Intro:
So...I've skipped this last year as our little one took so much time that I barely had anything worth playing (let alone rambling about). But with her being a bit older (aww...she can somewhat waddle Kirby around in Epic yarn
) and the steam deck releasing, I've gotten quite a line-up to go through. Heck...this might even be the first year in which my gaming backlog goes down...or rises less sharply.
Previous entries:
My top games of 2020: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2020.17057/
My top games of 2019: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2019.15590/
My top games of 2018: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2018.14505/
My top games of 2017: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2017.13053/
My top games of 2016: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-20-games-of-2016.11119/
My top games of 2015: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-20-games-of-2015.10044/
My top games of 2014: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2014.9749/
The list:
64. Pixplode (PC):
first game I tried from the Ukraine humble bundle. Probably thinking that I'd work myself up from the bottom. Ehm...no. Like necrowurm, I was hoping for a cool concept and level design to offset the bland/bad looking game. It probably might have but if so I'm just too dumb for it. The fez-like "rotate the world" just had me rotating and clicking at random rather than actually puzzling.
63. Aperture science lab (steam deck):
Ugh...I frankly don't get the fuck why this is popular. Yes, it's free. Yes, it has humorous characters in it, and yes, it looks good. But FFS...how about gameplay? This is a test case for the steam deck, but guess what? YOU CAN TEST IT WITH LITERALLY ANYTHING ON THE STEAM STORE! As it is, it's a walking simulator in which you can't even walk. You just sit there being quiet while characters talk to you and you press buttons whenever prompted. The shooting section is where I thought the game would finally start, but that's pretty much the end.
62. Chasm (steam deck):
Not really a bad game, but absolutely nothing special. Frankly, I was bored in every way with this one.
61. Necrowurm (PC):
A sort of puzzly snake variant. The visuals are kind of stupid but I had hoped the gameplay and especially the level design would've been better. It...unfortunately isn't.
60. Don't give up (steam deck):
Kind of ironic I've given up on this little game. It's about anxiety and depression, which hit home at that time. Unfortunately, I think this is mostly a game for fans of pokemon and/or undertale. I couldn't really get behind the mechanics displayed here.
59. Solitaire conspiracy (steam deck):
Bithell games are hit and miss for me. Well...aside "Thomas was alone" it's all a miss. Someone described it as "the most overproduced solitaire game ever", and I've got to agree. Granted, the steam deck's not the best control scheme, but seriously? Cutscenes between solitaire matches?
58. Indivisible (steam deck):
Like chasm, I just wanted to try this. It looks cool...but the real time movement combined with turnbased combat and the witty dialogue...I get it: it's for paper Mario/RPG fans. Sorry, but this just isn't my jam.
57. Peaky blinders (steam deck):
This one's purely me. In trying to test everything and the kitchen sink on the deck, I wanted to know how well it handled commandos-kind of gameplay. And truth be told: surprisingly well (it's also not strictly a commandos clone either). It's just...I'm not in the mood for a long game. even if it's apparently a very short one, going by steam reviews.
56. Okami (steam deck):
I think the phrase here is "it hasn't aged well". Or maybe it's me who has aged? Either way...I remember just exploring this game on the wii back in the day. But despite now having a HD remaster on a superior control scheme, I now just bore at the ssssssllllloooooowwwwww mmmmmmooooovvvviiinnnggggg dialogues. I'm sure it's me because steam reviews don't have an issue with it. But ey...here I am just regretting not putting it up in my giveaway.
55. Bluecoats: north vs south (PC):
I felt obligated to myself to try this: North vs South was on my top 220 games (though IIRC the last spot), and this looks like an updated version. And...it is. But it's made by people who are either not talented enough or just had no interest in games at all. The iconic platforming sections are now bland 3D shooter thingies, and the whole point of the game (slowly conquering the civil war US) is diminished by not being able to see the whole map (wtf? how could a 460x600 monitor beat a 1080p output???)
54. Gris (steam deck):
IIRC the first game I played on deck after aperture. Well...it works. It's beautiful. Controls are spot on. The game is great. And...wait. No. No, it isn't great. It's just basic platforming with a surreal theme that makes no sense. It's...fuck. Someone's just been gaming whatever is hot in the indie scene and used that. Angelic chorus? Check. Silent protagonist? Check. World to explore? Check. What it's missing is the magic that transcends the game from "just a game" to something touching. It could be me, of course, but I just don't "feel" gris (I just feel presumptious instead).
53. Campfire cooking (steam deck):
I rated it quite well on PC in 2020 (nr 8 spot). I was just curious how well it would perform on the deck. Answer: quite well, actually (CC is a mouse-driven game). This isn't a hard puzzler by any means, but it has a soft spot. It's just that I can't deny it's better fitted on PC. Well...and I've already given it a good rating. I can't exactly give it the same grades on worse controls, right?
52. Explorers (android):
Phil Walker-harding is one of my favorite board game designers. He doesn't make complex stuff but his pedigree is simple, elegant family games. And he spent the lockdown to bust out no less than TWELVE new games (though it's not that impression if your name is Reiner Knizia ). This is a sort of take on kingdom builder; I only got the app version (at a discount) to know if I should get the board game. While it's certainly good, it's not outstanding and...can't stand toe to toe with kingdom builder (see below), if I'm honest. But for a couple bucks, I've gotten much worse apps (though the implementation is clearly by the team who made the 'clever' games ).
51. Abe's Oddyssee (steam deck):
It's pretty painfull to place this game as low as it is, but I can't NOT do it. Oh, it's all still here, allright. The visuals have aged quite well (on a small screen at least)...but the gameplay hasn't. I'm frankly baffled that I ever finished this. Did I really? Every small mistake and you're not only dead but can go redo quite a piece you did before. I was going to try this on PSX emulation (and savestates) but I'm having a bit of an issue with that. For now...I thought this'd be a dream, but I have changed. Damn...I'm OOOOOLLLDDD!!!
50. Hexologic (steam deck):
Like campfire cooking, this is a redo. Of a mobile game, this time. It works and is as soothing as it is enjoyable. Albeit with one major flaw that's probably a bug: you can only mark areas as 1/2 or 2/3 in certain specific areas. And for a puzzle game like this, that's not really some detail afterthought. The fact that I just finished it without is just stresses my complaint with the mobile game: it's way too short and easy (and that's with 100+ levels, mind you!).
49. Viticulture essential edition (android):
This is a tough one to judge. The board game is straight up fantastic. I have it, my girlfriend and me love it, and this is a way to play it on the go. Unfortunately...some years ago I praised digidiced for their consistent user interface between games, reducing the overhead while playing games. Well...unfortunately, that same remark comes biting me in the ass because things are clunky and sometimes translated to touch in a...weird way (in my defence, I was talking about simple games back then. A game with cards that offer choices A or B and sometimes even both are harder to implement digitally...and it's even weirder when the computer plays cards without saying anything). I really wish this was better, but truth is I play it DESPITE how it's implemented.
48. Fossil hunters (steam deck):
Another one from a huge-ass itch.io bundle. Or was it humble's vault? Either way...I played it. It's a strange combination of sokoban, platforming and storydriven. But the stakes are low, the game entertaining and there's actually a good amount of fun to be had.
47. Super paper Mario (steam deck/dolphin):
I admit it: I tried it just because I was curious. SPM uses the wiimote in all sorts of ways (pointing, mostly). Would it work? Short answer: yes. Long answer: ABSOLUTELY! honestly: I could play the entire game this way (but I wanted to test other games). If not, this would've finished much higher). And sorry indivisible, but this game blows you out of the water in every aspect.
46. Dicey dungeons (steam deck):
I already stated I'm not much of a fan of turn based combat, and this one is even more resembling pokemon. It is, however, by Terry Cavanaugh (VVVVV, super hexagon). And I've got a soft spot for his games. And for good reason: it might be a roguelike, but the mechanics are solid and actually fun to use. This is the sort of chill "hmm...lemme see what I'll respond best to minmax the best outcome" I tend to like.
45. Evan's remains (steam deck):
This is one I would label "a work of love". It has jumping puzzles and a story, and I'd say that the developer has done the best he could for both. You're a girl in search for Evan. You come to an island where jumping puzzles await in order to proceed, and...wait! Come back here! I told you it's a good game and I meant it. For the jumping puzzles it matters that the level design is good (it is; great, even) and that is has that "aha! of course" moment once you solve it. The story is intriguing and doesn't quite jump the shark in sci-fi elements.
44. Clever cubed & clever 4ever (android):
Ganz Schöhn Clever (that's pretty clever) is a pretty nifty dice board game. You roll a handfull of dice, pick one resulting die and cross off or write something on your player board. You repeat this two more times, though you don't reroll dice results lower than what you've picked (so if you pick a 3, you won't reroll the 1's or 2's). The boards connect through combo's: mark the right stuff on board A and you can mark off something on board B as well, which might even trigger yet another combo. If you're into board games, I can really recommend Ganz Schöhn clever.
But this is neither of that game or its digital implementation. See, as fun as the game is, the app is clunky (not even a decent score attack option). It's cheap, but even so it's hardly worth it. Not sure what I rated the app a few years ago. Either way: clever cubed is the second sequel. The premisse is still the same, but the boards are different. I don't really liked the previous sequel, but this one stole my heart. It's quite a step up in complexity (one of the bonusses is that you can change the outcome of a die, which opens a whole lot more options), but it's fun and satisfying. Still terrible in execution, but I got this app more to properly learn how to play this game.
With all that said...what's with Clever 4ever, then? Why it's the FOURTH standalone version. I've yet to make up my mind about it, but it's at least fun to play. First impression is slightly less complicated but leans into cascading combo's more. For convenience sake, I'm treating both games as one.
43. Silt (steam deck):
...is one I really should get back into. It's a black&white platformer that looks a lot like limbo. An...awful LOT like limbo, actually. And this is set underwater, so the premisse of outswimming underwater horrors sounded interesting. And it immediately upped the ante in that you can (and should) mind control fishes. But...as it turns out, the prospect of solving puzzles takes away from the horror elements (at least in limbo they were organic). And the game is just a bit too floaty rather than having tight controls (erm...it's 100% underwater, so I'm not sure what I expected ).
42. Scourgebringer (steam deck):
This is one I probably should like more than I do, but for some reason it doesn't click well with me. It's a roguelite platformer with tight controls. Thus far it's like my nr. 1 game, but unfortunately I just find myself drawn back to that game instead.
41. Descenders (steam deck):
I like cycling, but...a game solely devoted to mountainbiking downhill seems overkill. I think I expected more of a race in this game, but it's more a sort of zen-like tricktaking/survival parcours. This would've ended lower if it wasn't so relaxing.
40. Magnivox (steam deck):
Campfire cooking, hexologic and fossil hunters have (in hexologic's case much) better graphics, but magnivox has it where it counts the most: level design. If you're a puzzle game designer, get your freaking levels sorted out! Magnivox has you playing a tumbling magnet that tries to roll and cling toward the exit. The premisse is easy, execution flawless and the levels easy...at first. I haven't finished it yet, but there's a good amount of them and the harder ones tend to have this "aha, of COURSE!" moment that's imho the hallmark of a good puzzle game.
Small anekdote: my 2.5 year old daughter can finish the first level, so...yeeey!
39. Skatebird (steam deck/PC):
I don't like the premisse (birds on skateboards? Seriously?). But man, this is a doozy. It's a straight up Tony Hawk rip off, but it both captures its spirit and adds where that game shined in its peak days. It's tough, but at the same time kind of relaxing.
Also: I played this in anticipation of my deck, so it serves as the main proving point: yes, my deck beats my 8-year old "gaming PC" in horsepower.
38. Pushamo (steam deck):
Getting itch.io games to work on deck requires some tinkering (downloading, installing them on linux, copying the files to an SD card, then manually searching and adding the .exe file to steam's non-gaming deck), but cute projects like this make it worth it. You probably never heard of this, but it's such an addicting tetris clone. You're a dot, you're seeing the field from above and the tetris pieces slowly drift from one side to another. You have to stop them and arrange them into at least 3x3 grids to make that segment disappear. It gets pretty frantic fast, but it has that "I'm dead? LETS TRY AGAIN! " thing to it.
37. Journey (steam deck):
Hmm...you can hate epic all you want, but I got this on their store and damnit...I'll play it on their store. On my steam deck, because that's how I roll.
So how does this roll? Quite good, actually. That is: it still holds up many years after the huge splash it made upon release. I'm not sure if it's sacrilege to call this "mostly a walking simulator", but I can't deny that that is most of what you do: walk and wander. And some roaming here and there.
36. Nimbus (deck):
This is the sort of game you get when movement based platformers like element4l get a baby with lunar lander. I guesss I should say it's weird or unique, but to be fair it feels familiar. Even though I can't recall playing something like this.
Regardless: you're a space ship on its last fuel. What you do have, however, is acceleration and momentum. The (platforming) levels are also filled with speed boosters, trampolines black holes and similar shenanigans. Your goal is simple: make it to the exit with just turning left and right (and breaking, should you want to) and using the gained momentum to propel you to wherever you need to go. Hopefully.
It takes some getting used to and at first I almost dismissed it for being simple. But the level design is actually kind of cool, the challenges ramp up nicely and it has a huge "just one more try!" factor.
35. Children of morta (steam deck):
One of the first games I played on the deck, and one of my first games where I really saw the potential. In a very loose sense, this is a diablo-ish survival game: you head into the procedurally generated level, hopefully beat monsters before they slay you, and you probably get defeated. When you do, you're send back home where it's all about FAMILY! And that's actually a brilliant move. Perhaps even too much, as I started caring more about how the story between the levels progressed than the actual dungeon crawling. I quit it (that's the faith of procedurally generated games for me), but I have fond memories of it.
34. vvvvv (steam deck):
Yup! I bought me a 400 bucks handheld console just to have the best possible experience playing an 8-bit game. Yes, I've played it before (this is at least my third playthrough). But this is just such a satisfying platformer.
33. N++ (deck):
Hmm...I hadn't realised until I made this list how close these were. But yeah...8 bit platforming goodness. This one is completely abstract, devoid of the great music and doesn't pretend to be anything but being degrees of hard. So what does it have? An insane amount of human created levels, levels that are exactly one screen in size, and a physic engine that's...at the very least interesting (you play as a sort of human-shaped lunar lander). this one shines on the deck for the insanely low overhead: I can play complete sessions of this in the time some other games load.
32. Road to ballhalla (deck):
Another one I just wanted to try on the deck. And it works beautiful. Only disadvantage: my reflexes, wit and I presume hand eye coordination have worsened. Or was the game always this hard?
Either way: it's a rolling platformer in the style of marble mania. But with more hazards and absolutely top notch narration that is woven in the storyline (someone really had fun creating levels! ).
31. Hob (deck):
A 3D Zelda clone. Very good at what it does, even: the puzzles are good, the environment details fantastic and the game responsive. Much better than on my crappy PC as well (though admittedly: that was when proton wasn't that good yet). The only thing I found disappointing is personal: a lack of direction. Put it aside for a few days and you've got no idea where to go, how to get there and whether or not you should get there now. The disadvantages of going all mute on all characters, I presume... :-\
30. Rime (deck):
Wait...a journey-clone ranked higher than Journey? Well...I fucking stand by it. It's equal in quite some parts (mesmerizing atmosphere, light puzzles, nature inspired), but this has some prince of persia climbing going on, some good puzzles involving light and is padded out a bit better. I'm sure it built on the foundations laid by journey, but really: I liked this one better.
29. hotshot racing (deck):
By itself, this is a bogstandard, by the numbers racing game. You race against others, drift and slipstream to gain boost and you hope to finish first. It has a nice cellshaded look and bright colors that somewhat remind of outrun (though horizon chase turbo is better in capturing that feeling), a good difficulty level and handles like a charm. It, however, also has far too many unlocks and a rubberbanding AI. It's in no way outstanding, but I enjoy my plays of it.
28. Inmost (PC):
Full credits for atmosphere here. This is a platforming story revolving around 3 characters faced with a sort of horror. One part (the little girl) is almost completely storydriven and contains some great (non-jumpscare) horror moments. There's a man that has to solve small puzzles to progress. And there's a knight that has some actual action going on.
This would've ended higher, but horror stands and falls on how it lingers in your mind after you're done with it. It does okay in that aspect, but the story ending kind of got both drawn out and unsatisfying. And I really can't recall how all the pieces supposed to fit together in the story.
27. Portal (deck):
Honestly: valve should just bundle this with the steam deck. Not because it's so great (though it absolutely IS great), but because it is a poster child of what the deck is capable of doing. Like...you guys! I'm playing a 3D shooter on the freaking train you guys! (I've had a train conductor ask me if that device was in fact a steam deck). So...this is probably my third playthrough as well. But I can't deny it was the hardest. Because as much as I wanted it, twitch aiming isn't really a thing. I continued tweaking it to the end, and was able to finish it. But...it wasn't made for this device.
26. Portal 2 (deck):
This actually is only my second playthrough. Kind of funny, as portal 2 was the first game I bought on the then-still-new "steam" platform. But my experience with the previous game (I played this immediately afterward) helped in setting things up more comfortably. Though there were some trick shots in this game as well, I felt much more confident, and as such enjoyed the experience more.
25. Avalanche 2: super avalanche (deck)
I...don't know what happened. I hadn't even planned to play avalanche on this device. Before my deck arrived, I spent my days refreshing my "playable games" list and often adding stuff in that looked interesting or that I downright forgot I had. Avalanche 2 at one point was marked as unsupported by valve. So I immediately set myself the goal to see how strict they were.
Far too strict, imho. Yes, you need a custom button layout. With valve's own system, that's 10 seconds of work. After that, all is smooth sailing. And man...like children of morta before (and my nr.1 later), I just kept coming back at it for just one more run. I can't even say the game is that good. Oh, it's enjoyable alright (tetris pieces are falling and you must climb them because the floor is rising lava), but its nonsensical and mostly a grind for things. But it's a FUN grind.
24. 1080 snowboarding (deck/gamecube):
Another "test whether it works" that I just kept coming back to because it succeeded with flying colors. It's been a while since I played a downhill snowboard game, and this one's as good as any. Dolphin works like a charm, and the shortcuts for quicksaving and -loading works wonders to reduce any repetition to a minimum (yes, that's cheating. No, I don't care).
23. Super alien assault (PC):
The steam deck wasn't the only reason I got back into gaming: at the very end of 2021, our attic was finally finished. Including moving my desk from its temporary space over there. And working remotely wasn't the only thing I could then comfortable do...
Super Alien assault is a roguelike platformer, but it's mostly just fun carnage. Maybe I rated it higher because it was the first newish game I tried in "my" attic, but having fun is my only factor of rating.
(note to self: also try this one on steam deck)
22. A dance of fire and ice (PC, deck):
I tried but couldn't get it to run on linux. Luckily, the deck is more forgiving. But this is a weird one: it's duet meets rhythm game. Duet, you might recall, has you playing as a circle over which you can rotate two balls (red and blue) to avoid obstacles. Anyone remember that? Nobody?
Well...A dance of fire and ice has you playing as that same ball, but upon a button press you shift the center to the other color. The idea is you do that the moment it lands on the next brick. And as such, the simple and elegant mechanic makes for a very good rhythm game. One that can get extremely hard if your rhythm isn't great (one miss and it's back to square one). But man is it satisfying.
21. Box boy + girl (deck, switch):
A puzzle platformer that's actually about puzzle platforming: leave it to HAL studios to create one. No idea why it's a switch exclusive, as I'm sure this'd run well on a gameboy advance (though in a kind of hilarious sidenote: this game makes my deck fans work harder than most other games on this list ): it certainly looks and plays like one. But it nicely guides you through the new mechanics you get each world, the levels are thinky but not frustrating (though I think I'm at least twice the intended audience's age) and it has the same chill atmosphere as their flagship Kirby games.
20. Hollow knight (deck):
It pains me to put it so low on the list. It's perfect for the deck: the visuals and music are among the best I've ever seen and it handles like a charm. You know all of this already so there's not much reason to keep yapping about its qualities.
So why the low scoring? Because I'm bad if not terrible at it. It's the greatest exploration game I know, but it's one that takes time and patience, as well as honing and improving skill. After a while I looked at other games to play, which makes the barrier of entry even higher as time went by.
19. Dead man's draw (deck):
This one came out of nowhere. It was one of the earliest tests of my deck ("can it handle ported mobile apps?"). Not only is the answer a solid yes, but I just kept coming back at it! DmD is a simple push your luck card drawing game. Draw two of the same symbols and you lose all you've drawn. Stop before that and you get the cards to your hand (but remember: you only score the highest card of a suit, so it has diminishing value). On top of that, most if not all suits have a special ability that reveals itself during the early games. So a great tutorial. But there's even more than that: the game has a sheer ridiculous amount of tournaments in which you can unlock bonus powers. These tournaments modify the game in unique ways, making endless variety possible. Not bad for a game I picked up for a buck!
I do have to mention, though, that this is also due to very smooth deck controls. In fact, I think this is my favorite mouse-driven game on the deck thus far.
18. Super Mario Galaxy 1&2 (deck):
Another deck test that passed with flying colors...does SMG play well on the deck? I've played through both without a hitch, and thanks to savestates I'm in the action about 99% of the time (I often hit quickload before even getting the "oooooh" Mario does at the end).
There are a few levels in each that use wiimote shenanigans, and I couldn't be bothered to try to rebind these. So don't expect to 100% it. But none of these are mandatory.
And okay: SMG2 is better than the first one. But they play so similar that I've given them the same spot.
17. Post void (PC):
This game just screams WTF!!!! at the top of its lungs. It's a FPS-addict's fever dream in every form: the perspective is wonky, the music is a weird metal riff, you're constantly running out of time, the monsters are bizarre (and even sexual?) blobs and you can get eppilepsy just from reading about it. But it's also highly addictive to the point where it gets disturbing. I mean...it's a roguelike FPS where killing enemies adds time, getting shot reduces time and where anything but attempting to speedrun is a guaranteed failure. But the experience is so thrilling I have to drag myself away from the PC to avoid starting another run.
16. Kingdom builder (android):
You know what I want? This freaking game in an app that wasn't finished by amateurs! This isn't the first time either: Alhambra was another digital board game that was dragged down by its implementation. But from what I recall, I'd say this is worse in both aspects: the bugs and lack of quality is more glaring AND the game is better. The bad: the aspect ratio's wonky, getting needed information's a hassle (luckily the game's easy enough to not need if after some time) and the lack of undo button is annoying as heck. Oh, and the lack of expansions even more!
The good: the game is as simple as it is brilliant (each turn you build three huts on the map, based on the terrain you're on. BUT: you must build somewhere adjacent to another location whenever possible. You also have three scoring goals in the game, which determine how you should best build). I find myself wanting to play a new game almost as soon as the last one ended. The AI is pretty good, I must admit...and that's me playing on easy or medium. But f***, do I want a better implementation of this one...
15. Newer super mario bros wii (wii):
Somewhere early this year I mentioned on the forums that the best mario platformer isn't made by nintendo but is a hack by fans. But because it's been years, I went for another run. And I can confirm: Newer super Mario bross wii is the best Mario platformer I've ever played.
(Note: I also quickly tried it on the deck: it works. But I can't confirm whether that includes wiimote tilting)
14. Roundabout (deck):
Ah yes...the joys of driving an ever-spinning limousine. Loved it on PC, "ported" to the deck it handles even better (one of the few games I prefer the joystick for movement, actually). The cutscenes are downright hilarious, the gameplay is absurd but fantastic and it has a good pace to it. Put it on your wishlist, as it's a gem!
13. Stealth inc 2 (deck):
Had to do some shenanigans to get it working, but after that it was smooth sailing. This series is one of my favorites, which comes down to the hands down perfect level design. But even so...
12. Stealth bastard deluxe (deck):
...I like the original better. The reason is that the open world and the gadgets of the sequel make the game more bloated while the story is at best equally good. The original is darker, more brutal and tighter in approach (kind of like the movie cube vs hypercube)
11. Murder by numbers (deck):
Here's one NOT to add to your wishlist: it mixes griddlers/nonograms puzzles with a detective story. But I was curious, and after the slow initial beginning (here are the characters, here are some way too easy griddlers) things really upped the pace. By the second act I became more interested in the characters than the puzzles, and this continued all until the end of chapter 4 (which is almost twice as long as the rest, btw). If a light story with cliché characters and some soothing puzzles appeal to you this'll be your gem. But if you'e even hesitant you'll probably dislike or even hate it. That's okay: this is a personal list of mine, after all. :-)
10. A monster's expedition (deck):
Draknek is a personal favorite developer of mine (, a good snowman is hard to build, cosmic express). He always uses simple mechanics and shows depth to the point where you feel like you're smarter than Einstein when you solve it. And a monster's expedition might just be his best work thus far. The idea: you're on an archipelago with islands with obstacles and trees. You can push down trees and roll the logs into the water. That's pretty much it. But he beautifully paces out how the objects interact with each other. You literally have no other keys but movement and a screen that shows the puzzle...but while it can be frustrating, solving a level just feels so goddamn satisfying!
9.My time at sandrock (deck):
One I'm currently playing, so it might rise even higher. MTAS is the sequel to MTA Portia, a stardew valley/the sims kind of game. You are a builder who builds things, socializes, picks up junk, gathers blueprints, turns junk in less worthless junk, and so on. As with Portia, it's a great chillout experience. You always have things to do, but you can do it at your own pace. The tech trees are huge, the people to meet varied and you are never NOT leveling up. It's in early access, but aside a few rough edges works absolutely fine.
8. The pedestrian (deck):
I admit it: I bought it because the combination of 8-bit platformer and a real world appealed to me. What I got was that...as well as a pretty darn hard puzzle platformer. But it's hard in the good way: the way you can rearrange panels, remake the connections and so on is pretty innovative stuff, and it's used very well. It's just that I'm at best barely smart enough to solve it, so it's not a "chill on the couch and relax" kind of game. And while it WORKS on the deck, I can't say it's made for it: rearranging panes is 'doable', but what's on the screen can get pretty tiny. Not too tiny, but it's edging in that direction.
7. Dominion (android)
Temple gates games have a history of taking top positions here. And since I played this before the deck came out, I had high hopes for it going in. See, dominion is arguably even a better board game than Tom Lehman's work. Heck: dominion is STILL ranked among the best deckbuilder games on the market (even though it was literally the game that created the genre). And as if that wasn't enough, they not topped it up once but TWICE!
1) On top of the base game, ALL the expansions are available. And dominion has A TON of those. And like magic: the gathering, there's some wonky stuff in the extra cards (though arguably not THAT wonky). As far as I could tell, it all works. More so: the AI just plays it pretty darn good. It's based on alphazero, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but excuse me while I stubbornly AM surprised.
2) the base game is free. Still in early access, but don't presume either of those are red flags. I mean: I've got the base board game of dominion and I've payed 40 bucks for it, so no: it's not crippled or incomplete in any way. Heck...I'd make the argument that a majority of the expansion cards are variations of the base set.
As for the early access: I honestly don't get why the f*** they don't release it. It was pretty much stable a year ago, and I can't even think what kind of layers of polish they could add even if they wanted to. Oh, sure: I've had one game where the AI just kept making rats (that's one of the expansions), up to the point he only had that in his deck. Again: I've had that ONCE. For MANY DOZENS of games.
So...why isn't this the number one? Frankly put: I don't like dominion that much as a board game as I do Race or Roll for the galaxy. Those are chill experiences about maximizing your available plans. A bit strategic, but mostly tactics. Dominion is almost the inverse: you start with random stacks of cards, and based on what is available to you, you should craft out a strategy...I think even before your first play. I like it and it's great in all aspects that matter...
(PS: after kingdom builder, this is Vaccarino's second digital boardgame on this list. Honestly: if temple gates made that game, it'd be on this position if not higher).
6. Link's awakening (deck, yuzu):
Yes, I would've bought Link's awakening. No, I'm not buying an entire system for one freaking game. And to be fair: I'm not sure if it's worth the full price. It's great, yes...but it's 100% nostalgia in a new jacket. I just breezed through it because I know where everything is in the gameboy version. This one adds (much) better graphics and sound, but the gameplay itself's the same.
I know: it's exactly what fans want. But I'm not necessary a fan; just one who likes a certain video game.
5. Fast pilots (deck):
There is an F-zero GX sequel. It just has a stupid name, that's all. But seriously: if you liked GX at all you must buy this game RIGHT THE FUCK NOW! it offers the same frantic insanely fast racing, ridiculous track designs and mimicks A LOT from GX. But the result is the best racing game I've played in the last ten years. In fact, I played GX a bit and in some aspect fast pilots does even better!
4. Katana zero (deck):
I feel bad comparing it to hotline miami, but I really should to give a general idea of what it's about. That is: frantic, almost fever-like action sequences mixed with a weird and unsettling storyline.
But here's the thing: other games at best copy hotline miami in a decent way (12 is better than 6 and even my favorite mr shifty). Katana zero developers said "that's pretty great, but we can do better". And they did. Katana zero starts a bit slower (quite extensive tutorial levels) and the story a lot more grounded. But that makes what comes all the more tense and terrifying (to those who've seen Jacob's ladder: that sort of thing). The gameplay is also remarkably puzzly. In HM you could make plans but they fell apart the moment things went not 100% as planned (meaning: almost everytime). KZ has SOME fast reflex rewards, but if you don't plan out your moves ahead you're far more likely to fail.
3. There is no game: wrong dimension (PC):
I installed this based on the funny premisse: the game doesn't want to be played and you - the player - tries to force its way in. A cute little concept, I thought. A few simple puzzles, a "find your way around a nineties' desktop" kind of experience and done. Right? Well...not really. For one, the game captivated me by that time with more clever puzzles than I anticipated and breaking the fourth wall better than anticipated (like...the "quit the game" sign has a multitude of signposts pointing toward it ). But that in itself is unusual but not unique (see also: road to ballhalla). However, it turns out "There is no game: wrong dimension" was only just starting at that point. What follows is a unique journey through a multitude of game genres and gaming tropes. Point 'n click, Zelda, Free to play...I won't even name the last ones to keep some surprises. But there were genuinely hilariously fun moments, the story had more depth than I thought of at first, and even the simple mousedriven gameplay proves both variation and innovation (the hint system, for example, just sets a bar for any other point'n click: I didn't need youtube ONCE...though I must admit I relied on the solution a few times). Also important is what's missing: moon logic and pixel hunting. It's clear the devs knew what they liked and made exactly that. As a result, this is a game that can not only stand toe to toe with Monkey island but might even surpass it (note: I haven't played escape from monkey island; I'm refering to the first two entries).
2. Logic wiz (android):
At first I thought having a deck would obsolete my tablet aside from browsing the internet. Well...not really. A large touchscreen is still the ideal case for casual puzzle gaming. And in this case, it's almost mandatory. Logic wiz isn't just "a" sudoku app: I would strongly recommend it as THE sudoku app, and I've browsed at least a handful from the recommended android apps. Logic wiz has a dumb name but otherwise sometimes even dominates other (for some reason still highly recommended) apps in every aspect. Easy to use? Check. Night mode? Check. A buttload of sudoku's to choose from? Check. The second thing that should raise eyebrows is the hint system. Others just randomly fill in a number; this one uses a syntax to tell you WHY a certain spot is a certain number, which usually leads to a "of COURSE!" moment from me. It also tries to teach you advanced tactics (X-wing? Swordfish? Jellyfish?), but I admit I'm too dumb to understand those. But even so: great approach.
But that's just the SECOND reason I'd recommend it. The first: it has so many variants it's just madness. Chaos sudoku? Hamburger? Killer? Kropki? It's all there, including variants I've never even heard about in those newspaper stand puzzle books. But on top of that, the creators often don't just plop out grids but often have symmetry in them. That's just the icing on the cake, but I don't think even ANY other apps do that (though I've seen it in a puzzle book).
Strong disclaimer, though: this is a free-to-play game. I don't play these games lightly, and ESPECIALLY not when they use a subscription to get rid of adds and a limited error system. But still...even though I hesitated this MUCH more than I should have, I forked out an insane amount of money (20 bucks!!!!) for a lifetime subscription. Since that time - now almost a year ago, I think - they've added at least 3 more variants and I can't even count how many hours I've played.
1. Dead cells (deck):
Another one I hesitated the fuck out of. Not that Dead cells isn't great...but I had it already! It's practically all I played in my later days of my gpd xd+. So yeah...I have it on android. Would I spend actual money on a steam version? Heck...would I go through the process of trying to unlock everything again?
The answer's yes, yes and YYYYYYEEEEEESSSSS!!!!!! What amazed me wasn't so much how much better it was on the steam deck (and believe me: it IS better), but that the developers just keep pumping out new stuff for this game, even after years of release.
In fact, I'm contemplating putting that up as a con, as this both helped me during my depression and dragged me down. There were days where I felt my only achievement that day was a stupid virtual reward in a video game (and mind you: I've got a 2-year old toddler that needs parenting on a daily basis :\ ). So...when I started feeling better I started resisting playing it, if for no other reason than to, y'know...go out more.
But honestly: dead cells absolutely deserves getting all the praise it gets. I project it'll surpass most if not all of my other steam games in terms of playing time, but that's okay: it's just that fun to do the actual PLAYING (of course it's tough when you die...but this isn't the sort of game where the effort feels wasted when you don't unlock or achieve anything than the time spent).
So...I've skipped this last year as our little one took so much time that I barely had anything worth playing (let alone rambling about). But with her being a bit older (aww...she can somewhat waddle Kirby around in Epic yarn
) and the steam deck releasing, I've gotten quite a line-up to go through. Heck...this might even be the first year in which my gaming backlog goes down...or rises less sharply. Previous entries:
My top games of 2020: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2020.17057/
My top games of 2019: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2019.15590/
My top games of 2018: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2018.14505/
My top games of 2017: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2017.13053/
My top games of 2016: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-20-games-of-2016.11119/
My top games of 2015: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-20-games-of-2015.10044/
My top games of 2014: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2014.9749/
The list:
64. Pixplode (PC):
first game I tried from the Ukraine humble bundle. Probably thinking that I'd work myself up from the bottom. Ehm...no. Like necrowurm, I was hoping for a cool concept and level design to offset the bland/bad looking game. It probably might have but if so I'm just too dumb for it. The fez-like "rotate the world" just had me rotating and clicking at random rather than actually puzzling.
63. Aperture science lab (steam deck):
Ugh...I frankly don't get the fuck why this is popular. Yes, it's free. Yes, it has humorous characters in it, and yes, it looks good. But FFS...how about gameplay? This is a test case for the steam deck, but guess what? YOU CAN TEST IT WITH LITERALLY ANYTHING ON THE STEAM STORE! As it is, it's a walking simulator in which you can't even walk. You just sit there being quiet while characters talk to you and you press buttons whenever prompted. The shooting section is where I thought the game would finally start, but that's pretty much the end.
62. Chasm (steam deck):
Not really a bad game, but absolutely nothing special. Frankly, I was bored in every way with this one.
61. Necrowurm (PC):
A sort of puzzly snake variant. The visuals are kind of stupid but I had hoped the gameplay and especially the level design would've been better. It...unfortunately isn't.
60. Don't give up (steam deck):
Kind of ironic I've given up on this little game. It's about anxiety and depression, which hit home at that time. Unfortunately, I think this is mostly a game for fans of pokemon and/or undertale. I couldn't really get behind the mechanics displayed here.
59. Solitaire conspiracy (steam deck):
Bithell games are hit and miss for me. Well...aside "Thomas was alone" it's all a miss. Someone described it as "the most overproduced solitaire game ever", and I've got to agree. Granted, the steam deck's not the best control scheme, but seriously? Cutscenes between solitaire matches?
58. Indivisible (steam deck):
Like chasm, I just wanted to try this. It looks cool...but the real time movement combined with turnbased combat and the witty dialogue...I get it: it's for paper Mario/RPG fans. Sorry, but this just isn't my jam.
57. Peaky blinders (steam deck):
This one's purely me. In trying to test everything and the kitchen sink on the deck, I wanted to know how well it handled commandos-kind of gameplay. And truth be told: surprisingly well (it's also not strictly a commandos clone either). It's just...I'm not in the mood for a long game. even if it's apparently a very short one, going by steam reviews.
56. Okami (steam deck):
I think the phrase here is "it hasn't aged well". Or maybe it's me who has aged? Either way...I remember just exploring this game on the wii back in the day. But despite now having a HD remaster on a superior control scheme, I now just bore at the ssssssllllloooooowwwwww mmmmmmooooovvvviiinnnggggg dialogues. I'm sure it's me because steam reviews don't have an issue with it. But ey...here I am just regretting not putting it up in my giveaway.
55. Bluecoats: north vs south (PC):
I felt obligated to myself to try this: North vs South was on my top 220 games (though IIRC the last spot), and this looks like an updated version. And...it is. But it's made by people who are either not talented enough or just had no interest in games at all. The iconic platforming sections are now bland 3D shooter thingies, and the whole point of the game (slowly conquering the civil war US) is diminished by not being able to see the whole map (wtf? how could a 460x600 monitor beat a 1080p output???)
54. Gris (steam deck):
IIRC the first game I played on deck after aperture. Well...it works. It's beautiful. Controls are spot on. The game is great. And...wait. No. No, it isn't great. It's just basic platforming with a surreal theme that makes no sense. It's...fuck. Someone's just been gaming whatever is hot in the indie scene and used that. Angelic chorus? Check. Silent protagonist? Check. World to explore? Check. What it's missing is the magic that transcends the game from "just a game" to something touching. It could be me, of course, but I just don't "feel" gris (I just feel presumptious instead).
53. Campfire cooking (steam deck):
I rated it quite well on PC in 2020 (nr 8 spot). I was just curious how well it would perform on the deck. Answer: quite well, actually (CC is a mouse-driven game). This isn't a hard puzzler by any means, but it has a soft spot. It's just that I can't deny it's better fitted on PC. Well...and I've already given it a good rating. I can't exactly give it the same grades on worse controls, right?
52. Explorers (android):
Phil Walker-harding is one of my favorite board game designers. He doesn't make complex stuff but his pedigree is simple, elegant family games. And he spent the lockdown to bust out no less than TWELVE new games (though it's not that impression if your name is Reiner Knizia
). This is a sort of take on kingdom builder; I only got the app version (at a discount) to know if I should get the board game. While it's certainly good, it's not outstanding and...can't stand toe to toe with kingdom builder (see below), if I'm honest. But for a couple bucks, I've gotten much worse apps (though the implementation is clearly by the team who made the 'clever' games ).51. Abe's Oddyssee (steam deck):
It's pretty painfull to place this game as low as it is, but I can't NOT do it. Oh, it's all still here, allright. The visuals have aged quite well (on a small screen at least)...but the gameplay hasn't. I'm frankly baffled that I ever finished this. Did I really? Every small mistake and you're not only dead but can go redo quite a piece you did before. I was going to try this on PSX emulation (and savestates) but I'm having a bit of an issue with that. For now...I thought this'd be a dream, but I have changed. Damn...I'm OOOOOLLLDDD!!!
50. Hexologic (steam deck):
Like campfire cooking, this is a redo. Of a mobile game, this time. It works and is as soothing as it is enjoyable. Albeit with one major flaw that's probably a bug: you can only mark areas as 1/2 or 2/3 in certain specific areas. And for a puzzle game like this, that's not really some detail afterthought. The fact that I just finished it without is just stresses my complaint with the mobile game: it's way too short and easy (and that's with 100+ levels, mind you!).
49. Viticulture essential edition (android):
This is a tough one to judge. The board game is straight up fantastic. I have it, my girlfriend and me love it, and this is a way to play it on the go. Unfortunately...some years ago I praised digidiced for their consistent user interface between games, reducing the overhead while playing games. Well...unfortunately, that same remark comes biting me in the ass because things are clunky and sometimes translated to touch in a...weird way (in my defence, I was talking about simple games back then. A game with cards that offer choices A or B and sometimes even both are harder to implement digitally...and it's even weirder when the computer plays cards without saying anything). I really wish this was better, but truth is I play it DESPITE how it's implemented.
48. Fossil hunters (steam deck):
Another one from a huge-ass itch.io bundle. Or was it humble's vault? Either way...I played it. It's a strange combination of sokoban, platforming and storydriven. But the stakes are low, the game entertaining and there's actually a good amount of fun to be had.
47. Super paper Mario (steam deck/dolphin):
I admit it: I tried it just because I was curious. SPM uses the wiimote in all sorts of ways (pointing, mostly). Would it work? Short answer: yes. Long answer: ABSOLUTELY!
honestly: I could play the entire game this way (but I wanted to test other games). If not, this would've finished much higher). And sorry indivisible, but this game blows you out of the water in every aspect.46. Dicey dungeons (steam deck):
I already stated I'm not much of a fan of turn based combat, and this one is even more resembling pokemon. It is, however, by Terry Cavanaugh (VVVVV, super hexagon). And I've got a soft spot for his games. And for good reason: it might be a roguelike, but the mechanics are solid and actually fun to use. This is the sort of chill "hmm...lemme see what I'll respond best to minmax the best outcome" I tend to like.
45. Evan's remains (steam deck):
This is one I would label "a work of love". It has jumping puzzles and a story, and I'd say that the developer has done the best he could for both. You're a girl in search for Evan. You come to an island where jumping puzzles await in order to proceed, and...wait! Come back here! I told you it's a good game and I meant it. For the jumping puzzles it matters that the level design is good (it is; great, even) and that is has that "aha! of course" moment once you solve it. The story is intriguing and doesn't quite jump the shark in sci-fi elements.
44. Clever cubed & clever 4ever (android):
Ganz Schöhn Clever (that's pretty clever) is a pretty nifty dice board game. You roll a handfull of dice, pick one resulting die and cross off or write something on your player board. You repeat this two more times, though you don't reroll dice results lower than what you've picked (so if you pick a 3, you won't reroll the 1's or 2's). The boards connect through combo's: mark the right stuff on board A and you can mark off something on board B as well, which might even trigger yet another combo. If you're into board games, I can really recommend Ganz Schöhn clever.
But this is neither of that game or its digital implementation. See, as fun as the game is, the app is clunky (not even a decent score attack option). It's cheap, but even so it's hardly worth it. Not sure what I rated the app a few years ago. Either way: clever cubed is the second sequel. The premisse is still the same, but the boards are different. I don't really liked the previous sequel, but this one stole my heart. It's quite a step up in complexity (one of the bonusses is that you can change the outcome of a die, which opens a whole lot more options), but it's fun and satisfying. Still terrible in execution, but I got this app more to properly learn how to play this game.
With all that said...what's with Clever 4ever, then? Why it's the FOURTH standalone version. I've yet to make up my mind about it, but it's at least fun to play. First impression is slightly less complicated but leans into cascading combo's more. For convenience sake, I'm treating both games as one.
43. Silt (steam deck):
...is one I really should get back into. It's a black&white platformer that looks a lot like limbo. An...awful LOT like limbo, actually. And this is set underwater, so the premisse of outswimming underwater horrors sounded interesting. And it immediately upped the ante in that you can (and should) mind control fishes. But...as it turns out, the prospect of solving puzzles takes away from the horror elements (at least in limbo they were organic). And the game is just a bit too floaty rather than having tight controls (erm...it's 100% underwater, so I'm not sure what I expected
).42. Scourgebringer (steam deck):
This is one I probably should like more than I do, but for some reason it doesn't click well with me. It's a roguelite platformer with tight controls. Thus far it's like my nr. 1 game, but unfortunately I just find myself drawn back to that game instead.
41. Descenders (steam deck):
I like cycling, but...a game solely devoted to mountainbiking downhill seems overkill. I think I expected more of a race in this game, but it's more a sort of zen-like tricktaking/survival parcours. This would've ended lower if it wasn't so relaxing.
40. Magnivox (steam deck):
Campfire cooking, hexologic and fossil hunters have (in hexologic's case much) better graphics, but magnivox has it where it counts the most: level design. If you're a puzzle game designer, get your freaking levels sorted out! Magnivox has you playing a tumbling magnet that tries to roll and cling toward the exit. The premisse is easy, execution flawless and the levels easy...at first. I haven't finished it yet, but there's a good amount of them and the harder ones tend to have this "aha, of COURSE!" moment that's imho the hallmark of a good puzzle game.
Small anekdote: my 2.5 year old daughter can finish the first level, so...yeeey!
39. Skatebird (steam deck/PC):
I don't like the premisse (birds on skateboards? Seriously?). But man, this is a doozy. It's a straight up Tony Hawk rip off, but it both captures its spirit and adds where that game shined in its peak days. It's tough, but at the same time kind of relaxing.
Also: I played this in anticipation of my deck, so it serves as the main proving point: yes, my deck beats my 8-year old "gaming PC" in horsepower.
38. Pushamo (steam deck):
Getting itch.io games to work on deck requires some tinkering (downloading, installing them on linux, copying the files to an SD card, then manually searching and adding the .exe file to steam's non-gaming deck), but cute projects like this make it worth it. You probably never heard of this, but it's such an addicting tetris clone. You're a dot, you're seeing the field from above and the tetris pieces slowly drift from one side to another. You have to stop them and arrange them into at least 3x3 grids to make that segment disappear. It gets pretty frantic fast, but it has that "I'm dead? LETS TRY AGAIN!
" thing to it.37. Journey (steam deck):
Hmm...you can hate epic all you want, but I got this on their store and damnit...I'll play it on their store. On my steam deck, because that's how I roll.
So how does this roll? Quite good, actually. That is: it still holds up many years after the huge splash it made upon release. I'm not sure if it's sacrilege to call this "mostly a walking simulator", but I can't deny that that is most of what you do: walk and wander. And some roaming here and there.
36. Nimbus (deck):
This is the sort of game you get when movement based platformers like element4l get a baby with lunar lander. I guesss I should say it's weird or unique, but to be fair it feels familiar. Even though I can't recall playing something like this.
Regardless: you're a space ship on its last fuel. What you do have, however, is acceleration and momentum. The (platforming) levels are also filled with speed boosters, trampolines black holes and similar shenanigans. Your goal is simple: make it to the exit with just turning left and right (and breaking, should you want to) and using the gained momentum to propel you to wherever you need to go. Hopefully.
It takes some getting used to and at first I almost dismissed it for being simple. But the level design is actually kind of cool, the challenges ramp up nicely and it has a huge "just one more try!" factor.
35. Children of morta (steam deck):
One of the first games I played on the deck, and one of my first games where I really saw the potential. In a very loose sense, this is a diablo-ish survival game: you head into the procedurally generated level, hopefully beat monsters before they slay you, and you probably get defeated. When you do, you're send back home where it's all about FAMILY! And that's actually a brilliant move. Perhaps even too much, as I started caring more about how the story between the levels progressed than the actual dungeon crawling. I quit it (that's the faith of procedurally generated games for me), but I have fond memories of it.
34. vvvvv (steam deck):
Yup! I bought me a 400 bucks handheld console just to have the best possible experience playing an 8-bit game. Yes, I've played it before (this is at least my third playthrough). But this is just such a satisfying platformer.
33. N++ (deck):
Hmm...I hadn't realised until I made this list how close these were. But yeah...8 bit platforming goodness. This one is completely abstract, devoid of the great music and doesn't pretend to be anything but being degrees of hard. So what does it have? An insane amount of human created levels, levels that are exactly one screen in size, and a physic engine that's...at the very least interesting (you play as a sort of human-shaped lunar lander). this one shines on the deck for the insanely low overhead: I can play complete sessions of this in the time some other games load.
32. Road to ballhalla (deck):
Another one I just wanted to try on the deck. And it works beautiful. Only disadvantage: my reflexes, wit and I presume hand eye coordination have worsened. Or was the game always this hard?
Either way: it's a rolling platformer in the style of marble mania. But with more hazards and absolutely top notch narration that is woven in the storyline (someone really had fun creating levels!
).31. Hob (deck):
A 3D Zelda clone. Very good at what it does, even: the puzzles are good, the environment details fantastic and the game responsive. Much better than on my crappy PC as well (though admittedly: that was when proton wasn't that good yet). The only thing I found disappointing is personal: a lack of direction. Put it aside for a few days and you've got no idea where to go, how to get there and whether or not you should get there now. The disadvantages of going all mute on all characters, I presume... :-\
30. Rime (deck):
Wait...a journey-clone ranked higher than Journey? Well...I fucking stand by it. It's equal in quite some parts (mesmerizing atmosphere, light puzzles, nature inspired), but this has some prince of persia climbing going on, some good puzzles involving light and is padded out a bit better. I'm sure it built on the foundations laid by journey, but really: I liked this one better.
29. hotshot racing (deck):
By itself, this is a bogstandard, by the numbers racing game. You race against others, drift and slipstream to gain boost and you hope to finish first. It has a nice cellshaded look and bright colors that somewhat remind of outrun (though horizon chase turbo is better in capturing that feeling), a good difficulty level and handles like a charm. It, however, also has far too many unlocks and a rubberbanding AI. It's in no way outstanding, but I enjoy my plays of it.
28. Inmost (PC):
Full credits for atmosphere here. This is a platforming story revolving around 3 characters faced with a sort of horror. One part (the little girl) is almost completely storydriven and contains some great (non-jumpscare) horror moments. There's a man that has to solve small puzzles to progress. And there's a knight that has some actual action going on.
This would've ended higher, but horror stands and falls on how it lingers in your mind after you're done with it. It does okay in that aspect, but the story ending kind of got both drawn out and unsatisfying. And I really can't recall how all the pieces supposed to fit together in the story.
27. Portal (deck):
Honestly: valve should just bundle this with the steam deck. Not because it's so great (though it absolutely IS great), but because it is a poster child of what the deck is capable of doing. Like...you guys! I'm playing a 3D shooter on the freaking train you guys! (I've had a train conductor ask me if that device was in fact a steam deck). So...this is probably my third playthrough as well. But I can't deny it was the hardest. Because as much as I wanted it, twitch aiming isn't really a thing. I continued tweaking it to the end, and was able to finish it. But...it wasn't made for this device.
26. Portal 2 (deck):
This actually is only my second playthrough. Kind of funny, as portal 2 was the first game I bought on the then-still-new "steam" platform. But my experience with the previous game (I played this immediately afterward) helped in setting things up more comfortably. Though there were some trick shots in this game as well, I felt much more confident, and as such enjoyed the experience more.
25. Avalanche 2: super avalanche (deck)
I...don't know what happened. I hadn't even planned to play avalanche on this device. Before my deck arrived, I spent my days refreshing my "playable games" list and often adding stuff in that looked interesting or that I downright forgot I had. Avalanche 2 at one point was marked as unsupported by valve. So I immediately set myself the goal to see how strict they were.
Far too strict, imho. Yes, you need a custom button layout. With valve's own system, that's 10 seconds of work. After that, all is smooth sailing. And man...like children of morta before (and my nr.1 later), I just kept coming back at it for just one more run. I can't even say the game is that good. Oh, it's enjoyable alright (tetris pieces are falling and you must climb them because the floor is rising lava), but its nonsensical and mostly a grind for things. But it's a FUN grind.
24. 1080 snowboarding (deck/gamecube):
Another "test whether it works" that I just kept coming back to because it succeeded with flying colors. It's been a while since I played a downhill snowboard game, and this one's as good as any. Dolphin works like a charm, and the shortcuts for quicksaving and -loading works wonders to reduce any repetition to a minimum (yes, that's cheating. No, I don't care).
23. Super alien assault (PC):
The steam deck wasn't the only reason I got back into gaming: at the very end of 2021, our attic was finally finished. Including moving my desk from its temporary space over there. And working remotely wasn't the only thing I could then comfortable do...
Super Alien assault is a roguelike platformer, but it's mostly just fun carnage. Maybe I rated it higher because it was the first newish game I tried in "my" attic, but having fun is my only factor of rating.
(note to self: also try this one on steam deck)
22. A dance of fire and ice (PC, deck):
I tried but couldn't get it to run on linux. Luckily, the deck is more forgiving. But this is a weird one: it's duet meets rhythm game. Duet, you might recall, has you playing as a circle over which you can rotate two balls (red and blue) to avoid obstacles. Anyone remember that? Nobody?
Well...A dance of fire and ice has you playing as that same ball, but upon a button press you shift the center to the other color. The idea is you do that the moment it lands on the next brick. And as such, the simple and elegant mechanic makes for a very good rhythm game. One that can get extremely hard if your rhythm isn't great (one miss and it's back to square one). But man is it satisfying.
21. Box boy + girl (deck, switch):
A puzzle platformer that's actually about puzzle platforming: leave it to HAL studios to create one. No idea why it's a switch exclusive, as I'm sure this'd run well on a gameboy advance (though in a kind of hilarious sidenote: this game makes my deck fans work harder than most other games on this list
): it certainly looks and plays like one. But it nicely guides you through the new mechanics you get each world, the levels are thinky but not frustrating (though I think I'm at least twice the intended audience's age) and it has the same chill atmosphere as their flagship Kirby games.20. Hollow knight (deck):
It pains me to put it so low on the list. It's perfect for the deck: the visuals and music are among the best I've ever seen and it handles like a charm. You know all of this already so there's not much reason to keep yapping about its qualities.
So why the low scoring? Because I'm bad if not terrible at it. It's the greatest exploration game I know, but it's one that takes time and patience, as well as honing and improving skill. After a while I looked at other games to play, which makes the barrier of entry even higher as time went by.
19. Dead man's draw (deck):
This one came out of nowhere. It was one of the earliest tests of my deck ("can it handle ported mobile apps?"). Not only is the answer a solid yes, but I just kept coming back at it! DmD is a simple push your luck card drawing game. Draw two of the same symbols and you lose all you've drawn. Stop before that and you get the cards to your hand (but remember: you only score the highest card of a suit, so it has diminishing value). On top of that, most if not all suits have a special ability that reveals itself during the early games. So a great tutorial. But there's even more than that: the game has a sheer ridiculous amount of tournaments in which you can unlock bonus powers. These tournaments modify the game in unique ways, making endless variety possible. Not bad for a game I picked up for a buck!
I do have to mention, though, that this is also due to very smooth deck controls. In fact, I think this is my favorite mouse-driven game on the deck thus far.
18. Super Mario Galaxy 1&2 (deck):
Another deck test that passed with flying colors...does SMG play well on the deck? I've played through both without a hitch, and thanks to savestates I'm in the action about 99% of the time (I often hit quickload before even getting the "oooooh" Mario does at the end).
There are a few levels in each that use wiimote shenanigans, and I couldn't be bothered to try to rebind these. So don't expect to 100% it. But none of these are mandatory.
And okay: SMG2 is better than the first one. But they play so similar that I've given them the same spot.
17. Post void (PC):
This game just screams WTF!!!! at the top of its lungs. It's a FPS-addict's fever dream in every form: the perspective is wonky, the music is a weird metal riff, you're constantly running out of time, the monsters are bizarre (and even sexual?) blobs and you can get eppilepsy just from reading about it. But it's also highly addictive to the point where it gets disturbing. I mean...it's a roguelike FPS where killing enemies adds time, getting shot reduces time and where anything but attempting to speedrun is a guaranteed failure. But the experience is so thrilling I have to drag myself away from the PC to avoid starting another run.
16. Kingdom builder (android):
You know what I want? This freaking game in an app that wasn't finished by amateurs! This isn't the first time either: Alhambra was another digital board game that was dragged down by its implementation. But from what I recall, I'd say this is worse in both aspects: the bugs and lack of quality is more glaring AND the game is better. The bad: the aspect ratio's wonky, getting needed information's a hassle (luckily the game's easy enough to not need if after some time) and the lack of undo button is annoying as heck. Oh, and the lack of expansions even more!
The good: the game is as simple as it is brilliant (each turn you build three huts on the map, based on the terrain you're on. BUT: you must build somewhere adjacent to another location whenever possible. You also have three scoring goals in the game, which determine how you should best build). I find myself wanting to play a new game almost as soon as the last one ended. The AI is pretty good, I must admit...and that's me playing on easy or medium. But f***, do I want a better implementation of this one...
15. Newer super mario bros wii (wii):
Somewhere early this year I mentioned on the forums that the best mario platformer isn't made by nintendo but is a hack by fans. But because it's been years, I went for another run. And I can confirm: Newer super Mario bross wii is the best Mario platformer I've ever played.
(Note: I also quickly tried it on the deck: it works. But I can't confirm whether that includes wiimote tilting)
14. Roundabout (deck):
Ah yes...the joys of driving an ever-spinning limousine. Loved it on PC, "ported" to the deck it handles even better (one of the few games I prefer the joystick for movement, actually). The cutscenes are downright hilarious, the gameplay is absurd but fantastic and it has a good pace to it. Put it on your wishlist, as it's a gem!
13. Stealth inc 2 (deck):
Had to do some shenanigans to get it working, but after that it was smooth sailing. This series is one of my favorites, which comes down to the hands down perfect level design. But even so...
12. Stealth bastard deluxe (deck):
...I like the original better. The reason is that the open world and the gadgets of the sequel make the game more bloated while the story is at best equally good. The original is darker, more brutal and tighter in approach (kind of like the movie cube vs hypercube)
11. Murder by numbers (deck):
Here's one NOT to add to your wishlist: it mixes griddlers/nonograms puzzles with a detective story. But I was curious, and after the slow initial beginning (here are the characters, here are some way too easy griddlers) things really upped the pace. By the second act I became more interested in the characters than the puzzles, and this continued all until the end of chapter 4 (which is almost twice as long as the rest, btw). If a light story with cliché characters and some soothing puzzles appeal to you this'll be your gem. But if you'e even hesitant you'll probably dislike or even hate it. That's okay: this is a personal list of mine, after all. :-)
10. A monster's expedition (deck):
Draknek is a personal favorite developer of mine (, a good snowman is hard to build, cosmic express). He always uses simple mechanics and shows depth to the point where you feel like you're smarter than Einstein when you solve it. And a monster's expedition might just be his best work thus far. The idea: you're on an archipelago with islands with obstacles and trees. You can push down trees and roll the logs into the water. That's pretty much it. But he beautifully paces out how the objects interact with each other. You literally have no other keys but movement and a screen that shows the puzzle...but while it can be frustrating, solving a level just feels so goddamn satisfying!
9.My time at sandrock (deck):
One I'm currently playing, so it might rise even higher. MTAS is the sequel to MTA Portia, a stardew valley/the sims kind of game. You are a builder who builds things, socializes, picks up junk, gathers blueprints, turns junk in less worthless junk, and so on. As with Portia, it's a great chillout experience. You always have things to do, but you can do it at your own pace. The tech trees are huge, the people to meet varied and you are never NOT leveling up. It's in early access, but aside a few rough edges works absolutely fine.
8. The pedestrian (deck):
I admit it: I bought it because the combination of 8-bit platformer and a real world appealed to me. What I got was that...as well as a pretty darn hard puzzle platformer. But it's hard in the good way: the way you can rearrange panels, remake the connections and so on is pretty innovative stuff, and it's used very well. It's just that I'm at best barely smart enough to solve it, so it's not a "chill on the couch and relax" kind of game. And while it WORKS on the deck, I can't say it's made for it: rearranging panes is 'doable', but what's on the screen can get pretty tiny. Not too tiny, but it's edging in that direction.
7. Dominion (android)
Temple gates games have a history of taking top positions here. And since I played this before the deck came out, I had high hopes for it going in. See, dominion is arguably even a better board game than Tom Lehman's work. Heck: dominion is STILL ranked among the best deckbuilder games on the market (even though it was literally the game that created the genre). And as if that wasn't enough, they not topped it up once but TWICE!
1) On top of the base game, ALL the expansions are available. And dominion has A TON of those. And like magic: the gathering, there's some wonky stuff in the extra cards (though arguably not THAT wonky). As far as I could tell, it all works. More so: the AI just plays it pretty darn good. It's based on alphazero, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but excuse me while I stubbornly AM surprised.
2) the base game is free. Still in early access, but don't presume either of those are red flags. I mean: I've got the base board game of dominion and I've payed 40 bucks for it, so no: it's not crippled or incomplete in any way. Heck...I'd make the argument that a majority of the expansion cards are variations of the base set.
As for the early access: I honestly don't get why the f*** they don't release it. It was pretty much stable a year ago, and I can't even think what kind of layers of polish they could add even if they wanted to. Oh, sure: I've had one game where the AI just kept making rats (that's one of the expansions), up to the point he only had that in his deck. Again: I've had that ONCE. For MANY DOZENS of games.
So...why isn't this the number one? Frankly put: I don't like dominion that much as a board game as I do Race or Roll for the galaxy. Those are chill experiences about maximizing your available plans. A bit strategic, but mostly tactics. Dominion is almost the inverse: you start with random stacks of cards, and based on what is available to you, you should craft out a strategy...I think even before your first play. I like it and it's great in all aspects that matter...
(PS: after kingdom builder, this is Vaccarino's second digital boardgame on this list. Honestly: if temple gates made that game, it'd be on this position if not higher).
6. Link's awakening (deck, yuzu):
Yes, I would've bought Link's awakening. No, I'm not buying an entire system for one freaking game. And to be fair: I'm not sure if it's worth the full price. It's great, yes...but it's 100% nostalgia in a new jacket. I just breezed through it because I know where everything is in the gameboy version. This one adds (much) better graphics and sound, but the gameplay itself's the same.
I know: it's exactly what fans want. But I'm not necessary a fan; just one who likes a certain video game.
5. Fast pilots (deck):
There is an F-zero GX sequel. It just has a stupid name, that's all. But seriously: if you liked GX at all you must buy this game RIGHT THE FUCK NOW! it offers the same frantic insanely fast racing, ridiculous track designs and mimicks A LOT from GX. But the result is the best racing game I've played in the last ten years. In fact, I played GX a bit and in some aspect fast pilots does even better!
4. Katana zero (deck):
I feel bad comparing it to hotline miami, but I really should to give a general idea of what it's about. That is: frantic, almost fever-like action sequences mixed with a weird and unsettling storyline.
But here's the thing: other games at best copy hotline miami in a decent way (12 is better than 6 and even my favorite mr shifty). Katana zero developers said "that's pretty great, but we can do better". And they did. Katana zero starts a bit slower (quite extensive tutorial levels) and the story a lot more grounded. But that makes what comes all the more tense and terrifying (to those who've seen Jacob's ladder: that sort of thing). The gameplay is also remarkably puzzly. In HM you could make plans but they fell apart the moment things went not 100% as planned (meaning: almost everytime). KZ has SOME fast reflex rewards, but if you don't plan out your moves ahead you're far more likely to fail.
3. There is no game: wrong dimension (PC):
I installed this based on the funny premisse: the game doesn't want to be played and you - the player - tries to force its way in. A cute little concept, I thought. A few simple puzzles, a "find your way around a nineties' desktop" kind of experience and done. Right? Well...not really. For one, the game captivated me by that time with more clever puzzles than I anticipated and breaking the fourth wall better than anticipated (like...the "quit the game" sign has a multitude of signposts pointing toward it
). But that in itself is unusual but not unique (see also: road to ballhalla). However, it turns out "There is no game: wrong dimension" was only just starting at that point. What follows is a unique journey through a multitude of game genres and gaming tropes. Point 'n click, Zelda, Free to play...I won't even name the last ones to keep some surprises. But there were genuinely hilariously fun moments, the story had more depth than I thought of at first, and even the simple mousedriven gameplay proves both variation and innovation (the hint system, for example, just sets a bar for any other point'n click: I didn't need youtube ONCE...though I must admit I relied on the solution a few times). Also important is what's missing: moon logic and pixel hunting. It's clear the devs knew what they liked and made exactly that. As a result, this is a game that can not only stand toe to toe with Monkey island but might even surpass it (note: I haven't played escape from monkey island; I'm refering to the first two entries).2. Logic wiz (android):
At first I thought having a deck would obsolete my tablet aside from browsing the internet. Well...not really. A large touchscreen is still the ideal case for casual puzzle gaming. And in this case, it's almost mandatory. Logic wiz isn't just "a" sudoku app: I would strongly recommend it as THE sudoku app, and I've browsed at least a handful from the recommended android apps. Logic wiz has a dumb name but otherwise sometimes even dominates other (for some reason still highly recommended) apps in every aspect. Easy to use? Check. Night mode? Check. A buttload of sudoku's to choose from? Check. The second thing that should raise eyebrows is the hint system. Others just randomly fill in a number; this one uses a syntax to tell you WHY a certain spot is a certain number, which usually leads to a "of COURSE!" moment from me. It also tries to teach you advanced tactics (X-wing? Swordfish? Jellyfish?), but I admit I'm too dumb to understand those. But even so: great approach.
But that's just the SECOND reason I'd recommend it. The first: it has so many variants it's just madness. Chaos sudoku? Hamburger? Killer? Kropki? It's all there, including variants I've never even heard about in those newspaper stand puzzle books. But on top of that, the creators often don't just plop out grids but often have symmetry in them. That's just the icing on the cake, but I don't think even ANY other apps do that (though I've seen it in a puzzle book).
Strong disclaimer, though: this is a free-to-play game. I don't play these games lightly, and ESPECIALLY not when they use a subscription to get rid of adds and a limited error system. But still...even though I hesitated this MUCH more than I should have, I forked out an insane amount of money (20 bucks!!!!) for a lifetime subscription. Since that time - now almost a year ago, I think - they've added at least 3 more variants and I can't even count how many hours I've played.
1. Dead cells (deck):
Another one I hesitated the fuck out of. Not that Dead cells isn't great...but I had it already! It's practically all I played in my later days of my gpd xd+. So yeah...I have it on android. Would I spend actual money on a steam version? Heck...would I go through the process of trying to unlock everything again?
The answer's yes, yes and YYYYYYEEEEEESSSSS!!!!!! What amazed me wasn't so much how much better it was on the steam deck (and believe me: it IS better), but that the developers just keep pumping out new stuff for this game, even after years of release.
In fact, I'm contemplating putting that up as a con, as this both helped me during my depression and dragged me down. There were days where I felt my only achievement that day was a stupid virtual reward in a video game (and mind you: I've got a 2-year old toddler that needs parenting on a daily basis :\ ). So...when I started feeling better I started resisting playing it, if for no other reason than to, y'know...go out more.
But honestly: dead cells absolutely deserves getting all the praise it gets. I project it'll surpass most if not all of my other steam games in terms of playing time, but that's okay: it's just that fun to do the actual PLAYING (of course it's tough when you die...but this isn't the sort of game where the effort feels wasted when you don't unlock or achieve anything than the time spent).
