Category: Initial Thoughts

Become a sentient AI in Heart of the Machine, the latest deep strategy game from Arcen Games (AI War 1/2, The Last Federation, Bionic Dues) and it's now in Early Access.

I have very fond memories of a seriously janky RPG called Arcanum from way back in the year 2000, and the release of New Arc Line could end up being the spiritual successor I've been wanting all these years.

Moon Watch is a new release now in Early Access from developer Jaspel, who also made Backpack Hero, and they're mixing genres together again into something new.

Path of Exile 2 from Grinding Gear Games has officially arrived, although it's not quite finished yet as it's in Early Access.

Lucky Tower Ultimate from Studio Seufz is probably one of the funniest real-time dungeon crawlers I've ever played and I can't wait to play more.

NIMRODS: GunCraft Survivor on the surface may look just like yet another survivor-like, but it has captured my total attention in a way not many have been able to. It's just thoroughly great.

Original Studios just launched The Last Plague: Blight, an uncompromising wilderness survival game based on a more realistic set of game mechanics.

Time to cut some shapes, and I don't mean on the dance floor. Factory-building sim shapez 2 is out now in Early Access with Linux support.

If you love tile-based chilled puzzle games like Dorfromantik, you'll probably really love Preserve. This one is all about repopulating a wasteland to create a vibrant and flourishing ecosystem.

If you enjoyed the idea in Backpack Hero with inventory management, you may want to also take a look at the new Backpack Battles which has a similar basic theme but puts you in PvP battles against other players and it's proven to be quite a hit.

Enshrouded is another big Early Access open-world game to arrive on Steam, and it's already doing some big numbers. So how does it run on Steam Deck / Linux? Here's an initial starting report for you.

Palworld is a new release on Steam in Early Access from Pocketpair. A fusion of Pokémon with monster catching, farming, building and much more. It is Steam Deck Playable and does work on Desktop Linux too.

Wizordum is a new retro FPS that puts you in the role of a Mage on a quest to track down the source of Chaos. If you adored early first-person shooters, you're going to really enjoy this one.

What would you do if there were zombies right in your neighborhood? Would you maybe head to the closest supermarket you usually shop at, check out the old police station where your uncle used to work for some guns, or even consider hitting up that pharmacy run by the grumpy lady who always gave you the creeps? Well, that's pretty much the deal with Infection Free Zone.

Want to know how Starfield runs on Steam Deck? Or desktop Linux? Well, I've given it a run to see what I think of it and here's some early info for you.

For those interested in the latest big RPG from Larian Studios, here's my quick initial report on Baldur's Gate 3 running on Steam Deck and desktop Linux.

A city-building colony-sim where a bunch of Beavers are building a society long after us pesky humans died off is not a thing I thought I needed but Timberborn is properly great.

The invasion continues. Xenonauts 2 is now in Early Access from Goldhawk Interactive and Hooded Horse and I've taken a look to see how it runs on desktop Linux and Steam Deck.

A little janky in places as expected from an Early Access game but Starship Troopers: Extermination is a lot of fun to play with friends and even complete strangers.

Mechabellum is a new Early Access release from Game River and Paradox Arc (the publishing arm of Paradox Interactive). It's an auto-battler like say Dota Underlords and Auto Chess, but with big mech units with battles like Supreme Commander.