melee attack, two projectile moves, and three special skills.

The game has a unique power meter mechanic: your skills are dependent on both the POW and SKILL gauges. The SKILL gauge fills up slowly over time, but also increases when you hit your foe or collect helpful bacteria dropped when you break off the enemy's limbs. The SKILL gauge can go up to level 3, but typically starts between 1 and 2. The POW gauge fills up naturally, but the speed depends on the Water Quality near you. A helpful HUD displays the Oxygen content (low oxygen means slow POW regeneration), Organic matter content (high Organic content means Oxygen will lower faster), and Temperature (means nothing). The POW gauge strengthens your basic attacks, but also fuels your Skills. Even if your SKILL gauge is maxed, you must have POW to use your Skills. POW falls when using homing projectiles, Skills, or when shedding your shell.

As you'd expect from crabs, your character can and will lose limbs over the course of battle. Losing pincers will lower the strength of your attacks, and losing legs will slow you down. To regain lost limbs, you must stand still and shed your shell. This requires POW, but also increases your maximum POW. Shedding your shell is dangerous, but a necessity to survive. If all your limbs are broken, you will be made temporarily invulnerable and forced to shed. However, if this happens, the match is most likely not in your favor.

Another layer of strategy comes with the Breakaway mechanic. By performing a Breakaway attack, you can leave a limb behind to attack in a separate location. For example, you could leave a pincer behind, and when you launch projectiles, that pincer would also attack from wherever it was left. Breakaway attacks are risky, but mastering them can make you unstoppable.

Also, as a heads up, Corn Barnacle works entirely different from the other crustaceans. For starters, they cannot walk. To move, you must either jump or shed. Upon doing so, your current Barnacle spits out a larva that you proceed to control temporarily. Upon the larva hitting the ground, it immediately forms a shell, becoming immobile. However, the old barnacle does not vanish. Thus, you now have two bodies that can attack at once! The most recently created Barnacle is considered "You", and thus you only lose HP if "your" Barnacle is attacked. Thus, your old bodies can shield you from projectiles! The Corn Barnacle can multiply up to ten times, after which the oldest Barnacle vanishes. However, you can generate them without moving. By performing a Melee Breakaway, your Barnacle will launch a larva somewhere nearby. This larva is not under your control, but makes a shell upon landing. This allows you to quickly replace broken shells. By performing a Projectile Breakaway, you can self destruct the oldest Barnacle. This doesn't damage you, but can be devastating to your foe! Finally, Corn Barnacle has no limbs, and thus Shedding does nothing. Their POW meter maximum slowly increases throughout the match without requiring Shedding.

Phew! Long recommendation, sorry!
 
Boss Doggie

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Is Overcooked playable without multiplayer?

Imur said:
Is Ikaruga noob friendly? I played Crimzon Clover and liked it, but wouldn't want to start over at the beginning after 3 or so hits. Infinite Coins would be nice or at least Level select.
Click to expand...

You eventually will unlock unlimited continues after playing certain amount of times. The game adjusts with your skill iirc
 
B

butzopower

proud of his butz
nan0 said:
Are there any Roguelikes without permadeath and self-proclaimed high difficulty? I really want to enjoy these games, but I don't like the constant restarting. Like SanctuaryRPG on softcore.
Click to expand...

Sprongiwood is pretty good, but sometimes feels more like a puzzle game than a deep roguelike.

Tales of Maj'eyal is super deep and has an easy mode that gives you infinite lives. The normal mode is nice, too, as you get 2 lives from the start and gain more at certain levels, so you are able to make a few mistakes / not lose hours just due to unlucky RNG. Loads of unique classes and shit to do. Expansions are great, too.
 
N

nan0

Member
Syril said:
I can name some, but I don't know of any on Steam.
Click to expand...

Still interested!

Pellaidh said:
Tales of Maj'Eyal is one of the more well regarded PC roguelikes, and it has several difficulty and permadeath options. While most of it is available for free, the option for infinite lives is sadly locked behind the paid version (3.5€ on sale). Can't really say much more since I didn't play it much (and only ever on the free version quite some time ago), but it does seem to have what you're looking for.
Click to expand...

butzopower said:
Sprongiwood is pretty good, but sometimes feels more like a puzzle game than a deep roguelike.

Tales of Maj'eyal is super deep and has an easy mode that gives you infinite lives. The normal mode is nice, too, as you get 2 lives from the start and gain more at certain levels, so you are able to make a few mistakes / not lose hours just due to unlucky RNG. Loads of unique classes and shit to do. Expansions are great, too.
Click to expand...

Thanks, will have a look at Tales of Maj'eyal then.
 
K

koma

Member
As always, i'd like to suggest these less known gems:

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Not sure if this is really hidden, but Duck Game is one of the best local multiplayer games ever: " Enter the futuristic year of 1984, an age where ducks run wild in a frantic battle for glory. Blast your friends with Shotguns, Net Guns, Mind Control Rays, Saxophones, Magnet Guns, and much, much more. This is DUCK GAME. Don't blink." http://store.steampowered.com/app/312530

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"Tower of Guns is a fast paced first-person-shooter for the twitch gamer... with a few randomized elements to keep it fresh with each playthrough. It's a short burst "Lunch Break FPS"... not unlike Binding of Isaac mixed with Doom 2."
http://store.steampowered.com/app/266110

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"Dyscourse is an interactive choice-based narrative adventure game where you journey through a stylized world of choice and consequence. Choose wisely. "
http://store.steampowered.com/app/234920

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If you loved Deadly Premonition, you may love this too. It's not perfect, but it's still a bizarre adventure and super cheap now: "The Last Dogma is a surreal black comedy exploration adventure game set in the year 1999 of an alternate reality world, where US actively campaigns for world domination after being disappointed with the results of the Cold War."
http://store.steampowered.com/app/374510

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"A ridiculous live-action B-movie adventure you will never forget! You wake up to find your town in chaos. Everyone has gone crazy and is just attacking each other! A cryptic message is the secret to survival-- Press X to not die!"
http://store.steampowered.com/app/402330

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"Create crazy, yet functional, custom vehicles to solve missions with your own unique style!"
http://store.steampowered.com/app/41740

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"Dropsy is a non-traditional take on the classic point and click adventure formula starring the game’s perpetually carefree namesake clown as he explores a richly detailed world full of colorful characters and sinister secrets, doling out hugs along the way."
http://store.steampowered.com/app/274350

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F-Zero mixed with Micro Machines, and a Visual Novel / Adventure Game: " Set in a futuristic Odyssey, "The Next Penelope" is a fast paced action racing game with loud colors, an original story and a challenging risk-reward system. Weapons can be mixed and used at any time, but all these abilities cost vital energy! "
http://store.steampowered.com/app/332250
 
D

danmaku

Member
Imur said:
Is Ikaruga noob friendly? I played Crimzon Clover and liked it, but wouldn't want to start over at the beginning after 3 or so hits. Infinite Coins would be nice or at least Level select.
Click to expand...

CC actually has infinite continues, unless you're playing score attack mode. In the first version of CC you had to unlock continues but in World Ignition (the version sold on Steam) you don't.
 
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