Tactical Troops: Anthracite Shift

Tactical Troops: Anthracite Shift

The game is good for casual players who like to make some chaos on the maps but also for tactical-focused minds that analyze every turn. I love versatile weaponry with its various differences in games mechanics. However, unit types could be more distinct.

Gridless movement is quite unique feature in tactical games and it’s really fun to work on positioning your units on a playfield: “Hide behind his rock so I could lean out my rifle but not stick out too much not to get hit”.

Teleporters do the job of adding a new layer to this two-dimensional game. Great idea. They could be used in more places though.

Real player with 82.7 hrs in game


Read More: Best Old School Top-Down Games.


The game is “tactical” all the way - it requires thinking and few mouse-waving skills. It does not require reflex. It’s also not a fast-paced game and gives you a fair amount of time to think. I’ve played chiefly the campaign mode.

There are always two phases: prep, where you decide how to equip your platoon, and the action phase, where you’re deployed. There’s some AI behind the enemies, so they don’t behave identically in every run, so sometimes the ‘improved’ strategy you came up with after a failed run also fails.

Real player with 21.9 hrs in game

Tactical Troops: Anthracite Shift on Steam

America is Doing Great

America is Doing Great

  • Immersive RPG. A narrative-driven role-playing game. Unite the region as a post-nuclear drug-running god… guinea pig for science and scavenge as a peaceful vagrant… or experiment as some third kind of person so indefinable you upset the elderly

  • Freedom of Exploration. Navigate by landmark as you explore the dilemmas of this rich, open world’s factions and inhabitants. Try to help, ignore them outright, or play both sides as you see fit

  • Unforgettable Encounters. A cast overflowing with unique characters, each with secrets to uncover and problems to solve. Have deep conversations, philosophize on society, investigate, rant, provide therapy, or manipulate

  • Intricate, Branching Stories. Secrets are devastating in the wrong hands and actions taken at the wrong time can be catastrophic. Numerous endings differ drastically based on player behavior

  • Imagination Fuel. An ambient, unobtrusive soundtrack provides each location with a unique theme and underscores the lonely spaciousness of the open prairie

  • New World. Discover dozens of bizarre post-apocalyptic locales as you trek the barren landscape. Piece together the connections that tie this world together


Read More: Best Old School Exploration Games.


America is Doing Great on Steam

Liberation Mutagenix

Liberation Mutagenix

Liberation Mutagenix is a fun game that feels reminiscent of the older lemmings games, but stands out with its own identity of a uniquely polished artstyle. I really enjoyed playing through each of these levels and thinking about how to beat it until everything clicks. The game allows for you to trial and error as much as you want with being able to restart levels even with your tools already placed down, allowing you to figure out more complex puzzles levels without having to waste too much time on setup.

Real player with 5.0 hrs in game


Read More: Best Old School Puzzle Games.


Very cool puzzle game.The mutations are a genius idea and provide great progression to the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmsuZ945c64

Real player with 0.4 hrs in game

Liberation Mutagenix on Steam

Astrozombies

Astrozombies

Very fun and complete classic platform experience, with secret unlockeables and all the nice stuff of the good ol' days!

Real player with 11.9 hrs in game

10/10 very high risk-high reward platformer with some serious influences on its background that range from old horror films to the most classics of 80’s games like Castlevania

Real player with 1.6 hrs in game

Astrozombies on Steam

Captain Disaster in: Death Has A Million Stomping Boots

Captain Disaster in: Death Has A Million Stomping Boots

I had fun playing the free prequel “Dark side of the moon”, and I thought of giving this one a try. It’s a very different game. Much more polished in many ways.

The visuals are very consistent, increasing in quality as you reach the climax, which is very rewarding. The story has a lot more work, with more developed characters and references to the prequel. The music fits perfectly and sets the mood. finally, it’s really rare to solve a puzzle by chance, or have to do pixel hunting. Almost every puzzle can be solved by applying logic. The dialogs go on the same line as the prequel, with tons of pop culture references, and a bit of breaking the third wall, plus tons of comedy everywhere, as you can probably guess from the title and the trailer. You can tell there is quite a bit of work leaving enough hints for the player to solve the puzzles when stuck.

Real player with 23.3 hrs in game

This is a delightful game that uses a traditional point and click interface. It has all the elements of a successful adventure… witty dialog, funny cut-scenes, well acted voice-overs, a silly story, quests with obscure solutions, and a hero you can’t help but like. In a word, it is just plain fun to play!

You control Captain Disaster as he navigates the cosmos, picking up and delivering a package. What should be a simple errand sets off a chain events that will keep you smiling through the entire game. Cultural references are constant and puzzles range from easy (if you are paying attention to the clues) to obtuse. In the end, I never minded ‘try this, try that’ problem solving because the accompanying narrative kept me entertained.

Real player with 10.0 hrs in game

Captain Disaster in: Death Has A Million Stomping Boots on Steam

District Steel

District Steel

Developer’s Note: If you are new to VR, we suggest playing a few other VR games first, before playing this one!

Check out the free demo!

Sent from an alternate dimension, SenTRI corporation robots are occupying various locations on Earth and are preparing for an all out AI takeover. There is only one person left to put an end to this…

Half human, half machine, you are equipped with a mechanical arm that gives special time bending powers, while in the other hand wielding a selection of deadly weapons. Blast your way through the underground facility, smashing robot skulls and going in guns blazing. Can you reach the Central AI Core? Can Earth still be saved?

District Steel is a full locomotion VR action game, inspired by the FPS classics. Brought to you by two long time gamers, first time developers, we hope you enjoy our game!

District Steel on Steam

Shudder

Shudder

I’ve had a play of this last night and it really is something special. Coming from a 2 man team makes it all the more impressive.

Imagine Geometry Wars without the shooting mechanic. Don’t stop reading there! The lack of shooting may seem unsatisfying for an entire 30 seconds of gameplay…that’s until you use the “shudder” attack for the first time!

Collecting energy orbs which appear randomly on the screen allows you to charge your shudder (meter) attack. This can be triggered with the “A” button on the Xbox controller, “X” on the PS4 controller or Space bar on your keyboard - I highly recommend using a controller.

Real player with 29.0 hrs in game

Shudder is a great take on the twin-stick formula, with innovative mechanics that are explained well, awesome presentation and plenty of longevity from the available unlocks. Essentially you’re tasked with destroying enemies with your “shudder” but you need to build up your power every time you use it, and different enemies require different amounts of power to be built up before you let loose. However, there are also some great additional gameplay mechanics that require you to prioritise the best use of your shudder ability…

Real player with 10.3 hrs in game

Shudder on Steam

Space Avenger – Empire of Nexx

Space Avenger – Empire of Nexx

This is a very great game i feel i am quite satisfied with it. i have completed the full game but i wish there could be much more planets avalible, much more upgrades and a far deeper game since when you are done with 8 planets its over. but its a very nice game and great music wish and hope there can be updates so it will be bigger deeper and better.

Real player with 17.8 hrs in game

Got a key from a Giveaway

Early time with Space Avenger is pretty good. It started out a little slow but once you get some upgrades and get going it is pretty fun. It is all about the upgrades in this one. You will be repeating missions to earn more currency to buy more upgrades which will allow you to get further into the game. There seems to be quite a lot of missions here and a casual story to keep things moving.

Only draw back so for is keyboard only controls. (not sure about a controllers) but no mouse controls what so ever. This game could be even more fun with the classic “wasd” movement and mouse shooting. Because it is keyboard only there is an auto targeting system and a lot of times it will target an enemy your are not necessarily shooting for. I have not been able to figure out how to change targets manually. I really hope they will add mouse controls.

Real player with 16.8 hrs in game

Space Avenger – Empire of Nexx on Steam

Xenogunner

Xenogunner

I adore this boss-rush action game despite its various flaws. If you like the gameplay in the trailer and can afford it, I totally recommend it. If you’re on the fence, though, consider watching some gameplay on Youtube or checking out a speedrun.

The Good:

  • The music is HYPE! But also kinda weird. Love listening to this with Skullcandy Crushers ANC for that extra bass rumble.

  • Thrilling hyper-action boss-rush side-scrolling shmup-platformer, very much like Gunstar Heroes or much more closely Alien Soldier for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive. There aren’t that many games like this.

Real player with 25.4 hrs in game

Really underrated game! It’s a cool Genesis-style game that’s short, simple, and always keeps me coming back for more. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s because it’s got so many cool bosses. Like, most of the bosses are super distinct and unique, and each have their own unique patterns you’ll have to learn and master if you wanna do as well as possible in reruns. One negative I can think of is the lack of achievements, but that’s not much of an issue if you’re just playing for fun. Some of the late game bosses are pretty tough too, so you gotta bring your A-game, just a recommend. The artstyle is pretty cute and unique too, really has that Genesis Zest to it.

Real player with 15.3 hrs in game

Xenogunner on Steam

GraviFire

GraviFire

Puzzle game with very interesting mechanics and charming pixel art. Game is a bit short, with only 50 levels. Difficulty isn’t that hard, enough to make you think, but the lack of an undo button can get pretty annoying, and I feel that it adds some artificial difficulty, but the game is still pretty doable with patience. Having said that, it is pretty cheap, and is unique enough for me to be worth a buy.

Real player with 4.3 hrs in game

gravifire is a sokoban-like/sliding hybrid set in space. block pushing comes into play by directly controlling a green alien trapped inside a strong body suit or something (there’s a short cutscene at the beginning), so you can move stuff around yourself, but the gravity changing mechanic moves all the crates in the same direction at the same time, hence the likeness to sliding puzzlers.

Real player with 3.7 hrs in game

GraviFire on Steam