I really don't know what to choose here.
On one hand there's Starward. But for obvious reasons I'm super biased towards that one... I'll not vote for that one for the same reasons that I cannot write up a review for it on Steam.
....but then I cant decide on the others, either.
I have a few choices here....
1. Valley Without Wind #1. This is the game that brought me here in the first place, and it's one of those games that has that intangible "special something" about it, to me. It's really hard to explain but the whole feel of the game, every part of it, has always worked for me, and been something really special. My problem with it though has always been some balance issues, and the fact that the world map mechanics were never entirely completed.
2. AI War. It's freaking AI War. I love strategy games, but it's sooooooooo rare that I find ones that can fully hold my attention. They need to be A: procedural (because non-procedural strategy games tend to have no replay value outside of multiplayer, which I don't care about), and constantly CHALLENGING. I expect great difficulty out of strategy titles. And while big games like the Civ series may be high quality... they don't offer that very much. The AI in so many strategy games is dumber than a stump, which is one reason why I vastly prefer asymmetrical design. Right now, the one and only other strategy game that I think is on the same level as AI War in terms of awesomeness is Creeper World 3 (seriously, everyone needs to play that). Particle Fleet and Infested Planet are also pretty close. With AI War in particular though... I never know what to expect. The game can have it's dull moments at times, but even during those it produces tension, since you just KNOW the AI is up to something, and you know that it'll very abruptly show you what that something is at some point. And when it suddenly does that (which is always, ALWAYS at the worst possible freaking moment) you know you're going to get tons of exciting stuff happening. Also the game has no dull "cleanup" phase to it since the AI gets stronger and more berserk as you progress.
3. Skyward Collapse. There's seriously nothing else like this. Nothing. I've always really enjoyed this one... all of the game mechanics really mesh well for me, and having to constantly deal with an ever-changing situation while strategizing around loopy things that aren't under your control gets very interesting, particularly since even seemingly small moves by the player can have large effects. The game makes me really think about each little move that I might make. I love that.
4. Bionic Dues. I *really* wish this had sold better, so that it could be expanded upon. There's soooooo many good things going on with this one. When it comes to turn-based roguelikes, this is probably my favorite. I've ranted about this game a lot on these forums, so I wont do so here.
Starward Rogue for me.
From the moment TLF changed its combat system, I was excited to see the game that would be born from the previous system. But despite all the hype I build up, SR still managed to far exceed my expectations. It successfully combined everything I liked about Binding of Isaac and bullethell games. I consider the result as nothing short of amazing. It's a shame the game didn't sell.
As always the comments on this are appreciated.... glad you enjoy the game that much.
By the way, we should have a playable build of the Perk Overhaul update available really darn soon here (as in, nearly ready to go). The new perks and such and altered balance really fix up a lot of problems. Also I made things more murderous. Because of course I did. Killing the player is my role here.
Poll