I make no apologies for my Steam buying habits. My stepson saw my amount of Steam games and blurted a Holy shit at the number – which at this very moment is a very respectable L33T
“How much money have you spent on video games…”
And where I’m never going to admit to my 15 year old while also trying to hold up the illusion of fiscal responsibility, the fact of the matter is that it isn’t as much as you may think. With very few exceptions I have never spent more than $40 on a game on Steam. The very rare top level title that I’m mega-hyped about like Baldur’s Gate? Sure. But aside from that, I couldn’t find the most recent and my best guess is Saints Row 4 in 2013.
If it’s a top-tier game that I’ve been excited about, I’ll spend $30 on the Game of the Year all DLC edition or a new smaller game I’m excited for. ..but if it’s $10 or below and may be enjoyable? I’ll spend it without question. If it’s a Humble Bundle 10 Games For $20 and I have interest in more than one of them… no brainer.
So let’s look at my last few months of smaller run games.
KING OF THE BRIDGE – You want to get across a bridge, but there’s a troll stopping you. A troll who wants to play chess, but only knows half of the rules and has made up the other half. He won’t tell you those rules until you break them and he’s going to cheat until you learn them. It’s a short game that doesn’t overstay its welcome, and I’ve already told the developer I want a sequel with how fantastic the idea is.
MIMIC LOGIC – The chest to my left is lying. The chest to my right is lying. The two chests above me, one of them is lying. This chest has 0 mimics. This chest has 2 mimics. Ok, now, figure out which one to open and not get eaten. It’s fun, it’s quick, it tickles my logic brain, and it’s easy to pick up and put down except when you get super-frustrated and have to try it one more time.
BALATRO – Out of any of the games on the list, this is probably the one you’ve heard of, A deckbuilder, but with poker hands, but has nothing to do with poker? Unending unlockables for higher and higher tier difficulty layers. Game combinations that come out of nowhere to make you an unstoppable flush machine? It’s brilliant and deserves its press.
20 SMALL MAZES – I believe this one is free, but it’s charming and easy to play and you understand exactly what it’s trying to do. Get through some mazes. Have fun. Smile. The end.
COGMIND – All of the games on this list have come out in the last few months…. except this one. This is a dungeon crawler roguelike that has been worked on for years upon years. You’re a robot building yourself up and learning the history of the world you keep dying in one lesson at a time. It’s a hard as nails rogue with a whole sci-fi dynamic you don’t often see in the genre and it’s a game that ends, not because you got blown up, but because you tried to hack a terminal, and while running from the security you tempt your luck on a newly constructed hallway that collapses in on you when you run out of energy so you have to ram your head against the wall until you die. You know.. basic stuff..
So what are you playing? Sound off in all the places.
