The Emporium aims to serve, and as such, I thought I might give a few recommendations of cheap and awesome downloadable games that you can find on Steam/GOG (Good Old Games -- gog.com) on the computer, or on your local console right now! There's a ton more I can list, so for today I'm limiting it to six stellar choices (and one honourable mention), all of which you can find for 15 bucks or less! Also worth noting is that each of these games very often go on sale, so you can spend even less than that! It's marvellous!
Dust: An Elysian Tail
Normal Price: $14.99
Developer: Humble Hearts
Platforms: PC, Mac & Linux via Steam/GOG, Xbox 360
Genre: Action Platformer
At last, I can finally talk about Dust, a 2D indie action platformer not unlike a cross between Guardian Heroes on the Sega Saturn and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on PlayStation. You play as Dust, the hero of this Elysian Tail, as you attempt to recover the memory of his past with the help of a mysterious talking sword called Ahrah, and a nymph-like guardian of the sword named Fidget. The story is great, and just ever so slightly juxtaposed, very well I might add, with the terrific art style. The game features a beautiful pastel look and a vibrant pallet of colours, and with the charming, humorous and self-referential dialogue and voice acting, bring the world of Falana to life. Add to that a fantastic and dynamic score that is both melancholy and epic, and Dust is truly a beautiful game.
You traverse Falana via different overarching areas, with settlements or caverns inhabiting each locale. Certain locations and collectibles require upgrades that you receive through story progression, and these upgrades range from normal levelling-up improvements of health, stamina, magic, and damage, as well as particular moves or techniques that can also be used in battle. Combat is a highly stylized, combo-heavy affair, with simple button presses and proper timing allowing you to ramp up the combo hits and juggle multiple enemies with a tremendous flow and elegance. It's addicting, and very rewarding. The pacing is simple but effective, with the main settlements and towns featuring quest-givers with certain tasks to do, or trials that you can compete in, and the surrounding areas that are inhabited by enemies and treasure, where certain spots of relief can be found with shops and save points. The game runs multiple chapters and is just a delight to play through, and is very much worth its asking price. In a time where so many indie titles take a retro-2D approach, Dust: An Elysian Tail stands out with its polished gameplay, distinct style, and originality.
Lone Survivor
Normal Price: $14.99
Developer: Superflat Games
Platforms: PC, Mac & Linux via Steam/GOG, PlayStation 3, PS Vita
Genre: Survival-Horror
By Jasper Byrne comes a particularly chilling and atmospheric horror title, Lone Survivor. As a masked 2D sprite, you must survive in a world ravaged by a terrible disease that has mutated or killed everyone around you. Facing malnutrition, dehydration, and hallucinations, you control the character as he explores his apartment and beyond to uncover the mystery and aftermath behind the event, while avoiding the creatures that lurk in the shadows and finding supplies to stay alive.
Weapons are scarce, and you will be inspecting almost every object to find something new, be it an object or a memory of a time gone by. It's equal parts psychological and shocking horror, with its solemn and haunting moments interspersed by frightening and frantic escapes or acts of desperation.
Lone Survivor is a game best played rather than explained, and with a new Director's Cut now out on all platforms, it's definitely worth a look if you want a special dose of horror and intrigue in your day.
Luftrausers
Normal Price: $9.99
Developer: Vlambeer
Platforms: PC, Mac & Linux via Steam/GOG, PlayStation 3, PS Vita
Genre: Arcade Shoot 'em up
Incredibly simple, but incredibly maddening, Luftrausers is a hectic and addicting arcade-style shoot 'em up where you control a plane and...you shoot things. That's it. Really. The maddening part is in how you control, with a button/key for shooting, and arrow keys to go forward or turn. Using this momentum, you must rack up a score by shooting stuff. This stuff entails planes, smaller planes, and larger planes. You also shoot boats, and ships. And hey, even a blimp! You shoot things. But it's so much fun! It's really fast-paced, and it gets better when you consider that you can modify your plane's weapon, hull, or engine to create a totally different plane. You get more parts by completing some of the many challenges for you, as well as maintaining a high enough score to proceed to the next "level." I use the word "level" loosely because not much really changes apart from difficulty and enemy formations. Still, it's by no means a deep and engaging game, but it's simple and fun, and for that, I say give it a go.
Journey
Normal Price: $14.99
Developer: Thatgamecompany
Platforms: PlayStation 3
Genre: Adventure
Journey. Man, I really don't have anything profound to say about it. I'm at a genuine loss of words. What a special game this is, truly, this is the kind of game where it's quite clear that everyone will have a different experience during their playthrough. Journey is a very personal and inward-looking, uh, journey, but it also boasts a mesmerizing graphic style and soundtrack. That soundtrack. You play Journey by controlling your character with the thumbstick, and utilizing a powered jump, which increases in distance dramatically when you encounter a set of floating fabric. Journey is, as best I can say, a minimalist game with an astounding sense of grandeur and accomplishment, and you really only have one objective: reaching the ominous mountain on the horizon. As it happens, a unique feature of Journey is that another, unknown player can join you as the two of you progress. An ultimately fantastic part of this is that you only have one means of communicating with one another, and that's through a verbal "chirp" of sorts that you can charge for a higher pitch. The result, and I put this in the most artsy-fartsy way possible, is that you and the other player make your own little song.
It is exclusive to the PlayStation 3, but man if you have one, I highly recommend trying Journey. Incredible game.
FTL: Faster Than Light
Normal Price: $14.99
Developer: Subset Games
Platforms: PC, Mac & Linux via Steam/GOG, iOS
Genre: Space Sim/Strategy
Oh god FTL. A brilliant space sim, and also one of the most frustrating. FTL puts you in control of Galactic Federation crew members and a ship fleeing rebel forces, encountering alien species, distress calls, and pirates along the way. You choose a ship and a set amount of crew members to begin with, and you set out by choosing each destination, unknowing of what may lay at each stop. You can assign any crew member to any essential or non-essential position in the ship, be it piloting, maintaining the engines, manning the weapons or more. You have a set amount of power which you can allocate to each respective task, and it's up to you to balance these tasks in the middle of hectic ship battles. You can upgrade your ship's power and systems via scrap metal obtained during your travels, or spend that scrap to buy weapons or crew members.
This game is micro-managing on a small scale, but it still requires a good amount of planning and strategy to not only make it out of a battle alive, but to have enough oxygen or fuel cells to continue. If not, oops. Game Over. Start again. And trust me, the farther along you get, the more difficult and powerful the ships become. There's crew teleporters, drones, ion cannons, and more that you need to use or the enemy will use on you. You best be prepared. Completing certain special tasks also grant you access to other ships and such, so the extra variety there really adds to the already high replayability.
And it's now out on iPad, so you can also get mad anywhere on the go!
Torchlight
Normal Price: $14.99
Developer: Runic Games
Platforms: PC, Mac & Linux via Steam/GOG, Xbox 360
Genre: Action-RPG
Like Diablo? Then behold Torchlight! I know Diablo 3 may or may not be your jam right now, but if your looking for something new or more along the lines of Diablo 2, then absolutely check out Torchlight, or its improved sequel. It's dungeon crawling action-RPG excellence, with the first game featuring three different playable classes/characters: the Destroyer, a melee brute otherwise known as a Barbarian, the Vanquisher, a hunter class that uses traps and ranged weapons, and the Alchemist, most closely resembling a mage. You also choose an animal companion to take with you along the way, and these companions can attack enemies, level up, and also carry your loot for extra space, or take it back to town to immediately sell (a VERY convenient feature).
Each class specializes in different skill sets, and is more accommodating to certain weapons you find. As you venture through the many dungeons and caverns defeating enemies and bosses, you level up, and can put points into different categories and skill trees, slowly making your character an utterly powerful and fearsome adventurer. The dungeons, lairs, town, and characters all share a vibrant and expressive look, favouring art style over sheer graphical force. It's all a neat and tidy little package, and if it's your kind of game, I say go for it!
Honourable Mention: Metal Slug 3
Normal Price: $7.99 on Steam, everywhere else it varies slightly
Developer: SNK
Platforms: Pick one!
Genre: Shooty Mc Guns Boom Explosions Running Explosions Shoot Guns Tanks
The reason that Metal Slug 3 isn't on the main call is that, well, it's Metal Slug! There's enough ports and re-releases of not only the third entry, but most other Metal Slug games that you can find them anywhere (of note is the particularly awesome Metal Slug Anthology for Wii, PS2 and PSP). I bring up Metal Slug 3 though because it was just recently put on Steam, and to that I say, HELL YES. Why? Because it's Metal Slug, SNK's answer to the Contra series. You run, and gun, and destroy things and shoot bad guys! AND EXPLOSIONS! So many explosions! You get an arcade and mission mode in this version, as well as some multiplayer and score shenanigans to keep you occupied. Metal Slug!
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