Hidden gems on steam

Cryomatrix

Hi guys, 

I suck at trying to find new games other than the ones I've played before. I usually have my staple of Path of Exile and then I'll rotate from Entropia Universe to EVE to Civ 4 to a bit of Madden NFL and then come back for the next season of path of exile. 

I try to scour steam and look for new games to try but nothing seems to stick. What are some hidden gems that you guys have found. 

And no, i'm not looking for a new game, I just want to see what hidden gems on steam you have found. 

I also tend to think that I cannot play video games unless I become addicted to it. Like if I am not addicted to a game, I can't play it. If I go too long without playing a game and i lose the addiction, i just stop playing the game. 

Thanks a million. 

Cryomatrix

sunandshadow

My best finds on Steam have all been adventure games for some reason.  Obduction, The Sexy Brutale, Ether One, and The Magic Circle.

But if you like strategy games, maybe look at Thea.

delete5230

My problem with steam...... Once a game is gone off the top of the list its gone unless you type the exact name.  You will not find it by clicking on page after page. 

This makes it hard if you found a nice game but forget the name...well, good luck in finding it again.

Let me try and put it another way. Anything older than two months old, it's gone completely unless you type.

anemo

Creeper World I and III (II is a different type of game, and kind of an Interlude in the Story.   While I and III follow the same character.  Though story exists to to provide context rather than the reason for the game to exist).   They are an interesting mix of RTS and Tower Defense.   http://store.steampowered.com/app/280220/Creeper_World_3_Arc_Eternal/

SpaceChem.    Just yes, I wish MMO crafting was like this in the sense that your intuition, creativity, and knowledge let you solve your problems.   http://store.steampowered.com/app/92800/SpaceChem/

All of the Pince of Persia games are on Steam.   And I bought them as a $10 bundle some time ago.  

As for MMOs.  

Worlds Adrift, maybe someday.   Right now the game has serious issues, but if you want a game like Space Engineers, but need it in a game that is balanced for and actually is an MMO you don't have many choices.

Screeps.   MMORTS (a bit slow time), though the skill gap to start is absurdly high as an AI Programming MMO.   But those servers have 2,000 people on them, with their empires always online (though personally I would say 1200 to 1400 display good progression).   The display of skill, craft, and how real FFA PvP should work  is amazing.   (Just checked I haven't logged in for 2 months till now,  my Colony is still up a bit with lots of fail safes activated)   http://store.steampowered.com/app/464350/

Kyleran

delete5230 said:

My problem with steam...... Once a game is gone off the top of the list its gone unless you type the exact name.  You will not find it by clicking on page after page. 

This makes it hard if you found a nice game but forget the name...well, good luck in finding it again.

Let me try and put it another way. Anything older than two months old, it's gone completely unless you type.

Well, unless of course you save them in your "Wish" or "Followed" lists.

Put another way, Steam has tools of convenience, use them. 

delete5230

Kyleran said:

delete5230 said:

My problem with steam...... Once a game is gone off the top of the list its gone unless you type the exact name.  You will not find it by clicking on page after page. 

This makes it hard if you found a nice game but forget the name...well, good luck in finding it again.

Let me try and put it another way. Anything older than two months old, it's gone completely unless you type.

Well, unless of course you save them in your "Wish" or "Followed" lists.

Put another way, Steam has tools of convenience, use them. 

Lets just say you never knew about Oblivion, this was a popular game.  By casually scrolling page after page, it's a good chance you wouldn't come across it. 

This is ONLY an example of my point, infact it may be their..... Still so many good/classics are lost, even newer ones that are only a few months old.
 

Scorchien

  Ahh  i got some OP... gonna target your TBS game reference

          1.   Thea the Awakening .. IMO the best TBS to be released in years unique and immersive .. Brilliant game and Thea 2 is underway ....

           http://store.steampowered.com/app/378720/Thea_The_Awakening/

       2.Conquest of Elysium 4 .. The best in this series and very tactical deep TBS

         http://store.steampowered.com/app/403950/Conquest_of_Elysium_4/

        3.Darkest Dungeon ... One of the best games to come out in years /period ... Increrdible replay value, depth , and atmosphere....
        
              http://store.steampowered.com/app/262060/Darkest_Dungeon/

           4.Eador Imperium .. Another best in series ... Really great high fanatsy TBS some a very cool ideas in the Eador series , really shine in Imperium ..

          http://store.steampowered.com/app/477730/Eador_Imperium/
    
             5. Legend of Eisenwald.... Really a great TBS that stays true to a medieval setting .. Very good story here also ..........

              http://store.steampowered.com/app/246760/Legends_of_Eisenwald/


              6.Massive Chalice... This one has a really nice family mechainics wrapped up in a new and fresh world ..

                     http://store.steampowered.com/app/246110/MASSIVE_CHALICE/


               7.Soverignty :Crown of Kings ...from Slitherine , this a really deep TBS in a harsh and gritty world , Learning curve is high , but worth it ..

                  http://store.steampowered.com/app/312430/Sovereignty_Crown_of_Kings/

            8.Unreal World , if you are looking for a Survivla TBS nothing comes close to Unreal World .. I know graphics right ............ they arent everything .. Depth and gameply win here...

                http://store.steampowered.com/app/351700/UnReal_World/

              9.Xenonauts .. is an exceptional game along the lines of Xcom ...

        http://store.steampowered.com/app/223830/Xenonauts/

           10.Warlock :Master of the Arcane ...  Have really enjoyed my time in this one , just great pacing and challenge with some nice RPG mechaincs thrown into the Hero units .. you really feel there power..And the game gives a much better feel of involvement than many others

                   http://store.steampowered.com/app/203630/Warlock__Master_of_the_Arcane/


  Hope that helps

Xxxusernametakenxxx

Not really a hidden gem but I'm loving Divinity original sin 2.  

BruceYee

Realm of the Mad God
Gems of War
Forge of Gods
Realm of the Mad God
Town of Salem
Realm of the Mad God

Leiros

A few gems I stumbled upon on Steam:

Rogue Legacy
Block N Load
Secrets of Grindea
bit Dungeon II

DrDread74

Foxhole
Heat signature
and maybe.... PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds!

k61977

I know the OP said they are not looking for a new game per say, but my advice is look at the Humble Bundles every couple weeks.  They use steam keys with a third of the price for multiple games.  Always a couple gems thrown in.  This is the link to the bundle going now, it is worth it to pay $8 just to get Shadow of Mordor.  And if you don't want some of the other attached games you can always gift them to others.

https://www.humblebundle.com/very-positive-bundle-2

laxie

Divinity Original Sin 2, mainly because it's something I'd never have bought myself. Steam recommended it to me when it was in Early Access and I had a weak moment. Decided to give the genre a go and loved it.

Similarly with Civilisation 6. I thought I hated the genre, but the Steam page intrigued me. The game gripped me for hundreds of hours in the end.

KnightFalz

Kyleran said:

delete5230 said:

My problem with steam...... Once a game is gone off the top of the list its gone unless you type the exact name.  You will not find it by clicking on page after page. 

This makes it hard if you found a nice game but forget the name...well, good luck in finding it again.

Let me try and put it another way. Anything older than two months old, it's gone completely unless you type.

Well, unless of course you save them in your "Wish" or "Followed" lists.

Put another way, Steam has tools of convenience, use them. 

These tools won't help you much if the title falls off the list before you discover it. You can't "Wish" or "Follow" something you never had a chance to know about to begin with.

Ridelynn

Factorio

Kyleran

KnightFalz said:

Kyleran said:

delete5230 said:

My problem with steam...... Once a game is gone off the top of the list its gone unless you type the exact name.  You will not find it by clicking on page after page. 

This makes it hard if you found a nice game but forget the name...well, good luck in finding it again.

Let me try and put it another way. Anything older than two months old, it's gone completely unless you type.

Well, unless of course you save them in your "Wish" or "Followed" lists.

Put another way, Steam has tools of convenience, use them. 

These tools won't help you much if the title falls off the list before you discover it. You can't "Wish" or "Follow" something you never had a chance to know about to begin with.

Speaking of discovery,  you know about the "Discovery Queue" tool right? Where it presents titles based on your preferences and responses, I've gone through over 400 titles in it.

Not to mention multiple browses, scrolling lists etc.

Scorchien

Kyleran said:

KnightFalz said:

Kyleran said:

delete5230 said:

My problem with steam...... Once a game is gone off the top of the list its gone unless you type the exact name.  You will not find it by clicking on page after page. 

This makes it hard if you found a nice game but forget the name...well, good luck in finding it again.

Let me try and put it another way. Anything older than two months old, it's gone completely unless you type.

Well, unless of course you save them in your "Wish" or "Followed" lists.

Put another way, Steam has tools of convenience, use them. 

These tools won't help you much if the title falls off the list before you discover it. You can't "Wish" or "Follow" something you never had a chance to know about to begin with.

Speaking of discovery,  you know about the "Discovery Queue" tool right? Where it presents titles based on your preferences and responses, I've gone through over 400 titles in it.

Not to mention multiple browses, scrolling lists etc.

There really are good tools for searching Steam and filtering in/out what you seek, Thats how i find all these "Hidden Gems" by looking , and its no effort at all , actually enjoyable , and you learn alot about the different genres ...

  On a side note Steam will also be updating the entire experience soon, in every way , to make there system much more user friendly ..

  Also want to add, another great way to find games you like , sign up to some Curators that explore the genres you are interested in and also find reviewers of a genre you like and friend them .. you will get there reviews when you log in .. And there are some great community groups dedicated to every genre .. Join them .. Become part of the community you will be surprised of what you will discover ..

Mendel

I have a couple of games in my rotation.

• Predynastic Egypt -- it's like a specific scenario for a Civ-like game.  At first, it seems to be easy and without any replay value.  Then the random factor kicks in.  Maybe 2 hours to play a game.
  

• 50 Turns -- a really simple spreadsheet-type game that only lasts 50 turns.  Tougher than it appears to be.  Maybe 30 minutes to play.
  

• Darkest Dungeon -- A hard-core RP game with elements of survival.  Just when you think you've gotten it covered, one of your high level healers buys it, and you're stuck with trying to replace them.  Sneaky addictive.  Game length?  I have no idea, I've not yet won a campaign.  Abandoned a few in frustration and restarted in various huffs, yes.

• Thea the Awakening -- Another semi-hard core RP/survival game.  Lots and lots of stuff to do (quests and the like) and crafting is limited, but exceptional.  I come back to this from time to time, and if you're not careful, it's fully capable of eating a week of your life like a video arcade ate quarters in the 80s.

• Talisman -- a faithful adaptation of the fantasy-based board game from Games Designer Workshop (If I remember correctly).  You can play all the characters with all of the expansions.  Nice when I want an old-school feel, and I don't have to explain the rules to Zaltak pretty much every turn.
  

The good thing about Steam is they have numerous sales (I usually won't buy unless it's 50% or more), and their refund policy is pretty good.  Search the games (their Queue feature is useful), and mark games you're interested as On Wishlist and Follow.  On Wishlist will alert you of sales, while the Follow will alert you to updates and new DLC for the game.

Quizar1973

Ive always liked The Baulders Gate Series.....Great games

Kyleran

You know whats even better, after using Steam to discern what games you want, a quick Internet search frequently comes up with the same title for less money.....

Which explains why despite my knowledge of Steam search tools I actually have yet to buy any games there.  

JeffSpicoli

Fishing planet is one of those relaxing type games in the style of truck simulator or farm sim but you would never know it from the idiotic trailer http://store.steampowered.com/app/380600/Fishing_Planet/

IRACING -Not on steam but a must buy if you are a Nascar fan or enjoy racing games. This game is AMAZING with customizable cars and sponsors. Its the most realistic & mature racing community out there . incredibly immersive experience but VERY PRICEY to get into. If anything i said peaked your interest research this game http://www.iracing.com/


Fallen Enchantress Legendary Heroes - My personal favorite turn based strategy/rpg 4x of ALL TIME 
http://store.steampowered.com/app/228260/Fallen_Enchantress_Legendary_Heroes/


Mordheim City of the Dammed- Do you like Xcom, Darkest dungeon & Warhammer universe ? If yes you should probably check out this game 
http://store.steampowered.com/app/276810/Mordheim_City_of_the_Damned/

JeffSpicoli

BTW OP Great thread, I love discovering hidden gems 

Mendel

Kyleran said:

You know whats even better, after using Steam to discern what games you want, a quick Internet search frequently comes up with the same title for less money.....

Which explains why despite my knowledge of Steam search tools I actually have yet to buy any games there.  

Better prices are always great, but Steam has a convenience factor that most other providers simply don't have.  All my games under a single roof, so to speak.  Many of the forums are useless (and toxic) but occasionally I find nuggets of useful information there.

AAAMEOW

Have you tried the main stream games?  I personally would go through main stream game first.

Phaserlight

Massive Chalice
Kairo

MrMelGibson

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun.

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen