QUBE 2
Steam Page
Released: March 14
Developer: Toxic Games
Publisher: Trapped Nerve Games
Price: $24.99
This sequel to the 2011 first-person puzzler sees protagonist Amelia Cross trapped in a mysterious alien structure. And the only way to get out, naturally, is to solve a bunch of physics-based puzzles. There’s a fairly obvious whiff of Portal in the QUBE series, and that’s no bad thing. While the original QUBE veered uncomfortably close to emulation, QUBE 2 has an art style and general colour palette that really helps distinguish it both from its predecessors and Valve’s offerings. There are eleven areas and more than 80 puzzles to tackle, and it’s been getting positive reviews both from critics and Steam users. “As you explore and solve puzzles to progress, thought-provoking questions about your true purpose and the origins of the structure you are navigating will need to be considered, forcing you to come to terms with a devastating truth that will shake your world,” so reads the description.
The Long Reach
Steam Page
Released: March 15
Developer: Painted Black Games
Publisher: Merge Games
Price: $14.99
The Long Reach is a narrative-driven adventure game which “draws its inspiration from Lone Survivor and The Cave”. Except unlike those games (and for that matter, most other games), The Long Reach takes place in a banal fictional town called Baerox, commonplace and definitely not post-apocalyptic. According to the Steam description it’s a “horror-thriller hell bent on screwing with your perception of things”, and as for the rest of the information, well… you’ll have to read it for yourself. I don’t trust it’s telling me the truth.
Boss Crushers
Steam Page
Released: March 16
Developer: Space Horse
Publisher: Space Horse
Price: $14.99
Here’s an Early Access rogue-lite with neat Diablo-esque graphics and full online cooperative play support, where you play as a mercenary trying to free the land from the enemy. It’s a refreshingly underplayed piece of world building, isn’t it? According to studio Space Horse writing on Steam, the game will stay in Early Access for “8-12 months” and currently offers around eight hours of gameplay. There are two locations, four bosses, three characters and 25 perks. And in case the descriptor “rogue-lite” didn’t already warn you, the game is advertised as having a “high difficulty” level.
The American Dream
Steam Page
Released: March 15
Developer: Samurai Punk
Publisher: Samurai Punk
Price: $19.99
This is a VR game, by the creators of Screencheat, about doing everything with guns. Ostensibly a critique of American gun culture, it leads you, on rails, through a “vast complex” constructed by gun manufacturers eager to spruik their wares. I played a bit in 2016 and you can read my thoughts here, but as the video above tidily demonstrates, The American Dream is about performing menial, every day tasks with guns, like driving a bus, or washing the dishes. Oh, and there’s a talking dog in it too.
Surviving Mars
Steam Page
Released: March 16
Developer: Haemimont Games
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Price: $39.99
This long-awaited Mars city builder released last week, and early reviews (including our own) have been positive. It’s not just a city builder ala SimCity, though: as you’d expect, building humankind’s first Mars colony also means you’ll need to learn how to keep everyone alive, as well. Not easy, since even the dust can kill you. “As fiddly and stressful as Surviving Mars can be, nothing else marries survival and city building so deftly,” Fraser wrote in his review.
These games were released between 03/12-03/19. 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.
