Stranded 2

Stranded 2

The absolute worst game I have ever played. Complete horse sh*t.

I grew up on text based games so real excited about this but wouldn’t recommend to my enemies.

For $3 I’ll keep just in case it is ever actually playable.

Real player with 6.1 hrs in game


Read More: Best 1980s Typing Games.


Not just a text adventure. There’s art, sound and also has an advanced parser as you can see from the trailer. The puzzles are fun and challenging. Plus, as a bonus, you also get Zenobi Software’s Stranded 1 along with it (playable in the accompanied Spectrum emulator).

I do recommend reading the manual, even if you have played many text adventures before this one. It has tips and new features which you really don’t want to miss out on.

Real player with 5.4 hrs in game

Stranded 2 on Steam

Bloodwash

Bloodwash

What are they tryin' to do? Trick me into gettin' scared?

Real player with 6.3 hrs in game


Read More: Best 1980s Gore Games.


This is a decent horror game.

It gets even better if you are into 80’s horror and slasher movies. All the small details, and nice references are there. The game has haunting music, pretty good voice acting and the typical horror story(In no way original but scary enough). Jumpscares are limited, and I like it that way.

graphics are PS1 style, personally I liked it for this game.

Only negative I can say is that I did not know when the game would save, so I just guessed when a new chapter started. Not that the game seems that long anyway, but still sometimes people take breaks.

Real player with 4.2 hrs in game

Bloodwash on Steam

Fragment

Fragment

_Omaj - Defy Expectations

Omaj is a group of individuals that defy expectations by presenting captivating visual stories that open the imagination and inspire critical thinking._

Join a boy named Timothy and his alien friend Gus on a journey of self discovery as they explore the colorful world of Fragment. Utilize Timothy and his friends' psychic powers to read minds, shoot fire, kinetically push objects and more to journey to the farthest reaches of Fragment (and beyond!). While on a journey to reconnect with his estranged father, Timothy meets new friends, interacts with a zany supporting cast and travels (both figuratively and literally) beyond his own personal limits.

Features

• A sentimental coming of age story based in vibrant 80’s Pop Culture that is more than it seems.

• Explore and solve puzzles with powers such as hypnosis, pyrokinesis, magnetism and more.

• Interact with colorful cast characters - private detectives, drag queens, yogurt vendors, and more.

• A streamlined experience focused on story telling and maximizing emotional impact.


Read More: Best 1980s Puzzle Games.


Fragment on Steam

STONKS-9800: Stock Market Simulator

STONKS-9800: Stock Market Simulator

A simulator of a businessman on the Japanese stock market in the 80s and 90s. Chill, catch a retro vibe, and watch your profits grow in the text-based game STONKS-9800.

Features:

  • Buy stocks, get dividends, monitor the stock price;

  • Your actions affect the market;

  • Keep an eye on your health and do not overwork, lest you end up in the hospital;

  • Take care of a lot of problems;

  • Buy your own real estate and cars, increasing your level of comfort;

  • Manage the company, having a controlling interest;

  • The opportunity to earn not only the legal way;

  • Mini-games: pachinko and betting on horse races;

  • Many other features and unexpected situations await you in STONKS-9800.

Press Kit

Free background music from MusMus https://musmus.main.jp/

STONKS-9800: Stock Market Simulator on Steam

Slumber Clause

Slumber Clause

Slumber Clause is a roleplaying, point-and-click throwback to the classic text adventures of the 80s and 90s with modern choice mechanics and a character-driven story about nightmares, death, and ephemera—all in glorious 4:3.

Play as a recently-widowed paramedic mom battling a mean case of sleep paralysis. When you’re not trying to hold your waking life together, you’re navigating surreal dreams of unspeakable beauty and endless possibilities that always seem to end in tragedy. All the while, a hooded figure stalks you. Collect clues to discover who they are and what they want.

Slumber Clause will be released episodically using Steam’s Early Access system, with pricing for the entire game increasing when each new episode is added.

KEY FEATURES

  • Customize your mom with a text-based character creator.

  • Swap between modern and classic user interfaces.

  • Make choices that change the outcome of a novel-length story.

  • Choose wisely or it may be game over.

  • Take a closer look at the world with investigate and conversation mechanics.

Slumber Clause on Steam

GAME OVER

GAME OVER

In 1972, as a freshman in college, Steve Allen was introduced to Pong, the first commercial arcade game. He and his college roommates, Tommy Walker and Howard White, began their video game journey and met many of the industry’s biggest names, including Jerry Lawson, the inventor of cassette tapes, Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, and the developer of ET Aliens. Warsaw, Apple’s founder Steve Jobs, and many more, are writing their own legendary stories in this glorious virtual world, but things are far less optimistic than Alan thought, and a video game winter is about to sweep across the country.

GAME OVER on Steam

Queerskins: a love story

Queerskins: a love story

This left a bad taste in my mouth.

There just wasn’t enough time for reflection or enough moments to challenge the perspective that is being driven into us (that being Gay is wrong because it is against God). I suspect (hope) the intention was to prompt reflection and thought, but in a 15 minute 360 video, there is no opportunity for this, and the developers don’t fuel it at all.

The result, whether intentional or not, is a mess of bigotry and “cruel and irreligious piety.” I hate this. It should be withdrawn until it can be amended so that it isn’t provoking hate. I have reported it.

Real player with 0.3 hrs in game

game bad and about hating gays

Real player with 0.3 hrs in game

Queerskins: a love story on Steam

Caravan Sandwitch 🚚🥪

Caravan Sandwitch 🚚🥪

About this game

Caravan SandWitch is a wholesome exploration game focused on storytelling and character interaction.

You play Halice, a plucky adventurer who’s crash-landed on a desert planet. You need to call Mom so she can come pick you up, but the radio tower is so far away… Luckily, the locals are happy to help, and they’ll even lend you a ride!

Strap in for a heartwarming road trip through the desert, inspired by the badlands of Mad Max and the wild countryside of southern France. On your journey, you’ll visit diverse and colourful destinations, meet friendly folks, play games, and investigate a troubling storm brewing in the distance.

Take your time with the game. Pet the otter. Climb that cool boulder.

Caravan SandWitch is designed for you to play at your own pace.

Don’t be a stranger

Get to know the locals and their stories by chatting, giving them a hand, and playing slice-of-life minigames together. They’re kind people who have been through some tough times, so it’s special when they open up to you.

It’s going to be a bumpy ride

Explore the open desert in your trusty caravan! Set out on foot through the remains of a collapsed civilization. Encounter old-world tech, climb mining rigs, or go off on your own to chase sunsets.

Tinker with the world around you

Wherever you go, you’ll find new things to do. Plug in wires, repair machinery, and wrangle malfunctioning AI as an aspiring engineer-technician-roboticist-pilot. Your caravan is also equipped with scientific tools for tackling environmental obstacles.

Sand, sand witches, and sandwiches

The desert is vast and there are secrets (and snacks) behind every sand dune. Learn more about the planet’s history and its rapidly-changing environment, as well as the mysterious residents known as the “Sand Witches.” Document it all with cute, hand-drawn notes.

Caravan Sandwitch 🚚🥪 on Steam

Kenopsia

Kenopsia

Enjoyed the game over all, but it didn’t feel complete.

Pros: really original concept. Great atmosphere. Free.

Cons: short, nearly game breaking bug (link below), collecting crystals was frustrating until I figured out the rules.

https://clips.twitch.tv/ExuberantPleasantUdonBleedPurple-SjPeIIibU_Cyq77E

Real player with 2.1 hrs in game

Thor hammer time!

Real player with 1.1 hrs in game

Kenopsia on Steam

Murder House

Murder House

From start to finish I knew I was going to love this game. At first it was just the pure novelty of a game that looked like something I’d watch an older family member play through while hiding behind a blanket as a kid. It only took a few minutes into actually playing the game to realize it would in fact make me FEEL like that kid too. The primitive textures and models give off such a familiar yet uncanny feeling. There’s so many horror games that look “conventionally” better than this, so why am I so off put by the appearance of the polygonal bunny man? Beyond the ps1 era influence, the atmosphere is just spot on. I was seriously impressed by the prologue because it was such a good representation of some vague nightmare I’m sure we’ve all had at some point in our life. After that, the main chunk of the game is where Puppet Combo’s love for Old School horror becomes so much more evident. News Reporters. VHS tapes. A Creepy House. A Psycho Killer. What more do you need? Even more terrifying than the visuals and set up though is the audio. Sometimes a sudden spike in distorted sound will be used as a mere jump scare (which I have nothing against), but what really gets you will be the distant drips and drops in the basement or the wind blowing against the trees outside as you cautiously avoid your predator. The lofi nature of these sounds just really get at your nerves, like nails on a chalkboard, but for some reason it just sounds so damn cool.

Real player with 5.4 hrs in game

If you’re about to read this, let me first state that I actually did have fun with this game. I played it with 2 of my friends and we took turns controlling the player character,

! Emma, and we did enjoy the experience. The game also greatly captures exactly what it was going for in terms of ‘scary VHS 80s horror’ and it really does look like an old video game. It also had some genuinely scary moments that caught me off guard, and it was a fresh breath of air as compared to the typical indie titles that emerge.

Real player with 5.4 hrs in game

Murder House on Steam