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Board Game Arena
A bit of a different one this week as this is technically a subscription service with a free-to-play option, but put down your pitchforks and hear me out!
BGA is a platform for playing board games online, and about half of the games I'm aware of IRL are available, from simple classics like Carcassonne and Yahtzee to multi-day slogs like Unconditional Surrender and Scythe. Some games are free for anyone to play, "premium" ones require that the person who starts the game is a paying member (but that means that one enthusiast can pay a few quid a month and invite their friends to play for free). There are rankings and tournaments if you want to take it seriously, or you can exclusively play solo or with friends.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but still quite a cool site you can enjoy without paying.
Mercapolis, a free isometric supermarket management game, released on Steam
Build and manage your own supermarket. Place orders for seasonal products, stock them on the shelves, and get ready to survive a workday full of surprises. Hire employees and keep your customers happy in Mercapolis.
No Players Online
you find an abandoned fps game on an old computer. you decide to play it.
As it's spooky season we have a creepy "vhs style" weird meta-game mystery about being trapped in a video game.
>traverse the digital wasteland of a shooter game long-abandoned. but don't let looks deceive you, the game is just a remnant distracting you from its real purpose.
The game has already been remastered (Windows only) though the original for Linux and Windows is also free, and it's apparently coming to Steam too. Pay-what-you-want on itch.io.
Harbinger on Steam (Arena Shooter)
Blast, slide, and tear through waves of monsters in Harbinger's retro-inspired combat, a free boomer shooter bringing '90s combat into the modern era. Fight through waves of enemies in brutal arenas and regroup at the tavern to upgrade your arsenal.
Daymare Cat
Just a small Cat in a big Town.
Hand-drawn indie platformer for Windows, originally released in 2013 but had an "anniversary edition" QoL update last year. Pay-what-you-want on Itch.io.
Tiny Survivors
Tiny Survivors is a chill top-down autobattler with lots of enemies and randomly generated synergies.
A shameless Vampire Survivors clone, most of the reviews say it's nothing special but good for half an hour of fun. Free on Steam.
>Tiny Survivors is a chill top-down autobattler with lots of enemies and randomly generated synergies.
Diluvian Ultra: Awakening
Diluvian Ultra: Awakening shows a never-before seen part of Diluvian Ultra's story, preceding the events of the main game. As a young Diluvian Knight, stage a heroic defense against insurmountable odds, in this single-player FPS with a retro aesthetic and fast-paced, strategic combat.
PolyCube - 3D Tetris
PolyCube is a block-stacking puzzle game in full 3D, with optional VR support. Move and spin your block pieces in all directions to place them in the puzzle before time is up and the piece drops.
> PolyCube is a block-stacking puzzle game in full 3D, with optional VR support. Move and spin your block pieces in all directions to place them in the puzzle before time is up and the piece drops.
The developer was a full-time web dev who wanted to try out solo game development, but they ended up hating the business management side of things, so they eventually gave up the "hobby" and just set the game to free permanently.
Agujero, a game about falling down a giant hole
A quick indie dungeon-crawler for Windows, pay-what-you-want on itch.io
Frogfall
Minimalist indie platform-puzzler for Windows with a cute pixel-art look. Pay-what-you-want on itch.io, the comments seem very positive.
Seance
Channel the dead, unlock their memories, solve their murders - 2nd place LD55 and 3 gold medals ★★★★★
Detective mystery for Windows, pay-what-you-want on itch.io. PC Gamer likened it to a spooky Phoenix Wright game, and it's a bit more fleshed-out than most of the itch.io games I post here!
Spelunky
The classic dungeoneering roguelike for Windows was one of the first really big indie game hits. While the HD remake and sequel are paid, the original is open source and free to download. Unfortunately the links and forums on the official website seem to be dead, but the internet archive has a copy so you can still play.
Mind Over Magnet
Magnet-based platform puzzler for Windows. Page calls it a demo but also mentions it being a work in progress, I think it's more of an early-access kind of thing where more levels are being added but it's still a proper game.
Infinitode 2 - Infinite Tower Defense
Infinitode 2 - a strategy in the Tower Defense genre, in which the player will have to build towers to protect his base from endless waves of enemies. The game features huge maps, lots of towers, resource miners, upgrade tree and map editor.
Please, Touch The Artwork 2
A handpainted cozy hidden object adventure. Explore a surreal world. Collect items for its quirky inhabitants. Fix damaged paintings and solve casual puzzles. Help a lost skeleton painter find his way home. This game is short but 100% FREE (no ads, no dlc's).
A handpainted cozy hidden-object adventure. Travel through surreal paintings. Collect items for their quirky inhabitants. Repair rips and solve casual puzzles. Help a dandy skeleton painter find his way home. This game is short but 100% FREE (no ads, no dlc's).
You are a dandy, suit-wearing, art-loving skeleton, recently risen from the grave, with the ability to travel into and through paintings. Using this ability, you help repair rips in the paintings and find missing items for the people living inside of them.
A slow paced relaxing experience filled with humor, surprising characters and beautiful hand painted art, carefully crafted from works by James Ensor, a Belgian Modern Art pioneer.
Also available on itch.io
Quik
Flip, bounce, smash and dash your way to victory.
Gravity-flipping platformer in the style of VVVVVV for Android, Linux, Mac, and Windows, pay-what-you-want on itch.io
Tanks of Freedom 1 & 2
A couple of retro turn-based strategy indies:
- Tanks of Freedom for Android, Linux, Mac, and Windows (open source)
- Tanks of Freedom II for Linux and Windows (also open source, and also coming soon to Steam)
Grapple Tournament
Grapple Tournament is a VR Grappling Hook Shooter with 3D movement freedom, fast-paced vertical combat and dual wieldable multifunctional weapons. Now Free-To-Play!
A VR multiplayer FPS centred around grappling hooks. Looks pretty cool, though it seems that being VR-only makes finding other players quite difficult. Still, "unreal tournament in VR" sounds fun even if you're playing against bots!
All Walls Must Fall
All Walls Must Fall is a Tech-Noir Tactics game set in Berlin 2089, where the Cold War never ended.
This time-traveling isometric tactical shooter recently became free on both Steam and itch.io for Linux, Mac, and Windows. Comments/reviews compare it to a combination of XCOM and Crypt of the Necrodancer, which is a big win in my book!
Nightmare Kart
Zoom through gothic streets in this horror themed vehicular combat racing game!
