(Image credit: Flight School Studio)
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 new games of 2019.
Creature in the Well
Steam page
Release: September 7
Developer: Flight School Studio
Price: $14.99 | £11.39 | AU$21.50
If you found the pinball-inspired platforming of Yoku’s Island Express pleasing, Creature in the Well is probably already on your radar: it’s a top-down dungeon crawler with ball-bouncing combat and puzzle-solving. You play as “the last remaining BOT-C unit”, which I’m going to assume is some kind of robot. During your descent into an ancient facility you’ll encounter all manner of aggressive creatures, so it’s lucky you’re equipped with a sword and countless reliably bouncy energy orbs to smite them with. It definitely looks fun, and the Steam reviews are positive so far.
This Merchant Life
Steam page
Release: September 6
Developer: Inexplicable Games
Price: $10.99 | £7.99 | AU$15.50
As the name suggests, This Merchant Life is a tycoon strategy game about becoming the best and richest traveling merchant you can be. Set in the medieval kingdom of Peregrine, you’ll be moving between settlements buying and selling goods, recruiting mercenaries, upgrading your cart and horses – all that kind of stuff. Peregrine is far from tranquil, and you’ll be wielding your mercenaries against all manner of enemy in turn-based combat. There are the usual RPG trappings, and the story campaign features “unlikely merchant heroics”, which is something I didn’t know I wanted, but now I definitely want it.
Fit For a King
Steam page
Release: September 6
Developer: Brent Ellison, Tanya X. Short
Price: $9.99 | £6.99 | AU$14.50
Fit For A King is an adventure RPG inspired by Henry VIII, and in keeping with that king’s notoriety, much of this game is apparently spent marrying and executing people (and things). It’s a “non-linear adventure sandbox simulation”, and you’ll spend the whole time trying to humiliate your nemesis, King Frank, with your own flagrant hedonism. Apparently you can marry just about anything in the game: including bookshelves. I’m not sure videogames get better than this. Perhaps we just stop now?
Children of Morta
Steam page
Release: September 4
Developer: Dead Mage
Price: $21.99 | £18.49 | AU$35.95
This much anticipated action rogue-lite offers up a cast of family members, all with varying skills and expertise, and pits them against ‘The Corruption’, a conveniently vague and videogame-y scourge. With some of the lushest and most detailed pixel art you’ve probably ever seen in a modern rogue-lite, Children of Morta definitely looks the part, and the game has amassed nearly 700 ‘Very Positive’ reviews on Steam. The game has six playable characters and supports local cooperative play, with online coop expected to release in the future.
Dark Data
Steam page
Release: September 6
Developer: Pixelfoot Games
Price: $9.99 | £7.19 | AU$14.50
I wrote about Dark Data a few weeks back: it’s a stripped back local competitive shooter styled after Nintendo 64 classics Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark. It supports up to four players, boasts four modes including Team Deathmatch and “Capture the Floppy”, and comes with 17 weapons, 10 maps and a bunch of cosmetics to unlock. If you’re a child of the 1990s and have a bunch of friends keen to relive the low-FPS jank of that era, this is definitely worth some attention.
These games were released between September 2 and 9 2019. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.