GoNNER and Offworld Trading Company are free on the Epic Games Store

News
By published

And three more freebies are coming next week.

(Image credit: Raw Fury)

Epic's barrage of freebies continues today with GoNNER and Offworld Trading Company, both scratching very different itches. GoNNER is a procedurally-generated roguelike platformer, while Offworld Trading Company is an economic RTS set on Mars. 

Offworld Trading Company is very much my jam, even though it makes me feel dirty. It's an unconventional RTS where battles take place in the marketplace, with corporations trying to muscle each other out of the lucrative planet. Even without armies, it's still a fast-paced, competitive affair, and somehow watching market fluctuations is just as exciting as watching armies colliding. OK, almost as exciting. The AI is fine, but it's made even better by sneaky human opponents. 

I try to avoid torturing myself with roguelike platformers, so I'll let Phil Savage's GoNNER review fill you in. 

Despite GoNNER's difficulty, aesthetic and mystery, there isn't a whole lot to it. It doesn't take long to work out an enemy's patterns, and there's isn't much variety within the level generation. While loadouts offer some tactical planning, the range of equipment isn't as diverse or significant as, for instance, Nuclear Throne. GoNNER doesn't offer the longevity of the best roguelike shooters, but it's nonetheless a stylish, weird and entertaining action platformer.

They're both free until March 12 at 3 pm GMT/7 am PT, when they'll be replaced by a trio of new games: Anodyne 2, A Short Hike and Mutazione. 

Fraser Brown
Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.