Steam] Steam Game Roundup for 2023! The BEST 10 indie games you must play during the year-end and New Year's holidays!

The Best 10 Indie Games You Should Definitely Play During the Year-End and New Year's Holidays

No. 10 Love Adventure with Beautiful Boys You'll Never Talk to No. 10: "From Madness with Love

• Release date: 2023/7/18
• Genre: Adventure
• Price: 1,680 yen
• Publisher: Jamsanpoid, VampireK.K.

⇒Steam] Summer vacation is full of games.　Introducing new Steam games recommended for release in July!

Ai wo Yori Ai wo Komete" (With Love from Madness) is a romance adventure game with dots and full voice, in which you spend a year at school with four men and try to increase their likability by making choices, which sounds like an orthodox romance game, but it is not. However, the four men you are involved with are not the kind of guys that you can ever have a conversation with!
The unique and good-looking men keep coming up with unintelligible lines such as "tooth brushed rice," "salt pizza," "plump space cod roe, all in hiragana," "Edward would boil kelp tea with his earlobes," etc., but somehow the game still works as a love adventure. The surreal and one-of-a-kind game experience is well worth a look.

Zombie Survival RPG No. 9: "Zombies of the Dot

• Release date: 2023/6/27
• Genre: RPG
• Price: 1,320 yen
• Maker: Hit-Point Co.,Ltd

⇒Steam] Summer vacation is full of games.　Introducing new Steam games recommended for release in July!

Zombies of the "Dot" is an RPG that lets you experience the thick drama of a zombie movie in a world with the atmosphere of 70's America. As the title "Zombies of the Dot" suggests, this game is all about dot graphics, which is sure to tickle the fancy of retro gamers. The game is an RPG with a 2D overlooking viewpoint, where players explore the map, find items, and battle enemies, in the old-fashioned, classic RPG style that matches the retro dot graphics. When you come into contact with zombies roaming on the field, you are plunged into battle. Despite its turn-based system, the game offers a unique battle experience that skillfully expresses the fear and tension of the oncoming zombies.

No. 8 in our collection of addicting casual mini-games: "I made those games I've seen somewhere with stick figures, but will you be able to complete them?"

• Release date: 2023/7/20
• Genre: Casual
• Price: 1,111 yen
• Maker: MONKEYCRAFT Co.

⇒This is a game that you can play on your smartphone.　A collection of casual mini-games that are sure to get you hooked "I made those "games" I've seen somewhere using stickmen, but will you be able to complete them?

This title is a collection of casual mini-games that allows you to enjoy five simple types of mini-games. The main feature of this title is the concept that you can actually play "that game" that you have seen somewhere before. However, in this title, you can actually play such and such games that you have seen in such advertisements, and you can play them in abundance. There are five types of games in this title: "Pin Pulling," "Suji Tower," "Car Dashi," "Money Matching," and "Color Sorting," and there are plenty of problems to keep you entertained.

Leisurely farm simulation No. 7: "Dragonoca

• Release date: 2023/1/12
• Genre: Simulation
• Price: 1,980 yen
• Maker: GeSEI unkan.

⇒[Steam] Did you miss out on anything?　These 3 new Steam games you should play now, released in January!

Dragonoca" is a 2D, low-down viewpoint simulation game with eye-catching, meticulously drawn dots. The game takes place on the "back" of a giant dragon. There are many things to do, such as collecting materials by cutting down trees and crushing stones, building houses and crafting items with the collected materials, cultivating the soil and planting seeds to grow crops, and hatching eggs to raise livestock. The game is a time-sucking game in which players have a high degree of freedom, so there is always something new to do one after the other. There are also events unique to the "living on a dragon's back" setting, such as encounters with other dragons and giant beasts, and we recommend this title not only to those who like farm and ranch simulations, but also to those who would like to play a different kind of game.

No. 6 Multiplayer medal game set in Oedo: "Kosen Pusher Friends 2

• Release date: 2023/5/19
• Genre: Simulation
• Price: 410 yen
• Maker: STP WORKS

⇒[Steam] You can experience the excitement of the arcade at home!　New Play Review of "Kosen Pusher Friends 2," a Multiplayer Medal Game Set in Oedo, Tokyo

Kosen Pusher Friends 2" is a Japanese-style digital medal pusher game set in the Edo period. The rules are simple and easy to understand: move the ejector left and right, launch old coins (medals), and drop old coins and items on the pusher on the stage to win them. The game also offers online multiplayer play for up to four players, allowing players to play together with friends and other players.

Real-time roguelike card battle No. 5: "HATENA'S TOWER -The Tower of Children

• Release date: 2023/4/20
• Genre: Strategy
• Price: 2,500 yen
• Maker: Tast Alpha Inc.

⇒[Steam] The second half of GW is full of games!　These three new Steam games released in April!

This title is a card battle game with "roguelike" elements that changes each time you play. In the tower where the game takes place, you automatically move around, and when you meet an enemy, a card battle begins. Players select cards from the hand displayed at the bottom of the screen and attack, defend, or heal to reduce the enemy's life. All battles in this title progress in real time. Magic cards take a little time from the moment you select them to the moment you release your attack, and if you use a well-timed defense card just as your opponent is about to attack, it will be a just-guard and you will be able to stun your opponent. The warm, mysterious and enigmatic picture-book-like graphics are also an attractive feature of this title.

Exhilarating action RPG that can be played with one hand: "IGNISTONE

• Release date: 2023/10/2
• Genre: Action
• Price: 990 yen
• Maker: MONO ENTERTAINMENT

⇒New games on Steam: 3 recommended games for December! From a royal RPG to a personality diagnosis adventure

This action RPG is set in a village where small and cute "Mame-zoku" people live. The player's objective is to reach the 100th floor of the dungeon while winning battles against enemies that appear in the dungeon. There are only three actions: "attack," "defense," and "special move," and the game can be played with only one hand. The basic flow of battle is to defend against attacks launched by the enemy while attacking to reduce the opponent's HP and defeat him, but the key here is "defense. If you defend against an enemy attack at just the right moment, a "just guard," or "jasuga," will occur!　Normal defense cuts damage by 30%, but Just Guard cuts damage by 100% and can even disable the enemy for a certain period of time. You can also disable the enemy for a certain period of time. You can enjoy a good amount of tension in each battle and enjoy a game experience that is sure to become addictive.

Simulation game that immerses you in the cycle of collecting, smelting, and selling No. 3: "Alchemist with a Smile".

• Release date: 2023/3/3
• Genre: Simulation
• Price: 1,540 yen
• Maker: Asobox Co.,Ltd

⇒[Steam] Are you sure you didn't miss anything?　These three new Steam games released in March!

Smile Alchemist" is a simulation game in which players read a story while enjoying cultivating, collecting, and synthesizing. The game is characterized by bright, vivid colors and warm, dot-picture style graphics. The main character of this work is a boy named Nake. Always smiling and cheerful, he aims to become the world's best alchemist in order to fulfill a promise he made to an important friend. The basic cycle of the game is "collecting," "alchemy," and "selling" repeatedly to fulfill the conditions to advance the main story. This cycle of "collecting," "alchemy," and "selling" is simple but very pleasant and so addictive that you will lose track of when to stop! The cycle of "collecting," "smelting," and "selling" is simple but very pleasurable. In addition, the game has a collection element and a sub-quest element called "Cyan's Tasks," in which rewards are awarded for achieving certain conditions, making it even more difficult to know when to stop, and before you know it, you find yourself in a swamp where you keep playing and playing for hours on end!　This is a title that can be recommended even for those who are not good at games, as it does not require any difficult operations.

Deck-building RPG with beautiful dot graphics No. 2: "SOULVARS

• Release date: 2023/6/19
• Genre: RPG
• Price: 1,980 yen
• Publisher: ginolabo, SUCCESS Corp.

⇒Addictive battles and hard-boiled worldview will make you shiver!　Play review of "SOULVARS", a deck-building RPG with beautiful dot graphics

SOULVARS" is a title with the genre name of "Soul Deck-Building RPG". Explore dungeons and encounter enemies to engage in card battle-style combat. The player uses a hand of cards called "soul bits" and chooses from among them to perform an action each turn. Since soul bits are tied to equipment, choosing what to equip is an element of "deck building" in card games. The main attraction of the game is that players can take their time to enjoy the troubling thought of whether to save their hand to activate a technique called "Arts," or whether to consume their hand to increase their power of action for the next turn. ...... The game also features high-quality dot graphics and a science fiction, hard-boiled storyline that will deeply appeal to those who enjoy light novels and late-night anime.

No. 1 New Personality Diagnosis Adventure: "Refind Self Personality Diagnosis Game

• Release date: 2023/11/14
• Genre: Adventure
• Price: 920 yen
• Maker: Lizardry.

⇒Not miss out on anything? From Royal Road RPG to Personality Diagnosis Adventure

Refind Self Personality Diagnosis Game" is, as its title suggests, a game that allows you to diagnose your own personality by playing it. This work is a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure game that ultimately diagnoses your personality by playing it, which is quite a novel system. The player's personality is ultimately diagnosed based on all the actions taken in the game, such as picking up fallen items, talking to characters, making choices, and purchasing items, It is therefore a good idea to explore the game world and perform various actions according to your feelings without thinking too much. The heart mark in the upper left corner of the screen will accumulate, and when it reaches 100%, the result of the personality diagnosis will be announced from among a total of 23 types of personalities.

Have a great gaming life on Steam during the year-end and New Year holidays!

So, I have sent you a completely subjective ranking of recommended games from among the Steam games that I have played in 2023 and featured in this article. Did you find any titles you would like to play during the year-end and New Year's holidays?

We will continue to introduce unique Steam indie games in the coming year, so please look forward to seeing you again in 2024!　Have a happy New Year!