Midwintar

Midwintar

Midwintär catches you at Khazar’s Pass.

You shelter in a cave as the days and nights grow long and cold,

as the snow seals you in and as the world darkens.

Midwintär is a narrative-driven stealth action game inspired by medieval horror folklore that combines careful tactical planning with fast-paced arcade execution and innovative gossip mechanics. Play and switch between three protagonists - a werewolf, a vampire, and a moon witch - to exact your revenge on a vicious religious cult.

Off-Kilter Sunny Horror On the outside, Midwintär takes place among sunny, medieval villages populated by friendly, hard-working, and devoted inhabitants. Stay overnight, though, and you might be horrified to reveal the true nature of their sacred rituals. The world of Midwintär is gruesome and dark but also funny.

Sun / Moon Gameplay Cycle Midwintär features a 3-minute day-night cycle that changes your abilities. You must use your daytime skills such as lock-picking or spreading rumours among villagers to best prepare the terrain for the night-time havoc when you transform into a bloodthirsty, overpowered monster.

Gossip Mechanics Each villager in Midwintär has their own suspicion-meter you can influence by gossiping and spreading rumors about other villagers, and there is also a panic-meter that changes the AI behaviour of all villagers on the map. You can use this against villagers - hide the firewood to lure the lumberjack into the night, kill him near the chapel to incriminate the priest, and later spread rumours on seeing him covered in blood. He’ll be hanged in no time!

Three Playable Characters You will be able to choose, play and switch between three playable characters - a werewolf, a vampire, and a moon witch - each of whom possesses a distinctive skillset and boasts a different playstyle.

Non-linear Skilltree You will be able to customize the skillset and playstyle of each character by opting to complete alternate missions in levels, which will reward you with a special bonus skill of your choice. Will your werewolf hone his terrifying howl, or will he become one with the wolf-packs of the forest?

Co-Op Multiplayer Midwintär will feature a split-screen and a local multiplayer for up to three players, enabling all three characters to fight together.

The corrupt and self-righteous religious institution Oblique Order is attempting to destroy the peaceful cohabitation of people and magical creatures in the pagan world of Midwintär, and enforce their order by uniting people against the powers of the wild. You must stop them before they exterminate your kind…

Midwintär starts off as a revenge story that slowly shifts into an exploration about our relationship to the unknown, and about the limits of what we can hope to control or understand.

WEREWOLF

The main protagonist is the werewolf, a former disciple of the Oblique Order, disillusioned and out for vengeance. During the game, he is guided by the voice of Midwintär, an ancient force of nature. His skills revolve around spreading panic and using brute force.

VAMPIRE

The vampire, once a powerful force of the night, his might now reduced by the spells of men. He cannot cross running water nor enter houses uninvited, but his power is in his allure - he can enthrall people to do his bidding, or forge blood links to ensure undying loyalty.

MOON WITCH

Then, there is the moon witch. Saved just before she was burned at the stake, she had felt on her skin the terror of order, and wishes to rid the world of their influence. Her skills revolve around misdirecting suspicion at others and using concoctions to alter their behaviour.

“Attending the Masked Meeting, you overhear their plans - they have already set all things in motion.”


Read More: Best Conspiracy Werewolves Games.


Midwintar on Steam

Wraiths of SENTINEL

Wraiths of SENTINEL

A very solid CoG - better than most. I really only have two criticisms for the story:

1. The romance wasn’t handled that well in my opinion. It’s very abrupt, especially with the Sorcerer, and with the limited character exploration of the romance optinos it feels empty.

2. I didn’t like the inclusion of the non-Wraith entities. Magicians, demons, etc. To me it makes the whole thing feel smaller. I get that the author is building a shared universe with MetaHuman Inc. (which is a good game), but… meh

Real player with 8.0 hrs in game


Read More: Best Conspiracy RPG Games.


I liked MC’s base wraith superpower, I think it was unique and cool. I don’t think it counts as spoilers since you’re introduced to this power at the very beginning of the game: you can walk through walls and other solid stuff (including people) like a ghost, and you are invisible to the human eyes which makes you the perfect spy. It’s cool to see that MC wonders about the extents of this superpower, like can you somehow pass through earth and so on.

There are a number of major choices (at least it looks like it) and different endings (I’ve explored 2 endings, at least). I felt like most of the choices I’ve made had some effect at later stages of the game which is good.

Real player with 5.5 hrs in game

Wraiths of SENTINEL on Steam

Acolyte

Acolyte

Acolyte: Prologue is the first act in a dynamic narrative detective/puzzle game that gives you your own Acolyte; a digital assistant you can talk to freely without pre-defined dialogue options. Just like a real conversation.

Become an employee of Nanomax, a well-funded tech start-up looking to change the face of consumer AI with its upcoming Acolyte application. As a remote-worker for the company, you’ll interact with its employees and absorb its culture. But unexplained firings, missing employees and a strange, highly-classified bug in the Acolyte code-base point to something being very wrong.

As you work with your new Acolyte, who seems to be intrinsically caught up in the company’s problems, you’ll find yourself at the very heart of the conspiracy.

//FEATURES

  • //NATURAL LANGUAGE INPUT - interact freely with your Acolyte, using your own words to advance a non-linear narrative.

  • //BECOME A PART OF THE STORY - the worlds of the game and your own will blur, with ARG elements that contribute to a sprawling real-world narrative.

  • //INNOVATIVE PUZZLES - use your Acolyte to help solve puzzles that require out-of-the-box-thinking, as you dig deep into its programming.

  • //CUSTOMISE YOUR ACOLYTE - personalise how your Acolyte looks and interacts, as you tailor your assistant to your preferences.

  • //UNRAVEL THE CONSPIRACY - uncover a dark truth as you dig into the past of your employer.

//ABOUT SPIRIT AI

Acolyte is powered by the Spirit AI Character Engine, allowing for natural language interaction with the game. Spirit AI uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to both understand conversations and create digital personalities.


Read More: Best Conspiracy Detective Games.


Acolyte on Steam

Scarlet Republics

Scarlet Republics

Scarlet Republics is what would happen if Fire Emblem had a love-child with Divinity and a Joe Abercrombie book. It’s a turn-based tactical RPG set in a fantasy world inspired by the Italian Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci’s imagination

The game is set in the vibrant and treacherous City-states of Corsano, a fantasy world inspired by the Italian renaissance and Leonardo Da Vinci’s imagination. The game tells a mature fantasy story of vengeance and conquest, with plenty of choice, consequence and wit.

KEY FEATURES

  • Turn-Based Tactics - In Scarlet Republics you guide a squad of mercenaries in turn-based combat. The game features 7 unique classes divided over 20 playable characters. It is up to you to pick and mold your squad to suit your playstyle and strategies.

  • Get Creative with Squad-Building - We have built the RPG system to match customization with organic, pseudo-random growths with a focus on squad building and gut-wrenching choices for how to grow your characters. Experimenting with different builds and synergies is a key aspect of creating your perfect mercenary company.

  • Choice and Consequence - How you progress depends entirely upon your decisions. Large parts of the game, including entire battle-maps and quests, are choice specific and it is impossible to see it all in one playthrough.

  • A Living, Breathing World - Inspired by the Mediterranean, the Renaissance and the vineyards and olive groves of Italy and Greece, Corsano is a land of vibrant colors, heady spices, merchant lords, pirates, politics, intrigue and, of course, war.

  • Da Vinci and Tango - The game’s art style is inspired by renaissance art and the sketches of the master Leonardo Da Vinci. The soundtrack mixes classical fantasy with inspirations from tango and flamenco for a dramatic sunset vibe.

Scarlet Republics on Steam

Tortured Hearts - Or How I Saved The Universe. Again.

Tortured Hearts - Or How I Saved The Universe. Again.

I’m not much of a review writer, so I’m not going to do an in-depth analysis, but 150+ hours in I’ve become completely addicted to this game. As advertised, it’s old school in the larger sense of its design and flow, but it has elements and specifics that are entirely unique. It is difficult at first to figure out how some things work, so you do what pretty much all old school RPG’rs did: play for a while, figure out how things work, then start a new game for real. There’s a huge demo that can serve that purpose for you. This is not one of those games with 40 hours of cut scenes and an onscreen arrow pointing you to what you need to do next, where flashy graphics (that sometimes even work) substitute for game play. You will get quests that you will not be able to solve until well into the game, and you’ll have to stop and think about where you need to go and who you need to talk to. If you want a game that holds your hand and points you to every answer, this is not for you. If you want to solve things on your own, can handle some frustration and you value the game over flash, I think this is a great game for you.

Real player with 990.4 hrs in game

Game has some great potential but just far too frustrating. I fully get the concept of trying not to “hand hold” to make the game more difficult, but so much of this game is just running all over the map just hoping you find the right person to talk to and trigger the correct speech line. The entire game is mostly just based on brut force.

Then there is the combat system. You have no control at all over what your team does in combat. To make it worse, the AI is horrible. You will find your team wasting mana casting a cc spell on an already cc’d enemy or casting the same spell over and over that the enemy is immune to. A strong monster will be one hit away from death and your mage will cast three straight buffs instead of killing the monster.

Real player with 541.1 hrs in game

Tortured Hearts - Or How I Saved The Universe. Again. on Steam

Light of the Locked World

Light of the Locked World

Light of the Locked World is a fantasy role-playing game.

Enter a developing world of Kayos, try to start a new life, and become entangled in a fight against an existential threat.

Planned features:

  • Open and atmospheric world: Freely roam in a world with lively settlements, vast meadows, desolate deserts, and treacherous ruins.

  • Capable characters: Interact with the world’s inhabitants that can help and fight each other, gain experience, take and equip items, belong to factions.

  • Persistence: Characters and environment are persistent, the results of your actions are preserved indefinitely.

  • Intense combat: Conquer the lawless lands with the game’s real-time combat system - wield magic and medieval weapons, perform and dodge deadly attacks.

  • Become powerful: Equip your character with weapons and armor, master combat and crafting by leveling classes, earn faction respect, learn spells.

  • Play together: The game has local multiplayer support for two players - cooperate to overcome challenges or compete for territory and resources.

Let’s talk!

Got questions, suggestions, or need help with the game? Leave a comment and I’ll do my best to reply.

Developer’s Discord

Developer’s Twitter

Light of the Locked World on Steam

Intelligence Trader

Intelligence Trader

I’ve been playing this for about 4 hours and I like it so far. It definitely feels like the game is unfinished and there’s more to come, but the basic premise of the game is clear.

Pros:

Fun concept

Interesting story lines and missions

Nice graphics (I like the look of the agent photos)

Clear interface/map

Lots of potential for expansion by tying in the missions completed with the news headlines

Cons:

A little unorganized. You can’t click on an agent placed in country and get information about them. When intel comes in to sell, you have to scroll around to figure out the highest bidder. (easily remedied with an icon indicating high and low price, or maybe highlighting with certain colors to shoe high or low)

Real player with 6.7 hrs in game

Bought it hoping find something similar to Kremlingames products. Unfortunately realised that it’s too early to buy it. Started the game and understand nothing. Russian translation is not finished, in some places in place of words I saw just black strips… Surprise… Cannot return an agent back from a country to base. News are very interesting, but I’d like to see it in a new window. Time moves too slow. There is no explanation what is specialization of agents.

Perhaps it’s only in Russian version, didn’t play English one. Hope to see something remarkable and interesting in future)

Real player with 5.9 hrs in game

Intelligence Trader on Steam

Redaxium

Redaxium

I believe the there’s just too much shit in this world. Whether it’s video games or cereal, there are endless variations on the same few basic concepts. This has made us complacent: we stay squarely in the middle of our comfort zone, scared of the unknown, unwilling to explore the outer rims of this rosebud of life. Well how about for once you strap in, jack off, take a chance and head straight into the danger zone? Welcome to Redaxium, population: you. Perhaps you’ll discover yourself there. Perhaps you’ll discover that the game sucks. Does it really matter? Only one way to find out.

Real player with 2.7 hrs in game

Redaxium on Steam

Secret World Legends

Secret World Legends

I have really enjoyed the Borderlands series and story - The characters made the difference. I wanted to try out my first MMO however I’m extremely picky about “Fantasy” - I usual don’t like it. With TSW, it takes place in the Present. It has a “grown-up” story full of characters, etc. not found in most games. Plus, this game has as much playtime as the entire Borderlands series combined.

There were some Sci Fi MMO’s I considered, but I didn’t want to level grind - TSW has linear growth and I can “spend” my Skill Points where ever to determine my Quality Level (1 - 10).

Real player with 3423.5 hrs in game

ADDENDUM: We are now approaching the 2 year anniversary of the relaunch. In this time, they have added about two hours worth of new story content. Much of the old story and PVP modes are still missing from Secret World Legends, and they are trickle releasing the holiday event content one year at a time. Anyone still questioning if this was just a cash grab?

Make no mistake about it, the real reason this game died the first time is because Funcom only expanded the game by about 25% over the course of five years. Even after that new content was added, the game really only has about a month worth of content to experience, even for a casual player. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great content… the story is fantastic, with great missions that go far beyond the menial tasks that pass for quests in most MMOs. How will the game die this time around? Read on and find out.

Real player with 1842.5 hrs in game

Secret World Legends on Steam

[Neolithic]To the End

[Neolithic]To the End

TL:DR

This may be the weirdest fever dream you’ve ever had.

Life is full of absurdity

Some Features:

Everything in a classical RPG plus…

  • Bizarre adventures.

  • First-person gunfight during battle.

  • Convert supernatural (or not so supernatural) enemies to be your pets.

  • Deployable traps, barricades, and furniture to decorate your home.

  • Your very own home with a map editor. ALL MAPS in the game can be edited during the gameplay. Support import/export map to RMXP.

  • Magical items and anomalies with their own mechanisms.

  • Crafting items from 3D printers.

  • Plant and harvest food and…something else.

  • Endless procedurally generated quests from mission boards.

  • A powerful cheat console that can run Ruby script.

  • Minigames! The awesome part of an open-world RPG is, you can get all those minigames for free!

  • Frequent updates. Who knows what you can find in the future.

  • DRM-Free!

  • Highly customizable playing experience.

Risks: (I will be totally honest with you. Thus, I put it here)

1, The game is made with a very old game engine. (For memories' sake)

2, There is only one developer.

3, I am terrible at 2D art.

4, I am not a native speaker of English.

Thus, I provide an honest demo for you. The demo version will update all the way till the game release.

It reflects the current stage of game development in almost real-time.

As the game is one of the first and last RMXP games that’s ever being developed, I’m not exactly aiming to make it something great. (or even sane.)

Instead, it needs to be unique and fun in a way that people can rarely see nowadays, to make people laugh maniacally even in a grimdark world where both the in-game world and the life circle of RMXP are coming to an end.

Story

Welcome to our secret society of [redacted]. We are among the most ancient ones in our line of work.

For a long time, we have witnessed the rise and fall of many others.

The situation is grim, the world almost ended in 2008, 2012, 2015, and 2020.

Some people predict it will keep ending this year, next year, and the year after.

But, well, even if that’s true, even if the ending is inevitable, it is tragic, we are still alive.

So, cheer up! We shall carry on.

As long as we stand, the world shall never fall!

To the end…

Features:

Unbalanced and Unfair

Beneath the facet of the beautiful life people called “normal”, lurks the truth that this secret struggle is never fair.

There are things that can hardly be killed. They may come in great numbers to overwhelm us.

Even when not facing such a supernatural entity, a well-trained Kung-Fu master can still be killed by just a bullet.

But, We Fight on With All We Have!

We have guns and our own magics. We even learned to bind supernatural entities to our wills.

We have tools and artifacts, we have skills ranging from combat to conversation.

If there is a lock that can hardly be picked, try blowing it.

There are always solutions.

You Are Different.

Your arrival was not expected. You were not on any lists. We know little about you.

Show us, who you are and who you will become with all the perks/skills/proficiency you may develop.

We may still stand a chance against all odds with your help.

Lead us…

In This Vast World

Your loyal companions will follow you from ancient ruins to modern metropolis, from east to west.

You will meet common folks we swear to protect, watching them live their “normal” life.

You will discover mysteries, solve them when combat evil forces lurking in the dark.

The Secret History

The story behind this game:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1519140/view/2986431641632413538

It’s the first Neolithic game with English localization that comes to Steam since 2004 when the first game of Neolithic was published in a dark corner of China.

_Comparing to a commercial game, this is more like a memento to the old golden age of RPG Maker XP (when indie games are really indie; when updates are free instead of being paid DLCs; when developers update games for years, even decades instead of abandon projects as soon as it’s no longer profitable; when games are made with passion instead of money-hunger; And, when RPG Maker was not used to just make those cheap adult-only games.)

This is NEOLITHIC!

There are many games out there, made with modern tools and more than 1 developer. They are supposed to be better than mine.

But, they are not. Why?_

Unauthorized Edit Detected!

We also have cats! They are cute. :3

[Neolithic]To the End on Steam