Overland
Only 69% positive with only 285 reviews? I really feel sad for this game as it only got a Mixed Score on steam.
It’s really actually pretty good but the restriction of Rogue-Like difficulty, Random Generated map plus some designer choice made and many other factors made this game lost a lot of the scores.
The story itself is very basic that a meteorite strike earth that brings an alien specie of bugs that grow and expanded out of control beneath the earth. They are attracted to sound and noises and have infinite quantities so civilizations of mankind brought to an abrupt end with few survivors scattered about. They have to constantly stay moving to avoid the alien bugs and salvage what’s left of the old world to stay alive in a hopeless earth.
– Real player with 81.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Post-apocalyptic Turn-Based Games.
In short
Overland looks beautiful and has a cool concept, but it’s too focused on tedious tasks. It’s also a game that does not like to reward its players, which makes it hard to enjoy.
BTW, the game’s difficulty has been nerfed quite a bit since launch, so disregard reviews about the game being impossible. If anything, it may currently be too easy.
Long version
For me, the lack of fun in Overland starts with the self-contradictory nature of the game. Indeed, Overland constantly offers cool toys, but says NO whenever the player wants to use them. For example, you’d be forgiven for thinking this game was about tactical combat, with weapons aplenty and critters to use them on. Turns out that the game punishes you for killing a critter, as it results in a snowball effect that makes the map harder. You could actually argue that Overland’s core gameplay is to make dumb AI run around in circles, without hurting them, to give your other characters enough time to find fuel. It’s hard to remain excited about such a tactic after you’ve done it 4-5 times. Another example of this kind of contradiction is the equipment system. The game likes to drop all sorts of useful items, be it weapons, fuel, med packs, repair kits, flash lights, and so on. But characters in Overland only have 1 or 2 equipment slots which means you can’t pick up most of the items you find. The result is that you spend a ridiculous part of your time doing things like dropping your flashlight on the ground to be able to carry the newly found can of fuel, while your other character stores his med pack on the car in order to pick up the flashlight you just dropped … you get the idea. None of that is fun; it’s just tedious and annoying.
– Real player with 11.7 hrs in game
ZERO Sievert
ZERO Sievert is a post apocalyptic game setted In a fictitious part of Russia.
The bunker ZERO Sievert: here you can accept new quests, talk to NPC, trade with vendors, manage your equipment and improve your base.
Maps: Maps are procedurally generated to ensure good replayability. The main points of interest will then be in a different location each time, but there is loot in everywhere in the map so be prepared to explore!
Weapons modification: Weapons can be modified, it is up to the player to create a weapon he likes or to focus on statistics. There are a lot of different mods and an incredible amount of combinations
30 days to survive
Bought the game on sale, and honestly enjoyed it. Not just because it was cheap, but it’s a challenging game, with simple graphics. There are a few bugs that I’ve encountered, and the RNG could use some tuning up(I got a bear as my very first enemy, and that peashooter doesnt do enough to kill it), but it has potential. It’s not a bad game, its more of an RNG side scroller.
The bugs so far
What looks like a combat shotgun, if picked up, can be picked up multiple times, and bugs the inventory to the point of game crash.
– Real player with 6.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Post-apocalyptic Zombies Games.
30 days to survive is a zombie survival, side scrolling platformer. It’s the first of its kind that I’ve seen personally. At the very least the devs should be commended for attempting it. The physics are a little wonky, but it fits well with its blocky, Lego-man-esque art style.
The controls and game mechanics take some getting used to. Right out of the gate can be pretty unforgiving. With its quick hunger and energy depletion, coupled with zombies that get little to no knockback from attacks. The items are RNG heavy, so you can get very unlucky with starving to death or losing the ability to run and jump. Progression hinges upon using the save function at your house to build up an arsenal of gear to survive with. It can be easily exploited by save scumming, but to some degree you kind of have to in order to live beyond 5 stages away from home. There is a sewer system that you can discover that acts as a sort of checkpoint system. There is a taxi that can appear randomly which you use to fast travel home. For the most part though, the further away from home you go, the further you have to walk back. Items respawn after moving two stages beyond, so you have a chance to find enough food and energy to make the journey back. Enemies respawn as well though, so it isn’t an easy decision to risk the journey.
– Real player with 5.1 hrs in game
NEO Scavenger
NEO Scavenger is a turn-based, post-apocalyptic, survival roguelike with perma-death. I also now sometimes fondly call it a Procedural Death Michigan. It’s mean, immersive, annoyingly addictive and seems to strongly dislike players wearing right boots (left boots are fine).
Basically, you scavenge around (and die after the building crumbles on you), fight other people scavenging around (and die valiantly with monkey wrench in hand) or try to talk to them (and die a turn later by drinking a celebratory made-it-through-the-turn sip of poisoned water), try to kill creatures that would like to eat you almost as much as you’d like to eat them (and die hungry), craft items to help you survive (and die warm because your fire alerted every deadly thing around), keep track of your hunger, thirst, diseases and injuries (and die very informed) or try to get to the seemingly last big hub of civilization (and die trying to get there; or trying to get in; or after you get in; or on your way back out).
– Real player with 389.2 hrs in game
Picked this up on a lark, as I am heavily into survival games lately. I was hesitant due to the low res, pixel graphics, but man am I glad I took a chance on this!
What stands out immediately is choice and consequence. You can’t have it all. You have to build a character with weaknesses, and weaknesses can just be not having some of the skills you might like to have, or it can be actual weaknesses to give you points to get more benefits.
You might take Fragile for example, making you take more damage than normal if you get hit, and you might do this because you really want the points it gives you to take Trapping so you can make fire right away at the start of the game.
– Real player with 168.4 hrs in game
Caves of Qud
This game is hard but in a good way. Early on, you’ll die, a lot. Basically every death will be a learning experience and oh boy is there a lot to learn (even now before full release).
Caves of Qud has incredible amount of content and replayability. It has so many amazing features that I don’t want to spoil and different ways to play each character with unique build or playstyle and so so so many secrets that you probably won’t ever find or at least not easily.
Ok now for a story time of many things that can happen in Caves of Qud. (very mild spoilers ahead)
– Real player with 248.3 hrs in game
A masterpiece of worldbuilding, game design and procedural generation. One of the most beautiful, enticing, unique and creatively weird worlds I ever explored. Layers upon layers of content depth. The writing is absolutely gorgeous. You can share water with an ape god, multiply the pope, and get chased by your clone from the future all around the landscape of not-Israel.
It’s Dune on steroids made by furry communists over nearly a decade. Please support them.
– Real player with 203.4 hrs in game
Dear Future
I forced myself to finish it so you don’t have to.
TL:DR 8 hours of boring walking to uncover a lame story, and a non working multiplayer.
A walking simulator made for some college student art project, what could go wrong???
But the innovative sounding multiplayer component, plus the fact that it’s free, sucked me in. And the game, although minimalist, initially manages to feel well-designed and polished…
But notice how none of the reviewers seem to have played this for more than 30 minutes?
– Real player with 7.8 hrs in game
Photos of future ruins
Dear Future (Dear Future Production Committee, 2021) is an asynchronous massively-multiplayer photography game about exploring an abandoned city. I have been trying to write about it for several weeks and have found myself incapable of doing with any organization or distance. What follow, instead, are orchestrated recollections and half-formed conclusions of my time with the game. A half-step towards the understanding I’m searching for. A version with photos is available here .
– Real player with 1.8 hrs in game
Day After Day
Full playthrough here w/ all achievements: https://youtu.be/tLt1wN5YIIE
I like that the game is pretty lenient with exploring and doesn’t seem to go out of it’s way to brutalize you. There’s a few major flaws with the game though one it takes forever to find important items (unless I was just unlucky) and the lock pick which is the second item you find in the game flat out does not work I tried multiple ways to make it work and even got the game to kill itself in defiance of using the item Errror script at the bottom of the review. Overall though the achievements are gettable and it’s enjoyable enough it’s too bad I couldn’t see the story I would have liked to see if there was an ending.
– Real player with 0.8 hrs in game
Day After Day is reminiscent of The Wanderer-Post Nuclear RPG, in that you are to survive as long as you can in the wasteland by scavenging for food, water, and items needed to complete side quests. The initial idea of this game is great, and could go a long way if developed more.
However, there are no cut-scenes or combat, not even turn-based combat. Days are split into quarters, with a clock to click on when you want to advance the time of day. When you choose to explore the wasteland, you are “gone” for a quarter of the day. You return and the player reads a journal entry/note about the characters exploration. Usually, it is 100% random on whether or not you retrieved items, had items stolen, or got hurt.
– Real player with 0.6 hrs in game
Max Raider
Fun arcade shooter game! Love running around defeating enemies with the sword!
– Real player with 11.0 hrs in game
I’m I big fan of shooter games, and Max Raider is very good. The gameplay is different and really nice. I recommend playing this game.
– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game
RAD
Disclaimer: I have played this game for more than 100 hours during the closed beta. I’m unaffiliated with the developers and did not receive anything for free.
RAD is a roguelite heavily influenced by The Binding of Isaac and to a smaller degree by other similar games. It contains many elements that are the same as in BoI: More and more things will unlock as you play. Shops are upgradable (persistently). Pairs of procedurally generated levels for each biome which contain their own set of enemies, with alternative possibilities for boss fights. Mutations (which provide attack options and other effects), when paired, can have synergies, just like Isaac’s tear upgrades. There are keys (floppy disks) which open doors and chests. There are different types of hitpoints. Multiple ending cutscenes. There is even a timed daily challenge mode reminiscent of Dead Cells.
– Real player with 35.5 hrs in game
In short - Worth a look.
In long? …
It’s kind of strange to see some of the anti-80s backlash against this in the face of so much nostalgia for that time, but everything wears out its welcome, and everyone’s tolerance and memory will be unique. Not everyone loved the 80s, I guess, and personal tastes are a wholly legitimate entitlement.
That said, if you haven’t OD’ed on 80s, this little rogue-like will be a fun distraction. While post apocalyptic settings, and even specifically alternate Cold War history settings are nothing new, the big kid on the block with that is of course Fallout, with a completely different aesthetic. This changes out 50s corn for 80s cheese, and that changes everything, other than the whole, post-post apocalypse bit.
– Real player with 31.0 hrs in game
Home Safe and Silent
Home Safe and Silent is a survival game heavily inspired by popular zombie tabletop board games. You will play as the leader of a colony trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. Each day of the apocalypse you will allocate members of your colony to perform different tasks while also planning out your own route to scavenge for supplies. Each location you explore will have randomly generated rooms which you can rotate around to try and find helpful items for yourself and those you look after.
Key Features:
Search for hidden items in fully interactable rooms
Manage members of your colony by assigning them to different tasks
Fight off the dead by rolling different combat dice based on the weapons you equip
Make every move count!
