The great Steam Summer Sale is almost over and I still feel lost. The number of discounted games is simply overwhelming and I'm struggling with a choice crisis, something which is typical for our chaotic times. Fortunately, it's still a couple of days until the sale ends so I have some time to make up my mind and choose a few games for the coming summer. It's clear that nobody will help me decide what to buy, and I'm not even asking for that, but how about trying to help other video game enthusiasts? Here comes a small list of lesser-known games created by small dev studios in case you're tired of AAA juggernauts like Witcher 3 or Doom Eternal.
The Final Station ($5.99)
If you're a fan of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R series, it's likely you've heard about the novel Roadside Picnic by Arkadiy and Boris Strugatsky that inspired the game. However, it may surprise you that it also served as source material for another, lesser-known title.
Decades have passed since the first alien visitation and mankind has finally managed to harness the power of the artefacts left behind by the extraterrestrials. Nothing good lasts forever, though, and now it seems that they are returning. The harbinger of the second visit from outer space is a pandemic which turns random people into mindless killers covered with black mucus. You, a nameless train driver, are given the task to drive an experimental locomotive and deliver technology crucial for the war effort. Your first task is to manage your engine and keep it in good condition, but you're regularly required to stop at track blockades and search for a code to unlock them. This means scavenging through abandoned buildings, fighting zombie-like enemies and searching for supplies. On the way, you put together overheard conversations and scattered notes into a story explaining what actually happened - and the truth it reveals is both multilayered and terrifying.
There are things in this game that could certainly be better, like the terrible train management and the linear level design or simplified dialogues, but it still works well as a Sci-Fi horror game with survival elements. Make sure to check out the DLC which gives you almost as much content as the main story and provides another, more cynical perspective on the same events.
Jalopy ($4.49)
The year is 1990 and the old order in the Soviet-dominated part of Europe is crumbling. As a proud citizen of Erich Honecker's socialist utopia, you're about to undertake a long journey together with your uncle. Behind the wheel of a Laika, the in-game fictional name for a certain wonder of Eastern German engineering, you will drive through several Eastern European countries and hopefully, come back. That task won't be easy, as you'll have to struggle with lack of money, car damage, and the risk of running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere.
Basically speaking, it's like you met the dirt-poor cousin of Euro Truck Simulator. For each day of your journey, you have to choose your destination, a city in another country, and the way you want to get there. The only way to earn money on the way is, weirdly enough, finding packages left on the road, collecting products like bottles of wine or cigs, and selling them at gas stations. Without a doubt, it's a game for patient people and the learning curve is quite steep at the start, but it will reward you with a dreamy experience, mixing moments of humour and melancholy.
Dex ($1.99)
She was another nobody living in futuristic Prague - until she survived an assassination attempt and was thrown into the neon cyberpunk jungle. Now Dex has to hide from mysterious pursuers and discover why they want her dead and what is her true destiny.
In other words, you're basically playing a 2D cinematic platformer version of Deus Ex. Moving between different parts of the city, you meet interesting people and talk to them, do quests and build up Dex's strength until she's ready to pursue the main plot. The money you earn can be spent on better equipment and, obviously, advanced cybernetic implants which give your blue-haired heroine unique powers. There are quite a lot of different skills to invest your experience points into as well. Sadly enough, there's quite a lot to criticise about Dex. Character animation is too blocky as if everyone was wearing heavy augments, melee combat and especially stealth systems seem underdeveloped, and voice acting is lacking for certain characters... Still, the general gameplay feels engaging enough if you like a mixture of a platforming game, a cRPG and a point'n'click adventure. I'm pretty sure I can commend the game for its setting and dialogue, as well as for branching paths both in the main story and various side-quests. If you haven't had enough after finishing Cyberpunk 2077 and the Shadowrun trilogy just like me, you may find Dex worth your time and money.
All screenshots were taken by me. The opening picture is a compilation of three screencaps merged with a summer sale ad taken from the official Steam store webpage.