Hidden gems: that need more love.

[09philj]

Westerado: Double Barreled (Developed by Ostrich Banditos, published by Adult Swim, 2015)

Westerado: Double Barreled is an expanded edition of an earlier free browser game [http://www.adultswim.com/games/web/westerado/]. The gameplay is top down and all keyboard controlled; to shoot enemies you have to line up with them directly to the left or right of you by moving there. This sounds somewhat awkward, but it actually works rather well and encounters rarely feel unbalanced. The game's a loving homage to the western genre, where in order to pick up the clues needed to identify your brother and mother's murderer you must undertake a variety of traditional Western gunslinger jobs: helping out the ageing sheriff, picking a side in the conflict between the local ranchers and the oil tycoon, ending the conflict between the army and natives, and maybe hooking up with the lovely Miss Tress along the way. The mutually exclusive nature of some questlines mean the game has to be replayed to do everything, and the game's full of secrets to find, and a small but distinctive selection of weapons. Get it on Steam! [https://store.steampowered.com/app/275200/Westerado_Double_Barreled/]

Cosmoteer (Developed and published by Walternate Realities, 2011-2018)

Cosmoteer is a top down starship design and command game. Players must design starships with enough power, crew, and ammunition supplies, on a set budget, then deploy them against a variety of enemy ships. (There's also a sandbox mode with unlimited money for making gargantuan monstrosities, such as the game's logo above) When the game is finished it will be on Steam, but as it's still in development it's a free download from the developer's website. [https://cosmoteer.net/]

 

[Worgen]

I've covered most of the under 1k games so here are a few with slightly over 1k that still need more love.


Iconoclasts

https://store.steampowered.com/app/393520/Iconoclasts/
This is a pretty increadable metroidvania-lite. I call it lite since while there is a decent sized world to explore, its more story based and smaller then the usual metroidvania type game and its got more puzzles then most of them do, there is combat and it works well, but by the second half most of that combat is with bosses and less of the just random enemies, or it feels that way. Its a fantastic game with stunning pixel animation, like really stunning, its got a lot small animations that the single dev of the game could easily have ignore but instead they added all these animations and its just amazing looking on top of having a really good plot and great gameplay.

Fight'N Rage

https://store.steampowered.com/app/674520/FightN_Rage/
This is a brawler kinda like Final Fight, Streets of Rage and Golden Axe. Its got extremely solid and fun gameplay, if you like brawlers then this is one you have to play. It does have more of a story then most of those and you can tell english wasn't the first language, plus its actually a really dark and kinda fucked up bloody story. But its a very very good game.


Cryptark

https://store.steampowered.com/app/344740/CRYPTARK/
This is more of a game that I find interesting then one I enjoy, its the kinda game I feel like I should really enjoy but for whatever reason I just never get into it. Its a side scrolling roguelike where you pilot a mech suit and explore abandoned ships from an alien armada to find loots and the location of the mothership... or something, there is a main ship your trying to find I think the story is that if you knock it out then the automated defences will all shut down and the fleet will be easier to salvage. Its got pretty good game play where you choose from a number of different weapons and then explore a ship and take down the central processing core while dealing with the defenses. I think what rubs me wrong about it is that the game rewards you for going in lean, and taking just what you need to survive, so I tend to take less then I feel I need just for a better score or for a challenge the game has given me and that ends up annoying me. But its still a neat game that needs more eyes and they are working on a full 3d one called 'Gunhead.'

 

[Chessrook44]

OneShot

https://store.steampowered.com/app/420530/OneShot/

Oneshot is a small game, an adventure game made in RPGmaker. Niko is a small catperson who ends up waking in another world where they are tasked to save it. A simple premise, yet the way it is presented creates one of the most unique games I've ever played, and I've never connected to a character like I have with Niko. It is a must-play in my opinion, and it's worth it to go in blind, with little knowledge of what is to come. Perhaps one of my favorite games in recent years.

Spiderweb Software

http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/
https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/spiderwebsoftware

Spiderweb is not a game, but a small indie dev that's been around for about 25 years, yet few know of them. A creator of primarily old-school style RPGs, the games may not have the most advanced graphics, but have interesting stories and are well-put together. Plus, EVERY SINGLE GAME has a free demo available on their official website, and a substantial one at that. Give their games a try if you're interested in those sorts of RPGs.
Their main games have been the Geneforge series, the Avernum series, and the Avadon series, and they have a new game, Queen's Wish, coming out on the 11th.