I’ve about $50 in my steam wallet and I’m wondering what this community would think are must-haves. I’m currently eyeing Satisfactory and Potion Craft and am worried I’m missing out on any great deals.
Brotato - > 3.99€
Vampire Survivors - > 3.74€
Stardew Valley - > 9.23€
Three games i have poured several hours (±100) in. I think they are one, if not the best in their genres.
Outer Wilds
Absolutely
Can’t recommend Disco Elysium enough, it’s a truly brilliant game.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the righteous is right up there too.
Pillars of eternity games are a close second to that.
I don’t feel comfortable buying it after when the publisher (IIRC) did to the devs.
I believe there are other places than steam you could buy it from where it should benefit the devs more. Although I do not remember where.
Which game and what happened?
Edit: never mind, read about it in another comment. Disco E.
Seconded, unequivocally! Disco Elysium was such an experience.
I remember the first time I saw it… it looked so terrible at first glance. My husband was playing it and he said it was so good, but when I came over to check I was like… “ehhh if you say so.” I mean, let’s be honest, a casual glance might make it seem like it’s some crappy game.
But my husband was adamant, so I got the game too and I’m sooooooo happy I did. It’s honestly one of the (if not the!) best written games I’ve played. The monologues are beautiful, the dialogues are superb. This game has made me laugh so hard I had tears running down my cheeks, and it has made me cry for real. It’s funny, it’s tragic, it’s melancholic, it’s remarkably ‘deep’ and it touches on so many important subjects in a non-lecturing way.
Anyone who wants to experience the entire rainbow of emotions should definitely buy this. It’s brilliant.
Edit just to say: You can never go wrong with Slay the Spire. I’ve spent hours upon hours playing it, off and on, and it’s great!
I grabbed a bunch of smaller games for my steamdeck that I’ve been wanting to try:
Noita - you’re a wizard in a rougelike physics sandbox environment
Super Meatboy - precision platformer ($1.25)
Cave Story+ - old Metroidvania platformer I never got around to finishing on console years ago
Fez - 2D/3D puzzle platformer
DIG - “Spelunky meets Enter the gungeon & Broforce” action rougelike platformer
Super Blood Hockey - old school arcade style hockey, pixel graphics (and has multiplayer split screen)
Binding of Isaac - never played it, gonna see what all the hype is about. Action rougelike
Tunic - old school LoZ style RPG
Pizza Tower - sonic the hedgehog on crack
Dave the Diver - dive, catch fish, sell fish in restaurant, buy better gear, dive, catch bigger fish, repeat…
Cursed to Golf - deck building rougelike with golf mechanics
Monster Sanctuary - 2D Pokémon platformer
Resident Evil 3 - cause it was $10 and I just finished 2
This is sort of off topic, but do you like your Steam Deck? I’m trying to decide whether to build a PC or get a Steam Deck, but the thing is I literally just want something to run Steam Big Picture mode. It seems like a waste to build a PC just for that, but I’m worried the Steam Deck won’t run fantastically if I just want to leave it hooked up to my TV 90% of the time.
I’m not quite the person you originally asked, but I’ve also got a Steam Deck, maybe I can help? Full disclosure, I primary use my steam deck as hand held (switch killer), so I can only kind of speak the big picture performance, but I really like my steam deck. It’s probably my new favorite way to kill time while traveling (assuming I can keep it charged or find somewhere to plug it in). Under the hood it’s a remarkably capable computer, but it does have limitations, so I hesitate recommend it for everyone. It really depends on what you plan to play on it and your expectations. Its handled pretty much every game I’ve thrown at it (Hallow Knight, Lego Harry Potter, Slay the Spire, Ara Fell, Baba is You, Vampire Survivors, Spiritfarer, Shattered Pixel Dungeon, and West of Loathing) very well, but I’ve mostly stuck to verified titles from my library of mostly indy games. That said, it can be quirky sometimes. It’s hard to explain beyond just general Linux weirdness, but it’s stuff like the mod manager for Slay the Spire being fully functional, except for the part where you can’t see it (if I recall correctly it only draws when java redraws the window, like when a touch is registered), but after the modded game is launched, it runs perfectly fine. I have also heard that the steam deck can struggle a bit with more demanding games, especially on higher settings.
If you’re looking to get 4K 60+ fps max settings on the latest AAA title, I’d probably steer you towards a custom build, but if you aren’t looking to push those kind of frames and are okay with some occasional software tinkering, then it’s hard to go wrong with the steam deck.
Noita, my source of endless frustration and satisfaction.
Is Noita a game that you can keep going back to? I’ve been considering to buy it for some time now, but I feel like the learning curve is way to steep for playing it casually once or twice a week. Also, I generally only play games with a controller. Does Noita have good controller support?
It’s a rougelike so you’ll die a lot… I think it’s really fun but it can be punishing. There is a ton to do and lots to explore though so if you can push through the difficulty curve it’s pretty rewarding.
Controls could be better but it’s not unplayable with a controller. Definitely made for KB+M though…
Absolutely loved tunic. It’s a blast going in blind.
I just picked it up this sale and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Other than it being talked about on The Besties podcast and how much they liked it, and how you’re picking up instruction booklet as you go I didnt know much about it. Getting lost occasionally but loving looking for hints in the booklet and not looking it up online instead.
I finished the game and immediately bought a Tunic T-shirt just so I’d remember how much I liked the game. My only piece of videogame apparel
I played the demo a while back and it seemed pretty generic. What did I miss from only 30 minutes of gameplay?
Oh man… like everything?
I describe the game as “Holy shit, I didn’t know I could do that” the game.
The game is all about secrets, did you get as far as looking into the in-game game manual? It’s vital, and none of it is obvious.
There’s also a lot of NES/SNES Nostalgia, if you don’t miss through leafing through game manuals or issues of EGM this might not hit for you as much as it did for me.
A lot of folk bounce off the game because the combat is too difficult, or because the puzzles are too obtuse. Personally I loved it though.
I highly recommend Monster Sanctuary. The story is okay but the gameplay is wonderful.
I just gave that one away on c/giftofgaming !
A most excellent game, and a pretty neat pvp ladder idea!
Disco Elysium at 75% off is a steal!
Also, Kingdom Come Deliverance, 75% off and rven cheaper than Disco Elysium. This one is hands down one of the best modern rpg games I have played, especially because you can play without the minimap relying on directions given by NPCs, it is so inmersive and it has a plethora of interesting mechanics and an amazingly beautiful world.
Disco Elysium has sleazy publisher issues though, doesn’t it?
Yes, pirate it
Yeah, the original creators ask you to pirate it instead.
Disco Elysium is 75% off.
Prey (and Mooncrash) are 75% off. Most other Arkane games are too, and they’re all top notch (except Redfall :/)
Killer7 is 75% off.
Ace Combat 7 is 85% off.
Dying Light (and The Following expansion) are 80% off.
CONTROL is 75% off.
All the Deus Ex games are >80% off, really can’t go wrong here.
Pillars of Eternity I and II are 75% off.
Lots of great deals on high-profile games this sale, and I highly recommend everything on this list.
Isn’t there something with disco elysium and whoever is profiting off of it now is not the original creators?
It’s a clusterfuck really, but yeah the lead writer, designer and artist were all fired and lost the rights to the IP. Litigation is still ongoing I think, and hopefully Kurvitz, Hindpere and Rostov can regain the right to at least produce more work in the IP in the future. Heartbreaking for Kurvitz especially since he’s built the IP with and for his friends from the age of 15.
Yeah, iirc the developers, who’d spent bloody ages developing the world for the game, we’re effectively kicked out during a hostile publisher takeover. They’re seeing none of the money from sales, nor do they hold the rights to their own property.
I might be misremembering some parts here, but the main point is that the devs were fucked over, aren’t profiting off their property, can’t do anything new with the property.
🏴☠️ it is then.
The original developers were forced out of the studio, allegedly through fraudulent means, but I’m not sure whether they lost royalties from sales as well. I can’t find anything confirming one way or the other, unfortunately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGIGA8taN-M
Didn’t watch it through. Please come back with summary if you do :)
I loved Discord Elysium! Going to pick up Pillars of Eternity because of your comment. Never heard of those games and looks cool.
Going to try these on my Steam Deck, not sure how the controls work with controller yet. ProtonDB gave both a platinum rating, yet Steam says playable lol. If it’s anything like Divinity Original Sin 2 then I’m excited.
ProtonDB gave both a platinum rating, yet Steam says playable lol
Steam’s checkmark rating is based on a very specific set of criteria, like if the game plays well on gamepad, if the UI elements work on small displays, if it requires keyboard input, etc. Yellow check means the game will play, green means it theoretically has an experience which is on par with native console games.
ProtonDB only cares how good the Linux compatibility is in general, not specifically on the Steam Deck.
ProtonDB now has their top results specifically for the Deck, which is annoying since I only care about general Linux compatibility and would like to remove them. I can filter my results to show matching OS / graphics card, which is great, but only once I’ve scrolled passed a whole pile of stuff I don’t care about.
Disco Elysium is Verified. The only reason Pillars is Playable and not Verified is because the game doesn’t always have the correct button prompts.
Control is great!
All time favorite game. Cannot wait for AW2.
How does the original dying light hold up in 2023?
Still the better Dying Light imo, but DL2 is catching up due to Techland actually giving a shit.
I’d recommend Pathfinder over Pillars Of Eternity, it has a massive sale too!
I loaded up Pathfinder, got through the intro and got to the world map, thought, ‘yep, I can see myself spending a lot of time on this game,’ and haven’t played it since lol. I really need to jump into it again.
Owlcat are also doing a Rogue Trader crpg set in the Warhammer 40000 universe. I’ve tried to swear off GW for being evil but it looks really cool from what I’ve seen.
Holy shit a wh40k crpg? Shut up and take my money!
Honestly both are excellent. PF kingmaker has the beneath the stolen lands DLC which is dope, it’s like an infinite dungeon crawl. Pure D&D-style combat in a roguelike!
This thread is terrible for my wallet and backlog.
To contribute to the discussion, I bought an old PopCap game called Insaniquarium recently for around 60c, but there a demo version if you want to try it.
It isn’t just nostalgia; The game is actually still fun after all these years.
Someone from the review section burned 1800+hrs on it, which I think is actually insane.
Yo I remember that game! I owned it at one point too
I never heard of it until my girlfriend bought it on steam about a week ago
Killer7. The craziest game ever released, the weirdest gaming experience I’ve ever had. It’s glorious.
Hades is a great action rpg with rouge-lite elements. The power up combinations and synergies are near limitless and the writing is fucking fantastic. It’s like 13 bucks right now.
7 days to die is my favorite survival game, it combines minecraft-like building with a looter shooter and a horde-survival element. Very addictive, if a bit old. It’s 5 bucks which…like you can’t even get a Sammy for 5 bucks anymore.
Recommend checking sales over at GOG, only DRM free games 👍
The Valve Complete Pack is 96% off for a total of $6.54. Portal 1+2, Half-Life 1+2+episodes, Left 4 Dead 2 are all must-haves if you don’t already have them, fantastic games that explain why people clamor for Valve to make more games.
That’s an amazing value.
Stardew Valley, Graveyard Keeper, portal 1 and 2, Undertale, Katana Zero, Fallout 4, Skyrim, RimWorld, and if you want nsfw ones I can recommend in private.
I’ll second katana zero! It’s a brilliant little action platformer that reminds me of braid in a few ways, but turned up to 11
I thought I was sick of top down building games like this until I tried AtS and it has been a blast
Haven’t seen this yet, but with Payday 3 coming out soon, it’s worth noting that Payday: The Heist is only $1.50. I’ve enjoyed my solo time so far, but that’s as a big payday 2 fan. It’s still definitely worth a shot with friends though!
Just bought this, thanks for the recommendation