On an average day about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that’s a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we’ve gathered the best PC games you can play right now and a running list of the 2024 games that are launching this year.
Psychopomp GOLD
Steam page
Release: October 25
Developer: Fading Club
Psychopomp GOLD is a bizarre dungeon crawler set in a city where most buildings have mysterious, horror-strewn catacombs hidden beneath them. It originally released as a free game earlier this year, but this newer paid version expands it in almost every way, with more levels, modes, secrets, endings and mod support. The horror is strong here, though it’s a surrealist take on horror inspired as much by anime as it is by the blobber RPGs of yore. If the earlier dungeon crawling Shin Megami Tensei games were too normal for you, perhaps give Psychopomp GOLD a look. Its free version has already gained cult status, and this paid version already has over 500 “Overwhelmingly Positive” reviews.
Rogue Flight
Steam page
Release: October 24
Developer: Truant Pixel, LLC
A damn good lookin’ on-rails shooter heavily inspired by Starfox, it seems, but coated in the syrupy sweetness of ’80s and ’90s “prestige” anime. In addition to the rich, period evocative anime stylings, Truant Pixel has also recruited a bunch of Japanese voice actors you may recognise from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Naruto, Sailor Moon and more. In addition to the main campaign mode there’s an unlockable roguelite take on the format, which presumably makes good use of the 40+ designs and weapons available. Looks like a lot of fun, especially if you’ve got a Steam Deck.
Vasilisa and Baba Yaga
Steam page
Release: October 25
Developers: Baba Yaga Games
Here’s a gorgeously styled sidescrolling adventure based on Vasilisa the Beautiful, an old Russian folktale perhaps best known among non-Slavs for the character Baba Yaga, who is usually depicted as a terrifying, malevolent old woman (you may recognise her from Reka). The adventure follows Vasilisa as she journeys to “the land of the dead” to appeal to Baba Yaga, and along the way she’ll cope with a range of tasks including washing dishes and laundry, through to fighting evil spirits. I love the look of this game, but most of all I love the music in the above trailer.
Disillusion ST
Steam page
Release: October 27
Developer: Disillusion Dev
If you thought Psychopomp GOLD was as weird as things could possibly get in this week’s column, think again. Disillusion ST looks like a forgotten ’90s CD-ROM showcase gone very bad, or a creepypasta take on 3D Maze. It’s a dungeon crawler with some point and click adventure trappings and even a CCG (thankfully, for this CCG disliker, you don’t have to engage with it). It seems to be a sequel or expansion to a 2021 game called Disillusion, wherein “a mysterious muse calls upon you to investigate a Large tower in an oneiric land”. Watching the trailer has me feeling like I’m trapped on an island in the tributary connecting the dark web with /r/Vaporwave.
STRAFTAT
Steam page
Release: October 24
Developer: Sirius Lemaitre, Leonard Lemaitre
Here’s a dreamy 1v1 arena shooter with 70 maps. It’s about as stripped back as they come: there are a bunch of maps, a bunch of weapons and explosives, and a bunch of unlockable cosmetics. You just boot the game up and shoot at other people. Every match has a “number of rounds”, with each round taking place on a different map. It’s free, and there’s a map clearly inspired by Twin Peaks’ Red Room, which is cool. Someone in the reviews describes it as “part Cruelty Squad, part Quake, part WarioWare”.
