Hey all. Always enjoyed reading everyone’s suggestions on more unknown games available during big steam sales.
I’ll start off with one that I have been a fan of for a long time: Death Road to Canada
This game is like a zombie action Oregon Trail like game, where you manage supplies and fight through hordes of zombies on your way to the safe haven of Canada. Only US$3.74 right now and well worth it imo!
I fell in love with Submerged when I played it. It’s an exploration game set in a flooded city, where you play a young girl looking for supplies for her injured brother. Lots of navigating between buildings in a little boat, climbing around, and taking in the scenery. Incredibly relaxing to play.
How can it be relaxing if your brother is injured and needs the supplies? I’m just wondering if I wouldn’t feel urged to get him back to health as soon as possible.
I’m a heartless monster who forgot about my brother so I could sit in my boat and gawk at my surroundings at sunset. Mileage may vary.
It does have moments that stressed me out, but since I spent so much time exploring and taking screenshots, they’re not what left the strongest memory.
I feel obligated to recommend a Steam Deck if you have interest in one and can afford it.
We have 2 and I would get a 3rd if I could lol (with a bulky protective case etc. so I can be less careful)
The most cost efficient way to go is buy the cheapest version and then put something like this in it https://www.westerndigital.com/en-il/products/internal-drives/pc-sn740-ssd#SDDPTQD-256G
IMPORTANT NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU GET A 2230 SIZED NVME DRIVE. 2280 drives will NOT fit.
If you don’t want to do that you can alternatively just get a big micro SD card and save the SSD swap for later For best speeds you want it to say A2 and a 3 inside a U.
Even besides playing video games it’s an awesome little mini pc. Not perfect but awesome, and an amazing value at $359.
I concur. It changed the way I play games, especially last gen and indies.
I had heard that swapping the ssd yourself voids warranty, is that true? Or is it only if you swap more stuff
No that is not true.
You could also buy the 64g and get a sd card that what i did no slowing with any game and enough space for 4-5 big game or a lot of small one but i never have more than 2-3 games installed anyway otherwise i just game jump and never finish any l
To add context for people viewing, putting games on a fast micro sd card (A2, 3 in a U) has negligible performance losses compared to putting the game on an internal drive. I was skeptical at first, but other than slightly longer times loading SD cards work beautifully for steamdeck games
Yo Valve can you please sell them where I live already so that I don’t have to pay some shitty eBay scalper or overpriced reshipped?
Do you know how much it would cost to cost to ship from the US?
Wait does the 64GB option support M.2 NVMe? I thought it only supports eMMC and that you can’t swap with a different NVMe drive, but maybe I’m wrong?
Yes, exactly what I did. You can just buy a 2230 nvme ssd and slap it in. Process is pretty painless (just remember to take any micro SD card out before you take the shell off or there’s a chance you’ll snap it)
The hardest part for me was finding a usb-c to usb-a converter so I could plug in a usb stick to reinstall the OS.
Luckily I already had some of that stuff from my switch. I do hope v2 steamdeck has a USB-A port (And I wouldn’t mind a second USB-C on the bottom)
I just ordered the 64GB version and a 512 GB NVMe drive from Amazon, so now my wallet hates you a lot. But thanks for the recommendation and tips.
Ayy! Happy for you. I know you’ll love it.
The 64GB emmc drive in the Deck uses the m.2 expansion slot, so you can pop out the emmc drive and swap in a 2230 form factor nvme drive and be gtg after reinstalling SteamOS.
I myself went from a 256GB drive to a 1TB drive, and this weekend, I’ll be popping in a 2TB drive I just received in the mail.
as someone with a 64gb deck with a 512gb drive swapped in I can confirm it works!
I’d love to buy one, but they won’t sell to me. “This item is not available for reservation in your country”
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Do you know how much it would cost to ship to you from the US?
You can swap the ssd! Why are they charging so much to upgrade to only 256gb of Nvme storage?
Probably because they’re losing money on the cheapest one
ITT: not hidden gems
I really hoped we’d leave this cynical garbage on Reddit. The top comments in this post are mostly listing hidden gems.
Dude, you were quick to forget about the reddit threads of “hidden gems”, where the top voted answers were Skyrim, Witcher 3 and RDR2.
This is a gold mine in comparison…
There’s this sweet rarely known game where you punch trees and build stuff but you’ve probably never heard of it
Ark?
Needs more celeste
Have you guys heard of SKYRIM?
Ok, not so much as hidden, but also not super known:
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. A tactical stealth game (think commandos saga back in the day) is 90%
Technobabylon. A pixelated point & click adventure with some cyberpunk themes at 70%
Return of the Obra Dinn. Probably the best detective/deduction game that I’ve played, at 40%
Prey. One of the best immersive sims, at 75%
The Case of the Golden Idol. Is not as good as Obra Dinn in my opinion, but it’s super good none the less, at 30%
Antichamber. Super good puzzle game, at 75%
The Age of Decadence. Ultra hardcore RPG set in ancient Rome, 60%
Tametsi. Is like minesweeper but good, 67% (and only 0.77€)Have just bought Shadow Tactics and Tametsi based on this. I used to love Commandos (and even better - Desperados).
The same devs have also desperados 3, and it’s also super good (it’s on gamepass also if I recall correctly). It’s at 50% now: Desperados III
It’s wild how many people seem to have slept on Prey. It’s an amazing game.
Also +1 on Antichamber. Portal-like but with some very unusual and fun mechanics.
Absolute gem of a game, shame Bethesda forced them to use the Prey branding; a lot of fans of the original wrote it off because it has nothing to do with the original. One can’t help but wonder if we would’ve had such a disaster as Redfall if Colantonio hadn’t left as a result of all that.
Underrated even among Prey fans is Mooncrash, easily the best roguelite experience from a AAA studio, and just a great experience all around for anyone who wants ‘more Prey’.
for me, I’m really fixated on Cassette Beasts, because Pokemon has been disappointing for me for a long while now. I keep debating on whether I buy it now, or wait until they implement the online multiplayer they just announced.
Hidden Gem you say? (obligatory)
Playing D-sides right now (Reflections). What a fucking game…
Figured I’d get one of these lol
I thought that link would be Witcher 3 lol
- Shakedown: Hawaii - 80% off at 3,99€ - Think GTA for the 16-bit era.
- 2Dark - 90% off at 2,49€ - Think Alone in the Dark but top-down and in retro/voxel style, from the original creator of Alone in the Dark.
- UnderRail - 60% off at 5,67€ - Hidden or not, this one can’t be recommended enough to fans of the original Fallout (1 & 2, isometric) games.
- Space Haven - 60% off at 8,79€ - In-depth colony/spaceship building & management sim with cozy graphics.
- Crystal Caves HD - 60% off at 2,63€ - A true testament to how to faithfully bring an old platformer into HD, while also innovating on the original. Also contains a lot of hidden gems.
- Supraland Complete Edition - 54% off at 15,71€ - First-Person-Metroidvania in a literal sandbox, lots of freedom, lots of puzzles and exploring. Contains the DLC. Get this to gear up for the eventual release of the sequel Supraworld. The standalone Supraland Six Inches Under is also worth getting, but is “only” at 45% off, which is still great.
Donut County is only $3.89. It’s a short, funny, cute puzzle game where you make everything fall in a hole. Really good.
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth is $12.49 and a much better 80hr RPG then it has any right to be. And I never even touched the second game in the collection!
Donut County was so quirky and fun.
Risk of Rain 2 - 50% 12.49€ 96% positive
Action rogue lite hero 3rd person shooter thingy - My absolute favourite game in recent memory.
Not sure if this counts as hidden but many fans of the genre don’t know it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Insanely good soundtrack, cool artstyle, creative characters with very diverse abilities and gameplay, plenty of enemies and bosses, hidden features, locations, items, bosses,c̴͕͎͚̗̥̀̃̓h̴̘̯̎͗ȧ̶͕̤̪̦̺̂̕r̷͚͑̔͒̃͝a̵̖̩̣̍̂̈́̎̿c̷̱͓̪͖̈́ṫ̵̯̈͂̚e̷̺͓̙̥͆̓ŗ̷̢̻̺̞͠s̸̩̍̍̀?̴̼̘̱̗̯̈̋̄
You know how some rogue lites make sure items stop stacking so they don’t break the run?
Yeah that’s not one of these. Go nuts, break the game, fly through the map, just to get too cocky and lose it all in the blink of an eye.
The original Risk of Rain is also a banger, currently 80% off at 1.99€. Same concept but 2D sidescroller with pixel graphics. Incredibly sweet game.Art of Rally - 45% 13.74€ 92% positive
Challenging game with arcadey look and sim-ish feel.
Beautiful visuals and a chill soundtrack. Great for white knuckled time attack or hours of zen drifting in freeroam.Devil Daggers - 50% 3.99€ 96% positive
Highscore based retro arena shooter bullet hell kinda deal. PSX era 3D look, one weapon with two modes, surprisingly interesting movement (think b-hops, rocket jumps).
Every run is mostly identical. Enemies always spawn at specific times, but in random locations of the claustrophobic empty map. The longer you survive, the higher the score.
Also fantastic sound design!Hyper Demon - 33% 8.36€ 95% positive
Sequel to Devil Daggers. Turns everything to 11. Complete fever dream. Adds an absolutely psychotic rear view mechanic, where close enemies outside your FOV appear mirrored in red colour on your screen.
Adds several movement and combat mechanics, while still keeping the weapon very simple.
Different score system while keeping the timed spawns. Killing in rapid succession increases your score, just scraping by drops it over time.Lethal League Blaze - 35% 12.99€ 97% positive
Projectile Fighting Game with saturday morning cartoon style 3D visuals. There’s a ball in the middle, whoever touched it last “owns” it. If you get hit by the ball, you take damage. If you hit it back, you own it and it speeds up. And you build special meter for absurd special moves.
Turns into a mind melting firework of on screen effects the faster the ball gets.
Has a decent campaign to learn the game and fight bots. Bangin soundtrack
Up to 4 players, local and online play.
The original, Lethal League is also on sale for like 5.99€. Fully 2D visuals, also very charming. iirc slightly lower health and no campaign.Nidhogg - 60% 3.99€ 90% positive
If you don’t know Nidhogg go play Nidhogg. Bring a friend.
Low-Fi 2D fighting game.
You can run, you can jump, you can duck, you can stab. 4 Maps to utterly cover in pixel blodd.
That’s about it.
It opens up more the better you get, but just go play it, folks.
Win against your buddies by getting through 3 screens in a tug-o-war kind of system and prove your worth by sacrificing yourself to the Nidhogg.
Tournament mode available.
Nidhogg 2 is also on sale for 5.99€ 81% positive at like 800 reviews.
They got budget for graphics that time which… they used.
Different weapons add a rock paper scissors dynamic to the game, everything else is mostly the same! Good stuff.Post Void - 20% 2.39€ 97% positive
A wild ride of a psychedelci action rogue like? No meta progression from what I could tell, which is why I’d be hesitant to call it a rogue lite.
Basically run based randomly generated doom while your ego melts away after a heroic dose of psychoactives.
Health literally runs out (of the head you carry) over time. Kill to heal, don’t get hit.
DO NOT TOUCH IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED PHOTOSENSITIVE EPILEPSY BEFORE.Redout - 75% 4.99€ 87% positive
The quintessential zero-G racer for PC.
Very similar to the classics like Wipeout, but innovating on the formula. You’ll need a controller!
Left stick steers as you’d expect, right stick points the nose of your racer to compensate for tight turns and to prevent blackout / redout during high-G maneuvers.
A classic campaign mode lets you unlock several classes of racers, two handsfull of upgrades let you adjust how you play.
Sweet thumpin soundtrack Online play supports up to 12 players though I’d be a bit surprised if you find that many on the servers :D
Split Screen mode available!
The Sequel Redout 2 is also on sale at 14.99€ but it has even fewer reviews, fans of the games seem to favour it for longer tracks, deeper customization and improved gameplay. I haven’t tried it yet though.Heat Signature - 50% 6.49€ 94% positive
If Hotline Miami was set in space. And a rogue lite.
Pull off crazy heists aboard enemy ships to liberate the galaxy from authoritarian empires, each faction generally having some specializations when it comes to gadgets and tech which you get to unlock for your runs.
Can be frustrating at times but on the flipside a close save get so much more intense. Also you usually get several chances to save your skin - if you’re captured you get thrown out an airlock and take control of your escape pod to fish your body out of hard vacuum.
Generally there are so many cool mechanics, I’m having a hard time to pick highlights.I wanted to chime in and say that no one should sleep on Risk of Rain 2, it’s a fantastic game and easily worth the $12.49. Nice list you put together!
I was initially put off by the art style of Risk of Rain 2, but once I started playing I found that it gelled really well with the game. I’m really happy my friend convinced me to play it.
Andto parrot everyone else, the soundtrack is killer.
Heat signature is fantastic.
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Roadwarden($7.36) - A text based RPG wherein you play as a roadwarden and influence the future of the land with a 3 day time limit. Good story
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Fear and Hunger 1 & 2($5.59 & $9.59) -The dark souls of rpgmaker games. Loot is randomized for each playthrough. There’s a dismemberment system that also applies to you. You lose your legs, it’s gone for good the entire playthrough.
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Frostpunk($5.99) - You manage the last city on earth in the middle of the eternal frost.
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FTL: Faster than light($2.49) - 2d Spaceship simulation rougelike with randomized map. Your goal is to reach the last star sector and defeat the mother ship.
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Fran Bow ($3.74) - 2d Point and click psychological horror where you play a young girl with an unfair destiny
Looove Roadwarden, that game is such a gem!
From the same people as FTL, Into The Breach is one of the only games I consider a “perfect game” — there is almost nothing about it that could be improved without it just being a different game. I 100%'ed that game 1.5 times and it’s absolutely amazing.
It’s a turn-based tactics game with absolutely perfect interface (the way they went about its design is a whole interesting thing in itself); like chess but you only need to think 1.5 moves into the future.
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I don’t hear much about Kenshi except for within folks who already play and let’s players on YouTube, but it’s one of my all time favorites. Can be hard to get into but watching a beginner video or reading some wiki will let you get into this massive, strange world. Currently only 13.50, which I think works out to like 2 cents an hour for me.
I can second Kenshi even if I’ve never been able to go too far into the game. However it is really a gem and I hope I’ll find the time to get back to it
I don’t have any games to recommend but I wanted to thank people here for some actually good suggestions. I feel like I’ve been taken for a bit of a ride at that other place by shills in similar threads compared to this.
I’ll just go through my library and pick out the ones that I don’t think are very well-known or might have been missed by anyone who got into gaming more recently.
Demon Truck is a devilishly arcadey game, and at 90% off it is fifty cents so you are legally required to buy it right now. Once you play it for a few minutes, you’ll want the BANGER soundtrack too, which was done by Zircon, costs $3, and is worth every penny. Here’s a sample on YouTube if Bandcamp doesn’t work for you. Game is a 40 megabyte download. What are you waiting for?
Approaching Infinity - What if No Man’s Sky was a turn-based roguelike with retro tile-based sprite graphics? If that appeals to you, give it a look. The developer also has a more fantasy-oriented game called The Curse of Yendor.
Devil Daggers is worth trying if you enjoy fiendishly hard FPS games with pixel graphics.
Bots Are Stupid - it’s a tight platformer where you control the character by writing a script to control its actions down to the individual frame if necessary. It has a level creator as well. If you’ve ever seen tool-assisted speedruns (TAS), this game is basically creating a TAS for something like Super Meat Boy.
If you have PCVR, give Ancient Dungeon a look. It’s early access, but it already has that particular spark that tends to (and did) hook me, and it does a number of things phenomenally well, such as knife-throwing. In lists of top VR games, however, I rarely see it get a mention.
Distance is a racing game with where your car can jump, do flips, fly, stick to walls or the ceiling, and potentially get cut in half by the road hazards. It’s by the same developers and is the successor to the equally fun and completely free Nitronic Rush.
It’s not on sale, but at $5, Noitu Love 2: Devolution doesn’t need a sale to be well-worth the price.
Lastly, Timespinner is a pixel-art metroidvania with time travel. I thought it was pretty fun.
I have to recommend my favorite game of the last few years - CrossCode
It has everything. Snappy combat, build diversity, varying enemies, incredible story and characters, beautiful pixel art, and unique puzzles.The combat is fantastic. It’s very responsive and has so much diversity in each element you obtain. The gear has so much variety to augment your builds.
I love a great story in games. I adore the story in this game. Lea is a compelling main character while being one of few words (literally). Her friends she makes along the way are charming and frustrating but in a redeeming way. The universe has so much lore to discover in every facet, and the real-life MMO setting is captivating to explore. If you aren’t a fan of puzzles, you can reduce the timing of elements of those puzzles to make them easier to solve/execute. A good handful are time-based execution ones, so this feature is very helpful if you’re ever having a hard time pulling off one or two puzzles.It’s not super niche, or super on sale, but I’m really enjoying Chained Echos so far.
Hot take: Chained Echoes is a much better game than Octopath Traveler 2.
Man, Octopath Traveler was such a letdown. The total lack of character interactions with other character’s stories made protagonist selection feel pointless and the story felt even more shallow than it was. Just… so meh. I couldn’t talk myself into picking up the second one.
I feel this. It felt kind of half thought out. Was so disappointed.
Tbh, the worst part was that the advertising for 2 really seemed to suggest they’d heard that complaint about 1 and fixed it. The put so much emphasis on the Cross Paths feature. And then you get the game and discover that it is actually just 4 quests for 4 sets of 2 travelers.
I really expected genuine interaction. Character to be present in cutscenes and have minor comments on what’s occuring. You know, stuff the story can technically progress without, but really flesh out the world and the characters. Bosses acting like they’ve caught out a single character only to initiate a fight against my party of 4 just feels weird as hell.
Yeah, maybe 8 characters is too many. but now they can’t go back and rename it to Quadropath travellers.
They could do a 3 franchise mashup and name it “Bravely Quad Strategy”