2018 Steam Summer Sale: 14 Excellent Games For Under £5.00

Well, it's better late than never. 

Between my house being torn to bits, technical failings and more than a few problems I can't get into, I have been short on time of late. As such, rather than the full massive listings you would usually get, this is going to be a very brief one. However, as before, the previous several lists covering past sales all apply. Really, look through them if you have the time, all those there are winners.

This year's lot are a mixed bunch of well known (if oddly overlooked) releases, along with promising indie games which really deserve some attention. So, enjoy.

Valley

Valley is one of the exceptionally few games which can be filed under "walking simulators done right". You only have limited interaction with the environment, much of it is puzzle based and relies on you uncovering details of your mysterious surroundings. However, it stands out for several reasons. The hero has stumbled upon an old experiment, with only slight hints and aged technology to guide him. It's expertly delivered rather than frustratingly vague, and you don't so much walk as merge with the Speed Force. The  L.E.A.F. suit you find is a powered exoskeleton which allows you to leap over your surroundings and speed along at a rate rarely seen outside of a Ferrari. What's more, you have the power to control the life force in your surroundings, which leads to some quite innovative puzzles.

It might seem at first as if death has no penalty to it, as you are almost instantly resurrected. This is soon proven wrong, and it hurts you in a few ways you wouldn't otherwise expect. While there is little in the way of direct combat and a few puzzles are real brain teasers, it's a game well worth a look.

Knightmare Tower

This is one of a few which looks as if it should be absolute trash at first glance. Really, a glance would have you write it off as one of the monstrosities which clogs up the mobile market, or Steam's lesser-seen titles. It only requires a single attack button, basic movement and has a limited graphical interface. So, why's it on here? Simple - It's better than the sum of its parts.

You play as a knight who fires himself out of a cannon and up through a tower, fighting his way through airborne beasts as he does. This is done by avoiding them as they attack, then abruptly jumping on them to keep gaining height. Fail to do this and the wall of lava pursuing you will overrun the screen. Besides the surprising difficulty of many monsters and their attack patterns, the game runs at a high frame rate and rewards fast reactions. Often playing like a more casual SHMUP, you need to keep repeatedly thinking of how an enemy will attack before they even move, and utilize specific attack patterns. You will die repeatedly, but the game always rewards you every time you get that bit further, with more money and unlockable abilities. It's arcade one-more-turn engagement at its best.

Ironcast

A certainly unique take on the match 3 genre, Ironcast advertises itself as "Puzzlequest meets FTL". It more than lives up to this as well, because of its Roguelite direction and unique combat mechanics. You pilot a steampunk mecha into battle throughout the streets of London, but rather than firing your gun through standard (or turn-based) means, it's all driven by match 3 mechanics. Connect together the right series of links, you gain more power for another shot. It proves to be quite engaging, as the combat moves only as fast as you can link together chains of shots.

The nature of its campaign means you will die more often than not, but this opens the door to other scenarios. You can run into any number of encounters, rescue missions or traps before the end, and this frequently opens the way to new mechs, pilots and surprising new opportunities. You'll die, a lot, but the twist makes it well worth persevering through every failure.

Fhtagn! - Tales of the Creeping Madness

We actually reviewed this one quite recently, but it's worth citing on here. Even at full price, the game is extremely cheap, and its story-driven gimmick makes this an absolute gem of a game. If you want a detailed version then read the review, but the short version is that this is a massive joke on the Cthulhu mythos. You build up a story with a character, join certain cults, cause problems and sell your soul leading up to the end of the world. The fun comes from seeing how your actions impact the world, and even other players joining in with you.

We Are The Dwarves

This one does come with a massive caveat - You may hate the control interface. Every negative review cites this as the main problem, and I will admit it takes some definite getting used to. However, if you are able to adjust to problematic interfaces, the rest of the game is spectacular. It's a science fiction take on dwarven dungeon delving, with several heavily armed dwarves exploring each realm in turn. Most of these are the deadly, murderous and colourfully killy variety, but you also have lost ruins and floating debris to examine.

This can be considered a more tactical Diablo-style experience, with a great emphasis placed on locking onto enemies and chaining attacks. You can throw people about, slam them into walls and charge up powerful attacks, but as you're rarely alone a good deal of it lines up with how well you can keep your people focused on a single target. 

Megabyte Punch

Distinctive thanks to its 90s electro music, chunky graphics and colourful palette, Megabyte Punch is one of the best takes on the beat 'em up genre in years. You have the opportunity to build your own fighter, steal parts from other combatants to upgrade yourself, and compete in tournaments. Oh, and it's also set inside a computer world, with you defending a cyber village against the massed forces of an enemy empire.

The joy of playing this game comes from just how well the developers got what they were aiming for. This could have easily just relied on its gimmick and been forgotten as a result, but instead, it offers extremely tight mechanics, responsive controls and enough enemy variety to keep you interested. The capacity to keep coming back and reworking your fighter offers more than enough replay value to keep coming back, even after beating the campaign.

Of Orcs and Men

An odd choice, Of Orcs and Men allows the player to control two characters simultaneously in its action RPG fights. One is a brute, the other a sneaky backstabber. The game's visual style and sense of humour tends to be its greatest draw, lampooning more than a few fantasy tropes even as it it utilises them for its own means. The result of this is that there's a constantly positive chemistry between the main characters, and a repeated back-and-forth which keeps things engaging.

The core mechanics themselves are satisfyingly meaty, with more than a few ways to link together specific attack sequences or open up exploits. While it is admittedly easy just to whale on the nearest foe and win through sheer brute strength, more than a few encounters add elements encouraging you to break from this trend. You can never become complacent without the risk of failure, and the otherwise dumb AI has some moments of surprising brilliance which can catch you off guard.

The Deadly Tower of Monsters

Video games have a unique benefit in how they deal with other mediums, largely thanks to their interactivity. While films tend to be the big one, this game approaches it in a different manner. You're not experiencing a film a-la David Cage or even building one via a simulator, but playing your way through the director's commentary. The entire framing device is you playing your way through a schlock 70s science fiction film, with all the cheesy monsters, bad effects and stunts involved, and the director chiming in on events.

The genre itself is decidedly action RPG, with a few genre flips, and half the fun comes from seeing where the things you fight break a suspension of disbelief. While the game has a solid backbone for mechanics, the way enemies react, effects fail, or the story goes off of the rails due to the actors involved. It's a brilliant, fun and quite a fantastic take on the genre which never tries to take itself remotely seriously.

Whispering Willows

So here we go from humour to horror, where you play as a girl trying to rescue her father. Trapped within a ghost-infested building, he is mere hours from death, and only your ability to transform into a ghost to bypass barriers allows you to overcome obstacles. The main competition steams from both the roaming enemies and surprise changes within your environment, and a multitude of puzzles which always manages to get in the way.  

At only three hours long, this is one definitely a casual experience, but the artistic direction and surprising moments of maturity shine through. You have every reason to start thinking of this as an easy and quite cheap horror experience, but every time it lulls you into such a sense, it throws a curve ball your way. As such, it continually surprises players at every turn.

Richard & Alice

Set in the wake of a second ice age, this game is a character-driven experience which follows two people trapped in a prison far underground. With little connection to the world above, Richard lives in relative comfort but is distanced from humanity or the horror it has become. Things change once Alice, another prisoner, is added into the cell next to him. As you might imagine, this major change proves to be a source of distrust, a desperate need for social contact and the fact each has their secrets.

Most of the engaging qualities here come from the character dynamics and how the stories are told. This is mechanically light and largely requires you to just walk from place to place, or to occasionally just read the dialogue. It helps that this is more easily broken up than most options, and you actually have things to do over following someone else's work.

Siralim 2

It's Pokemon. Well, not exactly, but it is an old school monster hunting/raising game which has you wandering about and building them up. It's made with a love of classic gaming in mind, but without losing the complexities behind them. You have plenty of team combinations to work through, and you can keep coming back to retool how certain groups benefit from one another. There's such a large enemy variety and the arena allows players to easily test out their new ideas or level up the squads they deploy into battle.

There are plenty of novelty options to mess about with here, as you can end up with teams of mimics, or golems with bizarre character perks. Add to the fact you can have up to six of these things on the screen at a time, rather than the one or two Pokemon typically allows, and it stands out on its own two feet.

Cosmic Star Heroine

A criminally underrated release from the minds behind Cthulhu Saves the World, this one is another humourous RPG. Created with emulation of the late SNES or early PSX era RPG games, this one is a high speed and extremely flashy creation. The cutscenes alone reflect this, but the constantly shifting environments, battle modes and more than a few surprising settings helps to offer a sense of progression and movement. Yet, while the likes of Chrono Trigger serve as a definite source of inspiration, it doesn't simply rely on mimicking them.

The combat systems are highly strategic thanks to how enemy bosses and many enemies operate, with triggered attacks, shifting requirements and even countermeasures against your favoured methods. While you can get through a few basic fights by spamming attacks - at least in the basic dungeons - many later fights often involves you unlearning details or completely reworking your basic playing style. Also, the story is pretty damn good as well.

Final Directive

This is another one which is a release from a developer we have previously looked into, this time the minds behind Reveal the Deep. While that game was a horror experience streamlined and stripped down to what makes the genre glorious, Final Directive follows a different path. It instead does the same with bullet hell games.

The experience is chaotic, over the top and the kind of thing most people used to think of when it came to gaming: One person with a very big gun against hordes of enemies. The flow of combat is intense and sometimes overwhelming, but manages to avoid wearing you out. At the same time, it reworks things mid-battle through weapon upgrades, some creative boss battles and swarms of foes rushing you in corridor fights. It's mindless fun at its best.

Warshift

The spiritual successor of sorts to the Battlezone series, Warshift combines third-person vehicle combat with RTS strategy. Each side has a commander and troops, with players setting up buildings, creating units and then organising who is sent into battle. You can then participate with the battle itself via the form of Avatars you can control. The avatars themselves can rework and transform, going from ground to water or flight depending on the modes, and outfitting themselves with a variety of weapons.

While the strategic elements themselves are simplified, it does allow for an odd tactics vs strategy element. Someone controlling the army can win in the long run if they think carefully about their actions, base building and how to approach an enemy force. At the same time, however, a talented person with an understanding of how to win individual fights can be a real thorn in their side, and prevent necessary victories in their grand plans. It's a more dynamic contrast than what we usually end up with, and a good way to cater to both overhead generals and frontline players.