Akiba Research Institute Steam Review Roundup! The BEST 5 PC games you should definitely play!

No. 5: Aiming to be the best bird lover! WINGSPAN" is a healing card game in which you collect birds.

⇒PC Board Game Special Part 2

• WINGSPAN (Monster Couch)
• Genre: Board game
• Release date: September 18, 2020
• Price: 2,200 yen (as of August 25, 2024)
• Copyright: (C) 2020 Monster Couch
• #.

This is the digital version of WINGSPAN, the Expert Grand Prize winner of the German Annual Game Awards 2019. Players' objective is to become a bird lover and discover the best birds and attract them to the wildlife sanctuary they manage. While it is a strategic game in which up to five players compete against each other, the game features many soothing and relaxing elements, such as bird illustrations with a gentle touch, beautiful watercolor-like background graphics, relaxing background music, and the sound of gentle birdsong. The birdsong sounds, in particular, are amazingly realistic recordings of actual birdsong.

The game is simple to play, with players simply choosing one of four actions each turn: "place a bird from your hand," "get food from the food box," "make a bird lay eggs," or "replenish your hand.

The game is designed to be easy to play even for board game beginners, but its simplicity allows players to firmly enjoy the fun of constructing a strategy to achieve their goals. Online play is also supported, so you can enjoy battles with friends or someone you don't know. In addition, downloadable content that adds new cards and systems to the game is also available, which is a great way to further expand the scope of your enjoyment.

Incidentally, on a personal note, I was so hooked on this Steam version of "WINGSPAN" that I later purchased the Nintendo Switch version and the smartphone app version as well.

No. 4: Can you get to the bottom of a difficult unsolved case?　Puzzle-style mystery adventure "Because you have to finish the unsolved case."

⇒[Steam] Did you miss out on anything?　Introduction of Steam new game January release recommendations! From city-building with random elements to mystery adventure

• Unsolved Case Must Be Finished" (Somi)
• Genre: Adventure
• Released on January 18, 2024
• Price: 800 yen (as of August 25, 2024)
• Copyright: (C) 2024 Somi
• #

This title is a mystery adventure game about a certain unsolved case.

The protagonist is a person named Aoi Kiyosaki, who retired from the police force 12 years ago. Kiyosaki was investigating a case in which a young girl named Saika went missing 12 years ago, but despite repeated interviews and investigations, the case remained unsolved. One young policeman visits Kiyosaki and asks for his cooperation to end the "missing Saika-chan case. ...... is the synopsis of the film. The mysterious atmosphere of the game, combined with the dot-picture style graphic design, which is reminiscent of retro games and uses black as a precious color, creates a mysterious atmosphere.

The game's main screen has an interface reminiscent of the screens of message applications and social networking services such as LINE. The testimonies of the people involved are increasingly displayed on this screen, but the main feature of this work is that these testimonies are "the memories of the main character". The player must reassign the testimonies to the correct person, or rearrange them so that they are in the correct chronological order.

This unique puzzle-solving process, which is like solving a jigsaw puzzle, is very interesting, and the "truth of the unsolved case" that is reached at the end of the puzzle-solving process is also very fascinating. I am sure that those who enjoy mystery novels and detective dramas will also be satisfied with this game, so I urge you to sit back, relax, and play it all the way to the conclusion.

No. 3: Create a beautiful village by connecting hexagonal tiles!　Dorfromantik" is a relaxing puzzle game that you can enjoy alone.

⇒No.3: "Dorfromantik," a relaxing puzzle game that allows you to sit back and enjoy the game by yourself.　Here are three new Steam games you should play in July!

• Dorfromantik" (Toukana Interactive)
• Genre: Puzzle
• Release date: April 28, 2022
• Price: 1,420 yen (as of August 25, 2024)
• Copyright: (C) 2022 Toukana Interactive
• #1

This is a puzzle game for one player to create a village landscape by placing tiles. The graphics have a rustic, picture-book-like flavor, and the relaxing, soothing sound is very pleasant and relaxing. The objective of the game is not to clear stages or battle enemies, but to aim for a high score, and there is no time limit, so players can enjoy the game at their own pace.

The basic rule is to place hexagonal tiles, which are dealt in order from the deck and depict various terrain such as plains, forests, railroads, and rivers, on the field by spinning them around and expanding the village.
However, the tiles cannot be placed anywhere, and certain landforms, such as rivers and railroads, can only be placed in such a way that the tiles are connected to each other.

Furthermore, in order to achieve a high score, players must complete quests presented during the game, such as "place more than X number of trees" or "place more than X number of houses," so they must be very aware of the connections between terrains and place tiles with an eye toward the future. The unique gameplay, which is a fusion of a puzzle game and a strategy game, and the exquisite difficulty settings are highly addictive, and even if the game is over, you will find yourself replaying it over and over again.

As a side note, I got hooked on this Steam version of "Dorfromantik" and later purchased the Nintendo Switch version as well.

No. 2: Beautiful maids fight!　Cool and thrilling roguelike deck-building card game "Phantom Rose".

⇒Steam] Cute is right! PC game featuring beautiful girls!

• Phantom Rose" (makaroll)
• Genre: Strategy
• Release date: August 8, 2019
• Price: 1,500 yen (as of August 25, 2024)
• Copyright: (c) 2019 makaroll
• #.

This is a roguelike deck-building card game where players fight enemies in randomly generated stages to get cards and make their deck stronger and stronger. The game has plenty of visual appeal, including a gothic-inspired worldview, stylish graphics based on black and red colors, and the cool and cute maid Reina, the main character.

The roguelike deck-building card game genre is a game in which players select cards from their own deck without drawing any cards. Slay the Spire," a pioneer in this genre, is well known, and this game is full of new gameplay and innovative systems while capturing the essence of the genre.

In battle, the player and his or her opponent's cards are lined up in a row on the field. Cards are dealt in order from left to right, so the basic action of the player is to replace cards in the field with cards in his or her hand while checking the enemy's plan of action. Cards have no cost to use, but instead disappear once used. While collecting cards from battle rewards and the store, players have to decide which card to use at what point in the battle, which is thrilling and enjoyable, and is very addictive, making players want to play again and again.

In addition to the smartphone app version of "Phantom Rose Scarlet," the sequel "Phantom Rose 2 Sapphire" and its smartphone app version have also been released. The smartphone version is basically free to play, so if you are interested in the game, you may want to try it on your smartphone first. By the way, I like the graphics and game system of this game very much, and I have already played all of the smartphone versions as well as the second one. I recommend it.

No. 1: A must-play game!　A masterpiece 2D action game "Dead Cells" where you can play endlessly and become stronger by repeating "death".

⇒Steam] A great adventure at home in the cold winter! Exploration type action game playable on PC

• Dead Cells" (Motion Twin)
• Genre: Action
• Release date: August 7, 2018
• Price: 2,480 yen (as of August 25, 2024)
• Copyright: (c) 2018 Motion Twin
• #

This title is a 2D side-scrolling action game.
It features vivid graphics drawn with dots, and retro game lovers may be excited by this visual alone. The main character in this title is a "cell" shaped like a slime. These cells have the ability to take over the bodies of the dead and manipulate them at will, and the player controls the "warriors" that are born in this way. This somewhat dark setting is also interesting, and combined with the graphics, creates a mysterious and unique worldview.

The player controls the warrior and aims to escape from the mysterious prison where the game takes place. There are three basic controls: attack, jump, and roll to spin forward. Attacks are made with weapons and skills, and players can equip two of each, dropped from enemies or treasure chests along the way, or purchased at stores. The random drop of weapons and skills is one of the main attractions of this game, and the excitement of building up the strongest build by selecting and choosing from a variety of weapons such as melee, long range, and shield weapons, and a variety of skills such as grenades that explode when thrown and traps that automatically attack enemies when placed is irresistible. The excitement of building the strongest build is unbeatable. The game also features a "roguelike" system, in which the stage structure, enemy placement, dropped weapons, and skills all change each time you play, so you can enjoy the game over and over again without getting bored.

When the game is over, all the items and money you have earned will be lost, but there are multiple reinforcement elements that can be carried over to the next game, so the more you play, the stronger you become, and the more fun it becomes to play the rounds.
The addictive nature of the game is truly "swampy. The author, who is completely addicted to this game, has already purchased not only the Steam version, but also the Switch version, the PS version, and the smartphone app version of this game. I strongly hope that as many gamers as possible will experience the fun of "Dead Cells," which is so addictive once you play it.

Did you find any of the five titles you liked?

So, here is a completely subjective ranking of the Steam games that I have played over the past four years and featured in Akiba Research Institute's articles. Although I have chosen a ranking format, all of the five titles are good games that I would recommend with equal pride. We hope you will enjoy playing the titles you are interested in.