Project Zomboid

This game means a whole lot to me, both as an accomplishment to what can be done not only by a small development team, but by a whole community. An isometric Zombie survival game, set in Knox county in the year 1993. It is brutal, and unforgiving and janky and I love it unconditionally. The level of modding that has gone into this game means there's something for everyone, and it's clear that it is a labour of love for many people that have put work into their mods. It also holds a very special place in my heart as it is where I met my Boyfriend, on a small Roleplay server just over a year ago. I have a lot of fond memories of this game, and will likely add to my 1000+ hours of playtime more and more.

Keep Driving

This game is all about wanderlust. You're a teenager on summer break at the start of the century. You've just bought your first car and your friend let you know theres a festival going on on the other side of the country. It's an inventory based RPG with a no real goal, but to experience the world through a road trip. You meet people along your journey, customise your car and listen to a whole host of fantastic indie music from Sweden. It's a game with a lot of replayability, and the stories you uncover through the people you meet and the places you visit kept me thoroughly invested through multiple playthroughs. It's well worth the price tag, from the soundtrack, to the delightful pixel art, to the gameplay itself.

Cloverpit

This is a recommendation for my fellow strategy roguelike fans. Did you enjoy Balatro or it's inspiration, Luck be a landlord? Then you'll probably enjoy Cloverpit. It has this cool low rez artstyle with creepy horror themes. Theres not much story, beyond some "Mysterious figure" imprisoning you and forcing you to play a slot machine to stay alive, but theres a lot of nuance to building your strategy in a luck based game. I actually took the time to 100% this game, which took a little grinding to get done. A lot of fun though and well worth it for the sub £10 price tag.

Potionomics

Potionomics is a fun little game, with a fun little story. Undoubtably inspired by Reccetear: An Item Shop's tale, You inherit a run down Potions store, complete with a huge pile of debt to pay. But you're in luck! There's a Potions crafting competition going on, with each prize matching your debt installment! You balance your time between aquiring potion ingredients, crafting potions and then selling them for a profit to the local townsfolk. There's a whole cast of characters with their own stories and ways of helping you, whether it's cheaper materials, or new cards for your selling deck. It's replayability relies on completing all the different friendship/romances in the game, but I enjoyed the heck out of this for the time I've played it and it's well worth the pickup if you see it on sale.

Inscryption

This felt like this was a game made for me. A single player, story driven card game? Horror themes that don't rely on cheap jumpscares? In depth strategy that evolves and requires adaptation to progress? Sign me up! If you like Slay the spire, then you probably have already heard of this game. But if you haven't, I heartily recommend it. The story is tense and wonderful and hit all the right notes for me. I don't even want to explain the premise because that would do you the diservice of not experiencing this game blind.