Stars Die
Stars Die is an amazingly atmospherically dense experience. it’s a very short game but honestly doesn’t really need a whole lot of time to express itself and its ideas, and does a great load of work narratively and emotionally with the brief period it takes to complete. the game has 6 endings, including 2 secret ones, and going through all of these brought its own interesting character insights to the table. getting to explore the island itself was a real treat - the distant ambient thump that plays everywhere really added to the feeling that it might be alive, and each little area feels distinct while still flowing into each other naturally. the soundtrack is really great also - the swells of synth or heavy beat coming in at a dramatic moment to provide tension felt really perfect (and tbh the tracks all just slap, i’d love to see a release of the soundtrack by itself!).
– Real player with 10.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Sci-fi Walking Simulator Games.
I did not enjoy the story on my first playthrough because the second half of the narrative was too heavy on exposition, but the game has several endings that will add more context to the experience. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to complete the game, depending on which character you align with. To my knowledge there are at least 5 outcomes not counting the secret quest. The format reminded me of Fatum Betula because the main character essentially decides the fate of the world, additionally to the retro aesthetic and exploration in general. The area that you explore is not very big, although there are hidden trinkets that can be difficult to find. As far as the gameplay, it’s a walking-sim with some dialogue choices, even though the conversations don’t seem to impact the outcomes - you can change your mind at the very end (with a few exceptions). If you need to locate a character, you can use a radio that can be obtained shortly after meeting the crew. There is a time limit which can be disabled in the settings, meaning that you could miss out on some events if you don’t get there in time.
– Real player with 8.7 hrs in game
Clean Slate
This game has an incredibly compelling plot and puzzles that can be genuinely hard that are mostly satisfying when completed. It is a great homage to the Zero Escape series and you should absolutely play it if you are a fan.
– Real player with 7.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Sci-fi Puzzle Games.
Loved the plot, pacing and writing. Its a nice homage to other games like the 999 series. Totally recommended if you like the genre.
– Real player with 5.3 hrs in game
Saturated Outer Space
_“The future has a habit to unpleasantly surprise everyone who makes plans for it.”
- Alastair Reynolds “Redemption Ark”_
Whenever a threat emerges in outer space, a squad is coming to the rescue.
You are the Commander of a squad working for the S.O.S. Your primary task is to rescue civilians across the galaxy and to eliminate all emerging threats, ranging from raiders and ruffians to unidentified forms of being never encountered before. It’s up to you to go for a stealth run or to turn things into a bloodbath. But there’s yet another decision to take, the crucial one: when you finally make it to the civilians, you won’t be able to help everyone.
Choose who will live and who will be left abandoned - build yourself a name and get the privileges of a revered rescuer or make a fortune by saving those who pay and enjoy the power that money can give.
No matter what you choose, remember: SPACE NEEDS YOU!
Features:
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Experience a captivating storyline inspired by sci-fi classics
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Sneak past your enemies or kill them all in a tactical turn-based combat
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Team up with various allies to make the most of their distinctive traits
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Build your own strategies to make it through boss fights
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Protect civilians, keep them safe and escort them to EVAC-zones
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Your decisions matter - it’s up to you to decide who is to be rescued or left behind
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Complete the story in your own way - 3 different endings based on your choices and playstyle along with an extra one
Read More: Best Sci-fi Story Rich Games.
K37-D
Need a puzzling game to play, but you don’t have time for a large scale, AAA title? This game is for you. The puzzles in this title will get your brain working, requiring you to sift through clues in emails and files as well as deciphering codes left by the inhabitants of this abandoned station. You’ll have to carefully manage your time and resources between crafting items to keep your life support stable, and fending off alien intruders.
Pros:
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Good, satisfying puzzles
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Pixelated visuals and simple geometry are a nice change from the realism of today’s games
– Real player with 3.2 hrs in game
This is an interesting game. It started off a bit flat, seemed like straight out time/resource management. You split your time between telling drones to go auto-gather resources, rushing around to build stuff, and then occasionally going outside to shoot bugs before they get inside and cause problems.
But there’s a surprising amount of logs and emails and info you can look through, and the offscreen support character makes her own little comments on what you’re reading.
All while mutant alien bugs eat through the walls to come get you.
– Real player with 2.7 hrs in game
SIT DOWN, PLEASE
Game is a 1 out of 10 for the sheer fact it’s broken Video here (once it uploads) w/ time stamps to dialogue outside of the ending you can’t reach and the crashes: https://youtu.be/R_UDuAQKmQE
Disclaimer Unlike the other reviewers so far I actually played the full game (that you can play BEFORE making my review)
The first part of the game has the most redundant mechanic and takes sooooooooo long literally like 5-6 minutes a person to max the juice and you’re literally just managing 2 things. The story is really hard to follow the grammar is a bit off and you’re thrust into the world told A B and C and the story doesn’t really give you enough information about the world to draw you in and feel involved in the plot to be honest. I did enjoy the flashback with the grandpa that was probably the highlight of the game and story. (the story is probably the best part of the game by far). THE WORST PART IS you get all the way to the end and the heart crashes your game. I literally tried so many different ways to beat it the mechanic for even playing the ending is terribly hard because your chain move and your single light up move are on the same key and with the BACK TO BACK TO BACK COMBOS it’s almost impossible to get them without erasing your moves plus the heart heals when you make a mistake, so imagine my surprise when the game crashes after I FINALLY brought him to probably his last phase. Hopefully the crash situation will get fixed for future players. The game would have been a 6 out of 10 if it worked the story was interesting even though it’s not told particularly well told and it tries to do some neat things but the first part of the game drags because of redundancy.
– Real player with 8.5 hrs in game
I wasn’t expecting a game like this at first, but it drew me in pretty much immediately. The story is really intriguing and well done, so are the characters and the ending was a nice twist. But the spearhead of this game is the atmosphere, the mood that transmits is really powerful, giving me different emotions, from distress to sadness. In a word: dark.
The only flaw, if you’re looking for a game with fast-paced gameplay, fun and dynamic, this game is not for you. In fact, it’s a bit repetitive, but once you understand that the gameplay is functional to the narrative, a simple device to tell a story, it’s something you can live with easily. In addition, there is also a fast game mode that shortens the timing and does not make you lose anything in terms of plot, a mode that I sincerely recommend to anyone who wants to approach the story giving up a little immersiveness. Basically, a game that you do not see every day and that I fully recommend.
– Real player with 3.8 hrs in game
Woodsalt
I’m a fan of adventure games, and this didn’t disappoint me. Intriguing storyline and fun graphics. The mid section of the game allows you to explore and interact with the world on a daily timeline with new things to discover each day. I found this engrossing, getting to know the characters, the environments, and the challenges the society was facing. However, if your goal is primarily to complete a game quickly you would probably find this frustrating. The pace and excitement picked up in the latter stages as you closed in on whatever ending you gameplay had led you to. I spent 9 hours absorbed in the game from start to finish, and am now looking forward to starting afresh to see how different decisions will change the ending.
– Real player with 9.5 hrs in game
Target Audience: Those really open-minded with imagination and looking to help a small developer
Summary:
I’m not going to beat around the bush: Woodsalt has major structural problems from a story perspective, leading to a very uneven experience that unfortunately does not live up to its high price of admission. The sci-fi story does have a few characters that do an alright job of making you relate with them in the side stories, but an inconsistency in what time is spent with what characters and how they impact the main story ends up really making it suffer. Certain events don’t make sense in the big picture of the story, and it doesn’t help that the nature of the game’s one side versus another and playing both sides as being possibly right has a glaring weak spot that destroys that idea toward the mid-end of the game. Again though, it’s the inconsistencies of the events of the main plot that feel like they have big chunks missing that really makes the game’s story suffer here. You just don’t believe what’s happening in front of you, even with the sci-fi nature of the game. The characters, especially those like Gi, just make you wonder if conflicts were inserted for the sake of conflicts being needed.
– Real player with 8.2 hrs in game
Sentience: The Android’s Tale
I found this game to be quite interesting, though it is fairly simple mechanically speaking. The story kept me very much engaged. In a few spots my choices seemed to make a difference. With all of my other choices, it’s hard to say. The game might have some replayability, at least the last underground section, since there are so many possible endings. Recommended if you like cool stories.
By the way, the game did freeze on me a couple of times, so make sure you save often.
UPDATE July 2021: Do the following to get this game to work on Linux.
– Real player with 17.9 hrs in game
Developer Pilgrim Adventures scores positively again with this title. They have a knack for creating games that are laid back, yet very enthralling story-wise. I thoroughly enjoyed playing this.
I wished they would make more games like this one. It mixes elements of a sci-fi flavoured visual novel, with an RPG-like feel to it (mostly because of the graphics and the user interface).
The story is well done, and logical enough. There’s a healthy mix of mystery regarding technology, higher intelligent life forms, ancient civilizations, creation & just life in itself.
– Real player with 12.4 hrs in game
Silent Earth
The situation, characters and call for action are all set up well for the beginning of a great story. There are lots of nice themes being built that could take this game in so many different directions. An ambitious adventure for the characters and ambitious plot for the writers. Although, I only came to one of the endings. I hope they all sound as interesting as the one I ended with.
I hope the developers aren’t finished yet. This free game doesn’t feel like a full game but rather a test or set-up for a future, more detailed game. I think the plot and characters are interesting enough to go all the way. Please continue the story! A Mass Effect-like world would be fun if you have the budget! :D A point n click would work too. And, again, if it remains text-based (cuz text-based is cool, too), need to bring the readers further into the world and make the user experience nicer. The black screen does have a feeling of reading in a void. And I turned off the music half way through. I thought that the progression of the game, as it is, already does the same things as a point n click game such as being able to hover over words/objects to get more detail. Just needs more development and encouragement to keep going.
– Real player with 1.9 hrs in game
Silent Earth is a delightful and short text-based trip. The setting and overall tone felt novel to me, even in the generally overcrowded sci-fi space genre. The narrative is well-written in conveying each character’s motivations and connections with little reading necessary, while still allowing the characters to feel compelling in each interaction. In my first run, going at a slow pace to explore everywhere I could, it took me about 45 minutes to reach its conclusion. This game successfully left me thinking about it well after I had beaten it. Highly recommend.
– Real player with 1.1 hrs in game
Choices That Matter: And The Sun Went Out
Incredible, a definite must play if you enjoy CYOA books and games. While not literally every choice you make is going to change the course of the narrative, they hel immerse the player into the main character’s role, this paired with the intresting story and characters, and the intriguing mysteries make for an amazing experience if you like this kind of game
– Real player with 16.1 hrs in game
I’m just starting arc 5 i think and wow has it been a cool ride so far. i googled it and apparently on any given play through you only read 150,000 of a total 600,000 words which leads me to believe that these choices that seem like they really change whats going on, really do. Which also inspires anxiety but hey that’s all in the fun of making serious choices. so far solid 8/10 8.5 because canada eh
– Real player with 6.6 hrs in game
The Wanderer
All Skins endings and achievements w/time stamps in playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAFtZ4pMPIc6j2eCEhzkYWl3Bleuny-yN
Overall so far this game has been an absolute masterpiece the puzzles are engaging, but not unfair. The sound track is a banger and Walter took me on a feels trip I did not expect. I absolutely love the visuals and am going to purchase the soundtrack to support the creator it’s most definitely worth $3.99. My TWO complaints are one I got 12/21 achievements and did so much in the game and still only had bad end options at the end of my first play through which was a bit disappointing after doing so much and the Arcade game Pink Style it’s absolutely the devil it feels unfair and took the luck of the gods for me to beat it once and I believe I’m going to have beat it again since I was missing 3 chips to get all the endings. The Hit box of the jelly and the mouths of those little evil turd devils IS AWFUL especially when you have to do it with a swiftness that would make The Flash Gawk in wonder at your precision and speed. Literally my least favorite mini game ever I think and the fact that’s the most disdainful memory of the game I have after having to do 3-4 of those shifty block puzzles is a feat, because I hate those two I can deal with that though if I don’t have to feed those ingrateful turd devils.
– Real player with 11.5 hrs in game
the art style seems ambitious but lazy, puzzles are not difficult.
quite alright for a free game.
– Real player with 0.2 hrs in game