Initial scrolling of the Steam Summer Sale seems pretty lackluster, but digging through the comments sections in other threads, a few gems have stood out, and it doesn’t appear we have a thread dedicated to this yet, so post what you think are the best deals here!
Not mandatory ofc, but it’d be helpful if…
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One game per top level post, so comments stemming from it are focused on on just it.
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Hyperlink the game title to its Store Page
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Include both the normal and sale price / %off
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Include a short blurb about the game - if it’s one you’ve played before, what did you like about it? If you’re diving in blind, what grabbed your attention?
Good hunt’n!
Tunic $14.99 (50% off, new all-time low)
A little guy in a green tunic picks up a sword and goes on an adventure, but the game is in an unknown language and you only have a few pages of the manual. It’s like a metroidvania but your progress is based on knowledge.
It’s a great little game, but don’t be afraid to drop the difficulty down later on. It really does detract from what makes the game special.
As someone who never touched the difficulty, I think my smooth experience came down to considering the encounters more, not dial-mashing the controller. Some fights work a lot better with certain equipment. There’s three kinds of defense suitable for certain attacks: Shield, dodging, and sprinting (a certain enemy has a long gun attack, for instance, that’s good for sprinting).
I think I did struggle a bit at an eventual “rush” segment, but that’s coming up near the end of the game.
Such a great game
Grounded
$39.99$19.99 (50% off)This is basically “Honey I Shrunk The Kids” as a survival builder. Set in the 80s, you and up to three others are teens that miniaturized by… well you gotta figure out the how and why, and how to return to normal size by navigating the back yard of a scientist with some knowledge on the tech. TBH, I didn’t really expect much from this game, but found myself having a ridiculous amount of fun with it. It is REALLY well made - the attention to detail is insane, from the yard design to build pieces. I wish I had this game when I was a kid, but still enjoyed the hell out of it in my 30s.
Rekt is a stunt game in the spirit of Tony Hawks Pro Skater.
The controls are fantastic. The levels are interesting. Various unlockable cars are fun. The gameplay loop is satisfying.
It was a fair deal back when it was $15.00. At $1.50 it’s an absolute steal.
Subnautica
$29.99$9.89 (67% off)Sci-fi survival builder: you’re on a massive spacecraft that ends up crash landing on an ocean planet; your goal is to figure out wtf happened and find a way off the planet. This game is 80% feel-good tropical diving simulator; and 20% thalasaphobic deepsea horror. This has become one of my go-to “idk what to play” games that I keep returning to for a nice digital tropical vacation… with a dash of fleeing in terror from, uh… spoilers. No really though, if you don’t already know this game’s story, DO NOT start looking up videos and posts etc about it - just buy it and dive in.
Should I also get the Below Zero bundle?
Depends on what you want. If you want more of Subnautica story then get it. If you want more Subnautica style going into the depths, Below Zero doesn’t go that deep and about half the game is actually above water. While I loved Subnautica I felt pretty disappointed by Below Zero.
Absolutely. Below zero is more story oriented but still great.
The audio in this game really seals the deal. You’re just swimming along collecting resources and hear a terrifying roar. But you look around and can’t see where it came from… Do you keep going or nope the fuck outta there and go take a breather in your life pod for 20 mins while your heart rate comes back down?
It’s such a great game. The entire mood of the game and the sound effects and music is so good
20% thalasaphobic deepsea horror
I’m not sure about that percentage
Never mind the depths I was already on edge when I met the fucking crashfish
He’s just happy to share some sulfur! and wanted a hug
This is one of my personal favorites and the one that introduced me to the crafting/survival genre. I highly recommend it.
Same here!
Do you have another recommendation? Preferably something with multiplayer and would be even cooler if it has a server I can host!
Just to throw a few other options on the pile:
- Valheim is more combat oriented, but is probably my favourite survival crafting game after Subnautica. You’re playing vikings trying to earn their way into Valhalla. I die a lot. Very fun.
- Planet Crafter is more chill, more jank, and more linear, but it’s a survival crafting game that is clearly heavily inspired by Subnautica. You are sent to a mars-like planet to terraform it as part of your prison sentence. It’s a great podcast game, just build and explore and watch numbers go up.
- Less on the survival crafting side of things, the environmental storytelling is also really good in Outer Wilds and Return of the Obra Dinn. Very different games, but they were actually what I went to after Subnautica to scratch that itch and it worked weirdly well.
I really liked Grounded.
I haven’t tried it yet, but Abiotic Factor looks pretty fun and has great reviews. It’s early access though.
Abiotic Factor
Hadn’t heard of that one… it’s like a survival builder set in Half Life 1 lol. Wishlisted!
Not multiplayer, but Green Hell is also fantastic.
The Forest is a good multiplayer survival crafting game, with a pretty cool story. The sequel is also already out I think.
Satisfactory
$29.99$14.99 (50% off)Sci-fi, you’re dropped down to a lush alien planet to do what humans do best: strip all of its natural resources! Combat is limited, but boils down to fighting off wild animals - the main gist of the game is building and optimizing things like miners/conveyor belts/smeltors/assemblers/etc to automate the pillaging of the environment with increasing efficiency… which admittedly sounds more like work than play, but this title caught me a bit off guard with how fun and - true to its name - satisfying it is play.
Just a warning: The current version has performance issues, it stutters like crazy even on beefy setups. It seems they didn’t get the level streaming implementation of UE5 right on the first try. This will probably get fixed for 1.0, but currently it’s painful playing in some parts of the map.
How is this different from Factorio?
It’s a 3D first person game instead of a 2D isometric, and most of the differences stem from that. More manual building (they added blueprints but I don’t know how good they are), infinite resource sources which means setting up a mining outpost is permanent. Much less focus on fighting wildlife, though that is present.
Overall, it’s a much more relaxing, slower paced game than Factorio. Both are good at different aspects of the same thing.
Being able to build vertically makes it a very different experience. Using a hyper tube chain to yeet yourself all the way across the map is chef’s kiss.
The blueprints are helpful for mid to late game when you need to set up dozens of the same thing. It’s not a perfect system, but can definitely be a time saver.
The combat is totally different. There’s no raid/defense mechanism. The mobs have a fixed spawn point. They’ll stop respawning once you start building around that point. Once you learn the appropriate attack/dodge maneuver for each type, they’re barely even a nuisance to kill.
There’s also a new 3D factory game called Foundry. Having bounced off of Satisfactory, that one seems more promising as a fan of Factorio.
They’re also planning on raising the full price shortly to $40, most likely with the launch of 1.0 the next update coming soon. Amazing game!
They can raise the price and try to FOMO me into buying it, and I can lower the price to free
I wouldn’t say it’s a manipulation, the game is far beyond the original game at this point. I’m surprised it’s even on sale ATM. It’s an amazing game.
Orcs Must Die!
$9.99$2.99 (70% off)Hybrid tower defense and 3rd person shooter/slasher. This game is… fucking stupid! Like by design - your character is a moron, and says some of the dumbest shit you’ll hear come out of a protagonist’s mouth. So with this game, you get a high dose of face-palmy humor paired with orc arms/heads/bones/etc flying across your screen after they get blended up by all your traps. Gameplay is surprisingly solid; you’ll get some time to think and plan where to place traps and obstacles; then you’ll get hit with a wave of orcs and other fantasy critters and try to manually pick off any that make it through the traps. There are a couple more games in this series - imo #1 is the best, but if you like this one, keep the others on your radar too.
Valheim
$19.99$9.99 (50% off)You’re a viking that died and you find yourself in a purgatory called “Valheim” to prove you’re worthy of Valhalla. Another survival builder - with a somehow charming combination of really bad graphics paired with really good lighting. The combat is kinda clunky, but the other elements of this game make up for it. Well worth $10!! Don’t forget to turn your music on before summoning a boss.
You’re a viking that died
Pretty sure they all did that
Yeah but these vikings extra died.
I have a couple hundred hours on Valheim from the past couple years, and I love it. I haven’t played since Ashlands came out, but I’m excited to jump into it at some point.
The Witcher 3 - Wild Hunt
$39.99$3.99 (90% off)If you’ve somehow managed to avoid Witcher until now, it’s a dark medieval fantasy, 3rd person, open world RPG based on
NorseSlavic mythology. Lots of political intrigue, choices that actually impact outcomes in game. Fantastic voice acting, story, soundtrack, and combat/gameplay mechanics. This is one of the best games on the market - if you don’t already have it, now’s the time! There are also two DLCs that are each the size and scope of an entire standalone game - don’t miss those!Also available DRM free on GOG for the same price.
(shoutout to @[email protected] for GOG intel)
open world RPG based on Norse mythology.
Slavic mythology, not Norse.
Oh, good catch. Fixed.
I started replaying Witcher 3 a week or so ago. It really is an amazing game. But I will admit that the combat is just ok. It’s not awful, but it sure as heck isn’t great. The magic and other mechanics, I’d also call them just OK, maybe even occasionally bordering on less-than-good. Geralt’s movement, even just traversing or trying to loot things, can often be slippy and weird.
Thing is, all of the other parts that are important for a great RPG and narrative just shine SO much more brighter that they really make up for the very mediocre gameplay aspects. It really is more than the sum of its parts.
Once you get a hold on dodging/parrying/etc, you’ll feel like a damn ninja, especially on harder difficulties; but leading up to that, yeah combat is… OK. Also don’t miss out of experimenting with different builds - one of my favorites optimized using bombs, which later into it makes you a walking B-52 - fun build if you enjoy clearing trash via a wave of pure chaos, then mopping up the stronger guys by way of the sword.
And yeah, the whole package is what counts here: Witcher 3 is a fantastic all around game. It isn’t without it’s imperfections, but they are barely noticeable amidst the tsunami of ridiculously high quality you’ll be hit with from all the other features.
For sure! And as much negative I said about the combat, it’s punchy, never drags on, and the enemies you fight are usually all set up well as part of the story. They’re not just random mobs, so even the fighting has good narrative weight even if it’s not the mechanically deepest ever.
This time through, I’ve been making different choices and stopping to explore more and take in more of the world. First time I played it, I had NO IDEA that if you stopped and listened to some npc convos you can pick up quests that way! Doesn’t even really feel like I’m playing it over again, or retreading the same stuff. There’s SO much in it.
It was never a strong combat game imo. It’s a fantastic game despite the combat, not because of the combat.
Good fish! I will download it right away.
Just one question, I have never played any of The Witcher series game. Would I be okay in jumping directly into the 3rd part?
Yes, tbh. Most missing backstory tends to be from the books rather than the games, and anyone with half a brain can infer what’s going on.
It helps if you know the lore, because at the beginning there is a scene where someone asks you about decisions you made in the first two parts. But I didn’t know anything and just guessed. But after that you don’t really need to know what happens before
Can you suggest a video which briefly explaines the lore of 1 and 2?
Sadly no, it’s been a long time. My guess would be as good as yours. But like Singfeld said, you can skip that option
This is optional and only happens if you check “Simulate Witcher 2 Save” when creating a new game I believe. Just choose no.
Witcher 2’s controls are a bit janky, but it’s a solid game in and of itself for the story alone; if you can stomach some pretty bad mechanics to enjoy an otherwise decent product, I’d say start at #2.
Witcher 1 is… so bad it’s kinda comical. I’d just pull up a story summary of Witcher 1 on youtube and call it a day. If you’re a masochist, go ahead and give the actual game a whirl; but I’d recommend modding the snot out of it to at least make your character OP as fuck, allowing you to mostly skip the god-awful combat. But even then, the only selling point is the story, which again you can just pull up on YouTube.
That said, you can dive into 3 with zero knowledge of the previous two and be just fine. There are things that will go over your head, but nothing significant.
Shattered Pixel Dungeon,
9.99 USD6.69 USDIt’s a turn-based traditional roguelike + dungeon crawler, i.e. there are no in-game permanent upgrades to make the characters stronger, and only you the player get “stronger” as you become more knowledgeable. If you are into that kind of game, this is absolutely one of the best I’ve played!
The developer Evan has been continuously updating the game for the past decade, with a new, sixth playable hero scheduled to release later this year. The game is also free and open source, so you can even play the full game for free. I bought the Steam version (and has sunk 100+ hrs into it) because it’s so rare for me nowadays to find a game I don’t get tired of after a handful of hours. (Not saying short games are necessarily bad though, some of my faves are very short too.)
Also, check out the official [email protected]!
I play this on my android phone. It’s free, ad-free, and you can pay to support.
The updates have been awesome. It’s extremely difficult, and it’s not unusual to die a buncha times before your first success.
Wildermyth is a lovely combination of storytelling and xcom-style combat, with a genealogy system and chances for your heroes (and their descendants) to reappear in future games.
Love wildermyth
Ghostrunner 2 is 80% off for $17CAD and runs great on the deck. It looks like some of the best speed swordplay vibes from Cyberpunk and I’m stoked to play it.
Also picked up Rage for 5 bucks.
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Just picked up Bloons 6, (~$1, 90% off) for those who like tower defense games. Lots of unlockable content and metaprogression, if that’s your jam.
It is genuinely ridiculous how much content there is in this game for the price. Like, a lot of it looks like an excuse to play the same levels a dozen times with minor variations, but then there are tons of levels, lots of events, ongoing updates with new content of all types, so many different towers and upgrades to play with, community maps to add even more variety… It looks like I’ve played over 200 games and I have so much of the game that I haven’t even touched yet.
it is ridiculous how much content that game offers for the low price tag. one of my most played right now. the only td I have found that well maintained and very replayable
The greatest tower defense game ever made, really. It’s seriously impressive how it appeals to very casual users and the most extreme fans that want a challenge. I also really respect that, while the game has some mictrotransactions, you can’t use any of them on the hardest difficulty.
Ultimate Chicken Horse $5.24 (65% off, matching the all-time low)
Design platformer levels with your friends, then race them to the end, locally or online. Points are only awarded if someone died, so make the level extra dangerous!
My kids played this till their eyes bled. Great local screen party game.
Really great party game, kids love it. There’s a constant push-pull to make the level just hard enough. It kind of breaks down though if somebody has made it effectively unwinnable for everybody and you can’t find a way to unblock it. Otherwise though, it’s a fantastic game.
I’ve played somewhere around 1500 hours across multiple systems. There’s really nothing else quite like it.
GRIP: Combat Racing
£24.99£2.49 (90% off)Spiritual successor to Rollcage with a great soundtrack.
Holy shit. Completely forgot about rollcage. Wild to me that anyone remembers that game enough to make a spiritual successor.
Wait what!? I remember joining the Kickstarter for GRIP but it didn’t reach its target. I’ve completely forgot about the game since then.
I didn’t realise it was a failed Kickstarter. I bought it in early access so I guess they decided to risk it that way and it worked out in the end.
Here it is: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/169002413/grip-an-intense-futuristic-combat-racer
I vaguely remember hearing something about them wanting to try and make it without the funding but as with many failed kickstarters I just forgot about it. Great to see that it happened, I’m gonna have a good old-fashioned nostalgia trip next weekend.
Trombone Champ 60% off
Trombone Champ is the world’s first trombone-based rhythm music game. Unlike most music games, you can freely play any note at any time. You’re not just following along with the music, you’re actually playing the music!
Another for the wishlist. Thanks for posting that.
This one plays great on the steam deck. I played the happy birthday song for my kids and it was awful in the most amazing of ways.
