Gold-Plated Games

Back with more Weeklong Deals, at last! We’ve got another diverse list of gems worth plucking from the pile, with many falling into the roguelike persuasion. SYNTHETIK and Cogmind are oft-overlooked masterpieces that can keep you busy blasting robots for hundreds of hours. There’s a fair number of titles to check out beyond my list, too, including the Truck Simulator games, several Paradox grand strategy games, and a number of promising adventures like Gibbous.

ADVOCATED

SYNTHETIK: Legion Rising (Review) – Intense isometric shooter roguelike with wonderfully crunchy gunplay

They Are Billions (Review) – Solid zombie survival RTS that maybe goes a bit too heavy on survival

Eastshade (Review) – Utterly charming first-person exploration with no combat

Crypt of the NecroDancer (Review) – The catchiest roguelike you’ll never be able to beat

Apsulov: End of Gods (Review) – Incredibly unique first-person horror that merges sci-fi and mythology

Hand of Fate (Review) – Excellent intersection of deckbuilder, brawler, and roguelike elements

Cogmind (Review) – Super deep and technical roguelike where you’re constantly rebuilding your character

The Darkside Detective (Review) – Goofy, inventive point-and-click adventure

Sacred 2 Gold (Review) – If you can get past the jank, this ARPG is vast and creative like none other

Neon Drive (Review) – Simple but addictive arcade action

Conarium (Review) – Tight Lovecraftian horror that does the source justice

Sir, You Are Being Hunted (Review) – Neat attempt at open-world stealth

Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden (Review) – Creepy hidden object game very much by way of BioShock

9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek (Review) – Charmingly cheesy hidden object horror

Whispering Willows (review) – Short but satisfying indie horror adventure

Hexcells (Review) – Perfect Minesweeper-style math puzzling

Hexcells Plus (Review) – More great Hexcells action, but picks up in difficulty right from the end of the last one

Patrician IV (Review) – My personal favorite out of this chill Hanseatic trading sim series

Patrician III (Review) – Deeper than IV, but also harder to get into for me

CROSSBOW: Bloodnight – Basically another take on the Devil Daggers formula, but still fun for a bit

Skautfold: Usurper (Review) – Unique and challenging indie metroidvania

Hero of the Kingdom II (Review) -My favorite in this series of chill trading adventures

The Light Keeps Us Safe (Review) – Ambitious and atmospheric stealth horror, but also clearly unfinished

Dark Fall: The Journal (Review) – First-person point-and-click for people who like old-school note-taking

DEPRECATED

Hard West (Review) – Extremely promising, but frustrating mechanically

Transient – Shockingly garbage follow-up to Conarium

The Bridge (Review) – Nowhere near clever enough to earn its Escher-esque stylings

Dark Fall 2: Lights Out (Review) – Total mess compared to the first game