Gold-Plated Games

We did it! We survived HellYear 2020 and made it all the way to the first Weeklong Deals of 2021! And if you were expecting something new and exciting of Steams most specious deals… well, you haven’t been reading these features long, I suppose. This week at least we have a fine cross-section of games to consider, if you somehow didn’t get your fill of spending during the Winter Sale. Nova Drift should already be in your library, for one, and there are some solid builders and sims to check out as well. And for pure, unspoiled joy, Yoku’s Island Express will do right by you.

RING IT IN

Nova Drift (Review) – This chaotic roguelike take on Asteroids only gets better with time

Caves of Qud (review) – The reigning champion of classic open-world roguelikes

Aven Colony (Review) – Chill, low-impact city builder set on a vibrant alien world

Yoku’s Island Express (Review) – Immensely charming platform adventure… that’s also pinball!

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (Review) – Solid western FPS with a great storytelling style

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (Review) – Not the rollicking good time that Gunslinger is, but still fun

Long Live The Queen (Review) – Deep and brutal royalty simulator visual novel

Big Pharma (Review) – Essentially a puzzle game about making drug factories, with a light management layer

NOT A HERO (Review) – Balls-out wild platform shooter

Slain: Back from Hell (Review) – Extremely tough, extremely metal platformer

Dropsy (Review) – Super charming point-and-click adventure with no dialogue

Sproggiwood (Review) – Cute and challenging classic-style roguelike

RONIN (Review) – This one’s right on the edge of too frustrating to recommend, but still cool if you can hang with it

Hero of the Kingdom: The Lost Tales 1 (Review) – Still a fine, chill time, but these seem to be lower and lower effort

EDGE (Review) – Neat puzzle platformer about maneuvering a cube

Reveal The Deep (Review) – Atmospheric platform adventure through a sunken ship

Back to Bed (Review) – Clever puzzler with a distinctly Dali style

Black Paradox (Review) – Intensely stylish side-scrolling shmup

Daily Chthonicle: Editor’s Edition (Review) – Brilliant, bewildering cosmic horror sim

Earth Atlantis (Review) – Open-world shmup with a neat hand-drawn art style

WRING THEM OUT

Heavy Bullets (Review) – Just not enough going on in this first-person roguelike, despite the neat style

Rise of Insanity (Review) – Every cliché indie horror game you’ve ever played

Left in the Dark: No One on Board (Review) – The rare hidden object game that’s too dumb for me

DARK (review) – Hahahahahahahaha

Das Geisterschiff (Review) – Neat style, terribly tedious gamplay

Crab Dub (Review) – THE WORST

rooMaze (Review) – A first-person roguelike that absolutely despises you

NeverEnd (Review) – I wish it would

Space Hack (Review) – The worst ARPG I have ever experienced

99 Levels To Hell (Review) – This is how you do Spelunky wrong

Langoth (Review) – what