2022 was a preposterously good yr for video games. Possibly not a lot on the AAA blockbuster entrance, however each single month of the yr smaller studios introduced a swarm of fascinating new issues to play, solely to be pushed from our minds by the subsequent wave time and time once more.
With the Winter Steam sale in its remaining days, right here’s a grab-bag of discounted indie gems which have virtually actually flown below your radar. All of them launched in 2022 and have racked up far fewer person critiques than I really feel they deserve. Assume you’ve seen all of it this yr, or wish to shock somebody with one thing fully out of left discipline? Check out these.
Value: $20.39/£18.82 (32% off) | Developer: 株式会社デスクワークス
I can scarcely consider this one launched to zero fanfare. A childhood pencil-sketch n’ papercraft JRPG journey with always shifting gameplay mechanics, genres and artwork types with out ever leaving your faculty desk. It’s beautiful to have a look at and endlessly artistic. I dare you to not smile always. The one factor I may complain about is that it’s comparatively brief at solely 6-7 hours, however each second of that’s densely full of enjoyable and infantile creativeness, as Kerry wrote about on PC Gamer (opens in new tab).
Value: $7.99/£6.19 (40% off) | Developer: Silly Mortals Video games
A brilliantly intelligent asymmetrical turn-based techniques puzzler. Half Into The Breach, half board sport, large monsters are stomping across the map, systematically crushing the closest buildings. With their motion (largely) predictable, sluggish them with tanks, planes and mechs whereas researching scientific options, or go for a quick army victory. Boasts a prolonged marketing campaign, some genuinely humorous writing, and each comic-book and FMV silliness bookending the motion.
Value: $4.99/£3.59 (50% off)| Developer: Ithiro Sumi
Earlier than Elden Ring and earlier than Darkish Souls, there was King’s Discipline, FromSoftware’s influential first-person dungeon crawler collection. Satan Spire goals to recapture the sensation of these traditional video games, however restructured as a extremely replayable roguelike. With a number of unlockable modes, numerous secrets and techniques and a fancy crafting system, this one has a little bit of immersive sim spirit lurking below its crunchy PSX-adjacent aesthetics. A kind of video games that improves as you grasp it.
Value: $14.99/£11.99 (25% off) |Developer: MindThunk
One of the attention-grabbing immersive sims I’ve performed, a bit like Prey (2017) spliced with ‘80s puzzler Paradroid. Taking part in as a disembodied and deathless thoughts in a really British retro future, you’ll be able to freely hop between robotic our bodies and the rest mechanical within the space, opening up some mind-bendingly artistic options to issues and giving it large replay worth. A number of the achievements (like finishing the sport with out unlocking the soar/climb button) sound not possible, hinting at large depth.
Value: $15.92, £12.39 (20% off) | Developer: Sakuba Metallic Works
A quietly nightmarish point-and-click journey with some mild survival parts, stuffed with uncomfortable imagery and concepts. An odd biomechanical creature explores a world on literal rails, struggling to keep up fading consciousness and perceive its personal nature. Initially launched in 1999 completely in Japan, this translated remake cleans up the unsettling artwork, provides some quality-of-life options and restores some minimize content material, however the core stays deeply retro.
FixFox (opens in new tab)
Value: $7.49/£5.69 (50% off) | Developer: Rendlike
A calming, non-violent open world journey about being an itinerant area engineer. Extra story-driven than I anticipated and lighter on the puzzles than I might have appreciated, however deeply charming and continuously humorous. Discover unusual new locations, use a delightfully bodily interface to repair devices along with your backpack of random junk and befriend many bizarre robots. It’s not a brief sport both. Anticipate it to eat a stable twelve hours of your life as soon as it has its hooks into you.
Value: $5.39/£3.71 (40% off) | Developer: HON Workforce
It wouldn’t be a suggestions listing from me if I didn’t embrace at the very least one GZdoom-powered FPS. Arms Of Necromancy is straight away nostalgic enjoyable to followers of Heretic and Hexen, as you discover non-linear labyrinths and explode wizards and monsters with an assortment of magic. Setting this one aside from its inspirations, you step by step unlock Metroid-esque transformation spells that open up new paths and ranges, in addition to supplying you with some enjoyable new assault choices.
Value: $16.99/£13.16 (15% off) | Developer: Neotro Inc
An offbeat and exquisite twin-stick shmup set in a baby’s nightmares, so that you’ll be preventing in opposition to disagreeable greens, yappy canine and imply schoolmates. Getting by way of its looping, brief levels is simple; simply acquire sufficient shining soul fragments. Mastery comes by way of deliberately dragging issues out as the problem rises, chasing rating and survival instances. Prolonged for a shmup, with numerous tools loadout choices, branching routes and clearly beautiful artwork.
CosmOS 9 (opens in new tab)
Value: $12.00/£8.53 (61% off) | Developer: A number of
A bundle of 9 bite-size sci-fi puzzlers from 9 totally different builders. Bought individually however far cheaper in the event you purchase the whole set. All the video games are single-sitting snacks, from about half-hour to some hours, and vary in complexity and depth. From brief narrative experiment Frequency Dissonance, to non-public favorites Triga (a triangle-grid block puzzle with hidden targets) and Linelith (a bit like The Witness, however you’re additionally one of many puzzle items). I’ll admit I’m a fan of this themed anthology fashion for smaller video games. See additionally: the Dread X collections.
Value: $12.49/£11.24 (50% off) | Developer: Bitmap Bureau
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge might need been 2022’s most nostalgic brawler, however Ultimate Vendetta is essentially the most arcade-authentic. A single playthrough will take you a quick half-hour, though it’ll take quite a bit longer to get by way of the upper issue settings with out continues. That includes chunky and smoothly-animated SNK-esque sprites, a retro UK techno soundtrack (matching its dilapidated London setting) and fight that’s 80% Ultimate Combat, 20% Streets Of Rage.
Value: $7.49/£5.69 (50% off)| Developer: Yokaicade
A light-weight and enjoyable mech turn-based techniques roguelike. A bit of looser and extra knockabout than Into The Breach, however extra forgiving of imperfection. The enjoyable tactical twist right here is overheating, which could be equal elements blessing and curse. Excessive warmth means extra injury executed however extra vulnerability, and maxing out a mech’s warmth attracts all enemies in the direction of that one goal. Between battles, discover an FTL-style map and unlock extra pilots & gear between runs.
Atama (opens in new tab)
Value: $11.99 /£9.29 (40% off) | Developer: Workforce Zutsuu
This yr has been nice for horror video games of all stripes, however Atama is a very deep minimize, riffing off the largely forgotten Siren collection. Stealth-focused horror the place you would ‘hack’ into the imaginative and prescient of the monsters and study their patrol routes by way of their very own eyes. Atama places a surreal Junji Ito-ish spin on that by having you evading bizarrely expressive large floating heads as they patrol an oddly dreamlike deserted village. Past that, I don’t wish to spoil.
Value: $9.74/£7.71 (25% off)| Developer: nodayshalleraseyou
Just lately launched into early entry, Deadeye Deepfake Simulacrum is one other hacking-centric immersive sim, however with a roguelike construction (together with procedurally generated weapons with funky names), an summary 2D aesthetic, command-line community infiltration and a cheerfully grim humorousness. When you’ve acquired some cyber-powers, missions can get bizarre and quick.
Sephonie (opens in new tab)
Value: $17.99/£14.99 (40% off) | Developer: Analgesic Productions
Analgesic Productions are an deliberately low-key indie studio that make soft-spoken and unusual video games like Anodyne 2, nevertheless it nonetheless hurts to see Sephonie misplaced within the 2022 rush. A contemplative and non-violent however difficult parkour platformer a couple of trio of researchers exploring a residing psychic island. Introspective prose is woven in between complicated navigational issues and a stunning variety of block-placing puzzle minigames.
Value: $14.99/£12.59 (40% off) | Developer: Firepunchd Video games UG
This was a bizarre yr for VR video games. A number of smaller indie releases, some improbable VR mods and even a brand new headset (the Pico 4) however little help from huge publishers. Goggle-owners could also be forgiven for lacking out on Tentacular, a construction-focused comedy puzzle sport about being a careless, colossal but pleasant kraken making an attempt to assist the comparatively tiny human inhabitants of a sunny island chain. Regularly giggle-inducing enjoyable, and good for VR newbies.
