7 Grand Steps: What Ancients Begat
Ok, I’ve played this game over a period of years and I’ve stared guiltily at the ‘Mixed’ ratings for about as long.
Simply put, I love dynasty builders, so I’m gonna recommend this game. There are so few games that allow me to try to play through a bunch of historical family drama and this is one of them.
It’s a strange game, to be sure–but in gaming, strange is never a bad thing. But it does mean that this game is niche and just because I recommend doesn’t mean I have any illusions that everybody will enjoy this game. Either you’ll love it or you’ll hate having spent money on it. I don’t know if you’ll completely hate it outright: it’s too hard to categorize. It’s a weird, simple, arcade-style game about an ancient family trying to move up through the ranks. The mechanics have been explained well in other reviews, but the gist is you play out entire lifetimes, getting hitched (or not), giving birth to children that are a pain to feed and keep from hating each other, and you’ll be prompted with all sorts of story events. You’ll often go up and down. An entire arc (pushing through each age, last I checked I think there were about three) would take 15 hours. Plenty of replay value, simply based on choices in story events.
– Real player with 23.7 hrs in game
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Towards the end of the Copper Age, things were finally looking up for my family. After many years of being bottom dwellers in the social caste system my family discovered the “alphabet” and the art of being a “physician”. This thrust us into the upper middleclass, and my only daughter, Senet, became the best child this family had ever seen. She was above the other children in the village with an absolute understanding of science and literature. When Senet left to discover herself she took a sizable inheritence with her.
– Real player with 20.7 hrs in game
Empires of the Void II
Conquer the galaxy - or befriend it! Empires of the Void II is a beloved board game with deep strategy and a compelling story that you write yourself. This is a digital recreation of that board game, allowing you to play with friends (or strangers) in the same room, or across the world. Choose a race and befriend the native species, or crush them under your merciless heel. The power card deck contains dozens of missions that connect to the deep story underpinning the galactic fringe. Save innocent lives from a gigantic rampaging beast, kidnap the leader of your enemies, or gamble with space pirates. Every playthrough feels unique and interesting. Minimalistic graphics and atmospheric music set the tone without getting in the way. Create your own adventure at the fringe of the galaxy!
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Dice Rollers
this game hurts that my piece
– Real player with 11.3 hrs in game
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Nice Game. Story is good and it really reflects a lot of TRPG culture.
Worth buying for TRPG player
– Real player with 3.1 hrs in game
LetterBound
LetterBound is a cooperative spelling adventure that can be played locally with up to four friends. The game features a full length campaign, a competitive battle mode, a host of unlockable content, and an educational mode for parents and teachers to practice spelling with their children. The game world is inspired by 1920’s newspaper printing factories but will take players on a larger journey through a world that features trains, skyscrapers, zeppelins, hover cars and more. Due to release in the first half of 2021, LetterBound harnesses the spirit of beloved word games and marries it to the fast paced gameplay of modern day couch co-ops. It’s the perfect mix for those who love playing word games with loved ones on their couch. Whether you’re a word maestro or trying to improve your vocabulary, LetterBound will surely bring a smile to your face!
Samurai Cat
Good gameplay, good idea, but you should fix the slow motion when the golden mouse is the last one, because if the player tries to attack it more than twice, they won’t want to see slow motion if it’s not dead yet
– Real player with 4.8 hrs in game
I knew that my time playing checkers would serve me in life, I’m having fun here with this cool cat!
– Real player with 3.9 hrs in game
Alice in Wonderland - a jigsaw puzzle tale
is a non gamer, this is definitely a recommendation. its nice to come home from work and bash out a puzzle without having to spend a lot of money and have big puzzles sitting in the house. good value game!
– Real player with 51.9 hrs in game
Cute puzzle game. Many puzzles with different colour scheme. 100% achievements done after completing all puzzles. Fair pricing.
I strongly recommend getting their bundle with maaaaaany hours of gameplay!
– Real player with 34.2 hrs in game
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Avalon is dying. King Arthur is long gone, and Knights of the Round Table are in disarray. Guardian Menhirs, the only thing that makes it possible for humans to survive in this remote land, are going dark. Your village chose its best and brightest and sent them on an epic quest to reach Kamelot, find the Grail, and save the land.
You were not among them.
They’ve never returned, and now it’s your turn to lead a band of unlikely heroes, the only ones this land can still provide. These ordinary people set off far too late, under-equipped for the task ahead, and with little hope of success.
Tainted Grail is a dark fantasy open-world RPG with fresh turn-based exploration and combat. It is based around deep, immersive story from one of the best and most innovative board games (biggest Kickstarter project of 2018!), but introduces a whole new experience crafted directly for PC.
EVERY DECISION MATTERS
Tainted Grail is a deeply immersive experience that takes the best elements of RPG adventures and brings them to the next level through intricately branching storylines. Written by Krzysztof Piskorski, one of the best Polish fantasy writers, it will draw you right in and keep you engaged, surprised, and invested in many secrets of Avalon.
In this dying world, no decision is easy or morally obvious, and you will often face impossible choices. Other times, the consequences of seemingly minor actions will haunt you in the least expected moments. In the end, your impact on Avalon is going reverberate through deep, meaningful changes to the game world - entire towns will raise or fall, land will shatter, ancient powers will be restored, or broken forever.
EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN
A major part of the game involves expeditions into the land covered by the Wyrdness, an ancient force twisting people, creatures, and even space itself in all manner of ways .There will be plenty of enemies and weird, unexpected events waiting for you. While dangerous, exploration will be the only way to gather precious resources and, ultimately, to figure out what is happening to Avalon and if it can be stopped.
STRATEGIC COMBAT
During combat, you will decide between using skills specific for your hero and figuring out the best possible combinations to do it. Every hero will bring a different playstyle, defined by unique skills, that you will continue to further develop based on your favorite tactic. You will supplement this rich toolset with various items and special moves. All of that makes every encounter a different and exciting tactical challenge!
War Mines: WW2
Looks fantastic and is entertaining at the same price as a cup of coffee. However, soon it just became a frustrating exercise in random luck when first released. Shame as potential for a top notch game was all here. The Devs are responsive though and after some tweaks it is much more balanced and less of a lottery which it was when first released. Great idea and improving execution in the actual gameplay which initially the pretty graphics couldn’t disguise. Now it’s a solid game and a brilliant take on an old concept. Still could do with some improvement but at this price a solid 10!
– Real player with 6.3 hrs in game
War Mines: WW2 is at the same time a very simple game and a visual delight!
This is the first time that I really understood how to play minesweeper and actually liked it, after ignoring the classic version of the game for my entire life.
And this interest is certainly due to the historical second war context that the game presents us through beautiful art, especially for this price range.
– Real player with 1.3 hrs in game
Plaguepunk Justice
Great mix of roguelike and squad based strategy. Unique setting and mechanics for a zombie game. Love the art style and the music is very enjoyable and gives a nice tone. Very polished with no crashes or issues so far. Has that addictive “one more turn/mission”. Glad I found this hidden gem.
– Real player with 10.5 hrs in game
recently got this game on sale, got completely hooked within the first three missions
the style, dialogue, combat, and crafting system are all top notch, 10/10
some of the things that hold the game back in my eyes is the movement, often times passing through another person (or vice versa) can mess up my placement, but to be fair thats just a learning curve
the combat enforces high mobility because of the healing combat, and i think thats really interesting. It makes positioning, resource management, exploration, and map awareness very important. Also requires a little bit of tracking which “patients” you have already treated, etc
– Real player with 8.5 hrs in game
Curious Expedition 2
I’ve really enjoyed this sequel. I see a lot of criticism about bugs, art direction, and combat. Here’s my take on it:
Bugs:
Yeah it’s buggy, but it’s to be expected right now since it’s in early access. I was able to play the game all the way through. Some tips on impassable bugs I encountered: DON’T RUN OUT OF SANITY. When you do, you’ll get a tutorial popup telling you to rest/eat consumables, but you won’t be able to exit the screen. Instant game over and restart. Try and be diligent and stock up on lots of consumables so you never have to deal with that.
– Real player with 172.8 hrs in game
I really enjoyed this game. A lot has been changed and improved from the first game. It is a really fun challenge. I completed four complete campaigns and got all of the achievements in 145 hours of playtime. The value for the price is fantastic.
You begin by choosing a leader. As you progress in the game, additional leaders become available that you can use in future playthroughs. I changed my mind on my favorite leader a couple of times, so there are definitely options for everyone with vastly different strengths. The leader makes a big difference in the best way to approach specific expeditions, but it isn’t limiting options - you can still generally play how you choose with whichever leader you pick.
– Real player with 145.7 hrs in game