It’s been pretty busy on the PC gaming front, with tons of titles, both old and new, being announced leading up to TGS 2022. However, while we expect most of those games to drop later in 2022 and 2023, we still there are many gems to play now.
The biggest drop on PC, of course, has to be the Judgment series, but we’ve also got recent popular titles like I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, as well as an early access stealth game, a featured free-to-play title at Game Devs of Color Expo 2022. , and a roguelike RPG full of dark and gloomy supernatural abomination.
There’s definitely something for everyone in this week’s batch of games, so be sure to check out the games listed below – you won’t be disappointed by their quality.
The Judgment Collection
Easily the biggest PC announcement and release for TGS 2022 week, The Judgment Collection features both games in the series, Judgment and Lost Judgment, as well as DLC for the second title, Lost Judgment – The Kaito Files Story Expansion. The Judgment series are action-adventure games developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and are a spin-off of the Yakuza franchise.
You play as private detective Takayuki Yagami, who investigates serial murder cases over the course of the two games, with his partner taking on the lead role in The Kaito Files. The combat is similar to the action fighting style of the Yakuza titles in that you switch between the crane style and the tiger style, the former being meant for groups of enemies and the latter for individuals. The second title adds the snake style, which is used to counterattack and disarm enemies.
There are also investigative segments where you search for evidence at a crime scene, which involves mechanics like picking locks and wearing disguises. Part of that involves tracking missions, which are the stealth sections of the games that have you tracking down and following suspects around town. While this series is perfect, with the combat not being as polished as it could be and the overall quality of the storytelling sinking a bit in the second game, it’s an amazing and deep series worth investing in.
Verify The Judgment Collection on Steam
I was a teenage exocolonist
The premise has, as the title suggests, that you play a teenager who is part of humanity’s first extrasolar space colony. From there, he can choose which path he wants to take in many ways, such as concentrating on his studies instead of immersing himself fully in the new environment, or whether to focus on introducing new technology instead of being more harmonious with nature.
The game flows through the use of card battles that determine the outcome of events. As you grow up on an alien planet, you experience more than 800 events from your past and present life, including dating, fighting with your parents, fighting hostile aliens, and more.
There’s a reason this game made waves at launch, and it’s not just because of the gorgeous artwork and addictive gameplay. The way this title takes the concept of colonizing a planet and actually addresses the nature of that trope: that humanity would have to face a reckoning that, unlike Earth, we’re not supposed to be the top predator of the planet. It also delves into what it’s like to be a teenager, especially one thrown into such an unknown and unstable world at one of the most vital developmental moments of his life. It’s a fascinating game both in story and gameplay, and it stays with you long after you’re done.
Verify I Was a Teenage Exo-Colonist on Steam
gloomy wood
If you’ve ever played and enjoyed stealth titles like Metal Gear Solid, early Assassin’s Creed games, Hitman, and more, Gloomwood is for you. The early access game takes place in a dark Victorian town that has been overrun by an ancient curse and your character is trapped. Forced to survive until escape, you must make use of an avalanche of strange weapons and your brain as you slip from danger.
Gloomwood takes a mechanic often used as sections of a whole package and turns it into the full game. What you use stealth to accomplish is entirely up to you, but the only method you use to accomplish your goals is stealth. You need to manipulate tactics like sound, line of sight, and shadows to defeat each enemy.
The AI is smart and unpredictable, two features that are often missing from most stealth segments in other games, but serve to make Gloomwood that much more refined by comparison. The creepy atmosphere and music sell the immersion well, making you nervous every step of the way. This is an early access title to keep track of.
Verify Gloomwood Early Access on Steam
dot’s house
Dot’s Home is one of the titles featured at Game Devs of Color Expo 2022, and for good reason. It’s a game that speaks to many poor black people, especially those who live in its Detroit environment, as it tries to reconcile family history and home while experiencing the forces of racism, poverty, and changing neighborhoods.
It is a single-player adventure game that presents the player with various scenarios related to difficult topics such as the red line, urban renewal, and gentrification, and then asks the player to make decisions. According to the official summary, the ultimate question in this game is, “How did your family end up where it is today, and how many choices did they really have on that journey?”
The art is well drawn, well animated and colourful, with some great character expressions. It really evokes the old point-and-click adventure games popular in the early 2000s, but without falling into the common trap of sticking around longer than expected. Not to mention that it’s completely free, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t play this game over the weekend.
Verify Dot’s House on Steam
darkest dungeon
Many games try to capture the exact atmosphere and story elements of supernatural horror, but Darkest Dungeon is one of the best examples of the genre. With its dark and dank visuals, gameplay that starts off tough and gets even tougher from there, and a class and battle system that encourages attachment to your party and then punishes you for it.
The game itself is a mix of RPG and roguelike mechanics, with the former dictating combat against enemies and bosses to clear a dungeon, and the latter dictating what kind of enemies, obstacles, buffs and debuffs, and more await you in your current game. . dungeon run There is also permadeath because this is a game that makes you live with your choices.
Darkest Dungeon is an incredibly well-crafted game, but it’s also a stressful game that will keep you on emotional edge at all times. It is a game that understands that tragedy is an intrinsic part of supernatural horror, and that there is not enough laudanum in the world to contain the horrors of the unknown.
Verify Darkest Dungeon on Steam