Steam-curator: Designer Plays

Aanbevolen 9 maart 2023

“Why the difficulty complaints? Just hit the ball into the bigger ball. If you think the game is "diabolical" or "Christmas for Satan", just try my strat, don't get hit, and you never need to restart.”

Aanbevolen 25 januari 2023

“Hi-Fi RUSH is basically an FLCL (Furi-Kuri) rhythm 3D platformer beat'em-up that looks like Jet Grind Radio and plays like Metal: Hellsinger meets Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. By the Ghostwire: Tokyo devs.”

$10.99

Aanbevolen 13 januari 2023

“Will You Snail? is a wonderfully creative precision platformer, with lush graphics, a killer chillwave soundtrack, and an intriguing story, told beautifully. I love this, but can you pet the unicorn? ”

Aanbevolen 25 december 2022

“Blackwell Epiphany is the perfect ending for a consistently good point-and-click series; more square footage, puzzles, intrigue, and feels. Wadjet Eye goes out gracefully with the best of the bunch.”

Aanbevolen 25 december 2022

“Infernax is a misty-eyed return to the days of Zelda II and Castlevania II on the NES. If you played either of those games and you rue the day when games got all hand-holdy, this is the title for you.”

Aanbevolen 25 december 2022

“Last Command redefines the game Snake; you pilot around inside a computer memory bank, chatting with an Anime chic, and breaking through firewalls using dodge mechanics like Disc Doom. Indie as hell!”

Aanbevolen 25 december 2022

“Rise of the Third Power comes from the crack team that brought us the wonderful SNES-style RPG, Ara Fell, and this almost hits that mark; 8-character party, weapon upgrade system, engaging characters.”

Aanbevolen 25 december 2022

“Gunvein is an excellent Bullet Hell SHMUP game, borrowing elements from Raizing's Battle Garegga and from CAVE's DoDonPachi series; frantic, but approachable, has a solid tutorial, and dope tracks.”

Aanbevolen 25 december 2022

“Dune: Spice Wars is an interesting, streamlined RTS/4x hybrid from Shiro Games, the makers of Northgard and WarTales. They did justice to the Dune universe, even winning over a die-hard Dune II nerd.”

-70%

$44.99

$13.49

Aanbevolen 25 december 2022

“Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters is a Warhammer 40k turn-based strategy game that does a nice job of selectively creating an homage to XCOM and Gears Tactics, but with 40,000 times better lore.”

Designer Plays the Best of 2022

An ordered list of my Top-50 favorite games released on Steam in 2022, best first. Expanding from 30 this year, since my goal is simply to find moar g00d gamez for you. PRESS [View Full List]

Aanbevolen 13 maart 2019

“Dwarf Fortress is my all-time #1 bestest most favoritist game EVAR! Yes, it is hard to grok, but it is also the best storytelling game ever made; 0009195: Cats dying for no reason - alcohol poisoning?”

$49.99

Aanbevolen 13 december 2022

“Distant Worlds 2 is my favorite 4x space game. It is hard SF. It is vast. It is incredibly complex. It is incredibly deep. It has a steep learning curve, but it also has automation. Such a great game.”

Aanbevolen 9 december 2022

“Citizen Sleeper is a tour de force; compelling storytelling, intriguing characters, interesting choices, and a clever dice system that moves it away from visual novel and firmly secures it as an RPG. ”

Aanbevolen 23 april 2022

“The Iron Oath crushes it; think Battle Brothers overworld and killer troop combat, with morale, trap-laying, and Into the Breach pitfalls, Darkest Dungeon crawling, and compelling story and dialogue”

Aanbevolen 29 augustus 2020

“Chained Echoes transports you back to the 16-bit SNES RPG-era like the food critic's tasty morsel in Ratatouille. This game is clearly made by people that care and don't want that magic lost. Get it.”

Aanbevolen 9 april 2019

“Warsim is simply amazing; it's as if Crusader Kings II and Zork spawned a love child. An incredibly deep text-based kingdom simulator for fans of Dwarf Fortress, Kenshi, and Dominions 5. Hidden gem.”

Aanbevolen 10 december 2022

“Songs of Conquest is the spiritual successor to Heroes of Might and Magic III. The devs are working through a number of Early Access issues, but it will likely surpass the HOMM sequels. Give it time.”

Aanbevolen 9 december 2022

“NORCO is a rich, character-based storytelling game about post-apocalyptic existence, self-reflection, and following mystery threads of your mom's death. Captivating story, dope pixel art, smoke music.”

Aanbevolen 9 december 2022

“Metal: Hellsinger just feels right; the music, the combat, the weapons, the speed of play, it's all fully metal. The innovation is in the creative combination of those elements to provide cohesion.”

-40%

Aanbevolen 9 december 2022

“Neon White is an absolute banger! Not only due to the Machine Girl tracks, but because of the combination of great level design built for dual-purpose weapons, and the dope vibe. Speedrunner's dream. ”

$59.99

Aanbevolen 29 mei 2022

“Elden Ring is my favorite Souls-like.”

$49.99

Aanbevolen 25 december 2022

“Tactics Ogre: Reborn re-envisions one of my favorite tactical RPGS of all time, the original Tactics Ogre on Super Famicom. Changes for better and for worse, but new players won't care. Still Great.”

$49.99

Aanbevolen 30 maart 2020

“Bannerlord carries forward the same brilliant open-world strategic play and real-time skill-based battlefield tactics from the original, but adds multiplayer and better graphics. A favorite of mine.”

Aanbevolen 25 december 2022

$39.99

Aanbevolen 13 december 2022

“Terra Invicta, by the XCOM Long War team, has unfathomable depth, secret societies, political intrigue, espionage, alien contact, and it is hard SF AF to play. Massive, innovative, ambitious, awesome.”

Aanbevolen 20 september 2020

“A colony-builder that also feels a bit like old skool, low-threat Warcraft-style RTS-lite with Northgard area control. Hard to explain, because it's sort of its own thing. Also...BEAVERS.”

Aanbevolen 21 december 2022

“The Doors of Trithius is my #1 Hidden Gem for 2022. It has such a compelling blend of ideas that it is unputdownable; broad and deep skill system, proc-gen dungeons, meaningful combat. Wonderful game.”

-40%

$11.99

Aanbevolen 24 december 2022

“Symphony of War is an overlooked gem for fans of SNES-era tactical RPGs like Fire Emblem. The squad-building is excellent, good tech-tree, interesting characters. Nostalgic, but also relevant today.”

Aanbevolen 4 december 2022

“Soulstone Survivors is my favorite Bullet Horde game. It builds upon the firm foundation of Vampire Survivors, then adds great skills, characters, builds, and luscious VFX and 3D graphics. Excellent.”

Aanbevolen 25 januari 2022

“I became god in 30 minutes in Vampire Survivors. Totally addictive dodger with cross-session global upgrades, multiple characters, and enemy hordes. If you did not fear broccoli before, you will now.”

Aanbevolen 17 augustus 2020

“How do you follow up one of the most successful side-scrolling roguelites of all time? MOAR CLOWN! Also, a new weapon system, new biomes, and a Metroidvania-style heirloom system. Truly for the OG.”

Aanbevolen 13 december 2022

“Zorbus is an actual Roguelike; turn-based, procedurally-generated, permadeath. It is party-based, properly challenging, has some DCSS-style quality-of-life features, and I really enjoy the game. ”

$10.99

Aanbevolen 9 maart 2021

“Roadwarden is a work of interactive fiction, centered around conversational style, stats, and decision-making. Promising. My only question, after playing the demo is, can you pet the raccoon dog?”

Aanbevolen 25 december 2022

“PRODEUS is more DOOM, than DOOM.”

-60%

$7.19

Aanbevolen 4 december 2022

“Dome Keeper lets you understand the loneliness of being stranded on a mining planet. It is chill, but you need to mine in order to upgrade your equipment for battling enemies, horde-mode style. Great.”

Designer Plays the Best of 2021

An ordered list of my favorite games released on Steam in 2021, best first. Not entirely comprehensive this year, for reasons discussed elsewhere, but there are some good titles here.

Aanbevolen 24 december 2021

“Death's Door is wonderful. It's from Acid Nerve, the Titans Souls devs, and it's like a mashup between that game and Zelda; dungeon-delving, puzzles, boss fights. Highly recommended!”

Aanbevolen 5 februari 2021

“Loop Hero's crazy story about a time-bending Lich serves to justify the innovative and addictive gameplay; my favorite combo tile-laying, RPG, loot-hose, tech-tree, town-builder, auto-card battler!”

Aanbevolen 10 februari 2021

“Valheim is an incredible Nordic-themed survival game. I have played dozens of games like it, but for many reasons, this is bringing back that early love of the genre. ALL HAIL THE ALLFATHER ODIN!!!”

$39.99

Aanbevolen 12 juni 2021

“Guilty Gear -Strive- is a masterpiece; best rollback netcode, best artwork, best simplicity with depth. You may miss Gatling Combos, but the creative style now offered by Roman Cancels SMELLS SO GOOD!”

Aanbevolen 24 december 2021

“WarTales is much like a more personal Battle Brothers, as you guide a small band of mercenaries around an open-world countryside being murderhobos, looting, crafting, and trading. Great 3D world.”

$20.00

Aanbevolen 24 maart 2021

“Realms of Antiquity is a nostalgic 200-hour Ultima IV-style game that runs on the original TI99/4a computer hardware from the 80s. I bought this direct and it's one of my favorite games of 2021.”

Aanbevolen 24 december 2021

“Inscryption is much more (twisted) than it seems, which makes sense, because it's from Daniel Mullins, the Pony Island dev. My advice would be to go in blind without reading reviews. Most excellent.”

Aanbevolen 24 september 2021

“Tails of Iron is delightful; graphically stunning, has compelling combat, an enchanting setting, great ambience, and Geralt on VO. Everything in this game feels right. Highly recommended.”

$16.99

Aanbevolen 4 februari 2021

“Slipways is a great example of how to create a very focused design that is approachable, but with depth. Primarily a trade and economy game, with research and upgrades, but puzzle-like. Pure elegance.”

-33%

$23.44

Aanbevolen 31 december 2021

“ICARUS is a survival sandbox game from Dean Hall, the man behind a quirky, complex, unsung favorite of mine, Stationeers. This is way more accessible and has an innovative mission progress structure.”

Aanbevolen 1 januari 2022

“Patron is a Banished-style city-builder that adds an intriguing social layer to its needs-based AI system, encompassing issues of class, growth, religion, and general well-being. Good tech tree.”

Aanbevolen 24 december 2021

“OPUS: Echo of Starsong really demonstrates how far visual novels have progressed; the artwork is wonderfully understated, the story is cohesive and compelling, and Eda is a Lumen-sniffing war witch.”

Aanbevolen 22 januari 2021

“Delectably dark Metroidvania title about a not-so-frail little girl who purifies her enemies to gain their fel powers; well-paced combat, stunning artwork, and a soundtrack by the Japanese band Mili.”

Aanbevolen 24 december 2021

“Archvale is...dare I say...Zelda meets Enter the Gungeon. With a charming world to explore, items to loot or craft, and enemy combat influenced by Bullet Hell shooters, this game is perfect for me.”

Gratis te spelen

Aanbevolen 24 december 2021

“Dominion is the progenitor of deck-building card games, one of the most popular genres on tabletop and on Steam. Easy to play, hard to master. Excellent game, good client, must-play.”

Aanbevolen 14 juni 2021

“Sable is like moving through a Moebius graphic novel in real-time; at once awe-inspiring and intimate. A rite of passage journey, on a personal craft, to seek out the Machinists, and find your friend.”

Aanbevolen 24 januari 2021

“Dyson Sphere Program gameplay fits snugly between Factorio and Satisfactory, but your logistics and automation engine spans the galaxy...across multiple planets! Incredibly addictive game from China.”

Aanbevolen 27 januari 2021

“Beavers survived the apocalypse...welcome to the world of Timberborn; a lumberpunk stacked lodge-builder focusing on dam-building, waterwheel power networks, and one-metric-ton of gnawed log cords.”

Aanbevolen 26 januari 2021

“Please pay very close attention to what I am about to say...Cyber Shadow is 8-bit Ninja Gaiden meets Super Metroid from the publishers of Shovel Knight. What in the name of Chozo are you waiting for?!”

$12.99

Aanbevolen 19 april 2021

“Galactic Mining Corp is an innovative design from Windybeard; explore the galaxy, mine to planet cores, upgrade in a number of vectors, hire employees, and expand your base. Fun, addictive, great art.”

-55%

$8.99

Aanbevolen 11 januari 2021

“THIS is how you design an alchemy game; collection and processing, period-influenced music, stylized illuminated art, and it fulfills the promise of alchemy: exploration and discovery. Love it.”

$30.99

Aanbevolen 31 december 2021

“Star Dynasties takes the political intrigue of Crusader Kings and launches into space, albeit with less depth; marry off your daughters, make bogus claims to capture planets, and subjugate vassals.”

Aanbevolen 28 januari 2021

“Nox Archaist is an actual Apple ][ RPG, developed by a current day dev! Much like one of my current favorite games, Realms of Antiquity, it's emulated perfectly. If you miss Ultima IV, play this now.”

Aanbevolen 25 december 2021

“Book of Travels is an important game; for what it is, what it isn't, and what it can become. There is a clear willingness from the devs to innovate and avoid constraint by bog-standard RPG tropes.”

Aanbevolen 24 december 2021

“Eastward exudes an almost Ghibliesque charm in every facet of the game; pixel art, music, and story. This post-apocalyptic vision is unique and has characters that make you care. Very, very good.”

Designer Plays Metroidvania

I have put in my fair share of what game industry types refer to as "R&D" or "Research and Development", here meaning, playing your favorite Metroidvania games for hours and hours and calling it work.

Aanbevolen 2 maart 2017

“Excellent Metroidvania title, in the classic style. Good challenge if you play on the higher levels. Nails the vital synergy between levels and items. Really a top-notch effort. Buy this mamma jamma.”

Aanbevolen 14 mei 2015

“One of, if not the best, modern-day Metroidvania games; feels like Super Metroid: the Lost Levels.”

Aanbevolen 19 november 2017

“One of the least known, hardest, and best Metroidvania games on earth and it pairs that with Japanese Bullet Hell, one of my other favorite genres. This game completes me. Play on max difficulty.”

Aanbevolen 19 november 2017

“Seminal indie game that combines Metroidvania-style exploration with characters and story. Combat mechanics are quite good, tons of secrets, and a fascinating end-game.”

Aanbevolen 27 mei 2018

“Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is incredible! Perfectly captures the look and feel of the NES-era Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Character swap is key. NG+ is worthwhile x2. Get this now, Alucard.”

Aanbevolen 10 mei 2017

“I love everything about this game; I love tickling green slime, I love bootstomping a giant chestface, and I love it when I burst into permadeath mucus. Excellent procedural platformer/Metroidvania.”

$12.99

Aanbevolen 13 september 2017

“You want this. It's basically a streamlined version of the Super Metroid Randomizer; procedurally-generated after every permadeath, but found object spawns carry over. Built to speedrun. Killer.”

-75%

$3.74

Aanbevolen 23 oktober 2016

“Truly one of the best Metroidvania games ever made, but make no mistake, this is 80's era movement and controls...and this thing is NINTENDO HARD(tm).”

-50%

$12.49

Aanbevolen 30 juli 2018

“Stonking good sequel to a brilliant Metroidvania game; tighter controls, approachability, and the signature nuanced puzzles that made the original great. (Evil traps and a few bugs aside, I like it).”

$39.99

Aanbevolen 21 juni 2019

“A must-have, designed by the legendary Koji Igarashi, that delivers the Castlevania: SotN old-skool feels; lacks the control fluidity of Dead Cells and the beauty of Ori, but it's absolutely giga-IGA.”

$7.99

Aanbevolen 8 augustus 2018

“Truly excellent Metroidvania title that more people really need to play; good progression, proper level design, tons of secrets, and it actually requires skill. The Hook Shot is dead solid perfect.”

Aanbevolen 11 maart 2020

“Immerse yourself in a truly enchanting world, encounter seemingly insurmountable obstacles that you later overcome with ease, by utilizing a diverse suite of skills. True blue Metroidvania. Magical.”

$12.99

Aanbevolen 14 oktober 2018

“An overlooked action-platformer, with a Metroidvania-like vibe, that is more than just a loli-robot-housekeeper-murder-simulator; great selection of weapons, good level design, and good writing.”

Aanbevolen 5 november 2017

“Cracking good Metroidvania-style game. What it lacks in exploration, it more than makes up for with superb combat, combo design, and a killer magic system. GuiltyGearVania, bros.”

Aanbevolen 8 augustus 2018

“Great throwback to NES-era platformers, both in art style and gameplay; every enemy seems to be *just* below the apex of your jump, making you work for it...and work HARD for it you will, young Jedi.”

Aanbevolen 4 november 2017

“Billed as Dark Souls wrapped in a 2D Metroidvania wrapper, this game will own you; skill, timing, and range are key as you progress through this monster. Death becomes you.”

Aanbevolen 9 juni 2018

“Incredibly polished and fun metroidvania pinball hybrid. It's like Yoshi's Island, but without the annoying crying baby! Great game with kewl game mechanics and a lighthearted tone. Recommended.”

Aanbevolen 21 december 2017

“Metroidvania meets Ecco the Dolphin. Seriously underrated, likely due to the new age feels, singing, sushi crafting, and swimming. Make no mistake though, this game has chops.”

Aanbevolen 27 november 2017

“Guacamelee provides what every Metroidvania title up to this point has entirely lacked...Luchadore masks! Srsly doe, kewl combo system, great animations, and a crisp environment. Awesomesawse.”

Aanbevolen 21 augustus 2018

“Solid follow-up to the original, with more of everything; more enemies, more areas of the Mexiverse, more abilities, and more...cinematics. The controls, combos, and gameplay are all good, of course.”

-80%

$2.99

Aanbevolen 6 februari 2018

“Fresh take on Metroidvania, with rotating worlds, tight controls, and Aquaria-style grapple-walljump mechanics that require good timing and positioning. Quirky and stylish pixel art. Check it.”

Aanbevolen 10 juni 2018

“Usurper is equal parts Castlevania and Dark Souls, with an eldritch twist. Very challenging, as there is no healing, but also very rewarding. While this is raw and brutal, it really is worth playing.”

Aanbevolen 21 maart 2018

“Lizard is an actual NES game, written in Assembly language, even available on a cartridge. And it plays like one! Bangin' chiptunes soundtrack, mad 8-bit graphics, and it's "Nintendo Hard." Brilliant.”

Aanbevolen 12 juni 2018

“Lesser known doujin platformer with Metroidvania elements; a bit linear, but abilities do unlock areas and a ton of hidden goodies. Cutscenes break the flow, for me, but some may like the funny story.”

Aanbevolen 7 januari 2020

“Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom may actually be my favorite Monster Boy game; it expands significantly on the platformula created 20 years ago, tending much more toward the Metroidvania formula.”

Designer Plays Roguelikes

True Roguelikes are turn-based, grid-based, procedurally generated, permadeath, dungeon crawls. Roguelikes are also one of my favorite genres. I just wish Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup was on Steam.

Aanbevolen 13 maart 2019

Aanbevolen 16 november 2015

“One of the best Roguelikes, with vibrant towns, interesting races, and infintie replay value. Yes, Dungeon Crawl is still better, but why not play both?”

$6.99

Aanbevolen 26 september 2014

“ToME is one of the better roguelikes, well worth playing. The top spot for me goes to Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, but this one hits the screen quite often”

Aanbevolen 20 juli 2016

“A proper turn-based RNG rogue-like, but with a persistent overworld; tons of skills, "multi-classing", post-permadeath "academy", and much more. Less depth than Crawl or ToME, but more approachable.”

Aanbevolen 16 oktober 2017

“Phenomenal roguelike from Grid Sage Games. Incredibly polished UI, killer sound FX, and some of the best pacing, tension, progression, and resource-management out there. Best roguelike of 2017!”

Aanbevolen 5 september 2015

“A Gamma World flavored Roguelike. Good tuning and level of polish, a unique mutation system that makes it infinitely replayable, and it's hard as steel, as any self-respecting Roguelike should be.”

Aanbevolen 13 december 2022

Aanbevolen 21 december 2022

-50%

$10.99

$5.49

Aanbevolen 9 mei 2018

“Seems like UnReal World has been doing open-world, survival simulation since the Iron Age. Incredible depth, complexity, and learning curve results in a spectrum of feelings, from despair to triumph.”

Aanbevolen 10 augustus 2018

“Vanilla Nethack is literally one of the best games ever made. The breadth and depth are rarely matched. Decades of replayability. Play free on the web or buy here for the convenience Steam provides.”

Aanbevolen 16 juni 2019

“NetHack is one of the best games ever made. While I prefer the free ASCII version on the web, if graphics will get you to play this incredible game, then here they are. Be sure to add Slash'EM mod.”

Aanbevolen 6 augustus 2020

“Awesome roguelike, from a few years back, that lets you explore the universe, land on every planet, craft gear, mine asteroids, and trade. Reminiscent of Starflight, one of the earliest sandbox games.”

Aanbevolen 11 april 2018

“Very competent science fiction themed rogue-like with a ton of characters, items, progression, and replay value. Amiga era graphics give it personality. Easy recommendation.”

Aanbevolen 19 juli 2017

“Delightful little roguelike, with a job system similar to early Final Fantasy games. Light quests, copious amounts of loot, and fluid turn-based combat make this fun and replayable. Permadeath FTW!!!”

$7.99

Aanbevolen 26 september 2014

“Humorous roguelike with actual graphics. Hmm, crazy, but good.”

$6.99

Aanbevolen 19 juli 2020

“Easy to play, hard to RNG; this rogue-like may lose players early on, due to brutality of randomness, but if you stick with it to obtain cross-session Heritage upgrades, it really starts to shine.”

$11.99

Aanbevolen 14 mei 2020

“It may look and control like a WWII Dwarf Fortress, but it actually plays like a lost Commodore 64 BBS tank commander wargame; great battlefield decision-making, per-man tactics, and soldier upgrades.”

Aanbevolen 16 juli 2020

“RIft Wizard is a proper rogue-like, and a very good one, in which decision-making is paramount; knowing your build, threat assessment, spell choice, timing, and positioning are all critical. Hardcore.”

Aanbevolen 23 november 2017

“Excellent turn-based Rogue-Like that seeds your runs with RNG skills and items, so every playthrough varies tactically. Art, sound, and writing are all quite good. Oldskool feels, newskool appeals.”

Aanbevolen 24 oktober 2014

“Hands-down the uber-cutest rogue-like I've ever played and the mechanics are quite good, as well. While it's from the Caves of Qud dev, it feels like a Spry Fox title, which is a hewg compliment.”

Aanbevolen 31 oktober 2016

“A nice, accessible little 7DRL with a vampire theme; humans use light as a weapon and vampires use blood as a resource. Not half bad.”

Gratis

Aanbevolen 22 juli 2020

“OG Armoured Commander hits Steam! Roguelike community regulars may have played this years ago, but if not, check it. It's based on a classic Avalon Hill wargame, Patton's Best. Buy the great sequel!”

Aanbevolen 11 juni 2018

“An approachable and innovative Roguelike from Emma Maassen, completely overhauled from the original "You are the boss" 7DRL entry. The primary mechanic is possession of creatures to learn abilities.”

Aanbevolen 22 januari 2018

“Very promising roguelike that feels like a mash-up of ADOM exploration and ToME race/class builds, all with a nice skill-card and talent progression. Nice art and music too.”