Last time, I had written an article regarding top 5 free-to-play Steam games that you’ve got to download and play. This time, let’s talk about some games on Steam that are so good that you have to buy but does not break your bank. Most of the games here are either from independent developers or from companies with a small development company. Usually these games will be discounted during Steam Sales.
So again, here are the top 5 Steam games that you should have and should buy. We will try to look into different genres of games thus giving you a variety of options based on your preferences. Let’s start!
1. Stardew Valley
Do you remember the farming game Harvest Moon on PlayStation 1? It was a game where you played as a first-time farmer who had to cultivate the land and sell vegetables while getting to know the townsfolk. It was packed with a lot of activities and game-play including fishing, cooking, dating and other interesting things. Stardew Valley brings back the nostalgia of that game and it is considered the best successor to Harvest Moon so far.
The game brings what Harvest Moon did and so much more. This is interesting as the game was developed by only one person; yes the whole game, the music, the story, dialogue, mechanics and graphics was made by one person. This game will take much of your time just exploring what you can do in the first playthrough and will take even more time on your second and third playthrough just to explore even more. Completionists will be overjoyed spending their time in-game as there are a lot of achievements in the game.
If you loved Harvest Moon or like farming simulators with a good story and good gameplay, get Stardew Valley. Its only RM31.00 on steam right now and can get lower during discount season.
2. The Banner Saga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJJQgma4OLs
Another game that I used to love to play on PlayStation 1 was Final Fantasy Tactics. It was a Tactical RPG with a great story line, great cast of characters and even better gameplay. This game was so great that to this day it still brings nostalgia to me whenever I see other Tactical games. The Banner Saga in my opinion lives up to the same greatness as Final Fantasy Tactics. There are three games in the series and the story is as good as the original Star Wars trilogy.
The Banner Saga is about an epic Viking story where your choices in words and in battle will affect the journey. You can make allies along the way, growing your little caravan of war while battling the threat of annihilation of a civilization. The art style of the game is beautiful as every aspect of the game seems like it was hand drawn and comes to life when you play the game. The battles are harsh and requires strategic maneuvers as one wrong move can be costly to you or divert the story line.
The game is now RM47.99 on Steam and is worth every penny. If you finish the game and can’t get enough of The Banner Sage, fear not, as there is also The Banner Saga 2 and The Banner Saga 3 at the same relative prizes.
3. Darkest Dungeon
H.P. Lovecraft was a great writer that brought many horrors and myths to books. He was the writer behind everyone’s beloved forgotten elder god Cthulhu, he who slumbers. Not many games can bring the same Lovecraft lore and myths as Darkest Dungeon can. The Darkest Dungeon at its core is a rogue-like game with the storytelling dread that Lovecraft brought in his books. Horrors have emerged from the once great Mansion of the town and you have to gather adventurers to explore the dark and dangerous dungeons in order to restore the town.
The gameplay will have you managing each character’s health as well as their psyche. Each step you take in the dungeon will stress the adventurers, and monsters can also cause stress. At full stress, an adventurer can either bring affliction to himself or become virtuous. The player thus has to manage the party’s health, damage and stress while traversing each dungeon. There is a permanent death system in the game thus one wrong step can kill a much beloved character.
The Darkest Dungeon comes at RM47.00 right now on Steam while the expansions The Crimson Court at RM23.00 and The Color of Madness at RM12.50. Get the game and venture into the Darkest Dungeon.
4. This War of Mine
This War of Mine is a survival game where you are given a set number of people in a house that has to survive through a war erupting in the city. Like The Sims, the game is mostly point-and-click where you tell your characters what to do or where to go and the characters will perform it.
Unlike The Sims, the game will wreck your soul with the choices you have to make to survive. The writing of each character’s dialogue including the non-playable character’s are truly depressing. You will be able to feel and empathize what it’s like to live in a war torn city while you scavenge for survival.
A great game with simple graphics but enough for you as the player to feel the depression and sadness of the people you are trying to save. The sounds and music is also perfect as you can hear people shooting and tanks firing off in the distance, not knowing what will happen next or who will die next.
This War of Mine is at RM38.00 and is worth a look at if you want to feel what its like to be in a war as a civilian trying to survive. Better yet, get the expansion The Little Ones at RM11.00 and feel what it’s like for children surviving the war.
5. Factorio
A game that is all about efficiency, Factorio has you as the player stuck on a planet and has to build a rocket to get off said planet. How do you build a rocket? Buy gathering the materials and building the parts of the rocket, of course. You start by gathering rocks to build a burner to burn metal ore and build metal pieces. Then continue to build more things like chips, walls, turrets and your own personal robots.
The game teaches you as a player about the efficiency of doing things and the math required to do it. There are countless calculations and templates out there on how to build your base efficiently. The single goal of the game is, of course, just to build a rocket while fending off alien attackers but does it in a very interesting manner. You feel the gratification and attachment of building an efficient line of factories as you move on to your next task at hand.
So if you like building things and have the will to see things through, get this game. This game is going at RM50.00 and worth the buy.
Those are some of the greatest indie Steam games you can find and should buy. They are personally my favorites and I have replayed them countless times. There are more to come as we explore more Steam games out there that are interesting, and hopefully, I can help you avoid the awful ones.
Until next time! Keep on slinging spells!
