On an average day, about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that's a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we've gathered the best PC games you can play right now and a running list of the 2020 games that are launching this year.
Unto the End
Steam page
Release: December 10
Developer: 2 Ton Studios
Price: $24.99 | £19.49 | AU$35.95
Unto the End is a sidescrolling "cinematic platformer" with a huge focus on tough combat encounters. You play as a father who's trying to make his way home through a world full of people and things that want to murder him. Naturally, you'll want to murder them instead, but to do so you'll need to pay close attention to enemy weaknesses and lapses in their technique. In this way, the improvisational approach to combat vaguely reminds me of Feist, though Unto the End is more grounded in swordplay, and the inevitable Dark Souls comparisons seem warranted here.
Drafting Tales
Steam page
Release: December 12
Developer: Istotex
Price: $12.99 | £10.29 | AU$18.50
Drafting Tales is a simulation game about becoming a successful writer. Just like in real life, your character sits at a desk and pens masterworks by combining genre and topic combinations with aplomb. And of course, "you have limited inspiration, so you'll need to develop appropriate strategies to maximise the number of works you produce and keep up with your expenses". This game sounds like hell! But people love hellish simulation / tycoon games, and as far as they go, this looks like a fun take on the genre.
Orwell's Animal Farm
Steam page
Release: December 11
Developer: Nerial
Price: $9.99 | £7.99 | AU$14.50
As the name implies, Orwell's Animal Farm is a videogame adaptation of George Orwell's infamous 1945 dystopian satire. It takes the form of a text-based choose your own adventure game, with a pleasant picture book graphical style. Don't expect a pleasant walk on the farm, though, because not only does this adaptation dabble in the themes of the novel, but it also "brings the familiar characters and situations to the medium of a game, and to the context of 2020." Expect to make tough morally ambiguous choices, and expect to have nightmares about talking pigs.
Vessels
Steam page
Release: December 8
Developer: Local Space Survey Corps
Price: $5.99 | £4.79 | AU$8.50
Vessels is a narrative-driven adventure game that has you trapped in an airlock with a crew of fellow hold outs. You don't know why you're there, and neither do your companions. What distinguishes you from them however, is that you have 'Voice' guiding you, a phenomenon that can help you inhabit the points of view of your fellow crew members. This is a conversation-driven experience about trust and deception: it'll probably take you around 2-3 hours to complete, according to the game's Steam page.
Shady Part of Me
Steam page
Release: December 11
Developer: Douze Dixièmes
Price: $14.99 | £12.99 | AU$21.95
Here's a narrative-driven puzzle platformer with a gentle hand-drawn art style. It stars a little girl and her shadow, and together, girl and shadow must navigate dreamy environments inspired by the protagonist's emotional turmoil. If you're a fan of cinematic puzzle platformers like Inside and Limbo, you should probably prioritise checking this out.
These games were released between December 7 and 14 2020. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.
