Despite the release lull, there are also exciting insider tips in July. This time, especially strategy fans will get their money”s worth.
It”s official, more than half of 2022 is already over, there aren”t too many thrillers in sight this year. And yes, at the moment heatwaves and the release slump are probably putting a bit of a damper on everyone”s mood. But our monthly insider tips on Steam, Epic and Co. provide just the right distraction! This time there are two interesting games for strategy fans, as well as horror, cyberpunk and more.
As always, please let us know in the comments your insider tips that we should definitely not miss. Have fun browsing!
Table of Contents
Madison
- Genre: Horror
- Developer: Bloodious Games
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
- PC Stores: (Steam), (GOG)
- Release: July 8, 2022
What is this all about? You wake up as frightened teenager Luca in a gloomy horror house – and you are not alone there. Your Polaroid camera is the only tool you have to gather clues and even travel through time, but you still have to watch out like hell: Random events and a merciless hunter ensure that you barely get a chance to catch your breath. Madison is a disturbing psychological thriller from the first-person perspective that will give you goosebumps for five to six hours.
Loopmancer
- Genre: Action / Roguelite
- Developer: eBrain Studio
- Platforms: PC
- PC Stores: (Steam)
- Release: 14 July 2022
Are your cybernetic fingertips itching for more cyberpunk? Then don t miss out on Loopmancer ! The roguelite combines a gloomy Metropolis vision with Chinese culture for its setting, and the story takes place in the year 2046 in the fictional city of Dragon City. There you work as a biotechnologically upgraded detective to solve the murder of a journalist.
In terms of gameplay, it boils down to “lots of fighting, lots of dying and lots of fighting again” – a classic Roguelite. Thanks to Unreal Engine 4, your fast-paced moves look cinematic in places, as you smoothly swing through a hole in the ceiling and knock out two enemies in one fell swoop.
Not only do you choose your favourite weapons and cyber-modifications, your decisions also influence the course of the story and the fate of the characters you meet.
Fire and Maneuver
- Genre: Turn-based Strategy
- Developer: Armchair History Interactive
- Platforms: PC
- PC Stores: (Steam)
- Release: July 15, 2022 (Early Access)
The history buffs among you are probably familiar with the YouTube channel The Armchair Historian, which uses stylish cartoons to vividly explain historical events. These animations just cry out to be implemented as a strategy game – or so the Armchair team thought. And that is exactly what awaits you in Fire and Manoeuvre!
You steer the fortunes of Victorian armies in the old school way: like the generals of old, you have to anticipate your opponent”s manoeuvres and adjust your tactics accordingly.
And of course it”s not that easy to take back an order you”ve sent, even if you”re completely wrong – radios weren”t invented until many decades later.
Early Access should last about six months, after which DLCs have already been announced. Seven different historical factions await you at the start, such as the British Empire or the Ottoman Empire.
According to the developer, the basic game Fire and Maneuver will always be free, but you will probably have to buy the expansions.
As Dusk Falls
- Genre: Adventure
- Developer: Interior/Night
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- PC Stores: (Steam), Xbox Game Pass
- Release: July 15, 2022 (Early Access)
As Dusk Falls is a new treat for story fans. In this interactive drama, you”ll gradually uncover the emotional and complex story of two families spanning three decades. It all begins in Arizona in 1998, when a robbery escalates. The developers send a warning beforehand: there is violence, suicide, serious family conflicts and so on. So if you find these topics too upsetting, it”s best to skip the game!
Each playthrough can have a completely different ending depending on your actions – sounds like a lot of replay value, even if you successfully uncover the actual story the first time around. Another special feature of As Dusk Falls is the picturesque, minimally animated graphic style, which is more reminiscent of a visual novel.
Hazel Sky
- Genre: Adventure
- Developer: Coffee Addict Studio
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
- PC Stores: (Steam), (Epic)
- Release: July 20, 2022
At last, another addition to the steampunk genre: in Hazel Sky, you are the budding pilot of an airship who must face difficult trials to become a true machinist. The price of failure is damn high, because your floating home Gideon mercilessly sorts out the unsuitable.
When you”re not gliding through the skies, you”re tinkering with your flying machines, exploring a deserted island, playing music and maybe even meeting the love of your life. With Hazel Sky, the Portuguese developer studio Coffee Addict wants to tell a bittersweet story that will stay with you for a long time.
Attention, this game also comes with content warnings due to sensitive topics, for example suicide and death.
Sapiens
- Genre: Structure / Sandbox
- Developer: Majic Jungle
- Platforms: PC
- PC Stores: (Steam)
- Release: July 26, 2022 (Early Access)
The building game Sapiens takes you all the way back to the beginning, many millennia before the invention of PCs, smartphones and soft ice cream machines. Back to the era of slingshots and wooden spears – as you build your own Stone Age culture, which is just discovering farming.
Building a civilisation naturally costs a lot of raw materials, which you must first find and collect by setting up camps or hunting mammoths. You also have to take care of your growing population and their needs.
Sapiens will initially start in Early Access, which should also last a very long time. It is, after all, being developed by a single person, who states in the Steam description that the testing phase could well run for several years. So be prepared for that right away if you want to get Sapiens.
