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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 2021 games that are launching this year.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
Steam page
Release: July 1
Developer: Team Salvato
Launch price: $13.49 | £10.25 | AU$19.35
Doki Doki Literature Club! originally released in 2017 and chances are you’ve heard of it. It looks like the kind of visual novel that has flooded Steam for years now, except with this one there’s something… unusual going on. The more you say about Doki Doki the less effective its core appeal is, so suffice it to say, that this new Plus! edition includes the original game with a whole lot of new stuff: six new side stories, a lot of new music, and a full HD visual upgrade. This game is beloved for a reason, but it’s also among the hardest to sell without ruining it—especially to folk who aren’t fond of anime-style visual novels. Just dive in.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
Steam page
Release: June 21
Developer: Live WIre, Adglobe
Launch price: $25 | £22 | AU$32
This Souls-inspired Metroidvania actually released out of Early Access in mid-June but it’s extremely worth bringing it to your attention. Ender Lilies’ 2D art is gorgeous, coming across as a more tasteful Bloodstained, or a less cartoony Hollow Knight. Its focus on difficult boss encounters (with the usual rhythm of pattern recognition dashing and dodge rolling) is reminiscent of Salt & Sanctuary. It’s been a great time for sprawling 2D adventures of late, and this one is getting some heavy duty plaudits. If you’re after something with more pixels, the recent Astalon: Tears of the Earth is another great one.
The Fermi Paradox
Steam page
Release: July 2
Developer: Anomaly Games
Launch price: $17.09 | £13.04 | AU$24.25
Launched into Early Access last week, The Fermi Paradox is a narrative driven strategy game that has you playing god with alien civilizations, with these ranging from “nightmarish deep sea creatures to graceful sapient plant beings.” Every choice you make will determine the relationships between these civilizations, and thus the nature of the entire galaxy. As you’d expect, with the range of civilizations at hand and the myriad ways they can be at peace or war, this is pitched as a highly replayable game. The game is expected to stay in Early Access for “around a year,” while new species and other features are added.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World
Steam page
Release: June 29
Developer: G CHOICE, Monkey Craft
Launch price: $34.99 | £31.49 | AU$49.95
This is a remake of the 1994 Sega platformer Monster World IV, so be prepared for some very ’90s oriented action despite the modern veneer. Still, it’s by all reports not as orthodox a remake as Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap was, with a more fluid and modern moveset. Given how many thousands of action platformers there are to chose from in 2021, it’s hard to tell if Asha in Monster World will have much appeal to anyone without a lingering nostalgic fondness for the series. If you’re too young to care, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom—a whole new game borrowing heavily from the old ones—is probably the best place to start.
The Wicked Days
Steam page
Release: July 1
Developer: Alien Intelligence UAB
$20 | £15.49 | AU$28.95
Another new Early Access title, The Wicked Days is a top down shooter set in the weird back water town of Beavercity. Protagonist Colonel Marvin Todds is a war veteran who, thanks to a strange accident, has superpowers. Anyway, whatever the actual narrative backdrop of The Wicked Days is, is beside the point, because this game is all about shooting zombies, bashing zombies, and driving over zombies in vehicles. The final game will apparently add even more protagonists, as well as new dungeons, weapons and more.
These games were released between June 28 and July 5 2021. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.
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