The 2022 Winter Hidden Gem Suggestion Thread
Welcome to the Hidden Gem thread - Im a big fan of indie games, and always look for under-reviewed games that deserve a second life. This table is all automated based on the list of games I maintain, so let me know if theres more info that would be good to see in it.
It now features a neat Table that can be filtered and sorted in all sorts of ways to help with discoverability (since markdown tables are not good for that).
TL:DR - Out of the 85 games on the Master List there are:
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1 new games on the list
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71 on sale
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50 games over 50% off
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46 games with a review score of 90% or Higher
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9 games with Overwhelmingly Positive Reviews
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8 early access games
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21 Steam Deck Verified games
NEW GAMES SINCE LAST THREAD Some may not be on sale, but they're here for visibility
| Name | Description | Genre | Released | Positive Review % | Total Reviews | Discount | Price | Early Access | Deck Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chained Echoes | A Solo Devs passion project to create an RPG classic like Chrono Trigger. The RPG equivalent of Stardew Valley in terms of dev passion and quality | RPG | 2022-12-08 | 93% Off | 651 | 0% Off | $24.99 | No | Verified |
Under 100 Reviews
| Name | Description | Genre | Released | Positive Review % | Total Reviews | Discount | Price | Early Access | Deck Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvora Tactics | The second of three games like Final Fantasy Tactics from a passionate developer | RPG | 2017-06-01 | 93% Off | 89 | 80% Off | $1.99 | No | Unsupported |
| DROD: Gunthro and the Epic Blunder | A turn based puzzle rpg game. The whole series is great, but this one (#4) is one of the best places to start. | Puzzle | 2016-09-23 | 86% Off | 69 | 75% Off | $2.49 | No | No Rating |
| Dungeon Wizards | If you remember the old Android game 'Dungeon Raid' (R.I.P.), this game is a great recreation of that. Connect adjacent tiles to fight monsters, level up, earn gold, and more in this 'casual puzzle roguelite'. | Casual | 2022-02-04 | 93% Off | 29 | 33% Off | $4.68 | No | No Rating |
| Existensis | Not even sure its the right genre, but it's a peaceful pilgrimage through the completely hand-drawn world of Ere. Kinda janky controls, and no controller support last time I played, but a thoughtful game regardless | Walking Sim | 2021-07-19 | 96% Off | 25 | 40% Off | $8.99 | No | No Rating |
| NEXT JUMP: Shmup Tactics | A turn based Shoot-em-up, what? Super interesting take on a genre that is basically the antithesis of turn-based | Strategy | 2017-04-28 | 75% Off | 48 | 50% Off | $2.49 | No | No Rating |
| Obscurant | An interesting, narritive rpg (?) where the gameplay mechanic is about mimicing the AI's movement/behavior patterns to not get caught as you try to sneak through different areas | Puzzle | 2022-04-29 | 100% Off | 17 | 50% Off | $7.49 | No | No Rating |
| Puzzle Pelago - A Drag & Drop Economy | You take each level trying to connect supply chains together using limited space. Levels become more difficult as complex products need more involved supply chains with limited space | Puzzle | 2020-04-29 | 83% Off | 18 | 50% Off | $4.99 | No | No Rating |
| Slime-san: Superslime Edition | Supermeatboy meets retro graphics. So sad the community never took off, since the devs released a Level Creator for it as well | Platformer | 2017-04-07 | 91% Off | 37 | 70% Off | $4.49 | No | No Rating |
| Songbringer | A 'Zelda Roguelite'. Not just dungeons, but the whole world generates each 'run' you play, so its always a different game. If you like Zelda Randomizers, might be worth checking this out. | Roguelite | 2017-09-01 | 75% Off | 95 | 50% Off | $9.99 | No | Verified |
| The End of Dyeus | Nintendo 64 styled, open world RPG. A bit primitive an simplistic, but in a nostalgic way. The exploration is top notch | RPG | 2021-10-15 | 95% Off | 70 | 20% Off | $11.99 | No | No Rating |
| The Farnese Hercules | Unique puzzle game that's inspired by picross, but very very different in execution. You are given a 'block' of material and have to chisel it down based on observations from different angles. Hard to describe, but satisfying and fun once you understand it. Took me the first 3 levels to really get it. | Puzzle | 2022-10-15 | 100% Off | 1 | 25% Off | $3.74 | No | No Rating |
Between 100-500 Reviews
| Name | Description | Genre | Released | Positive Review % | Total Reviews | Discount | Price | Early Access | Deck Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1001 Spikes | One of the first 'superhard platformers' I remember playing through back on the 3DS. Has a ton of postgame content if you can beat the main game. | Platformer | 2014-06-03 | 87% Off | 346 | 50% Off | $7.49 | No | No Rating |
| Astronarch | Wizard based rogulite autobattler. No 'active battle' system like some auto battlers have, instead all strategy from your positioning and preparations. Bit of an infodump and learning curve, and I wish there were some qol features, but good fun. | Auto Battler | 2021-01-22 | 92% Off | 495 | 70% Off | $4.49 | No | Playable |
| Beat Blast | You equip items you get onto a 'beat bar' which activates in sequence to the beat of the music where each row has a different attack. The dev has a web demo up on his site as well. | Roguelite | 2021-08-25 | 90% Off | 209 | 80% Off | $2.79 | No | Verified |
| Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King | Classic Legend of Zelda inspired game with some pretty fun puzzles to it. Narritively framed like The Princess Bride, and despite weird controls, one of the better zelda-inspired games Ive played. | Action-Adventure | 2017-03-28 | 85% Off | 260 | 75% Off | $3.74 | No | Verified |
| Brutal Orchestra | A weird, fleshy dance through purgatory with a unique 'pigment' based battle structure. Fill up your stash of pigments by hitting things, but don't get too much, otherwise you'll start to take damage. Amazing soundtrack to go with it. | Roguelite | 2021-12-17 | 98% Off | 413 | 30% Off | $13.99 | No | Playable |
| Cypher | A first person puzzle game all about cryptography. | Puzzle | 2018-02-20 | 90% Off | 279 | 70% Off | $1.49 | No | Playable |
| Erannorth Chronicles | A mix of Slay the Spire and old school sandbox RPG. Instead of Turn Based Combat like Battle Brothers might have, your encounters and inventory are card based. Over 4300 cards, and 2 DLCs which add even more with a 3rd on the way | RPG | 2021-09-16 | 89% Off | 175 | 50% Off | $9.99 | No | Playable |
| Fort Triumph | Fantasy Xcom with a fully interactable and destructible environment, with a Heroes of Might and Magic overworld and base expansion system | Strategy | 2020-04-16 | 77% Off | 358 | 60% Off | $7.99 | No | Verified |
| Fossil Corner | Fun little puzzle game about being a paleontologist and organizing evolutionary timelines of fossils. Super simple, but fun while baked or listening to an audiobook | Casual | 2021-06-12 | 98% Off | 178 | 50% Off | $4.99 | No | No Rating |
| FRACT OSC | A Musical exploration game where you solve puzzles with sound | Puzzle | 2014-04-22 | 85% Off | 334 | 66% Off | $5.09 | No | Playable |
| Ikenfell | A turn based rpg set in a magic school. Lots of charm and heart in the characters. Plus the save points are cats | RPG | 2020-10-08 | 92% Off | 422 | 60% Off | $7.99 | No | Verified |
| Intergalactic Fishing | No Man's Sky, but with actual depth, and a hell of a lot more fish. Hop to randomly generated planets and craft lures to catch randomly generated and simulated fish. | Casual | 2020-04-21 | 97% Off | 184 | 60% Off | $5.99 | No | Verified |
| Knytt Underground | A pure exploration based metroidvania platformer with a massive world. No combat to be found here. | Platformer | 2013-10-25 | 82% Off | 152 | 80% Off | $1.39 | No | Playable |
| Linelith | 'The Witness' style gameplay that opens up with the revelation that you can be a piece too. Not an interesting open world, but "open" in the sense of a large level to wander and solve puzzles in. | Puzzle | 2022-05-19 | 98% Off | 272 | 20% Off | $2.39 | No | No Rating |
| Metamorphosis | A Kafka~esque adventure puzzle walking sim. | Walking Sim | 2020-08-12 | 80% Off | 173 | 75% Off | $6.24 | No | Verified |
| MicroTown | Casual village building sim with some interesting production chains, while keeping the learning curve low. Great as a 'background game' | Base Building | 2019-08-30 | 94% Off | 273 | 30% Off | $6.99 | Yes | No Rating |
| Popup Dungeon | A top down dungeon crawler roguelite with absolute freedom of creation tools. Create, or download, custom campaigns, enemies, heroes, skills, and more. | Roguelite | 2020-08-12 | 80% Off | 470 | 50% Off | $12.49 | No | Playable |
| Prodigal | A wonderfully done homage to the old Legend of Zelda games, harking back to Oracle of Ages/Seasons on the Game Boy Color | Action-Adventure | 2020-10-15 | 97% Off | 112 | 85% Off | $2.24 | No | Playable |
| Recursed | A puzzle game similar to Baba is You where the rooms themselves are items that you can move inbetween other rooms | Puzzle | 2016-09-30 | 97% Off | 244 | 75% Off | $1.99 | No | No Rating |
| Reignfall | An wave based RTS where you can drop down and control your 'hero' on the battlefield. No campaign, but earn relics throughout games you can bring into future games. | Base Building | 2018-12-10 | 89% Off | 185 | 90% Off | $0.49 | No | No Rating |
| Sagebrush | Trapped on a cult compound and you gotta figure out what happened here | Walking Sim | 2018-09-18 | 94% Off | 139 | 50% Off | $3.49 | No | Verified |
| Tenderfoot Tactics | Really surreal take combination of open world party RPG and RNG Free turn based tactical combat. Super trippy visuals where the distant landscape shifts around you. | Strategy | 2020-10-21 | 82% Off | 152 | 67% Off | $8.24 | No | No Rating |
| The Dungeon Beneath | Quick Autobattler with an awesome soundtrack and plenty of unlocks. | Strategy | 2020-10-23 | 84% Off | 341 | 50% Off | $7.49 | No | Verified |
| TRI: Of Friendship and Madness | Puzzle Platformer like portal, but you use geometry instead. It rewards you for thinking outside the box too. I built a staircase to get outside the level, and get to the highest point, and found a collectible at the top. The devs know you will try to break it, and they reward you for doing so, instead of shaming you for thinking creatively. | Puzzle | 2014-10-09 | 83% Off | 212 | 75% Off | $3.74 | No | Playable |
| Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy | This game is the definition of a Gem. A procedurally generated RPG/Roguelite that has Real Depth to the generation. Factions fight as you explore, you influence those worldly changes, and each 'node' on the hexcrawl map you visit is deeply interconnected with itself in unique dungeon generation. If you know what 'OSR RPG' means, PLAY THIS GAME | RPG | 2022-05-27 | 75% Off | 151 | 30% Off | $17.49 | No | No Rating |
| Wilmot's Warehouse | Let your inner OCD run rampant as you organize boxes for delivery inside of a warehouse. | Casual | 2019-08-29 | 95% Off | 271 | 50% Off | $7.49 | No | Verified |
| Songbird Symphony | A cute metroidvania with 'guitar hero' style rhythm battles. | Platformer | 2019-07-25 | 90% Off | 166 | 90% Off | $1.69 | No | Verified |
Between 500 - 1,000 Reviews
| Name | Description | Genre | Released | Positive Review % | Total Reviews | Discount | Price | Early Access | Deck Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3030 Deathwar Redux - A Space Odyssey | A Space Sim mixed with an old fashion Indiana Jones adventure game, with a sprinkling of cyberpunk atmosphere. | RPG | 2017-09-13 | 94% Off | 846 | 50% Off | $7.49 | No | Playable |
| A Monster's Expedition | Open World Puzzle game with immaculate world and puzzle design by the creator. One of my favorite recent plays in a while. | Puzzle | 2020-09-10 | 96% Off | 523 | 40% Off | $11.99 | No | Verified |
| Astrox Imperium | EVE Offline. A fun space sim with an 'rts' style way to play. Become a Miner, Trader, Pirate, or whatever else you desire in this sandbox game | Space Sim | 2019-03-22 | 91% Off | 622 | 50% Off | $7.49 | Yes | Playable |
| Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe | Its like a ghibli movie, with the superb animations, mixed with a monster slaying version of chopped, and a bit of match 3 gameplay for the cooking. | Action-Adventure | 2017-11-20 | 97% Off | 678 | 60% Off | $7.99 | No | Verified |
| Blue Fire | Tight, action 3d platformer with combat like the classic 3d zelda games. Feels a bit limited in movement at first, but once you start to get various 'badges' to upgrade your movement abilities, things start to go wild | Platformer | 2021-02-04 | 83% Off | 868 | 60% Off | $7.99 | No | Verified |
| Broken Reality | Ever wanted to explore the 80s vaporwave internet in first person? Nows your chance | RPG | 2018-11-29 | 93% Off | 974 | 75% Off | $3.74 | No | Playable |
| Cogmind | An incredibly polished rogueLIKE all about creating weird builds and swapping out your machine's parts as you come across new ones, and your old ones degrade. | Roguelike | 2017-10-16 | 95% Off | 852 | 10% Off | $17.99 | Yes | Unsupported |
| Dungeonmans | Another great rogueLIKE that works as a great intro, with some good writing and humor. Has a castle you build up and fill out as you continue dying over and over again, and has options to turn off the persistent map and progress, if you like a more faithful roguelike experience. | Roguelike | 2014-12-09 | 90% Off | 732 | 67% Off | $4.94 | No | Unsupported |
| Galactic Mining Corp | A casual mining game that feels like a love letter to old flash games like Motherload. Sequel to GEO that was originally on the list with lots more content, and perfect for second monitor gameplay while you watch or listen to something. | Casual | 2021-05-18 | 86% Off | 568 | 50% Off | $6.49 | No | Playable |
| Horizon's Gate | Strategy Sandbox RPG set in the open seas. From the developer of Alvora Tactics, you can skill up your crew in different FF Tactics style jobs, Explore the world, or even earn your living as a trader. Has quite a few interacting systems under the hood | RPG | 2020-03-09 | 97% Off | 570 | 30% Off | $13.99 | No | Playable |
| Impossible Creatures Steam Edition | An old, old RTS where you build units by genetically smashing together creatures. Want to take the camouflage gene from a chameleon and mash it with a whale, so you have an invisible water behemoth? You better believe you can. | Strategy | 2015-11-11 | 96% Off | 942 | 75% Off | $2.49 | No | Unsupported |
| It Lurks Below | Survival ARPG from one of the designers of Diablo 2 | Survival | 2019-05-29 | 85% Off | 902 | 75% Off | $4.99 | No | No Rating |
| KeeperRL | An amazing take on the Dungeon Keeper games. Lots of depth (including Z layers :P) and rpg character/unit customization. The Dev even accepts proof of charitable donations in exchange for a key on his website. | Base Building | 2015-03-31 | 87% Off | 730 | 20% Off | $15.99 | Yes | Playable |
| Merchant of the Skies | Ever wanted to be a trader in a steampunk world of islands floating in the sky, and play a magic flute for a giant carrot? Well you can here! Great trading game that has a ending goal | Tycoon | 2020-04-17 | 89% Off | 727 | 34% Off | $9.89 | No | Verified |
| Odd Realm | A 'cozy' feeling basebuilder like Rimworld. A bit light on content, but has great sound design and mechanically different factions worth playing. | Base Building | 2019-01-10 | 90% Off | 550 | 30% Off | $10.49 | Yes | No Rating |
| SanctuaryRPG: Black Edition | Weird, ASCII and Console Driven game similar to old style MUDs (Multi User Dungeon). Has some interesting depth to it with different systems available to work with | Roguelite | 2015-02-13 | 92% Off | 804 | 90% Off | $0.79 | No | No Rating |
| Snakebird | A deceptively cute puzzle game that will destroy your brain with its difficult puzzles. They released an easier take on the game with Snakebird Primer | Puzzle | 2015-05-04 | 94% Off | 559 | 50% Off | $3.49 | No | Playable |
| Stellar Tactics | A Space Sim RPG with xcom esque planetary exploration and combat. Lots of interlocking systems for people who like complex games. | Space Sim | 2016-09-22 | 84% Off | 852 | 40% Off | $11.99 | Yes | Playable |
| Tangledeep | An easily accessible rogueLIKE for those who want to try out the genre. Lots of systems, including a pet system that lets you capture any enemy as a pet, and a few dlc's that add to the game. | Roguelike | 2018-02-01 | 87% Off | 559 | 66% Off | $5.09 | No | Playable |
| The Magic Circle | Too perfectionist to finish any endeavor you start? Well now you can feel called out while avoiding that work too! | Walking Sim | 2015-07-09 | 91% Off | 809 | 70% Off | $5.99 | No | Playable |
| Vagrus - The Riven Realms | Sandbox, Trading RPG based on the devs RPG campaign world. Feels rich and Alive as an open ended RPG experience | RPG | 2021-10-05 | 83% Off | 638 | 26% Off | $22.19 | No | No Rating |
| Wuppo: Definitive Edition | Move over Hollow Knight. You've been dethroned as one of the top modern metroidvanias (okay, not really). Just a pure fun, silly game. | Platformer | 2016-09-29 | 93% Off | 936 | 90% Off | $1.49 | No | Verified |
Over 1,000 Reviews Generally I want to stick to games with less than 1k reviews, but occasionally I find a game so good that I think it deserves to be seen more - Or it's still on the list and got popular (as deserved)
| Name | Description | Genre | Released | Positive Review % | Total Reviews | Discount | Price | Early Access | Deck Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition | An RPGMaker JRPG with great art, memorable characters, and a good story. | RPG | 2016-06-02 | 96% Off | 1056 | 70% Off | $4.49 | No | Playable |
| Colony Survival | A great first person game all about growing and protecting a colony. Use your sla... workers to automate a ton of tasks and start thriving. | Base Building | 2017-06-16 | 91% Off | 4266 | 25% Off | $14.99 | Yes | No Rating |
| DYSMANTLE | A Zombie survival game that plays more like an ARPG, with a healthy dose of exploration and mystery. Now out of EA, and even has a DLC which adds a whole new Map to the game | Survival | 2021-11-16 | 91% Off | 3494 | 50% Off | $9.99 | No | Verified |
| Eastshade | Bob Ross RPG anybody? Paint your way into the humanoid animal people's hearts | RPG | 2019-02-13 | 90% Off | 2813 | 50% Off | $12.49 | No | Playable |
| Element TD 2 - Tower Defense | A deep tower defense game straight out of Warcraft 3 from the original devs. Has Solo play and multiple ways to play online: Coop, Duels, and Free For All Survival | Tower Defense | 2021-04-02 | 92% Off | 1162 | 50% Off | $7.49 | No | Playable |
| Heaven's Vault | Man it saddens me that this never got big. Its got the same exploratory feeling that The Outer Wilds left me with. Its linear up until one point, and then you are free to explore wherever you want to go. | Walking Sim | 2019-04-16 | 90% Off | 1176 | 70% Off | $7.49 | No | Verified |
| Hypnospace Outlaw | An insane nostalgia kick to the early days of the internet. Track down misdeeds on the Hypnospace | RPG | 2019-03-12 | 97% Off | 2341 | 60% Off | $7.99 | No | Playable |
| Siralim Ultimate | A sequel to Siralim 3, which was originally on the list. An indie Pokemon/Creature Collector game, but actually innovative and good. Has a ton of endgame content | RPG | 2021-12-03 | 93% Off | 1003 | 36% Off | $12.79 | No | Playable |
| Tiny Rogues | Retro Bullet Hell roguelite like Enter the Gungeon, with lots of references, abilities, classes, and content. The Dev has a philosophy of balancing the game around beating it without any 'meta progression', but offers it for people who need the help, which I LOVE | Roguelite | 2022-09-23 | 97% Off | 1412 | 25% Off | $4.49 | Yes | Verified |
| Wildermyth | An rpg/turn based tactics mashup that does randomly generated characters and story better than anything I've played. If you like dnd, you NEED to play this game. Plus modding tools and transparent devs. | Strategy | 2021-06-15 | 95% Off | 9209 | 25% Off | $18.74 | No | Verified |
Posted Dec 22, 2022, 6:54 PM UTC · edited
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