All posts tagged in pc games
Dec 28, 2019
If you have a subscription to Amazon Prime, you get Twitch Prime for free by linking your accounts. With Twitch Prime you get free PC games that you can keep forever and select free in-game loot, such as weapons and skins, on a monthly basis. Don’t forget you can also sign-up for 12 months of Nintendo Switch Online for free with details here which is a perfect time to do so if you’ve received Pokemon Sword and Shield for Christmas.
For December 2019 there are 10 free games you can claim right now, with a couple that have been on my ‘wholesome radar’, so check them out below!
- Hue by Curve Digital
- Heave Ho by Devolver Digital
- Gato Roboto by Devolver Digital
- Witcheye by Devolver Digital
- Ape Out by Devolver Digital
- Enter the Gungeon by Devolver Digital
- When Ski Lifts Go Wrong by Curve Digital
- Hover by Plug In Digital
- Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter by Plug In Digital
- ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! by HumaNature Studios
If you’re looking for more free games right now until January 1st, 2020, you’re in luck! Epic Games has been giving away PC games for free every day for a total of 12 games!
- Dec 28, 2019
Before we reach the beginning of 2020, I’ve been taking a look back on all the games I have played and reviewed thus far. I’ve shared with you some of my favorite farming sims here and multiplayer games here., and have considered what other genres that I gravitate toward and that are the most wholesome. Today, I’ll be closing off the end of the year with a list of management/tycoon games that I’ve played the most in 2019. Whether it’s designing and managing a theme park, restaurant or clothing store, I just can’t get enough of creating and building, and making customers happy!
Megaquarium
Megaquarium is ranked in my top 3 most hours played on my Nintendo Switch this year because it is one of those games I just want to perfect. Gaining more and more Prestige with your aquarium parks allows you to buy better tools, equipment, items and fish! I’ve even laid out some advanced tips for the game because you must strategize and manage the species in your tanks, as compatibility and visibility are key to success.
Planet Zoo
Planet Zoo released on Steam last month and the graphics and details are everything I’d hoped they’d be. It does have a steep learning curve and you need to have quite the level of creativity and imagination, but it may just be the tycoon game for you if you love in-depth management and design choices. Frontier Developments also hosts online challenges on a regular basis to keep things interesting.
Two Point Hospital
I may be cheating a little by putting this one on my list because it released on PC in 2018, however there have been new DLCs this year (Close Encounters) and console versions will be coming in 2020. Once you have completed your main campaign goals in each level, you can still continue to reach 3 stars and watch the fruits of your labor. This cheeky hospital management game has unique illnesses, patients and treatments that make the gameplay just all the more fun.
Pocket Clothier
If you’re looking for an adorable clothing management game that can be played in small doses but is also addictive, this is for you. You can place various stands/shelves and choose the style of clothing to stock, hire staff, decorate with fixtures, and more! This game was released a little while ago on mobile for under $5 which means there aren’t any micro-transactions. I’ve added this to my 2019 list because it is now available on the Nintendo eShop (since September) for only $12! Pocket Clothier is worth the price and a great game to play on-the-go.
There are so many other management games coming in the new year that have already been added to my wishlist and include the following: Mondo Museum (creators of Boyfriend Dungeon), Onsen Master, Rolling Hills, Creature Resort and more! Here’s to wishing you a Happy Gaming New Year!
- Dec 27, 2019
I had a chance to look back at all of the games I’ve reviewed this year and started off with the Most Wholesome Farming Sims of 2019. There have been some great first-party Nintendo Switch games as well as so many great indie gems I had the chance to play thanks to all the amazing indie developers and publishers! Below is a list of games I’ve played the most that are both online and local multiplayer, which you can play with family and friends during the holidays!
Luigi’s Mansion 3
It’s been really great that Nintendo has been adding a cooperative feature to their latest games and Luigi’s Mansion 3 was a wonderful surprise with the addition of Gooigi. This game is so much more fun with another player and adds some unique puzzles and maximum vacuum power! Want to play with even more players? You can do so with 8 others online or locally with ScareScraper and ScreamPark modes.
Unravel Two
Unravel Two technically released for the first time on PC, PS4 and Xbox One back in late 2018. However, I played it upon its March 2019 release on the Nintendo Switch. It’s only a 2-player game but with features like PlayStation’s Share Play and Steam’s Remote Play Together, you can play locally or online. This game has the highest review score I have ever given for its fantastic physics-based mechanics and cooperative play when it comes to platforming and solving puzzles!
Tools Up!
I’ve only had this game on the Nintendo Switch for a short while but I still find myself thinking about it foundly and hoping for some DLC or extra levels. Play up to 4 players on local co-op and renovate homes according to the blueprints! Much like Overcooked, it can be chaotic but extremely rewarding when you perfect your coordination. It’s available for Steam’s Remote Play so you can play online with friends.
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
This remastered classic is just as silly and laid-back as ever now on PC and all major consoles. Play this locally with 2 players or online with 4 players if you want something a bit more relaxing and without puzzles. I recommend ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove for younger kids to play this holiday season!
Of course, all of those games mentioned above are the games I had a chance to play in 2019. There are still so many cute wholesome games available now, and more multiplayer games to look forward to in 2020 like Trash Sailors, Pile Up!, and Grabimals. Stay tuned for more reminiscing!
- Dec 23, 2019
With 2019 coming to a close, I wanted to take a moment to look back at all of the amazing games I’ve played and reviewed this year. I’d also like to give a special thanks to the developers and publishers that have supplied me with codes and gave me the chance to experience some real indie gems! There have been many awards given this past month, however I just wanted to highlight some wholesome games that I have spent a large amount of time playing.
Let’s start with farming sims because, for me, this category was the hardest one to narrow down to a select few because it is arguably my favorite genre and there were so many great indie games to go through!
Alchemy Story
Created by solo developer Éloïse Laroche, this adorable art style caught my attention immediately from little chicks with bow ties to the happiest cows wearing bells. Alchemy Story is about saving the many villagers that have been cursed by a witch and using all of your skills as an alchemist to turn them from animals into humans again! This game has been on Steam Early Access since August 22nd, 2019 and continues to receive regular updates such as new characters and customization options.
Littlewood
This adorable game with small pixels but huge heart, is all about making friends and having them move into your town. What I find most interesting about the town is how much you can make it your own by changing the elevation of the ground, placing your own paths and ponds, and much more! Created by sole developer Sean Young, this game has been on Steam since June and continues to grow with new features such as mini-games and pets! It has also been confirmed that this game will be coming to the Nintendo Switch.
Staxel
Staxel is a voxel-style building game developed by Plukit and published by Humble Bundle. I played this game on Steam back in April and loved building homes for my villagers brick-by-brick. You can create anything you can imagine with blocks such as chicken coops, tool sheds, flowerbeds, and more! Also, the stores are really adorable to shop in and the workshops make creating things fun!
Garden Paws
What can I say about Garden Paws that hasn’t already been said? I have spent the most amount of hours on this game on Steam that I have ever spent on a farming sim. It has everything from several quests, crafting/building, exploration, taming pets, farm animals, running a shop, fishing, mining, and more!
It’s hard to sum up everything I love about this adorable game and the creators keep adding more things to do with more islands, creatures, dungeons, festivals/events, and items that keep me returning to the world of Florens.
There are many other farming sims on my radar for the future, mainly Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, Doraemon Story of Seasons, Rune Factory 5, and basically anything I’ve talked about here. There are some games I have yet to finish, or at least play more of, like Re:Legend and Stranded Sails, and games like Stardew Valley that have such large new updates, they might as well be sequels! Stay tuned for my next category for another list of games I’ve played this year.
- Dec 14, 2019
During The Game Awards on December 12th, 2019, Epic Games revealed a trailer indicating there will be a holiday sale and 12 free games starting December 19th, 2019. They’ve already been giving away a game a week through their store front but now until the end of the month, they will be giving away 1 game a day! If it’s anything like the games that were free so far such as Slime Rancher, Oxenfree, and Rime, then the holidays have just gotten that much better!
All you have to do is create an account, open up their launcher, and download the game and keep it forever! Right now you can download A Wolf Among Us here, due to the sequel announcement during The Game Awards, and The Escapists here. If you haven’t already tried out The Escapists by Team17, now would be a great time while we wait for The Survivalists.
Furthermore, we see in the trailer below that the following PC games will be coming next year exclusively to the Epic Games Store: Before We Leave, Bloodroots, Predator: Hunting Grounds, The Red Lantern, Rogue Company, Surgeon Simulator 2, and Totally Reliable Delivery Service. There’s even a Game Awards sale happening right now until December 16th, 2019 which includes the hilarious physics-based game What the Golf? for $12.99 (35% off).
- Dec 6, 2019
After releasing the Most Wholesome Game Releases in December article recently, I of course find more potato-friendly games releasing this week (December 2nd to December 6th, 2019)! All games are already available now on consoles and PC so you can start playing whatever genre suits your fancy such as a classic RPG, a relaxing adventure, or unique puzzle games!
Heroland – December 3rd
The Heroland theme park offers guests an authentic RPG-style adventure for a price, but when a scruffy young park guide and his guests uncover ulterior motives by the organizers, legends become reality, and guests must take the fate of the park (and the world!) into their own hands. Created by an all-star development team consisting of key people behind MOTHER 3, Legend of Mana, and Fantasy Life, this 2D adventure brings not only a host of quirky heroes and their unique abilities to join your party for a new take on classic RPG-style combat, but also a colorful cast of monsters employed by the theme park, many with their own stories to tell!
Heroland is developed by FuRyu and Netchubiyori Limited, and published by XSEED. It is available now on The Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC. Even with Bug Fables out now, I still have a classic Paper Mario-shaped void in my heart that this game looks like it can help fill!
Arise: A Simple Story – December 3rd
Set out on an adventure through the changing landscapes of memories lush with feelings of love and loss. Every moment of this rollercoaster ride is a new challenge and a chance to see your life in a different light. Enter the wonderful world of memories and feelings brought to life by the talented artists from Piccolo Studio. Discover the heartfelt magic in your personal, everyday struggles thanks to the game’s soulful music and beautiful art direction. Control the flow of time (or invite another player to do so) and change your surroundings from the shifting of seconds to entire seasons. Fast forward, move back or pause time to relive your memories and overcome every obstacle on your journey.
Arise: A Simple Story is published by Techland and developed by Piccolo Studio. It is available now on Epic Games Store, Xbox One, and PS4. The graphics and soundtrack are so beautiful and peaceful I feel like I might be crying with this game. In a good way.
JigSaw Solace – December 3rd
JigSawSolace is a calming and relaxing puzzle game with 6 different themes to choose from, 4 different difficulty size to adjust any time during playing, 30 high quality puzzle images. soft, relaxing and cheerful music, and the ability to adjust background themes. There are puzzles for kids and adults such as cartoon animals, outer space, and beautiful landscapes.
JigSaw Solace is created by Playstige Interactive and is available now on the PS4 and the Nintendo Switch for under $5! Rejoice cat-lovers! Now you can play digital jigsaw puzzles so your furry children do not eat the required assembly parts.
Tick Tock: A Tale for Two – December 5th
Tick Tock: A Tale for Two is a two-player co-op adventure game that is all about communication. Players have to unravel a narrative together, talk to each other about what they are doing and what they see in order to solve puzzles. Tick Tock is played on two devices, either mobile, tablet or computer.
Tick Tock: A Tale for Two is created by Other Tales Interactive and is available now on the Nintendo Switch and Steam. The gameplay reminds me of something similar to Them Bombs which is a unique way to solve puzzles with a friend!
- Nov 30, 2019
Black Friday sales are still on until this Monday (December 3rd, 2019) and I haven’t forgotten about these other digital distribution platforms for PC gamers! Most of these wholesome games overlap into the other storefronts and are also on sale but I decided to go with the top featured indies from each site. Of course, they have also all been approved by this stud. I mean spud. All sales range from 20% off to 70% off so if you were keeping an eye on any of these, now’s the perfect time to go for it!
GOG Sales
Trüberbrook
Trüberbrook, a mystery adventure game, is set in rural Germany in the late 1960s. Play as an American physicist, Hans Tannhauser, and discover why your dissertation on quantum physics notes have been stolen! You can get it here at 25% off.
GRIS
GRIS is a serene and evocative experience, free of danger, frustration or death. Players will explore a meticulously designed world brought to life with delicate art, detailed animation, and an elegant original score. Through the game light puzzles, platforming sequences, and optional skill-based challenges will reveal themselves as more of Gris’s world becomes accessible. You can get it here at 49% off.
Foundation
Foundation is a grid-less, sprawling medieval city building simulation with a heavy focus on organic development and monument creation. Players must create a prosperous settlement as the newly appointed lord of a region untouched by man. You can get it here at 20% off.
The Humble Store
Graveyard Keeper
Graveyard Keeper takes the player back to medieval time, where you will have to take on all the responsibilities of a cemetery manager. The simulation game allows you gather resources to create your very own environment by building and managing your own graveyard, finding ways to cut costs and make sure that all the dead find rest and peace. You can get it here at 60% off.
Autonauts
In Autonauts, travel the universe colonizing uninhabited planets with the sole goal of setting worlds in motion through the power of automation. Fresh from your spaceship you must harvest stick and stone and begin your colonization efforts. Create rudimentary crafting items from blueprints and slowly build a number of workerbots to aid in your efforts. You can get it here at 20% off.
Birthdays the Beginning Digital Limited Edition
From the legendary creator, Mr. Yasuhiro Wada (TOYBOX Inc.), comes Birthdays the Beginning: a new sandbox game in which players create cube-shaped worlds that give rise to diverse and unique lifeforms. With careful experimentation, players can shape the geography and alter the temperature of each world to create the conditions for life and witness the birth of an entire ecosystem! You can get it here at 70% off.
Itch.io
Village Monsters
Village Monsters is an open-ended village life set in the world of a long-forgotten video game. You play as a human living in a community of (mostly) friendly monsters. You can get it here at 10% off.
A Short Hike
Hike, climb, and soar through the peaceful mountainside landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park. Follow the marked trails or explore the back-country as you make your way to the summit. Along the way, meet other hikers, discover hidden treasures, and take in the world around you. A Short Hike is a little peaceful exploration game about hiking up a mountain. You can get it here at 10% off.
Cosmic Express
This cute puzzle game has found a wonderful balance to keep you entertained for hours at a time – that is if your brain will not smoke up before. Cosmic Express challenges you with puzzles in which you will have to transport the space colony from point A to point B successfully. In order to do so you will have to build the train tracks in a fashion that allows the transport to go smoothly. You can get it here at 70% off.
If you’re interested in Steam’s Black Friday/Autumn Sale, I’ve got you covered here with some wholesome games.
- Nov 27, 2019
There are two things happening on Steam right now and that’s the Steam Autumn Sale running from November 26th, 2019 to December 3rd, 2019, which kicks off the start of the Steam Awards 2019. The sale includes games like Stardew Valley (10% off), which is perfect timing with the new 1.4 update. From now until the sale ends, you can nominate your game of choice that released in 2019 for each category listed below! The Labour of Love category can be your favorite game no matter when it was released.
The Game of the Year Award
Maybe it was its immersive gameplay, or its gripping story… its well-crafted characters, immaculate design, or addictive multiplayer. Whatever the reason, the winner of 2019’s Game of the Year Award is an instant classic.
The VR Game of the Year Award
When it comes to breaking new ground in games, there is no greater pace of advancement than in VR. If we had our way, all VR devs would get an award for building the future of immersive games and experiences unparalleled by any other medium. But since there’s only one trophy, it’s up to you, Steam Awards Selection Committee member, to crown just one as the best of 2019.
The Labor of Love Award
This game has been out for a while. The team is well past the first unveiling of their creative baby, but being the good parents they are, these devs continue to nurture and support their creation. This game, to this day, is still getting new content after all these years.
The Better With Friends Award
There are some games out there that just aren’t the same when you play by yourself. Maybe you need to have a friend to watch your back. Maybe you need to have a friend that you can stab in their back. Either way, mirth is awaiting those who gather friends to play these games.
The Most Innovative Gameplay Award
This game is at the front lines of experimentation, pushing the boundaries of the medium with exciting, novel interactions and brain-breaking surprises. This game thinks outside the box, and pulls you out with it!
The Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award
Some days, only a narrative-heavy game will hit the spot, and this one packs a wallop. It’s as gripping as any soap opera, and as well-tuned as a prestige-TV screenplay. Bravissimo — for making us feel things!
The Best Game You Suck At Award
Games have a way of pushing us past any limits we thought we had. Like a montage sequence, we put in work, training our fingers to be quick and nimble, mastering timing and placement over weeks and weeks. At the end of the gauntlet, we’re rewarded with profound beauty and a deep sense of personal growth. Unless you hurled your monitor through a plate-glass window on the first day.
The Outstanding Visual Style Award
These devs are the Willy Wonka of eye candy. Visual style doesn’t aspire to real-world graphical fidelity (though a noble goal in itself)… it describes a distinctive look and feel that suffuses an entire game. This game displays visual cohesion and expression that not only fit the game’s world, but make our world look paltry by comparison.
All you have to do to nominate a game is to go to their Steam Store page and click on “Nominate this Game for an Award”. The voting period will happen sometime in December during the Steam Winter Sale. The winners of the awards will be announced on December 31st, 2019! By participating, you’ll also earn badges (and XP) for accomplishing the following tasks: Nominate at least 1 game, nominate a game in each category, play a game you’ve nominated, and review (or update your review) for a game you’ve nominated.
