Steampunk is wickedly diverse. Check out this list of some super hot steampunk video games you should be playing today!
1. SteamWorld Dig
This simple, easy-to-play adventure has more than you think. It’s a mining game where you, the robot, must dig for stuff. Dressed up with an Old West flavor, it’s pretty cool. And who needs hi-res graphics? Did you know low-poly is becoming uber cool? Rusty, the lone mining steambot, arrives at a mining town in great need. Grab your pick and get to it. Only… …watch out for the threat you might uncover. Nominated for multiple awards, you should check it out!
2. Final Fantasy 6
After you fire off your “Another Final Fantasy?” joke, gear up. This one is really awesome. A relic from the 90s, this one has all the coolness of a steampunk-based world. Can you say no to castles, gothic towers, and mech suits? You can even battle a steam train that attacks with its whistle.
Once again, if you’re into steampunk, maybe you aren’t as interested in high-gloss graphics. If you prefer the taste of this low-res work of art, have at it! Check it out!
3. 20,000 Lightyears Into Space
Okay, you have seen some high tech stuff that is fun. This one is different being uber low tech. I haven’t played it in years. But when I did, I played it for hours! It opens with a letter, dated October, 1895…
My dear friend, As you know, today we celebrate the opening of our first colony on the new world of Vaporia, some 20,000 light-years from England. Our colony is truly the most advanced structure that Science can create – a city on an alien world, entirely powered by steam from the planet’s core. It has taken us five long years to get here by rocket-ship, and like the great Explorers before us, we shall make this foreign land our home: a new outpost of the Empire! As my most trusted lieutenant, I leave you in sole charge of the new city, while I begin exploration of Vaporia. There is much to be done:- you must expand the city, but before you can do that, you’ll have to secure better supplies of steam. I wish you the best of luck, but must warn you that we may not be alone on Vaporia! I have detected evidence of civilisation here, so you may need to defend yourself. But I have faith in your abilities, my friend! The steam must flow, Yours, Phileas T. Verne
In this adventure, your job is to harvest the steam vents of a distant planet…and pipe it to the city. But watch out! There are many threats which can destroy your pipes and your plants, blocking your ability to build. For such a simple game built on the PyGame library, I can’t believe how many HOURS of my life it has eaten up attempting to tame this harsh world. You can download the whole thing, for FREE. Good luck!
4. Machinarium
This cute adventure is based upon a robot. Only it isn’t high-res…or low-res. It’s vintage artwork! Looking like someone grabbed a story my middle-school teacher once read, and dressed up as an interactive collection of puzzles, this game does NOT disappoint. Once again, you don’t have to carry the look-and-feel of Smash Bros. to deliver a fun and engaging game ready to suck up hours of my life. Check it out today!
5. BioShock Infinite
Okay, we’ve dabbled with enough antique gems and low-to-none res stuff. Time to dial up the high-finish, slick-looking stuff. And that means you HAVE to look at BioShock Infinite.
As a 1st-person shooter, you are Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, set in 1912 in the outskirts of Columbia on a rescue mission. With airships, other-worldly powers like fireballs and lightning, you are in for a thrill. Grab it today!
6. Alice: Madness Returns
If a hack-and-slash thriller is more your cup of tea, then check out this reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland adventure. Alice won the previous adventure, but ended up in a mental institution. Laced with goth and steampunk-laden levels, Alice is armed with a vorpal blade and must rampage through a dangerous and vicious world.
I’d check it out!