Steam Curator: Designer Plays

Recommended March 9, 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.”

Recommended January 25, 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

Recommended January 13, 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? ”

Recommended December 25, 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.”

Recommended December 25, 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.”

Recommended December 25, 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!”

Recommended December 25, 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.”

Recommended December 25, 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.”

Recommended December 25, 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.”

$44.99

Recommended December 25, 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.”

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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]

Recommended March 13, 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

Recommended December 13, 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.”

Recommended December 9, 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. ”

Recommended April 23, 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”

Recommended August 29, 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.”

Recommended April 9, 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.”

Recommended December 10, 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.”

Recommended December 9, 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.”

Recommended December 9, 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.”

Recommended December 9, 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

Recommended May 29, 2022

“Elden Ring is my favorite Souls-like.”

-50%

$49.99

Recommended December 25, 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

Recommended March 30, 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.”

Recommended December 25, 2022

$39.99

Recommended December 13, 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.”

Recommended September 20, 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.”

Recommended December 21, 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.”

Recommended December 24, 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.”

Recommended December 4, 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.”

Recommended January 25, 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.”

Recommended August 17, 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.”

Recommended December 13, 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

Recommended March 9, 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?”

Recommended December 25, 2022

“PRODEUS is more DOOM, than DOOM.”

Recommended December 4, 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.”

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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.

Recommended December 24, 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!”

Recommended February 5, 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!”

Recommended February 10, 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

Recommended June 12, 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!”

Recommended December 24, 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

Recommended March 24, 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.”

Recommended December 24, 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.”

-88%

$2.99

Recommended September 24, 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

Recommended February 4, 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.”

Recommended December 31, 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.”

-80%

$3.99

Recommended January 1, 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.”

Recommended December 24, 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.”

Recommended January 22, 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.”

Recommended December 24, 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.”

Free To Play

Recommended December 24, 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.”

Recommended June 14, 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.”

Recommended January 24, 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.”

-20%

Recommended January 27, 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.”

Recommended January 26, 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

Recommended April 19, 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.”

Recommended January 11, 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

Recommended December 31, 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.”

Recommended January 28, 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.”

Recommended December 25, 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.”

Recommended December 24, 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.”

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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.

Recommended March 2, 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.”

Recommended May 14, 2015

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

Recommended November 19, 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.”

Recommended November 19, 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.”

-50%

Recommended May 27, 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.”

Recommended May 10, 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

Recommended September 13, 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.”

Recommended October 23, 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).”

Recommended July 30, 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

Recommended June 21, 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

Recommended August 8, 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.”

Recommended March 11, 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

Recommended October 14, 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.”

Recommended November 5, 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.”

Recommended August 8, 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.”

Recommended November 4, 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.”

Recommended June 9, 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.”

Recommended December 21, 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.”

Recommended November 27, 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.”

Recommended August 21, 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.”

Recommended February 6, 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.”

Recommended June 10, 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.”

Recommended March 21, 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.”

Recommended June 12, 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.”

Recommended January 7, 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.”

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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.

Recommended March 13, 2019

Recommended November 16, 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

Recommended September 26, 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”

Recommended July 20, 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.”

Recommended October 16, 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!”

Recommended September 5, 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.”

Recommended December 13, 2022

Recommended December 21, 2022

$10.99

Recommended May 9, 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.”

Recommended August 10, 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.”

Recommended June 16, 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.”

Recommended August 6, 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.”

Recommended April 11, 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.”

Recommended July 19, 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

Recommended September 26, 2014

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

$6.99

Recommended July 19, 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

Recommended May 14, 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.”

Recommended July 16, 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.”

Recommended November 23, 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.”

Recommended October 24, 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.”

Recommended October 31, 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.”

Free

Recommended July 22, 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!”

Recommended June 11, 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.”

Recommended January 22, 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.”