Deals Steam Winter Sale | Dec 19 - Jan 2 | Hidden Gems and Recommendations

Kvik

Crossbell City Councillor
Dec 6, 2018
4,150
10,275
113
Downunder.
Zanki Zero has some interesting sim mechanics combined with dungeon crawling. It has a rather dark story and the ending feels like a 'deus ex machina', but the presentation is good and quite challenging in higher difficulty. I wrote about it at length here if anyone is interested:


 

inky

🤔
Apr 17, 2019
999
2,797
93

This game is too damn good. I challenge anyone not to lose track of time once they boot this up.
It can also be played in a browser for free, as of today I think? I read about this in an update to the game on Steam today.




Can confirm. Although they updated it today with a new version that, while it performs better and is better balanced, pretty muched bugged my save making it unplayable. I don't think it will break new saves tho.
 

beep boop

MetaMember
Dec 6, 2018
2,170
4,558
113
Can confirm. Although they updated it today with a new version that, while it performs better and is better balanced, pretty muched bugged my save making it unplayable. I don't think it will break new saves tho.
Oh no D:

Edit: looks like my save is still okay? Phew.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
3,220
8,306
113
It's the Dark Souls of Sim City. I'm just kidding, but it is a challenging game and can be very dark. It's good, if you like the genre.


 

Tizoc

Retired, but still Enabling
Oct 11, 2018
7,622
18,766
113
37
Oman
ko-fi.com
Y'all need the Trine series (at least) in your lives. Trine 4 is a GOTY contender for me

Also go get the Konami classic collections or I will hate you forever.
Here you go ;)

Be warned that the dev had some shit going on recently
 

Echoes

"My destiny is to continue fighting"
Oct 31, 2018
551
1,347
93
43
Castelló, Spain
Y'all need the Trine series (at least) in your lives. Trine 4 is a GOTY contender for me

Also go get the Konami classic collections or I will hate you forever.

Be warned that the dev had some shit going on recently
I didn't know about the Heartbeat stuff, I am sorry for recommending the game so I deleted the post. That shit can't be understated in any way or form.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lashman and Tizoc

Exzyleph

Dark Eroge Lord
Oct 9, 2018
878
1,313
93
I'm gonna recommend a couple of cheap puzzle games:


The Eyes of Ara is a really enjoyable Myst-like, but one that avoids my personal biggest issue with the Genre: Puzzles that are spread out across a gigantic area. Instead, the game is split into a number of smaller areas, with puzzles confined to each area. There are a lot of fun and (often) challenging puzzles, but only had to consult a guide once towards the end of the game, when I failed to notice that solving one puzzle had changed another.


The Room is a series of three games of puzzle games that focus on physical manipulation. The first game is the best example of this, and also my favorite in the series, in that the puzzle you are working on is literally a single, complex object. You tweak knobs, push, pull, and rotate bits of the puzzle, and look through lenses to find hidden compartments, all with the goal of unlocking and (literally) unfolding the puzzle, digging deeper and deeper towards whatever secrets are hidden inside.

The second and the third increasing move towards a model like that of Eyes of Ara, where you deal with a puzzle spread over a small area, but are still both excellent games.
 

lashman

Dead & Forgotten
Sep 5, 2018
30,512
85,512
113
oh hey ... i just noticed this little gem is on sale too


BUY IT!!!
 

Dandy

Bad at Games.
Apr 17, 2019
1,535
3,809
113
Draugen is 40% off. It's less than 4 hours long, but I really enjoyed it. If you like eerie atmosphere, twisty stories, and good writing you may like it. I'm someone who looks at playtime vs. price, and I don't regret paying full price for it at launch. I'm a big fan of Ragnar Tornquist's writing though.
 

Jav

Question everything, learn nothing
Sep 17, 2019
929
3,026
93
Draugen is 40% off. It's less than 4 hours long, but I really enjoyed it. If you like eerie atmosphere, twisty stories, and good writing you may like it. I'm someone who looks at playtime vs. price, and I don't regret paying full price for it at launch. I'm a big fan of Ragnar Tornquist's writing though.
Bought it yesterday, let's see how it goes
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dandy and lashman

ramoisdead

MetaMember
Nov 5, 2018
186
435
63
Runbow is at its lowest price on Steam at $2.99. I'll probably remember to pick that one up.


Another multiplayer game that just went on sale and it's at a record low is Indie Pogo for $3.75


Flinthook is also at a record low of $2.99 if you happen to like platform roguelikes.


And let's end it for now with half off R-Type Dimensions EX, a recorded low price on Steam.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Echoes and lashman

beep boop

MetaMember
Dec 6, 2018
2,170
4,558
113

Funny enough, Steam was recommending this series to me for ages, and I kept ignoring it because it looked a bit silly. My mistake. I've been reading this the past week and despite not having finished it yet, I really have to recommend it. It's such a cool story. I took a short break from reading it, palms sweaty from clicking forward, to make this recommendation. It starts off real slow, as so many VNs do, but it sets up the world and characters really effectively for the events that happen to have a weight to them. If you like thrillers or mystery with a touch of the supernatural, give it a try!

The VN is also quite long considering its small price. I've been working my way through it for a good 10 hours or so, but I'm a somewhat slow reader. Even so, just half of that would be great value!

I personally wasn't feeling the art all that much, but YMMV. There's an easy to install mod that adds a different art style, new background art and other stuff that's worth checking out.

By the way, I saw FunktionJCB was looking to sell a copy of this in the trade thread ;)

Edit: Finished it and would still recommend it! Very fun.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Spamlynguist

ramoisdead

MetaMember
Nov 5, 2018
186
435
63
A few more choices now that the sale is winding down in the next few days.


Maybe not a hidden gem for those who are fans of point and click adventure games but those who so happened to missed out, it is at its lowest price for a game that rarely ever goes on sale. If you’re a fan of FMV games, then definitely check this one out.


At its lowest price recorded, any fighting game fan would want to check this one out. Probably the most negative thing about it is that it’s a mostly dead game when it comes to online so unless you have a local buddy or a stable connection for Remote Play Together, it’s gonna be hard to find someone online to battle with.


Priced at a low $19.99, it’s been regarded as one of the more critically lauded VN titles you would see lately. Fans of horror visual novels would find this to be a pleasant surprise and the beginning to what may well be an established series. The sequel, NG, is also on sale for 50% off.