As Halloween approaches, Steam has quietly slipped four new free games into its catalog. Available now, these titles cover a wide variety of genres, from arcade shooters to fast-paced match-3, dark fantasy and asymmetrical combat.
Googunners opens the ball with its nervous retro gameplay. This turret defense game from Tayden and published by Gooverse Games asks you to shoot asteroids to get the best score. Driven by a colorful arcade aesthetic, it has already won over several players. As a comment visible on Steam sums it up: “It’s hard to complain when it’s free. It’s definitely worth downloading.”
All free, but not all essential
Another atmosphere with Gem Hunter Match from GameForgeNewWorld, a Candy Crush-style puzzle game. It asks you to match items in a row to clear them from the board. Problem: The game ends in less than five minutes, making it probably the most dispensable experience of the lot.
More ambitious, Verdant Forest from Oba gOat studio immerses you in a dark fantasy universe. We play the magician Abigail “as she explores a cursed forest, fights cultists and monsters, casts spells, dodges attacks and manages mana to survive.” A pitch that brings to mind the classics of the genre. The game focuses on simple but demanding gameplay: movement with the keyboard, spells with the mouse. The synopsis even promises: “Destroy the barrier ritual to help the knights on this tense, skill-driven journey.”
An intriguing pixel art surprise
Last of the selection, Ghost Shock, developed by Wingjoy Games, adopts an attractive pixel art style and original game mechanics. Presented as “a single-player asymmetric action game”, it offers an offbeat concept: “At the start of the fight, the player plays a hero with extraordinary power. After his defeat, he randomly transforms into a monster, and the one who deals the fatal blow transforms into a hero and continues the fight.” The end goal? “The player will challenge the boss controlled by three ghosts, or control the boss with two ghosts to complete the hero challenge.”
All of these games are available now on Steam, without spending a cent. Some are more worth the detour than others, but they all have the merit of existing. And who knows, your next video game obsession may be hidden there.