Summary
With so many games on the market, across such a variety of saturated genres, first impressions have become more important than they ever were before. As unfortunate as it is, the harsh reality is that visuals are often the first and only thing that draws players in as they scroll through their preferred storefront.
This is especially unfortunate for indie games, some of which are developed by solo developers attempting to compete against some truly high-quality products. Thankfully, the inventive, often innovative gameplay of indie games andtheir lower price-pointmake even the least visually impressive of them worth playing. Some may find any one of these games visually appealing in their own way, but the core point here is that every one of these titles is more fun than it could ever hope to look.
Thispost-apocalyptic survivalgame is not much to look at, featuring a cramped UI and bare-bones graphics that do little to spark the imagination. However,NEO Scavenger’s writing and survival gameplay loop based on choice and consequences make for an immersive, strategic, and addictive experience.
NEO Scavengeris a hex-crawl first and foremost, tasking players with traversing a hexagonal world map. Players will have to manage their resources efficiently to maintain their well-being, as the game simulates a variety of survival elements. The game also features a great deal of inventory management and plenty of reading to be done, so players who don’t have the patience to sit through the occasional wall of text may want to steer clear.
Brown, dusty, and incredibly lo-fi (developed by the aptly named Lo-Fi Games),Kenshiis more than the sum of its parts. Sandbox in nature and sporting more player agency than many AAA open-worlds,Kenshiis packed with opportunity, full to the brim with characters to meet, business to do, and ways to die. The game is brutal, unforgiving, and wholly satisfying. All despite low-budget visuals and a user interface that lacks style.
Kenshiisa party-based role-playing gamethat throws players into a wild wasteland populated by desperate souls and hungry creatures. It gives players no real goal, but that’s its greatest joy, allowing players the freedom to stumble from one desperate situation to the other, fumbling their way through its one-of-a-kind open world.
3HROT
An Old-School FPS And A Masterclass In Creating Atmosphere
For fans of old-school first-person shooters and the recent resurgence of low-poly graphics,HROTdoesn’t look half-bad. However, there’s no denying its visuals are lo-fi in their design and painted in a nostalgic brown color palette that’s somewhat reminiscent ofthe sci-fi fantasyclassic,Quake.
Love or hate its visuals, players would be doing themselves a disservice to judgeHROTbefore they’ve played it. The gameplay isn’t the smoothest, particularly in the gunplay, butHROTis a masterclass in atmosphere and sense of place. Each ofHROT’s levels manages to feel like a real place, even if they don’t make complete sense in their construction, and this makes the smattering of absurdist ideas and strange enemy designs stand out all the more.
4Dune: Imperium
More Fun Than Its Busy UI Makes It Look
Dune: Imperiumisn’t an ugly game, not at all, but for players that have never playedthe board game it’s adapted from(or any digital board game, for that matter), the Steam screenshots can make it look like a dry and confusing mess.Dune: Imperiumis far from dry, especially once players have taken the time to learn its unique combination of worker placement and deck-building mechanics.
For fans of roguelike deck-builders such asSlay The Spire,Cobalt Core, orWildfrost,Dune: Imperiumis a must-try. It’s entirely different, but a match ofDune: Imperiumagainst hard-mode AI opponents can almost feel like a run of a roguelike deck-builder, making it a great experience even without delving into its small multiplayer community. Furthermore, the game has a brilliant DLC that expands on the already-involved gameplay loop, adding several layers of strategy for those who have begun to master its systems.
Caves Of Qudshares more than a few similarities withtraditional roguelikes, featuring a gameplay loop that revolves around RPG character progression, resource management,and dungeon-crawlingwith turn-based combat. Visually speaking,Caves Of Qudis not too dissimilar from the old-school roguelikes it’s inspired by, though Freehold Games has done a remarkable job at adding polish and atmosphere with subtle art direction wherever possible.
The music, sound design, and evocative writing ofCaves Of Qudmake up for the minimal visuals, providing players with an immersive atmosphere that depicts a mysterious world. The world in whichCaves Of Qudtakes place is a combination of hand-crafted and procedurally-generated content, all of which the player is free to explore. The game’s deep character creator is arguably one of its greatest strengths, but the unique sci-fi fantasy world is a consistently intriguing playground that rewards the curious and makesCaves Of Qudsuch a memorable experience.
