The current free games deliver an indie secret tip and a Soulslike blockbuster. We tell you for whom the free download is worthwhile.
New week, new free games at Epic: This time you can grab the survival strategy game Sheltered for free and keep it forever. In it, you build a new home for yourself and your family in the post-apocalypse. And surprisingly, Epic is also including the Souls-like Nioh: Complete Edition.
Sheltered and Nioh will be available for free on the Epic Games Store from 9 to 16 September 2021. If you grab the games during this period, they’re yours permanently
But even free games cost time. So here’s all the info you need to make an informed decision: Is Sheltered something for you? And who will have fun with Nioh?
This is what Nioh is all about
Nioh takes the tried-and-tested principle of Dark Souls, transports it to 17th century feudal Japan and gives it a serious speed boost.
You play the pirate and Geralt lookalike William, who faces a demon invasion. Anyone who has tried their hand at a Dark Souls game knows pretty much exactly what to expect, with a few small but subtle differences:
- You don’t explore an open world, but instead select main and side quests on a map, which subsequently transports you to areas that may be small, but are nevertheless very atmospheric and cleverly constructed.
- The story is not hidden, but told quite conventionally with dialogues and sometimes elaborate cutscenes.
- Nioh virtually showers you with loot, almost like a Diablo. Accordingly, you change weapons and armour frequently and optimise your hero build.
Everything else is very very very soulful. You fight (and die) your way from beacon to beacon, can call other players for help and cut your teeth on tough bosses.
Will it be worth the download?
To answer this question, you need to ask yourself another question: How frustration resistant are you? In our opinion, Nioh is even more challenging (but not unfair!) than any Dark Souls. This is mainly due to the enormously complex battle system, which requires lightning-fast reflexes on the one hand, but also a good portion of tactics on the other.
Not only do the numerous weapon types differ enormously from one another, you also have to switch between three different fighting stances if you want to stand a chance. If you bite the dust after 15 minutes of a nerve-racking battle with a boss because of a tiny inattention, the gamepad can fly across the room (keep your hands off the mouse and keyboard!).
But if you bite into it and master the steep learning curve, you will be rewarded with one of the best and most motivating combat systems in the entire action RPG genre and a unique thrill. Even the PC port, which was still criticised in the test, is now at least solid after several patches, even if it is still no tour de force.
What Sheltered is all about
Surviving alone in survival games is hard enough. But what if you also have to protect your entire family from enemies, hunger, thirst and disease? Sheltered wants to give you a whole new feeling for the fight for survival after a global catastrophe with your self-created clan.
You build your underground shelter into a home, search for food and medicine and make serious decisions. These, in turn, affect the attributes, strengths and weaknesses of your family members and can make the difference between life and death.
With the help of crafting, you equip your family with weapons – but first you need resources, which you collect on your dangerous exploration tours. You can do this on foot or – if you are lucky – with a vehicle. If you get into a fight, it will be turn-based. But maybe the people you meet are friendly, in which case you can recruit them.
Does it pay to download?
Sheltered is a popular insider tip among fans of survival and management games. On Steam, the game achieves 81 percent positive ratings out of a total of 4,500.
However, Sheltered has also been criticised – some players find it too unchallenging once they have got to grips with the mechanics. Others, on the other hand, like exactly this relaxed approach. Those who already liked games like This War of Mine or Fallout Shelter should at least give Sheltered a chance.
