Pendragon
_### Quick Overview
Imagine a game of chess where each of your pieces has its own little story and agenda. Each piece would also like to see its story to the end, but you, as the player, know that will not always be possible. Sacrifices have to be made. And stories will change and adapt because of them. Some will be cut short, some will be epic, but most of them will have to face tragedy sooner or later.
For those needing comparisons, think more Into the Breach than Banner Saga._
– Real player with 35.1 hrs in game
Pendragon has captured my attention in a way that very few games manage.
I describe this game as a chess-like narrative roguelike.
The roguelike aspect is straightforward, with each run following the same general structure : choose a hero and make your way to Camlann to aid King Arthur in the fight against the evil Mordred, dispatching enemies and recruiting allies along the way.
Mechanically, it is not a game of chess, but it is a very good analogy to get oneself into the mindset required to play Pendragon effectively - in order to be successful at the higher difficulties, one must be thoughtful in the moves they pick, their potential consequences, and how the enemies may react to them.
– Real player with 22.0 hrs in game
The Pale Beyond
Five years ago, The Viscount and its crew set sail into The Pale Passage in search of absolute magnetic South. The ship and its crew were tragically lost to the ice, never to be seen again. Her sister ship, The Temperance shall follow in her path, hoping to find answers where The Viscount failed.
You didn’t ask to lead this expedition but here you are: stuck in the ice, Captain missing, miles from civilization and everyone looking for you to lead. Manage your meager resources, balance safety and morale, make the hard calls and head in the only direction you can - into The Pale Beyond.
A polar exploration game set in an unforgiving frozen wasteland where you embark on a treacherous voyage across the ice and into the Pale Beyond. It’s a stunning yet harsh landscape that can change at any moment.
Every decision matters. As the expedition unfolds and the winter approaches, every decision you make will have a meaningful impact on the story as you navigate a way over the ice.
After the Captain mysteriously goes missing, you unwillingly take the position of Captain. You didn’t ask to lead this crew but here you are: stuck in the ice, miles from civilization and everyone looking for you to lead.
Keeping the crew and sled dogs safe, fed, and warm during an expedition is key for survival. Surviving the ice will matter little in the face of a mutiny, every vote will count. So keep the crew on your side.
Inspired by Victorian etchings and historic paintings of the time depicting the ice, each character and environment has been drawn by hand. The result is a unique artstyle with an expressive cast to see you through the cold and grim environment of the ice.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1266030/The_Pale_Beyond
Linda & Joan
Linda & Joan is a forthcoming narrative game about a British family. You play as Russell, Linda, and Joan — son, mother, and grandmother — switching between them to help the family cope with a series of traumatic events. Based on a true story.
The main game is scheduled for release in 2022. It will be part two of the Linda & Joan story. Part one is Prologue: “Four Months Earlier” which is available now.
Players experience the events from the perspectives of Russell, Linda, and Joan through exploration, conversation, and tasks designed to give emotional insight into the themes of caregiving, dying, bereavement, and homeland.
What sets Linda & Joan apart from other branching-narrative experiences is that while the player has many choices to make, nothing can change the core events that follow — there is only one ending.
However, actions, dialogue choices, and task completion, do affect the characters’ perception of events. By spending time with happier memories, taking care of themselves, and choosing the right things to say to each other, the characters — and therefore the player — will find themselves able to deal with the impossible.
The characters’ emotional states will be graphically represented in the game. The player will have to carefully balance the needs of the characters to progress, sometimes requiring difficult zero-sum tradeoffs.
These mechanisms attempt to mirror the real-life feeling of being powerless in the face of looming trauma, when you realize that no decision can affect the outcome, but you can affect how you and others feel about it.
Even when life’s story feels like it’s on rails, we still have some power over our own realities. There is still room for dignity, compassion, honesty. For fear and for love. There is a time for self-care. There is a time for duty. The choices we make will define the memories we hold for the rest of our lives.
Read More: Best Choices Matter Emotional Games.
Heaven’s Vault
Imaginative, innovative, and very immersive
Heaven’s Vault is a narrative game with meaningful choices that lets you explore a fascinating and beautiful original world and its history. One of its main mechanics involves deciphering words and sentences in a foreign script, which is implemented in the best way I’ve ever encountered in 35 years of gaming - find details below.
Let’s first talk about the setting though. The game takes place in a unique world where humans live on a couple of small “moons”, which are connected by “rivers” that defy our laws of physics, but can be sailed nonetheless. You play as Aliya, a young archaeologist who has found a working age-old ship and explores this strange universe, trying to uncover its forgotten history.
– Real player with 115.2 hrs in game
Introduction
I love Heaven’s Vault. I love this game so much that I replayed the game in the New Game+ mode, which I rarely do. Playing the game brought back memories of my days studying the Classics – translating text, learning word etymology, reading Roman and Ancient Greek mythology and history, and so on. Given that, I was easily convinced to play Heaven’s Vault again, just so that I could learn more about the in-game history, further explore the game’s world, and solve its central mystery by approaching it from different angles.
– Real player with 59.3 hrs in game
Dot’s Home
Hi I really Like this game! I wish there was more game like Dot’s home. Thank you making this game and making it available for us to try it out first.
Thank you again, can’t wait what y’all come up next!
– Real player with 7.0 hrs in game
Nice idea and great execution!
– Real player with 5.7 hrs in game
Afterparty
I wholeheartedly wanted to like this game, but I can’t recommend it to everyone.
TL;DR it looks great, the premise is great, the voice acting is great, but it doesn’t feel great.
I’ll start off with some positives:
-I absolutely love the aesthetics. The artwork and the lighting and effects are fantastic.
-The environment is extremely detailed and there are plenty of background conversations to eavesdrop on.
-The voice acting is pristine, with a few exceptions.
-Meeting the Greater Demons was really cool.
– Real player with 18.1 hrs in game
Afterparty
Afterparty is an story driven, supernatural game from the creators of Oxenfree.
Story
The player controls Lola and Milo that just found out that they died and now have to endure hell for eternity – except there is a way to escape hell by outdrinking Satan in a drinking competition. This where the best buds decide to give it a shot and face Satan.
Personal Note
When I’ve heard that the creators of Oxenfree made a new game I was very excited to play it, unfortunately they decided to make it Epic exclusive for a certain amount of time. When it finally released on Steam, I waited a bit to just buy it during this year’s summer sale and I have to say that I really enjoyed playing through this game.
– Real player with 16.8 hrs in game
Time Bandit – Part 1: Appendages of the Machine
A Game That Takes Time
A dark life sim that unfolds slowly in real time, with an unusual combination of elements from idle, stealth, and puzzle genres.
Make your choices carefully, because everything you start will take time to finish–just like in real life. Place down one of these automated forklifts to push a box for you, for example, and it’ll take an actual half an hour to finish moving it:
You’ll just have to go and do other stuff and come back later.
You work as an independent contractor for a mining company, but soon you discover they’re trying to take control of time in order to make you work for them forever. Manage your money, fuel, and energy while slowly solving puzzles to collect the time crystals and then pull off high-stakes stealthy heists to steal back from your employer.
Featuring tons of real-time game mechanics:
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Move boxes, grow trees, build bridges, and compact trash–and wait for them to finish.
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Different guard rotations and different consequences for getting caught depending on the time of day when you play.
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A story that unfolds slowly through conversations that work like real-life phone calls. Characters will only call you periodically to advance the story over the course of days and weeks of playtime.
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Your energy meter goes down while you play, and it takes up to 8 real-time hours of good sleep to fill it up all the way.
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Meet characters at the actual meeting times that you set with them.
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Real-time dynamic music.
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And much more.
A Story of Political Intrigue
The first part of an epic, explicitly anticapitalist melodrama, told through lowpoly cutscenes and radio conversations inspired by early cinematic games. The company’s CEO and shareholders have come up with a scheme to live forever, but it will mean sacrificing the lives of their workers. Fight for a world where everyone has a right to their time.
Use the realistic radio to call characters anytime for dialogue about whatever situation you’re in. You’ll find hints on what to do next, details that expand the story, fourth wall–breaking humor, and more.
A challenge with real consequences: Don’t get caught by guards or let yourself fall asleep, or you might end up stuck waiting it out in jail or the hospital.
Fixed camera angles in gameplay, just like in the old days. With a real-time day-and-night cycle and real-time weather tied to your location, to make the game integrate more with your life.
Tons of playtime in part one alone. And you can use your save file to continue where you left off when the next part comes out. Truly commit to the long haul of the real-time experience.
Join Time Bandit’s Discord to receive development updates and offer your feedback on work in progress! https://discord.gg/vhue5NtN39
Vessels
Wow. Was going through my steam discovery queue and saw this odd title that didn’t have a lot of players but had 100% positive reviews. I had to try it and boy oh boy I do not regret it. I couldn’t put it down until I did everything I could thing of to get a different ending. This game is so unique with the way you get to play as the antagonist while the antagonist itself is a separate being from you. This entity gifts you with abilities that I don’t want to spoil but I think I can say that you will be able to influence what people on the ship are thinking and talking about in a way that selfishly benefits you. It’s a bit of a puzzle that involves starting with no memory of your past and trying to piece together information in a way that allows you to at least convincingly pretend to be the crew member who everybody remembers/suspects. Otherwise, you’ll get ejected out of the airlock!
– Real player with 5.4 hrs in game
Quick:
5/5. What an amazing game. Vessels is one of those games that comes along every now-and-then, and just knocks it out of the park. I played the game through from beginning to end in one run. Admittedly, it is a short game. You can complete a play-through of this in roughly three to four hours. I was completely engaged from beginning to end, and I would have stuck with it for another four hours. The choices in the game gave me the impression that there are different endings and scenarios to experience, but I do not know this for sure.
– Real player with 5.3 hrs in game
The Last Taxi
When a fatally wounded member of an anti-technology cult leaves you with what appears to be an undocumented infant, you’re thrust into a dark network of secrets – unravelling a conspiracy that could shake Progress Point to its core.
The Last Taxi is a narrative-driven adventure game set in Progress Point, a politically and economically-divided sprawling metropolis that has fully embraced automation and human modification, creating a satirical and somberly-surreal vision of the future.
As the last human driver, you’ll meet a diverse cast of passengers, each with their own tailored conversations. Be drawn into morally challenging decisions that lead you into the heart of a dying society.
Narrative Gameplay:
As a taxi driver, your job is to keep passengers comfortable, happy and generous.
Or not?
How you interact with passengers is up to you! With varied dialogue choices and multiple endings, you can choose to keep the tips rolling in or spend all your time insulting them.
But keep in mind, gaining their trust and listening to their problems is a lucrative side business. As per Progress Point’s governmental regulations, all taxis are fitted with sleek, handy, and mandatory listening devices – for uhh… quality assurance.
If your passenger expresses something that isn’t quite above board, you can quietly report it to the authorities for some side cash. Choosing to let some shady business go unnoticed does have its perks, though. And with over 80 diverse characters to chat with, you’ll see all kinds traveling the city.
The World:
In the future, you got what you asked for – Flying cars! Unlimited time for hobbies! And the ultimate hybridization of human and machine! Or was it just flying cars you wanted…
Regardless, life in Progress Point is going pretty great. As the only standing city, we survived environmental and economic collapse because no one from the past changed their small, but destructive habits.
Status quo reigned and we’re the societal afterbirth, filled with various factions that believe in one kooky thing or another, like free will.
Oh, but that makes it sound so bleak. Really, there is a bright side.
No one needs to work anymore! The brunt of the workforce has been given to automatons …Well, unless you personally didn’t harbor a vault of cash before the collapse. If you’re one of the unlucky ones, you’ll still need to find some way to make an income, pay the bills, and find your niche in a world run by automation. As a human, you’ll just have to be creative and think outside the processor.
Features:
• Earn tips by navigating through 80 treacherous, quirky, and haunting choice-driven passenger conversations.
• Aid and abet criminal passengers, help them reconsider their actions, or report them to the authorities.
• Upgrade your taxi with new tools allowing for hijacking cargo, hacking toll booths, enhanced customer experience and more!
• Maximize fares by managing malfunctioning equipment, avoiding environmental hazards, and keeping your passengers comfortable.
• Experience a rich and detailed world of technological headquarters, mountaintop temples, sunken metropolises and pirate-infested underworlds.
• 10 hours of gameplay with 20+ unique choice-driven endings.
Placebo Love
A beautiful game about different forms of love. For those who like games focused on the story more than the gameplay, this is definitely a game you will love. It has a casting of very touching characters, and I found myself loving each one of them at the end of their bonds, even though I hated some at the beginning. They are very well written, and each of them brings a particular touch to the story. The plot remains interesting all along, making you theorize more than you’d think you would at first.
– Real player with 47.8 hrs in game
This is a game I have enjoyed playing.
Gameplay: It’s an interactive decision-making VN type game, with little action and lots of text. If you enjoy good plot and characters, then this is a great game.
Graphics: The in-game graphics are exactly as they appear in the trailer and screenshots. I personally like it.
Audio: Very good soundtrack; I listen to it a lot. There’s a lot of really sweet music and it doesn’t get boring.
Story: 10/10, no spoilers. Each character has their own story and many of them connect to each other; the game is very well written.
– Real player with 44.9 hrs in game