June marks a year since the unfortunate closure of BonusXP. For me personally, it marks a year of full-time consulting – a second go-around at dividing my time between my own solo game and work for a variety of paid clients, after my first stint back in 2019-2020.
It’s no secret that the game industry is in a different place from the last time I was a consultant. Though I’ve been able to help out with some great projects, it’s been a lean year, requiring a lot more effort to generate less income.
And of course, I’ve been blogging about gloomy topics lately, like AI’s effect on our industry and the many horrible rounds of layoffs and studio closures. The blogs felt necessary to write, but I’d always prefer to talk about the fun stuff, the real reason we all work in this industry: the games.
As the summer rolls on, it feels like the right time to get back to basics. The Steam summer sale’s coming up, and as the weather gets hotter, we could all use a good distraction (especially with the fear-inducing 2024 election right around the corner).
Here, then, are a few quick plugs for titles sitting off the triple-A beaten path – games on Steam, both old and new, that are well worth your time this summer.
Skald. It’s nostalgic, but also
works well to set the mood.
SKALD: Against the Black Priory
Quirky, relentlessly old-school, and challenging, SKALD takes its cues from classic RPGs like Ultima and the Gold Box games. With a clever tactical combat system, modern UI conveniences, excellent writing, and a Lovecraftian-tinged story, SKALD won’t make you forget Baldur’s Gate 3, but for the price, it’s a bargain.
The art style might be off-putting at first, with graphics reminiscent of Ultima 4 on a Commodore 64 or Apple II. But get past those first impressions, and you’ll see how the whole package comes together in an elegant, well-designed 20-hour experience.
Field of Glory: Kingdoms
AGEOD’s follow-up to the superb Field of Glory: Empires, Field of Glory: Kingdoms transplants the dense yet polished strategy mechanics of Empires to the Middle Ages, then adds a dose of extra complexity and new systems. If you like the subject matter of Crusader Kings and Total War: Medieval but are looking for a fresh take, it’s an innovative and deep strategy game that’ll keep you busy. Add Field of Glory II: Medieval to your library and export Kingdoms battles to its solid turn-based tactical engine to play out the conflicts on the field.
Deep Rock Galactic
Sure, I’ve written about it multiple times before. But Deep Rock Galactic is still the most cooperative fun you can have with three friends, it’s on deep sale right now (67% off through June 27!), and Season 5 just launched. The team at Ghost Ship Games continues to show how post-ship support should be done, with purely cosmetic DLC and an ongoing avalanche of free content to keep players coming back. The lore of the Deep Rock IP continues to expand as well, with a new horror-tinged cooperative spin-off game in the works.
If you’ve never picked up the game, what are you waiting for? Rock and stone!
Cruelty Squad
Don’t sleep on this odd-looking shooter because of the headache-inducing visuals. Once you’ve played it, you’ll understand how intentional and purposeful all of it is. Part immersive sim, part political commentary, Cruelty Squad has its own rhythm and style and takes some getting used to.
open upscale suburb. Features a great
pizza place and lots of capitalism.
Beneath textures that look like they were made in MS Paint lurks a surprisingly polished shooter experience that rivals games like Deus Ex in the creative options it offers for solving its string of assassination-focused missions. It takes a while to work its magic, but once the game clicks, you’ll be all in for the full ride.
Solium Infernum
Commercially unsuccessful and almost entirely ignored by the market when it was released early this year, Solium Infernum is a remake of a classic 2009 strategy game and one of the most interesting strategy games around.
Solium Infernum is a must-play for any developers building turn-based games. Every decision, and every turn, is meaningful, with both short-term and long-term implications – there’s never any busy work. The game especially shines in multiplayer, where the cutthroat politics of Hell and the variety of strategies available make for a devilishly good time.
Path of Achra
I’ve written about this quirky and unique traditional roguelike before, but it’s now out of early access (as of May 7) and fully released. A game that’s fundamentally about making ridiculously overpowered builds, Path of Achra is a bargain at its full $9.99 price point for the many hours of gameplay it offers.
For a roguelike to succeed, players have to feel like they understand what they did wrong when a run ends. Path of Achra is a masterclass in this principle. You’ll die a lot, sometimes in a turn or two after absolutely dominating for several levels, but it’ll always feel like your fault when you do. Every enemy in the game has a counter, and every option in the extensive skill trees has value in the right circumstance.
It won’t take long for this summoner
to start filling the screen with death.
Always Be Playin’
I’ve always said there is no one right way to build games. Teams can succeed in a variety of different ways. But I think there is one universal truth: if you’re not playing games (and a lot of them) you’ll never make good ones.
The best developers are also fans. They branch out and try new games in genres besides their favorite. They pick games apart, analyze them, and learn from the best mechanics – but also play for fun.
And here’s one more game development truth: “fun” is a word that gets thrown around a lot in the industry. We’re all chasing that elusive, subjective magic that turns a game from a throwaway experience into a timeless classic. It’s hard to define, but we know it when we see it.
Each of the titles I mentioned above has lessons to teach to game developers – but they’re also just fun.
So grab one from the list above – on sale, or even better, at full price to support the developers – and dive in. Pick the one that’s most outside your comfort zone. I’ll bet you’ll have a great time. At a minimum, you’ll experience an innovative game that will give you a fresh perspective on what fun is.
Cheers, and have a great summer.
Links to the Steam store pages of the games are in the section headers above. The Scree Games blog will be on hiatus next week, but we’ll return with new content on Tuesday, July 2.