Games

Anything of Soldak - https://store.steampowered.com/franchise/soldak/ : 2 series - space shooters Drox and hack n slash Dins - Super coarse graphics, action, fighting, but their living worlds, like nowhere else. No other game where worlds freely grow based on player actions. Did You ever left main quest for exploration, lvling up or side games, oh well, here, world will not allow You to, as enemies won't stay idle or wait for You, they do their business.

Orb of Creation - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1910680/Orb_of_Creation/ Semi-clicker (intense clicker, not much of idle) and immersive mage simulator, where You don't make Your mage-avatar, but are the mage. Still beta, but already big.

I loved a tiny one called The Last Day of June.

It was on PlayStation Plus and it really had a great story.

Dota.

Ok, I know what you're saying, "But Valve makes Dota2" which, yes, this is true. But the OG game came about from gamers just loving games and making a custom game. I think it's peak "indie" in it's origin. Which went off to spawn several clones (League of Legends, Heroes Of Newerth, Heroes Of The Storm, Smite, Pokemon Unite, Paladins, etc.). Dota2 by far has the most hours played of any game.

• Vintage Story
• Project Zomboid
• Stonks 9800
• Zero Hour
• The COMA
• Phantom Brigade
• SCP 5K (still in Early Access, long way to go, rip lol)

Stardew Valley

I really liked What Remains of Edith Finch.

It was more of an experience and really struck some emotional chords, leaving me write emotional at the end.

Really beautiful and melancholy experience.

Minecraft (the old one)

Synthetik is my top steam game with, like, 900 hours.

Factorio, hands down

600 hours and counting. The space age expansion basically quadrupled the content, and is the first time I've played the game 100% vanilla with no mods in probably 10 years. Great times.

I suppose I've plugged it recently, but Another Crab's Treasure.

It opens pretty plainly as an ocean-based Soulslike parody with a simple story premise and some self-subverting humor in the dialog with other crabs. As you go on though, every 20th conversation becomes really pointed and real-world-connecting, going beyond just "pollution bad". It's not quite Spec Ops: The Line, but it at least has something to say about society.

The combat is frustrating but addictive, much like Souls games - and it's okay with handing off a number of allowances like accessibility modes and tip systems. It's even helpful that, if I die to a glitch or something bogus, I can actually just choose to re-obtain my microplastics (souls) through a menu.