On an average day, about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that’s a good thing, it can understandably be hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to get lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you search every game released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing interests you this week, we’ve rounded up the best PC games (opens in new tab) you can play now and a running list of the 2022 games (opens in new tab) that will start this year.
Midnight Fight Express
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: August 24
Developer: Jacob Dzwinel
Introductory Price: $20 | £16 | AU$29.95
Midnight Fight Express is a beat ’em up crime saga about Babyface, a reformed thug whose quiet, rehabilitated life is thrown into chaos by a drone that warns of an impending citywide disaster. A bunch of villains plan to take over the entire town, and Babyface has until dawn to stop it. This, of course, entails knocking the ever-loving shit out of those villains, be it with his fists, ax or knife, or with the many and varied environmental objects strewn everywhere. All of Babyface’s skills are upgradeable, so there’s a bit of freedom when it comes to developing your own fighting style, and there are skill trees, a range of cosmetic tweaks, and an online leaderboard. This looks great if you like combos, pointless cartoon violence and crime fighting.
islets
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: August 24
Developer: Kyle Thompson
Introductory Price: $20 | £15.49 | AU$28.95
Islets is a handsome Metroidvania with a Ghibli-esque art style reminiscent of the recent Greak: Memories of Azur (opens in new tab). Main character Iko must unite a handful of floating islands, which involves visiting them via an airship and completing their dungeons. Once defeated, they will converge, which is a fun twist on the sprawling Metroidvania map formula. It’s also a pretty orthodox affair, with the usual bit of upgrades, enemies and boss fights. Islets is described as “surprisingly healthy” on the Steam page, and it certainly looks like some sort of “warm blanket” game, something to wash away Sunday night fears.
Hot Lap League
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: August 24
Developer: Ultimate Studio
Introductory price: $9.89 | £7.51 | AU$14.19
Someone in the Steam reviews for Hot Lap League writes, “Good game, but why play this when I can play Trackmania?” It’s a decent question, I think, but one answer that comes to mind, and I agree with, is “because some people can’t get enough of Trackmania”. If you’re into more arcade racers with big jumps and gravity-defying loops then this is probably the best you’ll find this side of a new Trackmania, and there’s a lot to sink your teeth into here: 150+ tracks , tons of customization , global leaderboards and daily challenges.
BROK the researcher
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: August
Developer: Cowcat
Introductory price: $18 | £16.19 | AU$26.05
The Steam page describes BROK: The InvestiGator as a “punch and click” adventure, which is great for those of us who are averse to adventure games without a bit of biff. Brok is the protagonist: he is an alligator on a mission to unravel the truth behind his wife’s tragic death. It has a “slight cyberpunk” attitude, though the tone is more Saturday morning cartoon, and while there’s a mode to play Brok as a straight point-and-click adventure, the real innovation here is that you kill the puzzles. can hit instead of solving them. This adventure is fully voiced and has multiple endings to work towards during its 20 hours of gameplay.
Garden
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: August 26
Developer: Sock Puppet
Introductory Price: $5 | £4 | AU$7.50
The latest from microgame specialists Sokpop is an idle game (think Cookie Clicker) about taking care of a farm. You buy a plot, choose your crops, install all sorts of useful farming equipment and then go play another game, or watch YouTube videos, or whatever. There’s a bit more “thinking” here than your average idle game, as farming isn’t as simple as building a cookie empire, but the whole thing can be automated if you’re smart enough, and you can even buy charming animal companions to to roam your land. As usual, the beautiful simplicity of Sokpop’s art style is a big part of its appeal here.
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