Yearly I look via Steam gross sales, and there’s all the time one sport that stands out. Usually, it’s because it’s been on my wishlist for a while and has solely simply dropped to a price I’d be prepared to pay, equivalent to a triple-A sport that I’d been on the fence about, or a smaller sport that I couldn’t justify paying full whack for.
Nonetheless, as I used to be trying across the retailer throughout this 12 months’s Steam Summer time sale, I observed three indie video games that I really feel deserve much more publicity than they might be getting. One among these video games is a self-published effort from a developer releasing their first sport, whereas the opposite two come from smaller publishers. So should you’re searching for an indie sport that simply hits a bit in a different way, then now we have a small number of video games that it’s best to take into account.
Dave The Diver
I first noticed this on a Steam banner simply earlier than the Steam sale and was instantly drawn to the principle character’s similarities to my very own look. Dave the Diver is a chapter-based RPG sport with separate Roguelike and restaurant administration mechanics. You spend two-thirds of your time underwater, trying to find fish and gathering relics as you uncover the thriller of a misplaced Sea Folks civilization. After morning and afternoon fishing classes, you’ll work at a sushi bar managing employees, pouring inexperienced tea for company, and delivering sushi orders as quick as you possibly can.
Swimming within the Blue Gap is, clearly, the extra enjoyable of the 2 actions and regularly leads you into encounters with large predators. You’re additionally tasked with saving dolphins from traps laid by poachers, analysis missions to assemble objects or cull invasive species, and different frequent facet quests to try to end with each dive. After all, you continue to must seize fish to run your restaurant, however typically it’s essential get particular substances for that particular dish to impress a VIP.
The primary chapter is a calming expertise, including new mechanics at a bearable tempo whereas solely sometimes inducing delicate peril everytime you seize the eye of a large predator. Of all of the video games on this record, this brilliant pixel-art sport is the one I’ve spent probably the most time with, and I feel it’s properly value dipping your toe into – so long as you thoughts the sharks.
Dave the Diver at the moment has 10% off on Steam making it $17.99 (£15.29) till July 13.
Pizza Tower
Launched early in 2023, Pizza Tower is a platform sport that shares an identical gameplay loop to Wario Land 4 for the GameBoy Advance. In it, you play as Peppino Spaghetti, a chef at a pizzeria below the specter of nuclear annihilation by Pizzaface, a sentient floating pizza. You could sprint, slide, and punch your approach via 5 flooring, every containing 4 ranges and a boss encounter with one in every of Pizzaface’s mascots.
It borrows closely from the Wario Land sequence, with momentary transformations to clear away obstacles, no life or well being system to punish gamers for dangerous play, and swift motion tech that’s extremely tough to grasp. Every degree ends with a mad sprint again to the beginning because the foundations of the extent start to crumble round you. It’s splendidly chaotic as a result of its expressive graphics and intense music, and whereas it’s fairly a brief sport in comparison with the others on this record, its secrets and techniques and collectibles will maintain you coming again for extra. Oh, and sure, there are already Pizza Tower velocity runs, and fairly frankly, it’s mindblowing to look at.
Pizza Tower is at the moment on sale with 25% off through the Steam Summer time Sale, out there for $14.99 (£11.24) till July 13.
Dredge
Dredge is a single-player journey sport that is probably not as whimsical as Dave the Diver, however shares its fishing theme. You’re a fisherman attempting to make a residing by casting nets, dredging, and hooking fish to promote. Your ship solely has a lot room on board, so that you’ll must shift your cargo round to suit every part on.
Nonetheless, there’s one thing a bit extra sinister in these waters. Evil gulls pecking at your ship’s hull herald the approaching of Lovecraftian beasts from beneath the waves, with gigantic leviathans swimming menacingly near your ship. As you get nearer to unraveling the darkish secrets and techniques these distant islands have to supply, your subsequent expeditions get more and more tense.
The night time time is horrifying, and rolls round extremely quick – watch your panic meter and the nightmares lurking within the depths in any other case you’ll be misplaced to the ocean. It’s this mix of cozy and creepy that hooked me from day one. In the event you really feel you possibly can abdomen the relentless assaults of those nautical nasties, then your vessel awaits.
Dredge is at the moment on sale with 20% off through the Steam Summer time Sale, out there for $19.99 (£17.59) till July 13.
These are some indie video games on Steam that you just shouldn’t overlook with out not less than trying out their retailer web page. After all, if these three don’t curiosity you, hundreds of video games can be found at a reduction. Who is aware of, maybe among the greatest video games of 2023 and even some hits from 2022 will tempt you? In the event you’d favor to economize for now, we even have an inventory of upcoming video games which can launch earlier than the 12 months’s finish and past.
