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What are the best games on Steam with pixel graphics?

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May 19, 2018

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9 Games Considered

9 Options Considered	Price	Genre	Platforms
-- Shovel Knight	-	Action, Platformer	Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Windows, Mac, Linux
-- FEZ	$9.99	–	–
-- TowerFall Ascension	$14.99	Action / Indie	–
-- Broforce	$14.99	Action / Indie / Platformer	–
-- Stardew Valley	$14.99	Farming Simulation, Role-Playing	Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita

Shovel Knight

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Top Pro

Combination of the best gameplay elements of retro pixel games of the NES era

Combining elements from Mega Man, Mario 3, Duck Tales, Zelda II and Castelvania Shovel Knight excels over the rest of the games trying to cash in on the 2D pixel art revival of recent years. See More

Top Con

Enemy design is not always great

Some of the more recurring enemies often have just a pallet swap in order to differentiate them, which comes off as a bit lazy and uninspired. See More

Top Pro

Retains an original feel despite clear influences

The art design, music and writing maintain a very original feel to the game despite its obvious influences, which is what helps the game stand out, which makes it enjoyable in its own right. See More

Top Pro

Competent loot system that allows for purchasing upgrades

User can upgrade their armor and weapon through earning loot drops from enemies or digging. The earned cash allows one to purchase upgrades that help the player advance in the increasingly difficult game. See More

Top Pro

Risk reward system

Players can risk destroying checkpoints for loot, which means if one does die after destroying their checkpoints they will have to start from the beginning of the stage. Basically this is a gambling system that can pay off or cause a crushing blow. See More

Specs

Genre:Action, Platformer

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FEZ

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Top Pro

Mysterious world with lots of depth

FEZ goes beyond just being a great puzzle platformer. It also has a very clever storyline and game world with a mysterious bygone civilization that fits perfectly with the mysterious puzzles of the game. See More

Top Con

Limited button mapping support on keyboard

FEZ has a couple of preset control schemes to choose from, but the buttons can't have functions assigned individually. See More

Top Pro

Brilliant puzzles

Fez has some deviously hard puzzles and mysteries that will require gathering clues from around the world to solve them. See More

Top Con

Frequent crashes on PC

PC version of the game has stability issues. Luckily, FEZ autosaves often so no much progress is lost when the game crashes. See More

Top Pro

Clever 2D rotation game mechanic

The core mechanic of FEZ is the ability to spin the world around in 3D, and then traverse and interact with the resulting terrain in 2D. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

TowerFall Ascension

Top Pro

Balanced risk reward with limited ammo

Players are limited with three arrows at the beginning of each match with each shot being able to be collected by whoever grabs it first making for the need for strategical analysis as to whether the arrow can be used without falling into the wrong hands to then be used by another player to their advantage. See More

Top Con

Co-op quest mode is short

Probably 7 hours tops to get through the co-op quest, so for those looking for a longer game with full co-op quests, this may not fit the bill being a bit short on that front. Luckily, it's not the only aspect of the game, leaving some replay value. See More

Top Pro

Fun co-op quest mode

While not the core of this local multiplayer shooter there is an inclusion of a 2 player local co-op quest mode that features two players fighting against hordes of bad guys. Friendly fire is on, so without communication may be difficult, which is what makes this such a fun mode for local co-op play as both players need to communicate well to succeed. See More

Top Con

Limited to local multiplayer only

For a game that thrives on multiplayer, to limit it to local only really hampers the fun that can be had, especially on PCs. Not many PC gamers own four controllers nor have the space and company to play four player local co-op. See More

Top Pro

More powerups and arenas

TowerFall Ascension features more powerups and arenas than its previous title as the game has been refined as well as expanded making for a better experience in this newest offering. See More

Top Pro

Simple to learn, hard to master

Anyone can pick up the game and be playing competently in a minute but there is a lot of technique and strategy to lean to keep players engaged. While the gameplay keeping itself pretty basic and easy to grasp, there is a level of skill needed here that can be learned through repeated gameplay, as practice makes perfect. See More

Top Pro

Old-school arcade-like design

Makes for fun interesting scenarios, as there is a portal on each side of the screen that allows arrows flying off the left side to come in on the right. It also allows for trick shots by utilizing one side of the screen to shoot enemies on the other. This adds to the challenge, as you need to be conscious of your partners placement as they can be hit with your shots. See More

Specs

Genre:Action / Indie

Co-Op:2 Player Local

Controller Support:Full

Broforce

Top Pro

Tons of level destruction

Many objects in the levels are destructible allowing for large explosions, which keeps the gameplay frantic. This will multiply depending on how many players are playing at the same time making for a very hectic gaming session. See More

Top Con

Single player not as fun as multiplayer co-op

The single player mode becomes boring pretty quick making the game more of a puzzle platformer than a multiplayer co-op frag fest. See More

Top Pro

Excels at co-op

Broforce features 4-player couch and online co-op and it truly shines in that environment. Each additional player will increase the hilariously frantic nature of the game by a significant margin. See More

Top Con

Large amount of repetition

Enemies are repeated often and environments do not change up that much either, the majority of time is spent in a jungle with a few urban or tunnel environments thrown in the mix with enemies that look and act the same scattered around too much. There is a level of "sameness" with this game that may tire some people out. See More

Top Pro

Things are kept fresh by requiring you to switch up your gameplay style often

The game has 30+ different characters and each character plays differently. You change them every time you die or save a hostage which can be anywhere from every few minutes to seconds. See More

Top Pro

Everything is over the top

Much like an 80s action movie, the violence, destruction and plot is all overly exaggerated. Players can blow apart their enemies with bullets as well as blow up whole section of the game with explosives. There will be blood everywhere and explosions all around. See More

Specs

Genre:Action / Indie / Platformer

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Full

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Stardew Valley

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Top Pro

Long playtime

The game is reported to taking over 10 hours for one season in the game, of which their are four season in a year. Which means it can take 40 hours just to get though the first year in the game, of which there can be many. This means a user can easily sink in 100s of hours into the game, making for quite a bargain for a $15 game. See More

Top Con

Townspeople schedule is difficult to keep up with

The game asks the player to meet everyone in town, while there is mini map that shows where townspeople are, certain townsfolk are missing from this map such as shop keepers. This makes it difficult to keep up with who is where. See More

Top Pro

Good selection of game options

The games options see resolution support, controller and keyboard support, of which the controller support even has a rumble feature (for those that have controllers with rumble support). Keyboard support also has built in key-bind support, for those that do not have a separate key-bind support app. See More

Top Con

Lacks polish in some areas

Menus feel odd in that some controls work in some areas while not in other such as item management when using chests. There is also a lack of information in the game on how to do things, which means the player must figure it out through trial and error. While this is much like an old school game it would be nice to have a few things explained in order to not miss anything important in the game like certain festivals. See More

Top Pro

Deep customization options

There is quite a lot that can be crafted in the game, from fence posts to chicken coops. Discovering how to build these and then deciding where to place them is one of the best parts of the game as you can build/design a farm to your liking. See More

Top Con

Large amount of grind

While it is the bread and butter of the gameplay, the amount of work that needs done from the start is quite a lot and so you will be doing the same thing over and over again. The whole farm is dilapidated, meaning everything needs cleaned up, weeds need cleared, rocks need cleared, tress need cleared, the whole house needs rebuilt. this amount of what are basically chores may not appeal to all as it is quite a feat to take on. See More

Top Pro

There is always more to do

Just like in the real world, operating a farm is a lot of work, especially if one is set on expanding said farm. The game works just like this in that the player is always driven to expand on what they have, be it growing more crops, raising more animals or just improving ones house and equipment. This makes for a game that drives the player to keep playing just a little bit longer to get just one more thing done. See More

Top Pro

Convenient auto save feature

There is no manual saving in the game, it auto saves when sleeping or or moving on to the next day. This is convenient as the player does not need to remember to save, which could lead to accidental lost data. This system also prevents the player taking advantage of the randomly generated mines, as it could be too easy to exploit for rare items. See More

Top Pro

Weather system that forces the player to adapt

Each day in the game may feature different weather depending on the season in the game. From rain to snow to natural disasters, each forces the player to adapt their workload to that days forecast. This keeps the player on their toes and forces them to plan for events to make sure they have the needed supplies for when different disasters happen. See More

Top Pro

May get Mac and Linux port

Currently the game only runs on Windows machines, but the developer has stated that a Mac and Linux port are among their top priorities. See More

Top Pro

You have freedom to choose to play one aspect of the game or all of them

Such as farming, fishing, mining, forestry, exploration and meeting people. This allows for many elements to explore in the game that expands the gameplay but also allows for freedom of choice in what to do and when to do it. See More

Top Pro

Catchy and relaxing music

For a game that is meant to have large amounts of time spent in it, the music is quite relaxing, which is nice as it does not get on the players nerves. See More

Specs

Genre:Farming Simulation, Role-Playing

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Risk of Rain

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Partial

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Crypt of the NecroDancer

Top Pro

Supports USB dance pad

Fun for a couple or a group to get up off the couch and use a dance pad. Special dance pad mode to make the game a bit easier to get started on. See More

Top Con

Be prepared to share

Coop requires players to share money and items, which can leave two under-equiped characters instead of one well equipped character. Players also share one screen, meaning they need to agree on which general direction to proceed in. Going in different directions can cause players to get stuck or attract multiple groups of enemies. Players also share one beat counter, making combos harder to achieve. See More

Top Pro

Lots of options for different skill levels and play styles

Characters such as "Bard" provide an easy mode without making the game feel lame. Other characters provide an extreme challenge for more advanced players. Lots of different weapon and armor combinations keep the game feeling fresh and support different play styles. Players also respawn after each level, meaning a less skilled player is rarely out of the action for too long. Great tutorials for both basic and advanced strategies. Good difficulty curve. See More

Top Con

Beat detection can be a bit spotty

The game allows using own music, but the automatic beat detection can often be quite off and has to be adjusted manually. See More

Top Pro

Unique gameplay

Crypt of the NecroDancer is a rhythm rogue-like dungeon crawler. All actions can only performed on the beat. Adding rhythm as an element to a dungeon crawler allows having each enemy move in a different patter related to the beat and interesting powerups such as tempo increases. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:2 Player Local

Controller Support:Full

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Enter the Gungeon

Top Pro

Easily stay in the action of the game

There are a few small features in the game that add up to making sure the player is never too distracted or pulled out of the action. Things like once a stage is cleared and all coins dropped by your fallen foes will be magnetically pulled to you, just to make sure time is not wasted running around picking up currency. Another is that each map has numerous teleporter nodes, which makes for fast and easy travel. And lastly there is a quick start in the main menu that allows the player to jump right back into the action the next time they start up the game. All these things add up to an ease of use that makes sure the player is never too distracted by the un-fun elements of play. See More

Top Con

Co-op feels tacked on

Co-op in the game is only local (no online co-op at all), which limits who you can pay with. On top of this the way one has to go about starting a co-op game feels a bit unintuitive, which can be frustrating. Stages can also feel cramped when in co-op mode, meaning players bump into walls and objects too much. See More

Top Pro

Cool collection aspect

There are 190 guns available in the game that the player can collect through purchasing them in an in-game shop as they progress through the game. Most likely this will take multiple playthroughs with all four of the available characters, which means tons of playtime for those that like to collect everything in a game. See More

Top Con

High difficulty

The game can be difficult, especially when first starting out. This may mean a lot of deaths and a feeling of no progressions due to having to start over a lot. While the game is not unmanageable for players who enjoy the games genres, it may be a bit of a turn off for newcomers. See More

Top Pro

Gameplay is balanced well

Often in a roguelite game there can be the chance of getting delt a bum hand on any particular run, luckily Enter the Gungeon does not suffer from this issue as there is a good balance of the gunplay mechanics that sees any death by you as your own fault of not playing to your max ability. Never is it some cheap shot or some item that was not able to be picked up this run, it is just your skill and awareness of wht is being shot at you that matters the most. See More

Top Pro

Unique tone

The game is often silly with many humorous elements such as every character is based around being a bullet, that in turn own guns and fire other bullets. There is no mistaking that the game is about shooting, and the game is somewhat 4th wall breaking by taking advantage of this fact and hilariously throwing it into the players face. See More

Top Pro

SHMUP like gameplay

A lot of the shooting elements in this game revolve around SHMUP like mechanics. Players will need to doge a juke many bullets on screen at ones. Luckily there is a roll capability that allows the player to doge when in a precarious position. This roll feature though is not just some way to make the game easier but is a tool to be used as the game is specifically designed to need this roll in certain places. See More

Top Pro

Satisfying replayability

Thanks to the roguelite aspects of the game, there is randomly generated levels, which means fresh gameplay each time the game is played. There is also 4 different characters available in the game, each of which has a different boss fight at the end of the game as well as different characteristics while being used. This also makes for a good bit of replayability for those that would like to see all the different bosses in the game as well as experience the different type of gameplay for each character. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Mercenary Kings

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Top Pro

Metal Slug like

Remember metal slug ? Enjoy the spiritual sequel. Just like Metal Slug, Mercenary Kings is a 2D pixel based side scrolling action shooter with co-op multiplayer. See More

Top Con

Controls need to be tighter

Pressing down to shoot from the belly does not always fire the correct way, meaning missed opportunities. After a while this can become quite a nuisance, See More

Top Pro

Weapon customization

This game features a good weapon customization system, extremely fun also it can become a little grindy sometimes (not that much). See More

Top Pro

Online or local co-op multiplayer, up to 4 players

Mercenary Kings offers local or online co-op for up to four players. See More

Top Pro

Awesome pixel art by Paul Robertson

The king himself ! If you don't know him, check him out. From Adult Swim animations to video games such as Scott Pilgrim, Paul Robertson has quite a catalog of really great pixel animations/graphics. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

Genre:Action, Platformer, Multiplayer

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

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