SpyParty
Steam Page
Released: April 13
Developer: Chris Hecker, John Cimino
Publisher: Chris Hecker
Price: $24.99
In development for nearly ten years, SpyParty is “a competitive espionage game about subtle human behavior, performance, perception and deception”. It’s a 1v1 game: one player is tasked with infiltrating a suave cocktail party as a spy; the other player is the sniper, watching from afar, trying to determine who the spy is, and then, shooting them. If the sniper kills the wrong person, it’s game over and the spy wins. Likewise, if the spy achieves their objectives, the sniper loses. So the sniper needs to be quick and smart. While online play is the focus, there’s a “limited” single-player sniper mode. The game is in Early Access and will likely stay there for about two years, with the 1.0 launch expected to have better graphics, more maps, and “even deeper competitive mechanics”.
Maelstrom
Steam Page
Released: April 11
Developer: Gunpowder Games
Publisher: Gunpowder Games
Price: $19.99
Launched into Early Access last week, Maelstrom is an online naval combat game set in ye olde fantasy times. In addition to defeating and defending against other human players, you’ll also need to worry about leviathans and massive troll looking creatures. According to the Steam descripton, the goal of the game is to “plunder as much gold as possible while outwitting and outgunning all others and be the last ship sailing”. You’ll be doing this in three different ship “classes”, with those belonging to humans, orcs or dwarves all boasting their own strengths and weaknesses. If you’re into naval combat and stuff like Sea of Thieves left you cold, this loot-and-combat oriented game, albeit quite different to Rare’s game, could be what you’re after. Studio Gunpowder Games expects the game to launch proper towards the end of 2018.
Super Daryl Deluxe
Steam Page
Released: April 10
Developer: Dan & Gary Games
Publisher: Dan & Gary Games
Price: $19.99
Described as a “really fucking stupid game” by someone at Destructoid, Super Daryl Deluxe is a charming looking RPG platformer starring the nominal Daryl. You’ll control him as he explores his high school, which is apparently overrun with monsters. It’s a quest for popularity, but it’s also a quest to save his new high school, which can be explored at will in a manner befitting an “RPGvania’, as the devs describe it. The brawler-esque combat is complemented by over 40 skill upgrades, and the devs reckon the game will take over 15 hours to complete.
Dead in Vinland
Steam Page
Released: April 13
Developer: CCCP
Publisher: Playdius, Plug in Digital
Price: $19.99
Created by the studio responsible for Dead in Bermuda, Dead in Vinland is a game about helping vikings survive in a hostile, unfamiliar land. Specifically, a family has crash landed on a continent far, far away from their native land, and you’re tasked with the gruelling task of keeping them alive. Described as a “deep survival management simulation”, you’ll need to handle food and resources, but mental and physical health is also an important thing to worry about. Jody covered it last week, noting that there is not a single punchable tree.
Pure Rock Crawling
Steam Page
Released: April 12
Developer: Maciej Kuzianik
Publisher: Maciej Kuzianik
Price: $14.99
Now for something completely different: Pure Rock Crawling is a “game built around the concept of making the best tire and the best suspension simulation”. Hell yeah. If that sounds a bit dull to you, then you may want to consider that Spintires is a whole lot of fun, even if you’re not into driving slowly over rocks. Even so, Pure Rock Crawling seems pretty niche: in your vehicle you’ll be negotiating treacherous terrain in 4WDs, aiming for the best route through the game’s tracks in order to unlock more vehicles and tracks. It’s in Early Access, and will stay there for “roughly 6-10 months” while it receives “more features and final polish”.
These games were released between 04/10-04/16. The first page of this list is updated every Sunday and previous weeks are archived on the following pages. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.
