A Japanese Celebration of All Things Indie
Steam is celebrating Summer Comiket (also known simply as the Comic Market) with the Japanese Indie Games Festival. Coinciding with the festival—which is taking place in Tokyo from August 14th through 16th and is the world’s largest convention for self-published comics (not to mention music and games)—Steam is offering sales on 52 Japanese indie games, with discounts as high as 67% on some titles.
The sale runs until Monday, August 17th at 10:00 pm, Pacific time and features a number of award-winners and fan favorites. Here are a few of our top picks:
Supercharged Robot VULKAISER
ASTRO PORT
Inspired by ’70s anime and classic shoot-’em-ups, Supercharged Robot VULKAISER puts you in the pilot’s seat. FictiveTruism thought that the game was a little light on narrative but praised its smooth controls and slick, stylized graphics.
Gigantic Army
ASTRO PORT
Another side-scrolling action game from ASTRO PORT, Gigantic Army also features giant robots, but this time it’s a ground-based shooter along the lines of Contra and Metal Slug. FictiveTruism was especially taken by its “crisp and highly detailed 2D sprites.”
Eryi’s Action
Xtal Sword
Don’t be fooled by the quaint, lighthearted visuals; Eryi’s Action is a punishing “trapformer” that will see you die countless deaths. Despite its sadistic level design, IndieGameReviewer staff writer Kit Goodliffe found the game incredibly addictive and recommended it to any platformer fan willing to “embrace [their] inner masochist.”
La Mulana
NIGORO
A cult classic, La Mulana is a famously difficult Metroidvania. Michael Brune found it more frustrating than fun, but it’s so influential that we’d be remiss to leave this one out. Grab your whip, explore the depths of an ancient temple, and see for yourself if you love its unforgiving challenges or find it needlessly merciless.
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club
773
If heavily armored robots and falling into pits full of spikes aren’t your thing, try Cherry Tree High Comedy Club, a story-driven adventure game about…well…a high school comedy club. The Steam version of the game offers two settings: the original Japanese locale and a more “Westernized” version with Americanized food and place names. Adam Fimio called this one “a bright, well-detailed and entertaining tale.”
Those are just a few of the games on offer here, but if those don’t catch your interest, there are dozens more, from bullet hell shooters and beat-’em-ups for the twitchy types to visual novels if you’re in the mood for something quieter. Check the Steam sale page for the complete list:
