Five new Steam games you probably missed (September 19, 2022)
On an average day about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that’s a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we’ve gathered the best PC games (opens in new tab) you can play right now and a running list of the 2022 games (opens in new tab) that are launching this year.
Incision
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: September 16
Developer: SmoothBrainDev
Launch price: $12.74 | £10.19 | AU$17
Joining the hordes of modern boomer shooters this week is Incision, which as you’d expect, cites the likes of Doom, Quake, Shadow Warrior and Blood among its influences. Quake seems to be the most prominent influence here, though expect a much more challenging take on the ye olde first-person shooter, because it’s described by its one-person studio as “merciless in its difficulty” and “no bullshit” (bullshit presumably being, in this context, moments when you’re not murdering stuff). There are eight weapons to point and shoot at things, and the world is gloriously grim in its 1990s polygonal excess, though do be aware that this is an Early Access affair: you’re getting one episode now, with more to come during the development period.
Wayward Strand
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: September 15
Developer: ghost pattern
Launch price: $18 | £13.94 | AU$26.05
On an extremely different plane to Incision is Wayward Strand, a narrative driven adventure game set on an airborne nursing home. I’ve been excited for this once since seeing it at PAX Australia (opens in new tab) in 2019, and based on the couple of hours I’ve played so far the wait was worth it. Protagonist Casey has been recruited by her mother to help out at the nursing home, and while the bookish teenager is reluctant at first, a slowly unfolding mystery—as well as the varying charms of the hospital’s inhabitants—eventually draw her in. This is definitely a game about its characters first and foremost: hearing the histories and anecdotes of the airship’s cast is genuinely engaging, thanks to the strong, often very funny, writing. The gorgeous comic strip art style helps too.
Night at the Gates of Hell
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: September 15
Developer: Black Eyed Priest, Henry Hoare
Launch price: $10.79 | £8.36 | AU$15.25
If you’re into extremely effed up retro horror games you probably already know this, but: Night At the Gates of Hell is developed by Jordan King, whose Bloodwash (opens in new tab) was a bit of a cult hit. That and this new game are both published by Torture Star Video, which is a publishing label run by Puppet Combo, best known for modern classics like Nun Massacre and Murder House. That’s all worth recounting because it means fans of slasher-style PS1 survival horror can feel confident this will be a blast. Night At the Gates of Hell is inspired by Italian zombie movies, as well as early Resident Evil games, but this is a first-person affair. Playing as David, the main order of the day is to escape a zombie ridden city. Expect to engage in some very tense and deliberate combat, as well as solve some puzzles, on your mission to do so. If unheimlich ’90s horror games are your thing, you simply cannot go wrong.
King of Retail
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: September 15
Developer: Freaking Games
Launch price: $25 | £23 | AU$35.95
King of Retail has been in Early Access for quite a while, but last week went 1.0. As the name implies, it’s a tycoon game about running a retail outlet. First you’ll decide what kind of store you want it to be (a tech store? A sneaker store? A convenience store?), then you’ll plot it out, and then you’ll undertake the comparatively arduous task of actually running it. While there’s the usual number crunching and micro-management to take care of, you’ll also need to pay close attention to employee-customer relations, and do things that will “humanize your brand”. If your store becomes a success, you can even turn it into a chain. It all sounds like a waking nightmare to me but I know people love these business sims, and all power to them.
Technicity
Steam page (opens in new tab)
Release: September 15
Developer: Osaris Games
Launch price: $14.39 | £11.59 | AU$20.76
On paper, Technicity sounds like a dream come true: it’s a city-builder like Cities Skylines, except in first-person. Not so fast, though, because Technicity eschews many of the management aspects of a regular city builder, adding in its absence a bunch of automation features and a focus on plotting the city of your dreams. But that’s basically Minecraft in creative mode, I hear you say, and you’re partially correct, except Technicity really focuses on urban design and deep customisation: you can build your own furniture and items, and then trade the schematics on Steam Workshop. Online play also lets you connect your city up with your friends’ across huge open world maps (or collaborate on the one city, if you so wish).
