Good 2D PC Game "Database" :)

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After filling up the Dead Cells thread with all kinds of good recommendations, I thought having an "official" dedicated thread might be cool. Just recommendations for good 2D games. Maybe put a category, visual style, and maybe a short description if you like. I'll start by making a list, and then maybe fill it out with some comments later. Nothing terribly formal, as I'd prefer to just keep adding to the thread than try to maintain a main post. (who knows though, maybe my obsession with this type of game will overcome me, and I'll start maintaining a main post. :D )

Anyway, I'll start in the second post...

I'm giving a little 1-5 star rating on my entries here. I'm heavily biased toward this type of thing, so my ratings will be high for anything I enjoyed, but if you are also into these types of games, I can't imagine my ratings would steer you wrong.

Also, I will only list EA games if I've played them significantly, and find them to be worth recommending despite EA status. If the game needs a lot of work, I will leave it off the list until it's better or more complete.

One more little note, this list will be modern, currently available (or upcoming) games available on Steam (or GOG maybe) and not classics. I'll leave classics for another discussion or list.

I'm starting out with purely 2D games, and maybe later will get into some 2.5D (polygonal 2D games). Actually there may be a couple that overlap just due to art-style. (Tokyo 42 for example...)

I have more to add to the list at some point, but don't feel like I've played them sufficiently yet to give a rating. In these cases I just don't know enough about the game, or bought it on a whim, but didn't get sufficient play in.

I will include a few that I'm eagerly anticipating, but under a separate heading to make that part clear.
 
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Available and EA (in good, playable shape)

Hyper Light Drifter - Overhead - Technical Action RPG - Available - *****
-I've played a on of hours of this. The atmosphere is nice and heavy, the sounds and attention to detail are top notch, the play is precise in a Soulsish way. Can't recommend it enough.

Songbringer - Overhead - Action Adventure - Available - *****
-I've now played this for about 20 hours. (I think that's a bit more than it takes some people to actually finish it, but I've searched every corner of the game that I've come across.) This game is quite cool. It's basically like if you crossed Hyper Light Drifter (but with looser combat) and Superbrothers Swords & Sworcery into an action RPG. As I mentioned the combat definitely isn't as tight or technical as HLD, but it still feels very good. The music is fun, there's a good variety to everything, plenty of items and skills, a touch of weirdness, and it's just a lot of fun to play. The story while weird is well done as well. At the final boss, and will beat this tonight. Just an update to reaffirm the five start rating. also, the dev has been very responsive and friendly, and has take mine and others' suggestions to heart, and based some updates around them. Very cool!

Sundered - Side-scroller - Action Exploration Skills-based "Touch O Vania" - Available - *****
-Incredible pseudovania with amazing art, music, among the best 2D animation I've seen, and a very flowing style of combat that's different than most games. It can take an hour or two to really get into it, but that's when things start getting interesting, more mobility and perks are active, and the game really takes off. I'm still playing this now (since release). Excellent game. The levels are procedurally arranged, and by that I mean, main rooms will be in the same locations, but some of the ways to get to them will be arranged differently. So while you might take a slightly different path, you will remember certain blocks of it, and you will have a strong idea of how to get somewhere you've been before, just with a slight sense of disorientation. The enemies are thrown at you in swarms/packs/hordes, but are easily dealt with the more you play. There is a huge skill tree to open up, and you get to keep everything you've upgraded, and can unlock new ones when you die. The art has a Lovecraft flair to it, the story is nice an dark, and the combat flows like a dance once you upgrade a bit.

Dead Cells - Side-scroller - Technical Action Exploration Weapons and Skills-based - Available - *****
-This is kind of like a 2D Souls game with CastleTroid elements. The levels are partially procedural, but the overall layout stays familiar and coherent. It never feels like it's just randomized completely, which is good. The graphics are great, the variety is huge, and the combat is very satisfying. Everything is very precise in this game, mixing and matching weapon sets with skill sets becomes an art the more you play, and eventually becomes vital to getting through the next section. There are cool runes that you get that help you open up new paths after beating some mini bosses as well. This is Early Access, but has more polish than many complete games. The devs are present and responsive, the community makes excellent suggestions for play styles, and is actually quite helpful rather than toxic. I've put over 40 hours into it, and still haven't seen the last boss yet. Just exploring and trying out new weapons. Good stuff. Update: This is released and way better even than when I listed this.

Shovel Knight + Addons - Side-scroller - Action Platform Ala "MegaMan" - Available - *****
-IMO the definitive Megaman style action platform game, with updates that allow you to play as some of the other, more iconic characters from the original game. Lots of secrets, extra abilities and weapons, a lot of really funny humor, excellent music, and modern conveniences. I have the full Treasure Trove version on the PC, Wii U, and 3DS and have played it a TON. It never really gets old.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet - Side-scroller - Action "Saucer Vania" - Available - *****
-This is an interesting one. You pilot a flying saucer, but it involves true Metroid and Castlevania elements of backtracking with newly found equipment, sections that need said equipment to progress, etc. The world is very cool, the art style as well, sound design plays into the game play, then animation is amazing, and even things like the actual attachments you get for your ship are varied and exciting to use. Definitely recommend this.

Terraria - Side-scroller - Building Exploration Survival - Available - *****
-2D Minecraft basically, but with a really cool soundtrack, about a million more types of blocks, items, decorations, etc. to use. Cool varied environments, lots of enemies and bosses. Very fun.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime - Co-op Action Space Combat - Available - ***
-I'd rate this a little higher because the concept and execution are so good, but honestly I'm just not very good at it on my own, and haven't had anyone skilled enough to play with to make it work a little better for me. If I had another player to help manage the ship's stations, I'd have more fun, play it more, and probably rate it four or five stars. Without that though, I get pissed off and quit a lot. :D

Stardew Valley - Overhead - RPG Lite Building Lite "Harvest Moon-esque" - Available - ****
-Disclaimer I don't play this. All of my kids do, and they are absolutely glued to it. Even over other games that they love like Minecraft, Terraria, Borderlands, etc. They would rate it five stars easily. It's not quite my style of RPG though. It looks like a lot of busy-work like Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing, and I don't have anywhere near that kind of time. :D It looks really cool and fun though from an outsider perspective, so I gave it four.

FEZ - Rotational Side-scroller - Platform Puzzle - Available - *****
-One of my favorite puzzle-oriented platform games ever. This game pulled me in immediately, and I played it pretty much straight through. It can get fairly tricky at times with some of the puzzle timings, but never totally unfair. The music is relaxing, and the game overall is pretty mellow too. Good after-work platformer.

Axiom Verge - Side-scroller - Action Exploration "Troid" - Available - *****
-All I'm going to say is that I like this better than Super Metroid if that's any indication. It's pretty much flawless. Get it.

Nidhogg - Side-scroller - Versus Sword Play Fighter - Available - **** (***** with alcohol :D )
-This game brings me back to things like Combat and Outlaw on the Atari, only with fluid animation, and contextually changing soundtrack, cool locations to fight, and if you and a friend or three have a few drinks, I guarantee you'll be giggling like little girls.

CRAWL - Overhead - Arcade Dungeon Crawler Four Player - Available - ****
-This game reminds me of some old upright arcade games. It's four players. One player is the main character and is attempting to get through the dungeon. The other players are ghosts that can inhabit/possess traps, summon creatures to fight as, etc. to try to kill the main character before he gets to the boss and leaves the dungeon. If a ghost kills the player, then he becomes the new player trying to get through. The visuals are cool, the music is nice, the controls are spot on, you can upgrade, and there is a lot of potential for laughing and trash talking. Another good one for a couple of drinks with friends.

Song of the Deep - Side-scroller - Action Exploration "Underwater Vania" - Available - ****
-I haven't finished this one, but played it a little bit with one of my daughters, and so far I really like it. It reminds me of a non-space/alien version of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. Similar play style, similar(ish) art, and play. I'll get back to this as soon as I can make myself put down Sundered.

Lone Survivor - Side-scroller - Horror RPG Lite - Available - ***
-This one nails the creepy, isolated, horror vibe pretty well. It's also slightly nonsensical at times, and it requires a lot of figuring out of things in slightly obtuse ways. It's also pretty maze like going through the apartments. It's a cool game, but I didn't finish it. It's something I'd like to eventually though during a lull. Not something I would drop another game I'm enjoying for though.

Monaco - Overhead - Action Skills-based Heist Multiplayer - Available - *****
-This game is an absolute blast. I'd play this (especially with a few friends) before I'd play any of the other heist games out there. Each class of character has a useful skill (I like the hacker, cleaner, and the mole best, but they're all good). You have to break into, or out of various facilities, steal things, hack security, climb through ventilation systems, tunnel through walls, and get to the end without getting killed. You can play with stealth, or kill everyone, though the violent route will be more difficult. Getting a good team going though with friends is pretty amazing. I got a four pack when this was released.

Dust Force - Side-scroller - Technical Platform - Available - ***
-I haven't played Meat Boy, but I assume that this is quite similar. It's a very technical platformer that requires excellent timing, and chaining of a lot of successful jumps, glides, slides, etc. It's fun, but difficult, and the music is really cool. It's not exactly one of my favorites, but I did play it quite a bit early on. I like the theme too. :D The animation is super-smooth, and the controls are as good as they need to be for a game like this.

Momodora - Side-scroller - Action Platform "Vania Lite" - Available - ****
-This game has very precise controls, cute characters, nice effects, and is a lot of fun. I was actually pretty surprised. I would call its MetroidVania aspects about as lite as they can be without being non-existent, but it does follow that style to a degree. There's something about it that makes me keep playing it, even where other very similar games lose me after a bit.

Dust: An Elysian Tale - Side-scroller - Action Platform - Available - *** (based on little play, may be better)
-This is a weird case. The art is gorgeous, the fighting is pretty decent, the animation is great, the levels are laid out fairly well, but I just could get myself to keep playing it. I know a lot of other people really like it, so I'm not going to rate it any less. All of the components are there, but for some reason I didn't find it very compelling. Maybe I'll try it again sometime. It definitely does enough right to make me rate it a little higher.

CrossCode - Overhead - Action RPG - Available - *****
-Early Access, but another case of excellent, honest and present developers who give regular updates. This game is kind of like if you took the "on the map" combat style of older Zeldas, Secret of Evermore maybe, and combined it with sci-fi nearly, but not completely Cyberpunk themes, and smashed in some Chrono Trigger for good measure. (though minus the turn based Chrono style combat) The graphics and effects are incredibly good, the story is fleshed out very well for the first areas, the devs add more to the story, and new areas regularly, and are actually working on the last bits now, and filling in the story more. The controls are fluid, there's a good tutorial to get you going. If you want a nice, polished, non-half-assed PC JRPG with action combat, then this is for you. I'll probably bump it up to five starts later, as I'm waiting to play it until version 1. I played several hours though just to make sure I'd like it, and I very much do. It's a case of wanting to experience the full package now though. Even better after release.

Ori and the Blind Forest - Side-scroller - Action Platform Exploration Lite Skills-based - Available - *****
-Beautiful game. The world art is amazing, the game characters are likable, and the overall atmosphere is sad, but compelling. I'm not as much a fan of the platforming on this as I am of something like Sundered, but it's very good, and the controls are tight. Kinda reminds me of Rayman in some ways, though obviously not as silly and comic a setting.

VVVVVV - Side-scroller - Simplistic Technical Action Platform RPG Lite - Available - ****
-Don't let the visuals fool you. This looks like something from a sub-C64 computer like maybe some of the Amstrads or Spectrums or something (My opinion there, I'm sure some British people will take issue with that statement :p ) maybe it does reach C64 level though in some ways :D Anyway, the visuals are actually pretty good overall, it's just that they are VERY retro and very simple. The platforming is very precise, cool gravity reversal effect, simple controls, easy to play, but very quickly becomes difficult the further you get. You'll be retrying areas a lot, but not in an unfair way. The music is brilliant, and I even have a few of its tracks on my audio playlists for general listening. There are RPG elements (more on the story side than questing, but still there) of finding your lost friends, restoring equipment function on your ship, etc. This is a cool game. I haven't actually completed it yet, (had it for years) but I occasionally pop it on, and play a bit more than I did previously.

Cave Story+ - Side-scroller - Action RPG Ala "Wonder Boy Troid" - Available - ****
-I had obviously heard about this a long time ago, but was never sure if I'd like it. I ended up loving it. The dialog is funny, the characters are good, and the play is nice and tight with good controls. The game reminds me of some of the later Wonder Boy games (like Dragon's Curse) except more sci-fi.

PixelJunk Shooter - Side-scroller - Co-op Puzzle Space-ship Shooter - Available - ****
-Cool co-op space-ship shooter games with physics-based puzzles here and there. It's a rescue shooter where you pick up stranded guys from inside caves. It reminds me a lot of several C64 games from the 80s. It's 2 player local co-op. There's a "deluxe" version with more content. I haven't played the additional stuff yet though, only the original game.

Machinarium - Side-scroller / Screen by Screen - Point-Click Adventure - Available - ****
-Fun point and click adventure with cool artwork, funny characters, and an interesting setting. It's almost like if H.R. Geiger made a kids cartoon about robots. :D The setting is a bit oppressive, but the game is full of humor too.

Thimbleweed Park - Side-scroller / Screen by Screen - Point-Click Adventure Comedy - Available ****
-Do you like Monkey Island or Day or the Tentacle? Then you should probably like this. It's got an X-Files sort of theme to it. I'm not too far into it yet, but it feels like a SCUMM game, which is definitely a good thing. It's made me laugh a few times, looks good, sounds good. Now to find a bit more time to play it.

Bastion - Isometric - Narrated Action RPG Lite - Available - ***
-This is a really cool game. Beautiful graphics, cool narration, but for some reason it felt a bit repetitive to me, which normally isn't a problem for me with action RPGs. I felt like the combat was a tiny bit too drawn out for each section, and that maybe a little more weapon power, or a little less enemy life would have made things move along at a better pace. Still, it's a good game, and I'm glad I played it.

Transistor - Isometric - Action RPG - Available - ****
-Similar to Bastion, only on this one, I felt like the story moved along at a better pace, there was a bit more variety to the play and combat, and since I'm into the whole dystopia / cyberpunk sort of setting, it just gelled better with me. This is a very cool game. (Disclaimer, I played it on my iPad not the PC...)

Tokyo 42 - Rotational Isometric - Action Adventure RPG Lite Ala "Syndicate" - Available ****
-This is like if you took some light adventuring, maybe a touch of RPGism, and mushed them together with the original Syndicate game. (and added a FEZ-like rotation aspect) This game is a lot of fun. I've only played maybe the first 5-10 missions or so, as I got distracted, but definitely plan to get back to it. The visual style is really cool too. It's a brighter setting than the Syndicate games, but still gives you that same sort of feel. It's cool to see all the citizens doing varied activities. (until you run by with a weapon, and they start running away :D )
 
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Continued from previous post:


Icey - Side-scroller - Narrated Action Combat Troid Lite Comdedy - Available - ***
-This is a pretty interesting and weird game, that has excellent game mechanics, tight combat, and some very funny (in a weird sort of way) humor. It's narrated, basically by the developer. You can make him mad, frustrate him by going the opposite way that his narration suggests, etc. You can even go to a place that hasn't been developed all the way yet. :D Anyway, this game really made me laugh. I played it with the original narration language and subtitles. I think it's been dubbed now too, but I'm not sure it would have the same feel to it. While it's not quite the same level as Sundered or Dead Cells, it's definitely worth a play.

SteamWorld Dig - Side-scroller - Action Adventure Puzzle RPG Lite - Available - ****

Mark of the Ninja - Side-scroller - Action Platform Sword Play Ninja - Available - *****
-This just received an HD make-over (even though I don't feel like it needed it). Supposedly it's free to people that own the original. I haven't played it yet, but plan to after I finish Timespinner.

MegaSphere - Side-scroller - Action Platform Robot Shooter - EA/Available - ***

Swords and Sworcery - Side-scroller - RPG Lite Adventure Minor Action Sequences - ****

Rayman Origins / Legends - Side-scroller - Fast Platform Collecting - Available - ****

Shadowrun Returns (Series) - Isometric - Turn-based Cyberpunk Semi-Tactical RPGs - Available - ****

A Robot Named Fight! - Side-scroller - Appears to be a violent Metroid / Turrican style game - Available - ***
-I finally picked this up. The quality level is good, the controls are decent, the visuals and music are pretty good, and it does play like Metroid with one caveat. It's procedural. This works great in games like Dead Cells, and it does work ok with A Robot Named Fight! however, IMO not quite a slick as Dead Cells or Sundered. It feels a lot less like you're getting more powerful as you move along, die, and start over, where in those other games you start slowly becoming a total badass. It's good, but I'd recommend Axiom Verge over this.

Cuphead - Side-scroller - Action Platform Shooter Cartoon - *****
-Ok, this one is top quality. There is zero question about the quality level of this game. It's flawless. Everything is spot on. BUT, it's hard as fuck. The play is very similar to something like Contra Hard Corps, only IMO a bit more difficult. You do get used to it slowly, but overall it's pretty unforgiving. Luckily the play style changes up a bit from ground shooting to air shooting to boss-rush, so as you get better, you also get some more variety. I wish the powerups were more permanent, but it's pretty standard arcade play.

Timespinner - Total-Vania - Basically Sympony of the Night re-skinned. - *****
-This one could be a little contentious for some people. There's definitely an underlying (though only if you're really picking it apart) agenda. Nothing that detracted from the game for me, and what do I care if the main character's mom is a lesbian. :D The play is pretty much Symphony of the Night, great music, excellent visuals. It comes up slightly short in the enemy department. None of them are truly scary creatures, some are pretty laughable even, but the game-play still holds strong. It may be because I'm a sucker for this style of game, but despite a few shortcomings, I've been playing it non-stop since I got it. The difficulty on the normal setting is nice and balanced, (there is a hard one, or outright simplistic level as well where you really don't die if you're feeling casual.) I'd rate this four stars just for the enemy shortcomings, but honestly since I can't seem to stop playing it, I feel it deserves more just for that. I've enjoyed the game, so it deserves a bit of praise.

The Messenger - Pseudo-Gaiden - Side-scrolling ninja game with Metroid elements. - *****
-This game may look identical to Ninja Gaiden, and while it's got a lot of that heritage in the game, it really plays a bit more like Shovel Knight, Metroid, maybe a touch of Castlevania, with Ninja Gaiden sprinkled on top. It's got two distinct audio-visual styles. The first half of the game is 8-bit NES style graphics and music. Then next part is 16-bit Genesis/Megadrive style complete with OPL/YM FM music. Eventually you can swap back and forth between styles as well. The play mechanics are spot on, and while it never feels too difficult, it can get very technical to where you're going to have to try to get to the next section a few times. There are TONS of secrets to discover, and it does feel rewarding to find some of them as they can be located in some pretty odd places. (while others are more obvious breaking-wall style) Really can't recommend this game enough. It may not fully deliver if all you want is a Ninja Gaiden clone, but it delivers in every other possible way all on its own. It's also got an excellent sense of humor ala Shovel Knight.

Wizard of Legend - Procedural Top Down Scrolling Action RPG. - ****
-This game is really more fun with two players. (Local) It's excellent though. There is plenty of variety, and it's one of the games that does things right with powerups when you rogue-die which is inevitable. You keep your powers, cloaks, and items, and you can re-equip after each death. There is a ton of variety in spells, some are synergistic with others, and there are tons of relics and robes/cloaks to modify your skill sets for a round of play. The levels are just the right difficulty and ramp up just right as you go along. The shops in the dungeons allow you to buy more skills, health, etc. just for the course of the current round as well. Items purchased in dungeons last until death, unlike items purchased outside the dungeons. The controls are tight, the music is good, the locations are good. I only wish they would add on a new biome. (it's planned, but it hasn't released as of this writing) Good game.

ChronoTrigger - JRPG - Duh it's ChronoTrigger and this is an honorable mention. - *****
-Since this is on Steam, but is an old game this is just an honorable mention. The game is as good as it ever was (though I still prefer the DS version just because it's the perfect game to play on a mobile). This started out rough, as it was a port of the mobile version (IOS and Android). The graphical filtering and scaling was all wrong, and control elements were wacked out. They managed to fix all that, and restore the original pixel graphics as an option. There are some minor tiling flaws in some places, but overall it's pretty spot-on now. The port is otherwise intact, it includes the animate cut-scenes of later versions, and plays as one would expect using a game pad. If you're looking for a Chrono-Fix, this version will do just fine. Purists might be nitpicking this or that, but as someone that's played all available versions for years, I'm giving it my personal approval now that it's been patched up.

Aggelos - Side-scrolling Action RPG - Very much like later Wonderboy games. - ****
-This game is incredibly good. It's actually five star material except for one flaw. There is a problem with XBoxOne-based XInput pads where the D-Pad isn't detected. You can either map it using Joy2Key or play with the analog stick. It actually surprisingly plays just fine on the analog stick, so I did that, as much as I hated having to. The game was compelling and charming enough to play that way. The devs said they were working on it, but seem to have given up on that (though they have released other updates). That really rubbed me the wrong way, but the game is good enough to overlook that IMO. Everything else about it is top notch. Excellent controls, plenty of secrets, MetVan style progression, tons of weapon and skill upgrades, beautiful artwork and cool locations. It looks Wonderboy but plays more like VanMet games with a touch of Wizards & Warriors thrown in for good measure. It is too bad about the D-Pad thing, but the game is so good that I recommend playing it anyway. I'm still giving it four stars since that's a pretty glaring issue, but just know that based on the actual game, it's worth much more.

Monster Boy in the Cursed Kingdom - Side-scrolling Action RPG - Wonderboy spinoff. - *****
-Note: I'm playing this on the switch, but it's scheduled for release on the PC as well, and should be identical. This is basically a modern Wonderboy game (even some of the same developers if I remember correctly. If you like Wonderboy, then you'll like this. I'm having an absolute blast with it right now, and haven't been able to put it down since I started. I even stopped playing everything else I was playing until I finish it. There's one more game like this, a Dragon's Trap/Curse remake with similarly updated art style. I have it, but haven't gotten to it yet. I'll add it to the list as soon as I do.

Chasm - Side-scrolling Metroid-Vania - More Vania. - *****
-I wasn't sure if I'd like this quite as much as some other games like it at first. It took a short amount of time to get used to the controls. They feel a little bit different than other recent games of this style. However, the more I played, the more I got completely hooked on the atmosphere. The progression of items, skills, and weapons is great, as well as the overall breadth of them. There is just a ton of different things to find, discover, etc. There are some small environmental puzzles that keep you on your toes. You really have to pay attention to some of the things in the background sometimes. It's pretty clear when that's necessary, and you'll generally know where to backtrack to. It's almost always within the same area. There's a really nice teleportation and routing system that allows you to travel between different areas very quickly as you unlock more areas. So, while there is plenty of characteristic backtracking for a game like this, it becomes easier and easier to get around as you go as well. The music is excellent, the characters are good, and the game has its own charm in a very popular genre. I will reiterate, that while the controls are good overall, and very responsive, at least for me it took a bit to get used to some of the finer nuances. (I think maybe I've just been playing too much Dead Cells :D ) Highly recommend this game!

Highly Anticipated

The Last Night - Side-scroller - Cyberpunk Action Adventure Platform - Not Yet Available
 
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2.5D Games

Available

Alien Breed 1-3 - Overhead - Twin Stick Shooter - Available - ****
-These are modern day renditions of the Alien Breed classics from the Amiga. They play very similarly, but with excellent modern graphics, improved twin-stick-style controls, and more variety than the originals. The locations are cool, the sound design is excellent, and everything is as tight as can be. I highly recommend these whether you're a fan of the classics, or just like a good action game. They also kind of remind me of the Loaded games on the PS1 just because the action is fast, constant, smooth, etc.

Trine 1-3 - Side-scroller+ - Narrated Platform Puzzle - Available - ***** (only played 1 and 2)

NEX Machina - Overhead - Twin Stick Shooter - Available - *****
-This game is REALLY cool. The team also consulted with Eugene Jarvis who worked on some of the earliest (and coolest) twin stick games (Robotron etc.) It uses Voxels, so everything moves and breaks.

Shadow Complex - Side-scroller - Metroidvania - Available - *****

DariusBurstCS - Side-scrolling Shooter - Space / Undersea Shooter progression on arcade series - *****
-If you're into side scrolling space-ship shooters, you already know this series. It's been around forever, some of the arcades having dual monitors or wide format screens. This version even supports ultra-wide aspects which is REALLY cool. This is like a culmination of the entire series, with all arcade modes and styles, and additional ones that really mix things up. Of course some of the assets will be the same across modes, but the game technically contains thousands of variations to play, and does not get old quickly. I was sick one night, loaded up on cough medicine, and probably played this for ten hours straight. :D It has the same colored-bubble upgrade system that you'll remember. If you like these games, it's worth the high price.

The Cave - Side-scroller - Adventure Puzzle Platform - Available - ****
-Imagine combining SCUMM style point and click with side scrolling platform puzzle game and adding a Double Fine flair to it (ala Psychonauts). That's pretty much what this game is. It's fun. The puzzles can be interesting, and often require cooperation from different player characters. Speaking of which there are several that you can switch between in order to use each one's strengths/skills to solve various problems. I didn't finish it, but played it for a significant amount of time. I was playing it with my brother, but we haven't really had much time to play it again, so it's been sitting until we do.

Highly Anticipated

Ruiner - Overhead - Cyberpunk Twin Stick Shooter - Available, owned, not yet played.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Side-scroller - Real-a-vania - Available - *****
-Placeholder. Just bought it. Reporting back soon.
 
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Out of time for now, but that's a start. :D I'll try to put in some additional comments on game play, and maybe some Steam links if I really have a minute or two. Feel free to add on more games or lists, counter ratings, etc. Also, I don't care of any additions are 2D or 2.5D or whatever. I was just arranging my lists that way, nobody else needs to.
 
Oh, a quick note on my Overhead designation. I used it for both direct overhead or 3/4 overhead views (or similar). I only used isometric in actual isometric (or close enough to...) cases. Some maybe be debatable.
 
rezerekted said:


Isometric

*****
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I've seen these games since the Amiga days, and have never actually tried any of them. Judging by your 5 star rating though, maybe I should. Is it turn based strategy, or more like the turn-based RPG sorta thing like Shadowrun. I'll go take a look at it myself, but thought I'd get your opinion.
 
Managed to pop in some descriptions and opinions of the first several in the first list. I'll fill in more as I get more time. I'll also try to add others' suggestions to the list, especially if I have personal experience with the games. If I don't, I'll just mention that.
 
J3RK said:
I've seen these games since the Amiga days, and have never actually tried any of them. Judging by your 5 star rating though, maybe I should. Is it turn based strategy, or more like the turn-based RPG sorta thing like Shadowrun. I'll go take a look at it myself, but thought I'd get your opinion.
Click to expand...

Combat is similar to Shadowrun but there is a strategic layer too. You need to take over sectors with your mercs then hold them while you move onto a new sector. If you get it get the 1.113 mod too.

http://ja2v113.pbworks.com/w/page/4218334/Downloads
 
FTL definitely deserves a spot on the list.

Also, Starbound.

Not to mention Super Meatboy!

And.....

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
Caesar III
Dungeons of Dredmor

(Not sure if I'm doing this right, but those are the titles that immediately came to mind that weren't already on the list etc.)
 
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I ended up playing Songbringer for about 20 hours over the weekend, and I have to say it's excellent. I've updated its entry now.
 
I thought this thread was going to be about a 2D PC game called Database, lol.

Subbing for 2D/2.5D goodness...I had a ton of fun with Terraria and have several 2D's in my backlog that I need to get to eventually.
 
Lateralus said:
I thought this thread was going to be about a 2D PC game called Database, lol.

Subbing for 2D/2.5D goodness...I had a ton of fun with Terraria and have several 2D's in my backlog that I need to get to eventually.
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Maybe there should be a 2D game called Database. It's all about being a DBA, rearranging data for sales people, running reports. You know, all of the fun and adventurous things that a Lead DBA might do in a day. Maybe it could be written in SQL, and require a full base-level SQL installation in order to play. It would also be available on Steam, so every time you install it, it has to install SQL as a prerequisite. :p

This is feature-creep of course, but maybe some simulated data inconsistency, server failures, broken maintenance plans, and broken data connections to users' workstations could also be presented as mini-games and QTEs. :D
 
J3RK said:
Maybe there should be a 2D game called Database. It's all about being a DBA, rearranging data for sales people, running reports. You know, all of the fun and adventurous things that a Lead DBA might do in a day. Maybe it could be written in SQL, and require a full base-level SQL installation in order to play. It would also be available on Steam, so every time you install it, it has to install SQL as a prerequisite. :p

This is feature-creep of course, but maybe some simulated data inconsistency, server failures, broken maintenance plans, and broken data connections to users' workstations could also be presented as mini-games and QTEs. :D
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It should be named "I.T."....

UXOCE_pV_400x400.jpg


What a terrible game....
 
J3RK said:
Maybe there should be a 2D game called Database. It's all about being a DBA, rearranging data for sales people, running reports. You know, all of the fun and adventurous things that a Lead DBA might do in a day. Maybe it could be written in SQL, and require a full base-level SQL installation in order to play. It would also be available on Steam, so every time you install it, it has to install SQL as a prerequisite. :p

This is feature-creep of course, but maybe some simulated data inconsistency, server failures, broken maintenance plans, and broken data connections to users' workstations could also be presented as mini-games and QTEs. :D
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LOL!! You know, it's really not too much of a stretch considering we already have such riveting titles as "Football Manager" :D

I was going to lump Corporate Lifestyle Simulator in with those extremely boring games, but it's actually supposed to be fun...maybe it should be added to the second post and reviewed at some point!
 
Uh oh, I ran my main post up past the 20,000 character limit. Might have to split it out differently. Just lost two mini-reviews...
 
AceGoober said:
Commander Keen (I think I still have the floppy disks in storage)
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Love these games. Especially love the FM music for them. I think #4 was my favorite if I remember correctly. The first one with the updated art style and music. I got them all when I picked up the big id pack on Steam a few years back. The first one was the first real proof that a cool platform game could exist on the PC. I mean, there were a few other good ones at or before, but Keen had a degree of polish I hadn't seen up to then. There was also Jill of the Jungle, and Duke Nukem, but the scrolling on those wasn't smooth at all like Keen.
 
Domingo said:
People swear by Salt & Sanctuary. It's often called a "2D Dark Souls."
https://ska-studios.com/salt/
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I've heard a lot of good things about this, but haven't tried it myself yet. I personally like the art styles on Dead Cells and Sundered a bit more, but Salt & Sanctuary still looks pretty nice. Just by looking at the videos, I wish they would have animated the weapons by hand, (it looks like they rely on rotation a lot or maybe some kind of skeletal animation system) but I'm definitely going to give it a try when I finish a couple of the other games I'm working on. (Songbringer and Sundered currently)
 
PSA: Thimbleweed Park is on sale on Steam right now for $13. Definitely worth it if you like Lucas/SCUMM style adventure games.
 
PSA: CRAWL is on sale on Steam for half price at $7.49. I highly recommend this game, especially if you like local multiplayer.
 
Cuphead is out! Just grabbed it. Unfortunately I won't be able to play it for another six hours or so. I'll add more descriptions and mini-reviews to the third and fourth posts soon.
 
Jeez. Cuphead is hard as hell. I can't figure out if I suck at these types of game now, or if it's harder than the ones of my youth. I think it's fantastic, though.
It's one of the only games where getting it via the Windows Store is the way to go for console owners. Buying it there nets you the PC and Xbox one version for the same price.
 
Domingo said:
Jeez. Cuphead is hard as hell. I can't figure out if I suck at these types of game now, or if it's harder than the ones of my youth. I think it's fantastic, though.
It's one of the only games where getting it via the Windows Store is the way to go for console owners. Buying it there nets you the PC and Xbox one version for the same price.
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It's not just you man. I love megaman games and cuphead is simply too hard for my enjoyment. They are going to exclude a large number of players from enjoying the game I think. It's wonderful what they've done, don't get me wrong. And even though I disagree with the difficulty, I respect the decision to make the game they wanted to make. That said, this is like Dark Souls disguised as mario with hitbox problems. Many times I would die and was left wondering, WTF? The vertical shooting seems to have some issues to me. I'll revisit later to see if anythings changed or if the community mods anything, but as it stands right now, I feel like there is a wonderful game thats locked away from all but the most hardcore masochists among us.
 
I thought it was too hard, but kept at it and have almost cleared the first island now. It took a LONG time ramping up, and getting used to it. The style of play is more Contra 3-esque than Megaman, so I had a hard time adjusting after playing so much Shovel Knight and Sundered etc. I couldn't beat a single level all of Friday night. After a sleep, and hitting it again in the morning, I started making progress. I wish the parry system was more forgiving, but otherwise I think I'm on more of a roll now. It's pretty effing hard. I thought I was prepared, but I think I just needed practice with its mechanics specifically. It will probably stomp all over me as I get further though. Hopefully I can get back to it tonight.
 
I've managed to clear the first 4-5 levels ( think the game says I'm at 20% or something like that), but some of them were mighty struggles. The one with the wasp boss that you have to fight atop the leaves was particularly rough for me. Next up for me are the two frogs and the airplane levels. I wish the bosses had a life bar of some sort. It's easy to get flustered not knowing if you have to hit them 2-3 more times or 200-300 more times.

Anyone have insights how the supers work? I have unlocked the super soaker looking super, but I can't really tell if it's doing anything to bosses. I'm also not exactly sure how you build it up or use it in conjunction with the normal hadoken looking B button attack.
 
I've added in some updates both for existing entries, and added a couple more games, updated some statuses from EA to Release, etc. I'll add more as I get more time.

Edit: And just updated more.
 
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I picked up Battle Princess Madelyn last night. Can't wait to give it a try later. Basically it looks like a Ghouls 'n Ghosts game, and it's getting good reviews. As a huge fan of the GnG series, I think I'm going to love this game. I'll be adding an entry above for it, once I give it a play.

I also grabbed R-Type Dimensions, and will add that into the 2.5D section.
 
I've been playing CrossCode almost religiously. It is a massive time sink with the best dual-stick shooter controls I've ever seen. Puzzles and story are quite interesting as well.

It's been 1.0 release since September, so no-longer early access. I've put 60 hours into it, and gotten about 2/3 of the way through in those two months :D
 
defaultluser said:
I've been playing CrossCode almost religiously. It is a massive time sink with the best dual-stick shooter controls I've ever seen. Puzzles and story are quite interesting as well.

It's been 1.0 release since September, so no-longer early access. I've put 60 hours into it, and gotten about 2/3 of the way through in those two months :D
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Nice! I played it about a year or two ago for several hours. Then decided I’d wait for release. I just had to get a few projects out of the way, so I could play it a good amount. (Almost done with those projects...)
 
Another few games you should add to your list:

Iconoclasts.



It has some tough gravity jumping puzzles and bosses.

I also found In-Between, a creative shifting of gravity platformer (world gravity shifts every time you move the stick).



And finally Mushroom 11. I've never thought of Fungus Simulator as being a fun game, and yet I can't put this one down.



All were tons of fun
 
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Battle Princess Madelyn is really good so far, and challenging in the same sorts of ways as the G'nG series. I'll be adding it into the review section above after I play it more. It's also got some adventure/RPG-lite elements to it, which is kind of cool.

I also picked up Below today. So far I'm hearing good things about it. There are a few people having a launch crash, so I'm not sure what that's about. The people actually playing it though seem to like it. I'll get it added above as soon as I get a chance to play it for a while.
 
What's EA?
You listed Ori, if you like that definitely try New N' Tasty, it's the excellent Abes Oddysee remake in unreal engine, a beautiful and varied location side scroller with some cinematic aspects.

Diablo is great and plays fine on Win7 with 290x/Vega, just force 256 colour mode.
 
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