For whatever reason, I find myself constantly drawn to weird and bad video games. From pirating historical oddities like Virtual Hydlide for the Sega Saturn to downloading indie disasters that are only available on itch.io, I never struggle to find games that are overlooked (with good reason) by the bulk of consumers. As such, I’ll be highlighting some of the weirdest games released in the past seven days on Steam.
For all of Valve’s past curation efforts, there’s no virtually nothing in the way for indie developers to get their games on Steam. As this article will demonstrate, that is both a good and very bad thing.
Hentai Shadow
Say what you will about Hentai Shadow, but it has one heck of a sales pitch. The Steam page so wonderfully says, “Beautiful girls in anime style, challenging puzzles with good soothing music – all these are waiting for you in this game.” Who can argue with that?
Hilariously, there’s a convoluted backstory to this horny-themed puzzle game as it revolves an evil wizard that has broken the souls of “the best girls of the world.” Thus it’s up to players to play two different types of puzzles in order to restore the souls of these anime babes.
If you weren’t already sold on Hentai Shadow, this $1.99 title does include nudity.
Propaganda Llama
Propaganda Llama is all about indoctrinating the masses and having the sheep (or I guess in this case, llamas) follow you. This is a one-button game as the vehicle is on autopilot, and players can press and hold the broadcast button in order to do the government’s work for them. They’ll also have to avoid the resistance, which are fellow llamas that are aspiring against the current regime. It appears to be an interesting title in light of how dark the current political landscape is, and early reviews are quite positive.
Love In Drawing
This simplistic looking puzzle game is actually one about true love coming together. Both the blue and red balls are deeply in love, and it’s up to the player to make sure the rolling balls make contact and can live the rest of their lives together. Love In Drawing has a pretty beautiful premise if you think about it.
There are 100 levels in total at the moment, but that number will increase over time as it is currently in Early Access. The actual gameplay has players altering the environment by drawing objects with their mouse. This is an idea that actually has plenty of potential depending on how fulfilling the level design winds up being, but sadly the developer has a history of reskinning ideas (such as this rip-off of Reigns), and has released nearly 20 games just this year, so it should probably be avoided at all cost.
Waifu Hunter – Secret of Pirates
More nudity, but this time in a match-three puzzle game (which is a natural fit as it’s one of the horniest genres). Waifu Hunter – Secret of Pirates has players getting stranded in the past, and features five waifus that range from pirates to necromancers and mermaids. In addition to the puzzle aspect, there’s also a visual novel component that promises an “exciting storyline.” It’s currently in Early Access, but players will be glad to know that planned additions include “more story” and “more waifus.” What else could you really want in life?
Puzzles for smart: Underwater Kingdom
You know an educational game is going to be good when the official title has capitalization errors and grammar straight out of Google Translate. This is actually the fifth entry in the Puzzles for smart series, as past installments have focused on various animals ranging from cats and dogs to horses. It’s a rather simple puzzle game, as most of the screenshots feature less than 16 puzzle pieces, and there are actually only “12 different images” in the entire game. I guess players truly do get what they pay for here as it only costs $1.99.
Super-Racha
Brazil’s independent development scene is still very much in its infancy, but Moisés Jhon de Oliveira put together a racing game by himself. While Super-Racha features a simplistic 3D art style that is most likely due to technical limitations, it also works as a cool early 3D aesthetic that is reminiscent of early Need for Speed and Ridge Racer titles. It’s a smaller title, as there are only five tracks, but it’s one of the neater regional releases and a good look at a burgeoning independent space.
Fight for Gold II
Developed in China, Fight for Gold II is a beat ’em up featuring clashing art styles, two playable characters, and even a Kirby-style boss fight in the vein of Whispy Woods. The main difference from the original title, which never saw release on Steam, is the introduction of a secondary female protagonist. It features multiple endings and looks to be quite the trip for anyone willing to drop $4.99 on one of the weirdest games of the week.
