Anecdotally, I’ve seen a lot of people jaded with modern gaming. I understand why. If you only see the games that have the most marketing, which are the ones you’re most likely to see for obvious reasons, then you’re primarily seeing the likes of AAA games with second-job-esque battle pass FOMO tactics, loot box gambling, pay to win, and constant reminders that you’re missing out on the full experience of the game like coming across fan favorite characters in the DLC of an already-expensive Star Wars game. The plural of “anecdote” is not “data”, but it could be this fatigue with the games that the average person is aware of that has led to a drop in spending and the crash that the industry is currently facing (but let’s not sugar coat it; there are surely other factors, too). I sympathize with these people, but respectfully, there’s a whole wide world out there of great games that never ask for a dime after it’s in your possession, so let’s call out those games and spread the word.
The Rules
One game per top level comment, with the game name behind a “#” symbol so that it forms a heading, and platforms it’s available on in parentheses. Leave a brief synopsis with no spoilers and a brief critique. I’ll be starting us off with a number of examples. Upvote the ones you agree with, and leave a comment on the top level one for discussion.
The game should have no paid DLC, no announced paid DLC, and feel like a complete product as it stands right now. I actually don’t mind the most common types of DLC, like what you would find in the Paradox model, but I know there’s a large enough contingent of folks who really do mind, so any DLC whatsoever is a deal-breaker for this thread. I’m making an exception for soundtrack and artbook DLC since, as far as I know, the existence of this stuff doesn’t bother anyone and just allows for avenues for certain artists to get a better cut for their work from super fans. I’m not making an exception for cosmetic DLC like you’d find in V Rising, as innocuous as I personally find it to be.
The game’s first release must have been in 2024. By this, I mean that if it came out on PS5 two years ago but launched on PC this year, it doesn’t count, so no God of War: Ragnarok. No collections of old games like Marvel vs. Capcom.
No early access games, except for games that were in early access and hit v1.0 this year. So no Palworld, but Satisfactory is on the table if you’d like to recommend it. I personally didn’t care for it, but if you did, feel free to list it!
Only games you’ve played thoroughly enough to be sure you’d recommend it. If you only started playing the early chapters or levels, maybe let someone else recommend it, just in case the quality nosedives later on. I’m personally only recommending games I’ve finished or beaten, though that definition admittedly becomes challenging with the likes of UFO 50.
I’ve played the Witcher games before, but this RPG is the most Polish game I’ve ever played, in a very good way. The RPG systems are fairly light, and the progression system is very atypical, but probably the best way to describe this is a narrative adventure game like Life is Strange but with a turn based combat system along the lines of what I understand Child of Light to be, where each action takes a certain amount of time, and it displays that order at the top. The combat is fun, and the RPG systems and branching paths offer some replayability, but I think the real star of the show here is that the story is just so different than basically any other game I can think of. It takes place in 1905 Warsaw, where national boundaries are constantly redrawn around an expanding Russian empire, what that means for the citizens and their politics, and how the superstitions of their day play into that.
I’m happy the game is getting some love. Played the demo and thought the game was really unique and solid in what it wanted to be. Sadly my financial situation limits my budget for games otherwise I would have bought it just to show some support for the studio
The game was a lot of fun. The only issue I had with it was how the endings branch out. I won’t go into too much detail but let’s say I didn’t expect a seemingly benign choice leading me to become such an asshole.
I can see that. I was pretty happy with my ending though, and I have a feeling there’s no way to make everyone happy. The game does let you know right at the beginning that the player character is no saint.
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The Thaumaturge (Steam, GOG, Epic)
I’ve played the Witcher games before, but this RPG is the most Polish game I’ve ever played, in a very good way. The RPG systems are fairly light, and the progression system is very atypical, but probably the best way to describe this is a narrative adventure game like Life is Strange but with a turn based combat system along the lines of what I understand Child of Light to be, where each action takes a certain amount of time, and it displays that order at the top. The combat is fun, and the RPG systems and branching paths offer some replayability, but I think the real star of the show here is that the story is just so different than basically any other game I can think of. It takes place in 1905 Warsaw, where national boundaries are constantly redrawn around an expanding Russian empire, what that means for the citizens and their politics, and how the superstitions of their day play into that.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1684350/The_Thaumaturge/
I’m happy the game is getting some love. Played the demo and thought the game was really unique and solid in what it wanted to be. Sadly my financial situation limits my budget for games otherwise I would have bought it just to show some support for the studio
The game was a lot of fun. The only issue I had with it was how the endings branch out. I won’t go into too much detail but let’s say I didn’t expect a seemingly benign choice leading me to become such an asshole.
I can see that. I was pretty happy with my ending though, and I have a feeling there’s no way to make everyone happy. The game does let you know right at the beginning that the player character is no saint.