Here's a great deal I always recommend whenever it comes up: the entire SteamWorld series is cheap on Steam right now as part of publisher Thunderful's big sale, meaning $31.11 can get you a whole lot of very different but visually unified games featuring steampunk robots.
The SteamWorld series feels a bit like the spinoff games to titans like Mario or Zelda – all unified by a similar cast and theme, but totally distinct in their genre and mechanics, and pretty much universally good if not great. It's an anthology guided by cute little robots, basically, and it's been some of my comfiest comfort food for years. Here's the full list of games in this discounted SteamWorld essentials bundle:
- SteamWorld Dig - $0.99 at 90% off: A 2D Metroidvania about digging tunnels and finding loot.
- SteamWorld Dig 2 - $2.99 at 85% off: A markedly improved and expanded sequel that earned a high spot on our list of the best Metroidvania games.
- SteamWorld Heist - $1.49 at 90% off: A 2D, loosely XCOM-like turn-based tactics game where you manually aim your guns for bouncy skill shots.
- SteamWorld Heist 2 - $19.79 at 34% off: A newly released sequel which folds in new items, jobs, and terrain. Our SteamWorld Heist 2 review says it's "no less serious" than XCOM.
- SteamWorld Build - $13.74 at 45% off: Another new-ish entry to the series, and its first city builder too. Our SteamWorld Build review praises its mix of mining and city management.
- SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech - $2.49 at 90% off: A 2D card-based RPG with a lovely illustrated look and surprisingly deep buildcrafting.
If I had to recommend just three games of this lot, it would be SteamWorld Dig 2 (my personal favorite of the series), SteamWorld Heist, and SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. They're all criminally cheap, and strong examples of their genres. That said, all of these games are worth a look, and doubly so with a discount. The only one missing is the SteamWorld that started it all: the Nintendo DSi game SteamWorld Tower Defense.
