GLADIABOTS - AI Combat Arena
This is a superb, unique game that deserves to be even more popular than it already is.
The concept of the game is that the player designs their own AI via customizable ‘nodes’ (colour-coded tiles that the player can arrange into a logic tree to determine their robots' behaviour) which then dictate how their team of 4-8 robots (from four different classes) perform in battle against ‘enemy’ AIs.
The logical array which the player creates (featured in several of the screenshots in the store page) can be anywhere from just a handful of tiles at first, to literally hundreds (arranged into named sub-AIs if the player wants) that function like a sort of flow diagram for each robot, governing their priorities and thus responses based on a seemingly endless combination of determining factors e.g. what friendly or enemy bots are doing at that particular moment, how far away they are, or hundreds of other parameters native to the ‘check-box’ like options that allow the player to refine what each tile actually ‘says’.
– Real player with 478.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Asynchronous Multiplayer Logic Games.
In Gladiabots you programm a platoon of robots that will then compete autonomously in a game arena against other platoons. You have to plan and consider carefully when creating your robots' AIs before actually hitting the arena as you can no longer interfere once the match has started: The robots are then on their own, equipped with nothing but your programmed instructions.
There are four different bot classes resembling a rock scissors paper scheme with an added tank and several different game modes (three for online ranked matches vs humans).
– Real player with 364.7 hrs in game
Rockets are Super Hard
This has been a great game to play with a group of friends. Working together to successfully launch a rocket into orbit using the highly detailed manual and communication skills not to miss any timed events or which button to correctly press. The manual may seem daunting at first, but the PDF is very well organized and put together that we have had no issues navigating through it to find the different modules for each mission. The sense of achievement is very high after each successful launch, and makes us want to keep playing once we finally do achieve mission success. Highly recommend this game for anyone that likes group puzzle games.
– Real player with 12.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Asynchronous Multiplayer Space Games.
This game is already shaping up to be really special. This is helped tremendously by devs who are extremely active in the community and receptive to suggestions. They work quickly and respond in the forum. I made a list of typos and suggestions for the manual and it was a fairly long list. They did every single thing on the list in the same day that I posted it.
From a gameplay perspective, this obviously is inspired by Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, but I think this game stands up extremely well on its own. Being in the control room is significantly more fun than being the defuser in KTaNE, and the game itself feels more cohesive. The manual is also over 100 pages even though the game is in early access. The ktane manual is 23 pages. I’ve played it quite a bit already and I still feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface. The single player campaign helps to teach the game, and even puts the manual pages inside the game to make it easier to look things up, but playing multiplayer is certainly more fun.
– Real player with 11.3 hrs in game
Frozen Synapse
I’ve bought this game three times now and I’d buy it again if I had more free time. I bought it first as a standalone Linux game. Later I picked up another copy in a bundle that gave me a Steam key for it (it was part of a bundle and there were other games in that bundle I liked, but having a copy of Frozen Synapse on Steam was the sweetener that sealed the deal for me) and I subsequently bought it for Android because I couldn’t get enough of it.
My biggest problem with this game is it plays to my own desire to optimize and speculate on what my opponent is going to do in a turn-based strategy game. The core mechanic tends to lead me to a decision-paralysis. And I love the game intensely for it.
– Real player with 601.6 hrs in game
I love it when a plan comes together, and Frozen Synapse is my favourite turn-based game.
It’s similar to ground operations of X-COM, for example, but in a purer, simpler form. There’s no base management, inventory, RPG elements. All units of the same type have identical stats. And, unlike X-COM, RNG does not make much of an impact on outcomes of firefights, if any. The typical ‘chance to hit’ mechanic is replaced with ‘time to hit’. If enemy unit is in cover, your unit will need more time to hit him; if enemy units runs into your stationary unit, your unit will shoot first because he had a bonus to this timer, and the enemy had a penalty for running. Thus, if you can predict what your opponent is about to do, you can be 100% sure what will happen when they encounter one of your units. If.
– Real player with 93.5 hrs in game
Mirador
I’ve logged 30+ hours already and I’ve read many of the other reviews, and the negative ones fail to take into account several things.
First off, this game just launched and they are constantly fixing issues and deploying them. Yes the issues have caused frustration. However, they have solved several so far, including the “standing still” glitch and infinite loading screens. And there are more fixes on the way. This is one of, if not the, best dev team in terms of their relationship with the community, willingness to listen to suggestions, and also fix things in a timely manner. Huge positives.
– Real player with 85.7 hrs in game
I of course made a video review of this game which can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMk91n7rwkU
If you don’t want to watch the video, and would rather read the script, ill just leave it here:
What is up ladies and gentlemen bois and girls, it’s your host Zulo back with another vid, today we will be reviewing Mirador, without further ado lets jump right in
Mirador is a hack-and-slash adventure game in which you can play solo or in a duo squad, and you will face challenging player-created boss fights!
– Real player with 48.6 hrs in game
Through The Frame
Race through the frames and reach the finish line as quickly as possible to get the highest score and beat the other players!
In Through The Frame, players move around with the help of a grappling hook. In front of them is a level made up of frames that guide them to the end.
During the Steam festival, 4 levels will be available!
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A game created for the “cores” and “hardcore” gamers of the genre.
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A platformer that allows players to focus solely on the goal and the perfection of the mechanics through a calm, heavy and abstract universe.
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The learning curve of the players very visible and appreciable despite a complex grappling mechanic.
Monster Logic
One of the best programming games I’ve played. Lots of levels and a variety of interesting ways to solve each one.. Competitive leaderboards, the top score in some of these puzzle are already pretty crazy. You are going to have to be super creative in order to match them. There are three categories for the leaderboards and your best score in each category for the puzzle is automatically saved. (Zachtrnoics take note please)
I have played almost every programming game on steam and this is probably my second favorite. With my favorite being EXAPUNKS
– Real player with 86.9 hrs in game
First off, I was a beta tester and received the game for free.
It might be scary for those who are not particularly into programming to look at the store page and see stuff like “Based on esoteric programming languages Befunge and Trefunge”. It could make you think this game is “too niche” and not for you.
Now, I don’t know whether you’ll actually like it or not, but let me tell you this: I had never even heard of Befunge or Trefunge before playing this, and I’m not a programming enthusiast or anything. I just looked at it as a fun puzzle game with cute monsters and animations and tried to solve the levels as best I could using good old logic.
– Real player with 54.5 hrs in game
Super High Ball: Pinball Platformer
I never knew I needed a genre fusion of Pinball and Platformer until I played this game. Executed brilliantly, Super High Ball gives the player an amazing sense of control through each level and provides a great challenge (diamond rankings) on top of fun and unique gameplay.
– Real player with 63.9 hrs in game
This game is fantastic. It’s definitely not a typical precision platformer and doesn’t feel like one, but is more… adventure pinball for speedrunners? Something along those lines. Regardless, it’s fantastic. If you like precision games at all, get this–it’s worth full price.
– Real player with 51.5 hrs in game
Screeps: World
I have played lots games over the years. have forgotten 95% of them, 4.9% of them i remember due to them being an excellent game and myself enjoying, Paradox games I love but don’t rate as in the top .1%. Only a very rare game has me remembering epic or defining moments that really set that game apart for me. EvE online is one, for creating a sandbox of such freedom, politics, warfare, resource gathering, trade, which all helps to create proper player driven stories.
The other is Screeps….which has given me my most proud moments in any game i have played. The games are of course markedly different but also surprisingly similar. Screeps like EvE has trade, crafting, factories, land ownership, politics/alliances, resource gathering, warfare, but ants instead of ships and where in EvE when u get killed you take a big loss, in Screeps it can mean game over, time to respawn from scratch……again.
– Real player with 3117.3 hrs in game
Note: I am not associated with the developers in any way, I’ve just been playing a lot recently.
Screeps is a game for programmers.
But it is possible for someone without any previous programming experience to learn it with enough dedication, though I recommend at least learning some basics of programming/JavaScript from somewhere like codecademy first. And try the free tutorial before you buy the game (I am still running code that started out based on the tutorial code, 2 months later).
The game has deceptively simple visuals, but a lot of increasingly complex systems that you gain access to as you progress within the game, providing interesting challenges for your programming ability. How complex it ends up getting depends in part on how much of it you end up wanting to automate. Pretty much anything you can do, you can get your code to do for you.
– Real player with 2606.2 hrs in game
The Frog Prince
Join our Discord https://discord.gg/kWRxEG7q9g
Meet a mix of fascinating parkour and classic platformer in a medieval setting.
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Jump over the heads of diverse enemies.
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Run on the walls, slide under the closing doors.
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Solve puzzles, discover traps.
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Use your sticky tongue to overcome obstacles at breakneck speed.
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Visit each of the unique areas to beat the boss.
Go on an exciting adventure as the cursed prince - the frog prince. Break the evil spell and save your beloved from the slimy sorcerer.
The evil invader is very strong, and it will not be easy to defeat it. But you have a unique weapon at your disposal - a long sticky tongue. It will allow you to easily deal with hordes of enemies that got in your way. Activate mechanisms, move objects, open hidden passages, jump over wide ditches, climb inaccessible ledges, and generally have fun.
Space Food Truck
Mainly writing this because I disagree with what the majority of the negative reviews are saying, as someone who cranked out 40 hours of gameplay (split quite evenly between online and offline play) and who completed games on the hardest difficulty level. While I have ideas on what should contribute to a negative review, which will come later in the review, but let’s start by tackling the points I disagree with in the negative reviews.
I believe RNG gets the majority of the blame because a random event occurs at the beginning of every turn, and at every new planet, so it’s pretty much in your face all the time.
– Real player with 102.9 hrs in game
This game has the potential to be very fun. Myself and a few friends brought it and really enjoyed the game initially. But we quickly realised that this game is too hard, and not even hard in way that challenges you properly. We have been playing on mild difficulty, since the upper difficulty was seemingly impossilbe.
The game is hard beyond the player’s control, since much of the game mechanics are the result RNG. 90% of the RNG is bad! You receive negative effects that can see you wiped out very quickly. For example, we upgraded our shields to the max very early on, but in response, we started taking much more damage from RNG events.
– Real player with 44.7 hrs in game