Steam releases an average of 10 new games per day. We think that’s a good thing, but understandably, it can be hard to keep up.Unless you’ve sorted through all the games released on Steam, an exciting potential gem is Definitely lost in the flood of new things to play.If you don’t like anything this week, we’ve rounded up the best PC games (opens in new tab) A running list of games you can play now and in 2023 (opens in new tab) It will start this year.
Scorchland
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: February 8th
Developer: Ring Lab
Price at launch: $10.79 |£9 |AU$15.97
Entering Early Access last week, Scorchlands is a hex-based colony builder focused on resource extraction and all the complex logistics involved. So instead of just going out and digging things up, thing Get where you need to be. Yes, there’s a bit of Factorio here, but the settings are much more groundless. It builds and utilizes procedurally generated volcanic satellites, and more importantly, there’s magic in it. This magical technology will open up better ways to advance colonization. Studio Ringlab he predicts an 18-month Early Access period, during which new features will be added and the usual spit-and-polish.
Midnight Scene: Out of the Woods
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Released: February 10th
Developer: Octavi Navarro
Price at launch: $4.49 | £3.86 | AUD 6.75
Octavi Navarro, best known as the artist for Thimbleweed Park, has also published a number of solo-developed adventure games, usually with a strong psycho-horror bent. Last week, Navarro released his Midnight Scenes: From the Woods. This is his fourth in the Midnight Scenes series by my count. This entry is set in Fernwood Creek, his mental health center suffering from a “disturbing incident” following the arrival of a new patient. Protagonist Elijah befriends this new patient, and then… the horror sets in. It’s a short adventure that can be completed in one go, and like his Midnight Scenes series usually, Twilight’s It’s all about Zone inspired spookiness.
Yggdra Union
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: February 7th
Developer: Sting
Launch price: $20 | £16.75 | AUD $29.50
Yggdra Union was first released for the Game Boy Advance in 2006 and has since been ported to the PSP, smartphones, Nintendo Switch, and now PC.Originally published by Atlus, but now by Japanese developer Sting. It’s a fully processed, fairly orthodox tactics RPG with a bird’s-eye overworld map used for navigation and combat from a sideways perspective. It’s not a lost classic, but if you like Japanese fantasy RPGs, you’ll probably love the atmosphere. Interestingly, the PC port is an Early Access issue, but only so that lingering bugs can be fixed. All in all, it’s a substantial port, with a new PC-friendly control interface and other bonuses like rewinding and combat speed adjustments.
Pentacore
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: February 12th
Developers: Jonathan Collier, Jason Martin
Launch Price: $10 |£8.50 | AU$14.50
If you’ve been craving a conventional old-school Metroidvania, Pentacore can do the trick. Even can look experimental, but its art style is very appealing and its approach to pixel art is very appealing. you are old Apogee shareware games are better than, say, 8-bit or 16-bit console games. It ticks all the boxes: a vast interconnected world, a variety of permanent upgrades, and many dangerous villains who get shot down again and again. Looks like a lovely labor of love.
mystic gate
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Released: February 10th
Developer: Zoo Corporation
Price at launch: $8 | £6.80 | AUD 11.60
Wow, it feels like it’s been years since the new twin-stick shooter roguelite hit Steam (read: maybe just a few weeks?). That’s the Mystic Gate, very similar to Enter the Gungeon, Nuclear Throne, etc. The loop is what you’d expect: Enter a dungeon, shoot junk from bullet-spitting enemies, collect loot that improves or reduces your chances of winning, and die. But most importantly, it has two-player local co-op. If the genre isn’t enough for you, it looks like a blast.
