Not everyone’s got the time, money, or mental bandwidth to tackle a humongous open-world RPG. Hundred-hour investments, no matter how gripping, seldom fit into the hectic schedules of busy parents, gamers juggling second jobs, and frugal players turned off by global game studios’ triple-digit price points. Thankfully, as comparatively affordable and diverse indie games rise in popularity and accessibility, this means busy gamers needn’t bite off more than they can chew. Roguelikes, point-‘n’-clicks, rhythm — pick your poison! Digital game retailer Steam has it all.
Whether preparing for a road trip, packing for a long flight, or cozying up on the couch for a Friday night decompression session, these palatable picks make great additions to your Steam library. Check out some recent standouts from independent game studios that you can tackle in a single session:
Dead Finger Dice
Dead Finger Dice, a turn-based “dice builder” game, pits players against sinister supernatural billionaires aboard a macabre mega-yacht called The Avarice.
“Roll your five dice to get the highest poker hand. Each round gives you 3 re-rolls. The player with the highest hand wins the round. Play until you’ve cleaned out your opponent – or your opponent cleans you out. Place bets by cutting off your own fingers – or watch as the boss loses theirs.“
Stunningly detailed 1-bit visuals, gritty gameplay, heart-pumping sound design, skill-building strategy, AND class consciousness?! These qualities make Dead Finger Dice a replayable — albeit challenging — download that isn’t a total time-sink. The cherry on top? Dead Finger Dice‘s Steam page proudly touts the title as completely AI-free. “This developer assures that NO GEN AI was used in this indie game,” reads a gold seal near the bottom of the game’s Steam listing. You love to see it!
Feeling lucky? Try Dead Finger Dice today, available on Steam for under $5.
Screaming Head
“Your wives have been kidnapped, your garden has been stomped, your face has been spat at and your life has been destroyed by your own body! Now you have to lock in and prove once and for all that mind rules over matter and not the other way around!“
Screaming Head, a surreal psychedelic platformer featuring a disembodied noggin with one ability — screaming. This challenging, unforgiving platformer features bizarro hand-drawn visuals, absurd storytelling, rad soundtrack, and blood-boiling obstacles, but all YOU’VE got is your voice. Use your shrieks — AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA — to push enemies into hazards, off ledges, interact with objects, and more. Can you save your wives, or will you be bested by your bottom half?
Screaming Head oozes personality and character from every pore. Find this head-scratching 2D platformer, perfect for fans of Pizza Tower, on Steam for just $9.99.
Unemployment Simulator 2018
“Social welfare survival horror based on real events. Endure emotional pain and societal pressure. Stay entertained. Survive the routine and become the hero of your studio apartment—battle inner demons, hide skeletons in the closet, and most importantly… keep the bathroom clean.“
In Unemployment Simulator 2018, follow an unnamed protagonist as they wade through the despondency, nihilism, and brief moments of madness that can sometimes accompany unemployment. Set in (you guessed it) 2018, players must maintain their single-bedroom apartment, monitor their character’s mood for fluctuations, and ultimately make it out of unemployment and isolation in one piece (literally and figuratively).
Pick up Unemployment Simulator 2018, the surreal story-rich life sim from developer Samuel Lehikoinen and publisher Turbolento, for $9.99.
Berry Bury Berry
“A juicy first-person incremental game about growing berries and tossing them down an ominous hole. Earn money and upgrades. Make new friends with sentient berry pals. Grow and control the hole as you unearth why nobody leaves this accursed garden. Bury it all, Berry everything.“
Berry Bury Berry, a morbid but aptly-named 3D game featuring inedible produce, uses unsettling sound design and a misleadingly wholesome motif to evoke the same feeling I got during Pineapple on pizza and viral vids like “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” and “Too Many Cooks.” CRT TV-inspired visual effects and low-poly graphics add an analog horror-like dread as players usher unwitting fruits into a mysterious hole. Wanna take these cuties on the road? You can — Berry Bury Berry is available on Apple’s App Store for iPhone and iPad as well as on Steam.
