Thief is a stealth game where you play as Garrett the Master Thief, caught between warring factions and investigating the disappearance of his protege. One unique thing is that this game feels like a stand-alone sequel and soft reboot of the franchise. You have characters with the same names, and also references the events and locations of the originals, so maybe there's a reincarnation thing going on. I played this game as my entry to the franchise, and coming back after the originals I can see why it's a disappointment. Levels feel very monotonous and linear, while the original had more color, variation, and cooler fantasy elements. The original was also hailed as an immersive sim, with emergent gameplay and freedom to do things. But here it's restrictive, like how you can only jump and use rope arrows at certain spots, very railroaded. It felt like a dumbed-down Dishonored. There's a hub area, but due to the bland color palette and same-looking areas, it's kinda difficult to navigate unlike in Deadly Shadows. You can replay missions, but you have to navigate the city to find the (unmarked) mission start point. If you see Thief as a standalone stealth game, it's decent. But compared to the originals, it's a step down in almost every aspect, except maybe having more realistic graphics. Still, it's quite fun if you enjoy stealth. And the GOG version comes with full DLCs, including bonus equipment and upgrades as well as a fun bank heist mission.
Broken Sword 2: Remastered is a remaster of the second game, also known as The Smoking Mirror. You play as George Stobbart and Nico Collard again, this time investigating a conspiracy related to an evil Mayan god. They are separated for quite a while in this game, so you follow 2 pretty distinct adventures. Unlike the remaster of the first, this game remains faithful to the original. No new levels or scenes are added, they only remaster the visuals and add the close-up facial animations during dialogue. Story-wise, I feel like it's weaker than the first, the ending also felt a bit rushed, but I would still consider it a great game. It's also shorter, even compared to the first without the new chapters. If you enjoyed the first Broken Sword game, you should play this title, as it looks and plays the same, both the originals and remasters. And if you like point-and-click adventure games in general, the Broken Sword franchise is one you should try.
Caravan SandWitch is an open-world, cozy adventure game where you play as a girl named Sauge, returning to her home planet after discovering a distress signal by her missing, presumed dead sister. Her homeworld Cigalo has been ruined by corporate greed, and now abandoned. Your mission is to help the various communities here, and scavenge components from the ruins to upgrade your gear. There is no combat, fuel/inventory management, and even fall damage, making the game a very chill experience. You just go from place to place and talk to people. There are some helpful features such as the fact that you can return to your van no matter how far you are by pressing R, without needing to walk back. There's also an option to return to your hometown from the menu, acting like fast travel and a solution if you're stuck. Later on you also activate teleporter points, also acts as fast travel and the van follows. I really like the atmosphere of this game, a ruined yet hopeful post-apocalyptic world with funny and friendly characters. They give sidequests, which rewards you with components and sometimes decorations for the van. Like many great games I wish there were more and the game was longer. There are less sidequests the more you progress into the game. If you enjoy cozy or exploration games, Caravan SandWitch is a great title that you should try. The atmosphere and gameplay makes it a very enjoyable experience. I hope the devs make a sequel or more games like this, as I had a really great time.
Scorn is a first-person horror game where you play as an unnamed, skinless humanoid trying to escape a world of fleshy horror and weird architecture. The aesthetic is inspired by HR Giger, an artist who creates biomechanical art, one of the most famous is the Xenomorph from Alien franchise. It succeeded in creating a unique world that's both beautiful and grotesque. Most of the game plays like a walking sim, where you unlock pathways and solve puzzles. There are also some enemies, which you could kill by using your weapon. Combat is a bit slow and difficult though, don't expect the smoothness of an FPS. You could outrun most of them, but I recommend taking it slow and fight them. What I mean by the lacking execution is how this game is presented. For starters, there are no dialogue or instructions at all. But I guess it works if you're trying to make a "suddenly thrown in alien world" experience, although I prefer a clearer story and direction. Some of the more difficult puzzles also lack a reset option, forcing you either to load an older save, or push through the confusion. Personally, I'd still recommend giving Scorn a try. It has a beautiful world and some unique mechanics. Don't be ashamed to consult a guide, without prior knowledge this game could be really confusing.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is an underrated, but very good RPG where you play as a newly-turned vampire during a conflict between existing clans, and the possibility of an upcoming apocalypse. You can choose your clan and your skills, be good at combat, stealth, pesuasion, etc. If you're looking to play that game however, buy the game on GOG, add this free mod (separate installation) and play this one instead of the basic game. While story and gameplay remains mostly the same, this patch restores a lot of cut content, both official, and fanmade but based on an official concepts, so nothing too lore-breaking. Some examples include weapons like the fire shotgun, lots of occult items which boost your stats and makes the game easier, and quests such as Night at the Library which explores a new area with a boss fight. Some existing quests also have additional solutions and outcomes. There's also an additional mode where you play as a hunter, but it has minimal story, and basically serves as an alternate scenario where you fight through pre-existing maps with their gear and power. If you're into RPGs, then Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is totally a game you should try, especially now that GOG has this easy to install Unofficial Patch. The atmosphere is really cool and unusual for a game of its kind, taking place in then-present day, 2000s LA. Although I think it would be nicer if they made an easier difficulty option, some of the boss fights can be really difficult. Though luckily, having more occult items made things a bit easier.
Saints Row 2 is an open-world, GTA-like game. You play as a customizable character, leader of the 3rd Street Saints, as they attempt to rebuild their disbanded gang, and once again come to power. There are many missions, side missions, and activities you could do in Stilwater. You can steal cars, and keep them by bringing them to your garage. The SR game has had many sequels since then, but SR2 stays the best. The story is serious and not over-the-top, it has many enterable buildings including a massive underground mall, and most importantly a mission replay option, something the future games sadly lack. There's also some famous voice actors like Daniel Dae Kim and Eliza Dushku voicing your friends. There was to be a remaster of this game, which also adds the console-exclusive DLC missions, but sadly that plan was abandoned following the death of the developer. So for us PC players, this game and some mods is the best we're ever gonna get. I still hope the work he started will be finished one day, but until that day comes, you should still try Saints Row 2 as it is the peak of the series.
Broken Sword: Director's Cut is an expanded remaster of the first game, also known as Shadow of the Templars. It's a point-and-click adventure game where you play as American tourist George Stobbart, who got involved in a conspiracy involving a costumed killers and the Knights Templar's secret. You are assisted by French reporter Nico Collard, who's also interested in the same mystery for a more personal reason. I mentioned this game is the best version to play, and the reason is that there are extra chapters and cutscenes. In the original version, you only play as George, but here you can also play as Nico. Her story involves investigating ties to her father's past, who might had a role in the recent conspiracy. It's a great way to expand her character, making her more than just a sidekick. Sadly, the newest remaster (Reforged) decides to remaster only the original game, without the new Nico chapters. A downside to the new chapters is that some people said it messes with the pacing, for example the game starts with a new chapter so the iconic cafe opening scene is delayed. But if Broken Sword: Director's Cut is your entry to the franchise as it was for me, it wouldn't feel as jarring. Definitely recommended for point-and-click adventure fans. Sadly because of Reforged being released, this version is delisted from Steam, but here you can buy and keep it forever!
Sanitarium is a horror point-and-click adventure game, where you play as an amnesiac man who woke up in an insane asylum after a car crash. He tries to figure his identity and a way out, but his broken mind also conjures up alternate realities relevant with his memories, such as a circus, alien world, and Aztec village. We get to play as other characters sometimes in these realities, each with their own personalities and struggles. Gameplay follows the usual formula of finding objects and using them, also solving puzzles and minigames. One thing I enjoy is that despite being an older title, unlike many of the genre of its age, the puzzles are quite simple and logical, yet also manage to be creative due to its setting. One of my favorite puzzle is the part where we can switch characters at will, and puzzles that require their different abilities such as strength or small size. Too bad that section was too short, it should've been longer. My problem with this game is the buggy controls. It's pretty strange that you cannot click to go somewhere, you'd have to hold the right mouse button or use arrow keys, but even worse that sometimes when you launch the game or load a save, it bugs and gets stuck in the movement mode. Loading a save or relaunching the game usually fixes this, but I still don't understand what really causes or fixes this. In conclusion, if you like point-and-click games, especially the older ones, you'll have a great time playing Sanitarium. Especially if you like the ones that are a bit surreal or with a touch of horror. It's not too difficult, and not too scary either. If it doesn't launch for you as it did for me, you can simply download a different version of ScummVM and replace the one in the game folder.
Styx: Master of Shadows is a stealth game where you play as goblin with magical powers to assist him on his journey, like cloning and making himself invisible. The game is played from a third-person view, similar to Hitman games. I would describe this game as a "hardcore stealth" game, since stealth is the only important thing here. There is combat, but it's just timing hits to parry your enemies, serving as a last resort. You can only fight 1 enemy at a time, making stealth the ideal way. Levels are wide and open, with many enemies. The better you perform in a level and by completing sidequests, you will get more points to upgrade Styx's skills. However, you can only upgrade skills in your hideout. There are 4 "insignias", or requirements to get points: undetected, no kills, finish under allocated time, and collect 10 tokens per stage. It will be really difficult because of the way the game is, but luckily you can do each separately. As I mentioned before, S:MoS is hard, probably the hardest stealth game I ever played, even on lowest difficulty. Enemies are very perceptive, and they are rarely alone. Navigation is hard too, with a near-useless map that only shows the whole area, but not where we are. I'm gonna be honest, it's more frustrating than fun lots of times. Lastly, I dislike the fact that you cannot just knockout enemies, it's either loud kill, silent slow kill, or abandon them. It would be better if the silent kill part is replaced with knockout. Despite its flaws, Styx: Master of Shadows is still pretty okay for a stealth game, but don't keep your expectations too high. It would be a lot better if the game was easier, as it would not deter the more casual players or makes them resort to cheats. There are many better stealth games out there, but if you have done most like I did, this game is still worth a try.
Metro 2033 is a post-apocalyptic action horror game set in Russia. The atmosphere feels amazing and frighteningly real, and some locations were based on real-life places helped set the atmosphere. Most of the enemies are mutants, hideous creatures which can easily kill you. The story is good and some parts are surreal. You can choose whether mode to play, Spartan or Survivor when starting. Spartan offers more ammo and equipment, while Survivor emphasizes stealth and exploration. Metro 2033 also offers stealth and non-lethal gameplay, where you can sneak around enemies and knock human enemies unconscious, although mutant enemies must be killed or avoided. The Redux version is a remaster of the original, using the better-looking and more stable engine of Last Light. Compared to LL the changes are more than mere looks, like how its easier to sneak and fight, but in the original you have separate suits. Some character models are also changed, like how Miller and the Demons uses their LL model. If you enjoy horror FPS games, Metro 2033 and its 2 sequels would be right up your alley.