1. Signs of the Sojourner
Unlike Slay the Spire or other modern deck makers, Signs of the Sojourner is more story-driven. Your hometown risks losing relevance, so you're tasked with collecting more items to make it a more trade-friendly destination.
It involves traveling and talking to various characters, playing cards in an attempt to make a connection. You play cards alternately, and each card has a colored shape on either side. The idea is to match the cards in a continuous chain, reflecting a natural and happy flow of chatter. However, as you travel further, you will find fatigue cards that cannot be matched with any symbols. Break the chain of conversation too much and you'll have too much disagreement out of it and the conversation ends, with characters remembering it in the future.
2. Fallout: New Vegas
One of the old Fallout games will happily run in games with integrated graphics. But if you have to choose one, and you've never played one, Fallout: New Vegas has a very special charm. There's a reason why this is fallout on steam's most preferred despite the famous jank, crashes and bugs that sometimes ruin quests.
New Vegas is also a beneficiary of some amazing mods including one that reduces how often games break down and if you have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate/Game Pass subscription for PC, then you already have access to New Vegas along with it.
3. The Shadowrun Series
You can't go wrong with one of the Shadowrun games. Hong Kong is probably the best of all, although I still really enjoy the original Shadowrun Returns.
All three games are now available for $26, and if you want something that runs natively on a Mac, Shadowrun games work on that too. (They'll fly on an M1 laptop, if you use one of them.)
4. OpenTTD
5. Rhythm Doctor
A one-button game about healing patients by activating defibrillators on time with each patient's heart rate, each of which is unique. A very smart spin in the genre, Rhythm Doctor is one of the highest-rated games on Steam this year and a very naughty way to learn music without even realizing it. There's a level editor as well, and there's local multiplayer support (or play online through Steam's Remote Play Together feature) for the entire campaign.
You know, $7.50 is great value if you want to sacrifice every trust between your friends and family. Werewolf or Secret Hitler's version of the year, Among Us Is the Game that really exploded in popularity this year. You Can Play This Game With Your Friends or Family. And to help reconnect with friends when you can't meet in person, this game is also available in Android &iOS versions.
