Steam seems to be using festivals as ways of categorising games, looking to share the top games in specific genres and highlight deals or demos of other games. They are currently running the Steam Deck Builders Fest until May 11th, highlighting a variety of different deck building games. There are tons of discounts, lots of demos, and many fantastic games highlighted. We have pulled together our top picks from the Steam Deck Builders Fest:
Slay The Spire
“Slay the Spire is one of those games that takes hours upon hours of playing to see merely half of what there is to offer, especially as you get further in the game, gain more points and unlock more items. You’ll get familiar with the base cards and know roughly how you want to build your deck, then suddenly a new relic will tempt you or you’ll find a new boss that summons minions. You might make it to a new chapter in a new world, with completely new enemies. The game itself has an unbelievable amount of content. And that’s why I keep coming back for another run each evening. There are daily challenges as well, to continue this theme of more content. Slay the Spire is currently my go-to evening game and I really don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
Inscryption
“At times, it feels daunting, as you will lose even when you feel quite powerful, especially when it comes to facing bosses. But persevere and there’s a fascinating fourth wall breaking story that plays with Inscryption’s mechanics in new and interesting ways as you progress. There’s far more than meets the eye, and once you break through that first act, what comes after defies explanation. Ancient gods, conspiracies, and paranoia are all themes at play here, and this is a story worth exploring, especially if you’re interested in ARGs. There’s a community of dedicated players trying to untangle exactly what’s going on if that’s something that you’re into. There’s really nothing else like this out there, and Daniel Mullins Games continue to play with video games as a storytelling medium in interesting ways. I implore you to check this out to discover all those crazy secrets for yourself.”
Rogue Voltage
“Rogue Voltage is a complex game, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to play. It’s a unique twist on the genre, something new and interesting, and is captivating enough to keep you playing. I got the chance to play a bit of Rogue Voltage at Devcom, where I was surprised by how unique the game is!”
Monster Train 2
“Those who liked Monster Train will be right at home here, and roguelike deckbuilder fans would do well to give this one a go. There’s such a fabulously well put together game here, and it’s one of the rare occasions where the roguelike element didn’t frustrate nearly as much as it did in others. So much content, fun little appearances from previous characters, and even the odd cameo combine with a wonderful sense of style to bring together this year’s strongest deckbuilder.”
9 Kings
“In many ways, that’s all that there is to 9 Kings. Extra layers come in that you can choose to declare war, or make peace, with other factions which is a clever way of masking a deck building element (you can’t access their cards if you’re not warring with them), and there’s a solid perk system which adds in a lot of room for chaos when it comes to replaying. But, it doesn’t need to be incredibly in-depth, at the moment it’s an accessible micro-strategy deck-builder (or, indeed, engine builder) built to be played in 20-30minute runs, and it’s perfect how it is.”
9 Kings is an engine-builder all about army and base optimisation
There are quite a few other games in the Steam Deck Builders Fest, so it’s well worth taking a look if you like these types of games.
