A Curse From Beyond

A Curse From Beyond

Really fun for a text-based game which is not my normal game. I felt freaked out in my gut about certain moment. Really impressive work from a solo-developer. Worth it.

Real player with 1.9 hrs in game


Read More: Best Exploration Interactive Fiction Games.


Full play through w/ all achievements and time stamps here (once it uploads):

https://youtu.be/pQtbpvN5Gng

Overall it’s a pretty interesting story about some cave folk doing cave folk things WHEN BOOM A FLYING HUNK OF SPACE S*** changes their mundane lives FOREVER. I dug the story and it does a pretty good job of grabbing your interest it’s a bit short and the plot seems pretty familiar, but it’s not frustrating to play through as a text based game(which is nice) and there’s multiple endings. You can see the effort the creator put into the game and it’s definitely a good solid first game.

Real player with 1.9 hrs in game

A Curse From Beyond on Steam

Blackhaven

Blackhaven

its ok.

I’m not saying its unplayable!

The story isn’t bad, and i did enjoy it a few times, but its mostly just walk around, press this, read that, listen to this audio. you don’t actually get to make decisions or explore properly, visually its nice, but there is so little of actual interest to look at, the house itself was disapointingly small, with only two chairs, a small table, a bed, a weird thing on a wall, and a few stone pillars. it doesn’t feel like a proper museum or historical exhibit.

Real player with 5.4 hrs in game


Read More: Best Exploration Story Rich Games.


I really liked this game. For me it was pretty much Job Simulator because:

  • I work in history, preservation & archives (the game even mentioned one of my old jobs, Library of Congress)

  • I’m Black

  • I live in Maryland, visited Virginia lots (obv. not now, not trying to die of modern plague)

Hence why this game was basically Job Simulator for me. From the decor to the scanner/computer set-up to the gift shop to the micro-aggressive White employees (I couldn’t help but to go, “wow, did they just pull these emails direct from the jobs I have been on?") to the douchebaggery of the estate when there are Black American patrons trying to simply trace their family trees, not write exposes, because the estate goes “Oh noes! Our reputation!” - everything is pretty dead on accurate for me. It’s also wild hearing places in Maryland & Virginia and going, “I know where that is and, wow, these documents look just like the ones I scan and transcribe daily.”

Real player with 5.3 hrs in game

Blackhaven on Steam

Cassius

Cassius

Cassius is a first-person story-driven puzzle game exploring the mysteries of Blackhaven Hall, a sprawling historically accurate colonial estate evacuated at the height of the American Revolution. Journey back to the 1781 and decode the dark secrets lurking behind America’s founding.

A Secret Mission and A Hidden Mystery

  • Explore a massive historically accurate 18th century estate including an opulent mansion, manicured garden, and the sprawling surrounding farms.

  • Solve puzzles involving period correct scientific instruments, furnishing, art, sculpture, tools, toys, and rare books.

  • Uncover the most closely held secrets of Blackhaven Hall, and confront the lives touched by a tragic history.

  • Take part in a forbidden conspiracy that will decide your fate.

About Cassius

Cassius is a continuation of the story from Historiated’s first title, Blackhaven It was developed in cooperation with a diverse set of scholars and experts.


Read More: Best Exploration Story Rich Games.


Cassius on Steam

Notre-Dame de Paris: Journey Back in Time

Notre-Dame de Paris: Journey Back in Time

⣾⡇⣿⣿⡇⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣄⢻⣦⡀⠁⢸⡌⠻⣿⣿⣿⡽⣿⣿ play it

⡇⣿⠹⣿⡇⡟⠛⣉⠁⠉⠉⠻⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣄⡉⠂⠈⠙⢿⣿⣝⣿ It’s good

⠤⢿⡄⠹⣧⣷⣸⡇⠄⠄⠲⢰⣌⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣤⣤⡀⠄⠈⠻⢮

⠄⢸⣧⠄⢘⢻⣿⡇⢀⣀⠄⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⡀⠄⢀

⠄⠈⣿⡆⢸⣿⣿⣿⣬⣭⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣯⠝⠛⠛⠙⢿⡿⠃⠄⢸

⠄⠄⢿⣿⡀⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣿⣿⣿⣿⡾⠁⢠⡇⢀

⠄⠄⢸⣿⡇⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣏⣫⣻⡟⢀⠄⣿⣷⣾

⠄⠄⢸⣿⡇⠄⠈⠙⠿⣿⣿⣿⣮⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⢠⠊⢀⡇⣿⣿

⠒⠤⠄⣿⡇⢀⡲⠄⠄⠈⠙⠻⢿⣿⣿⠿⠿⠟⠛⠋⠁⣰⠇⠄⢸⣿⣿⣿

Real player with 11.5 hrs in game

Out of the free educational type offerings, this title is a great for a short jaunt. You can’t teleport and fixed scenes are played in sequence but you can really see the potential for AC Unity to be in VR. The visuals are fine on an original Vive at 150% SS. I play modded Skyrim with 4K-8K textures, and I thought the intricate mesh details of the cathedral were really impressive. The textures are medium resolution.

It really is a huge regret Ubisoft hasn’t brought any of it’s open world titles to VR although AC Oculus title is planned.. Also a huge regret that AC Unity had such a terrible launch because it is one of the most beautiful open worlds created. But I’m glad at least more people can see the tremendous amount of work that Ubisoft put into recreating Paris.

Real player with 0.6 hrs in game

Notre-Dame de Paris: Journey Back in Time on Steam

Opus Castle

Opus Castle

It is short, but it’s also free. the game looks good. they have removed the motion blur. it does have 3 different endings. I also got chapter II.

If you want to see the video you can go to my channel and watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4l5-C31VC_l9nPViWF2Peg/videos

Real player with 15.0 hrs in game

Muito bom! Uma mescla de jogo com a história do Castelinho da Opus. Tive oportunidade de visitar esse castelo e realmente a história é sinistra. Espero ansioso pelos próximos capítulos

Very nice gme about a true history that happened in São Paulo - Brazil. Until now what happened in this Castle is a mistery.

Real player with 5.0 hrs in game

Opus Castle on Steam

A Clever Label

A Clever Label

A Clever Label is a free VR experience. It worked on my system, looked ok, played ok, sounded ok. VR documentary experience that explores the links between anti-LGBTQI lobbyists, politicians and organisations in Australia.

Try this, If you are interested in LGBTQI rights.

Real player with 0.4 hrs in game

An innovative approach to exploring data and media in a self-led documentary format. Check it out if you’re interested in LGBTQI+ rights in Australia, or the impact of lobby groups on Australian politics.

Played on Oculus Quest 2 via airlink and worked well. Engaging, immersive experience.

Real player with 0.1 hrs in game

A Clever Label on Steam

Brukel

Brukel

If you liked the review and interested in completion and perfection time of games with additional useful information (for example: how difficult to get all achievements, is MP or DLC required and so on) or interested in reviews like this, then please follow my Average Achievement Hunter curator.

I completed the game and earned all achievements in the game, also created an achievement guide. I believe, that I experienced all the content and so I can share my experiences about this game.

Real player with 4.5 hrs in game

This is an Exploration/indie/Visual Novel/Oral History game about a teenager growing up in Belgium during WWII.

This is a personal story. The devs grandmother is who is telling it and voices herself. You see the farm she was raised on.

  • Story

  • Graphics

  • Unique Puzzles via your phone and keywords

  • Voiced by the woman who lived through it

After finishing this I had to sit and just think about it for a while; it is a powerful story.

How many family histories are left behind that future generations will never know?

Real player with 3.5 hrs in game

Brukel on Steam

Calluna

Calluna

Calluna might just be a bit of a hidden gem. Too many times I’ve seen a small indie dev team execute a really interesting concept poorly but this is not the case with Calluna. I was surprised at how smoothly this first-person, semi-open world, historical adventure game runs. The environments are really pretty and the missions you’re on in the 4 different stories do not feel repetitive. You will adventure in the streets of Bergen, Paris, and Cairo as Ole Bull but from very different perspectives - an ambitious child, a whimsical pre-teen, a stubborn, sickly and broke young adult, and an accomplished musician in his 60s. They all bring out a different dimension of Ole Bull and teach you about his life without actually feeling like an educational game. It just feels like an adventure game.

Real player with 2.9 hrs in game

Calluna is only the third game I’ve accepted through Steam Curator Connect. The reason? It looked different to the usual games I see or play, and it had a rather unique/niche theme. It looked like a simple and pleasant way to learn about things I likely wouldn’t have learnt about via any other medium. I can’t imagine I would have watched a documentary or read a book or even a Wikipedia page about the life and experiences of Norwegian composer and violinist, Ole Bull.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2655827763

Real player with 2.5 hrs in game

Calluna on Steam

Imperialism: The Dark Continent

Imperialism: The Dark Continent

I will give this a VERY tentative thumbs up; however, to maintain the positive rating, it needs to be finished into something much better than it is now. I wish there was a neutral rating as that is what I would rate it right now. It is basically a click-fest for 1-3 hours and you CANNOT possibly lose at this stage of development unless you colonized a territory in the beginning of the game and spend all your money on influence infrastructure improvements instead of gold generating resource improvements.

Real player with 32.5 hrs in game

no challenge at all its like a clicker game. Imperialism the original game involved building things like mines, building armies. conquering territories much like the classic Colonization.

The game needs a lot more depth and objectives, at the moment its an ecpensive game of risk, with no challenging opponents.

Please take a look at the original Imperialism game and at least make this game as challenging.

Real player with 32.0 hrs in game

Imperialism: The Dark Continent on Steam

Lying Souls™

Lying Souls™

Lying Souls™ is an atmospheric, mysterious single player story horror game. You’ll dive into a story in which nothing is as it seems. Find out the reasons behind what happened to your family back then. Your decisions will guide the course of the story.

THE INCIDENT

It was a while ago when all this happened. With time, the incident has calmed down. You don’t know anything anymore and step by step you find out the truth and why it all happened.

YOUR DECISIONS

You are still on a dangerous path of darkness. Are you someone who runs away from problems or faces them? It is entirely your decision. Until today you have not received any answers. Now you are going to search for them yourself. Whether you succeed or not depends entirely on you.

LYING SOULS

In Lying Souls™ you’ll enter a story in which you’ll have to solve, in first person, the mysterious circumstances of a long-past incident in your family. You’ll experience different parts of the story and you’ll have to sort everything out. The gameplay is linear, but the story is not.

MAIN FEATURES

*** Interactive Story / Own Decisions:** You will obviously have to make a decision at some moments that will change the later course of the story for you. Smaller, not so obvious decisions & actions are also part of this. Whether you will find out everything with your decisions is questionable.

*** Notes / Recordings:** You will come across a number of audio recordings and various writings and notes. They will help you put the story together. Not everything may always be clearly told / revealed and you will have to find your own explanation.

*** Random Events:** You will experience random events from time to time. These are not random “paranormal” events to create a mood, but are always part of the current story and gameplay when they happen.

Lying Souls™ on Steam