Now that we’ve taken a peek at the best PC games of 2017—so
far, at least—it’s time for our other biannual tradition: Rounding up
some of the top PC games of 2017 that might have escaped your notice.
The smaller indie titles, the B-games, the ones that slipped between the
cracks here at the site and maybe slipped through the cracks in your
Steam library too. New PC game releases are a dime a dozen these days,
after all.
Some of these games have flaws, some are definitely suited for a niche audience, but they’re all interesting—and
ultimately that’s what makes PC gaming itself interesting. All of these
games can coexist on the platform. We’re living in a golden age for
games. We’re spoiled for choice.
And here are 10 games that prove it—everything from a modern Where’s Waldo to a Monty-Pythonesque point-and-click to a sci-fi detective story, and more.
Hollow Knight
The humble Metroidvania has had quite a renaissance the last few years, with Axiom Verge, Ori and the Blind Forest, Owlboy, and so on.
Hollow Knight might be the hardest of them all, though. I’ve seen the ol’ Dark Souls name thrown around a couple of times, and for good reason: Some of Hollow Knight’s bosses are hair-tearingly difficult. Be warned.
But if you’re up for a challenge, Hollow Knight
can be incredibly rewarding. It’s got tight combat and platforming, a
wonderful soundtrack, a memorable cast, a unique mapping system, and
hand-drawn art that only gets better as the game goes on. This one’s up
there with the best the genre has to offer.
Rime
Rimedidn’t
exactly “fly under the radar,” but it also didn’t get off to a great
start. The inclusion of Denuvo DRM sandbagged the game before it even
released, and then launch day woes amounted to strike two.
No strike three came, though. And if you skipped Rime at
release, for whatever reason, I think it’s worth going back. The
performance can still be rough in certain sections—I had some issues
with a GTX 980 Ti, which is unheard of. But if you can slum it at 40
frames per second, your reward is a gorgeous adventure that’s at times
reminiscent of Ico and Journey and Zelda and
all the ol’ touchstones. The puzzles and moment-to-moment game aren’t
anything special, but it makes up for that fact with awe-inspiring
environments and a soaring soundtrack.
Late Shift
The full-motion video or FMV genre pretty much died
in the mid-’90s, and the few games since have mostly emulated that
period—hammy acting, awkward pauses between scenes as if watching a
CD-ROM load video files, that sort of thing. See, for instance, Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure a.k.a. a ‘90s revival.
But I like to think Late Shift
is closer to what we’d see if FMV games had never died out. It’s more
an interactive film, both in the quality of the cinematography and in
the pacing. The action never stops as you’re coerced into aiding a
robbery and then have to make it out alive.
Sure, it’s
not the most original story, nor has it completely shaken the awkward
segues of old FMV. It’s an interesting experiment nevertheless, and
maybe bodes well for the genre’s future—especially with Netflix scoping
out the field.
Four Last Things
We can debate all day about the so-called “Citizen Kane of games,” but there’s no disputing the role of Four Last Things—it’s
a Monty Python sketch. With an art style created by cutting out and
casually pasting together early-Renaissance paintings, it’s about as
close as I’ve ever seen to one of Monty Python and the Holy Grail’s animated Terry Gilliam interludes.
It has similar themes, too. Four Last Things
concerns a man who seeks salvation at the Catholic Church, only to be
told he can’t be saved because his sins weren’t committed in the correct
jurisdiction. His only recourse? To commit every sin again.
It’s
a wacky point-and-click, with some excellent one-liners and puzzles
that are amusing without ever being obtuse. And at around two hours
long, it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Quern – Undying Thoughts
I’m cheating a bit by including Quern – Undying Thoughts
on this list. Technically it released in 2016 and...well, I overlooked
it. Probably because the name isn’t exactly eye-catching.
It’s so damn good though. Last year was full of Myst-alikes, including Cyan’s own Obduction.Quern
is right up in that top tier though, with puzzles that touch on
everything from sound to physics to mechanics to fictitious botany.
Combine that with the desaturated, bleached-bone aesthetic of Riven,
and it’s almost like stumbling back to 1997. The only shortcoming is
the story, which doesn’t really blend well with the puzzles themselves,
but if you’re just here for the puzzles? This is one to grab.
Hidden Folks
This one’s easy: If you like Where’s Waldo/Wally, you’ll enjoy Hidden Folks. The dozen or so hand-inked environments in Hidden Folks
are packed full of hidden folks and all manner of other objects to hunt
down, from a big snake to a lady sleeping in a tree to a radio-loving
ficus to Sir Isaac Newton himself. Aside from simply scouring each
black-and-white image, you’ll also need to interact with the environment
to find certain Folks—opening a suitcase to reveal the man trapped
within, for instance. And each action? Accompanied by sound effects that
are actually just weird mouth noises.
It’s about as lo-fi as could be, but in a manner that’s pretty charming. Next page: The rest of the best you’ve missed.
0 Komentar untuk "10 great PC games you may have missed in 2017"