New Steam Sale “The Nightmarket Festival 2022” Showcases Games From SEA

Let’s start with a game or rather a tool that couldn’t be any newer, releasing in time for the start of the sale. Kriegsfront Battlescaper is a spin-off for Toge Productions’ upcoming mech tactics game Kriegsfront Tactics. In this free editor, we create beautiful 3D dioramas set in Southeast Asian landscapes that let our combat robots shine in perfect posing and light.

THE must-play game from Indonesia – undoubtedly – is Coffee Talk. The indie hit has caused a storm of enthusiasm internationally and put Indonesia on the videogames map all by itself. If you haven’t played the coffee bar simulation with substantial visual novel elements yet, you should strike now.

Diablo in Southeast Asia, that’s how easy it is to describe Ghostlore. Fight, loot, level up – the gameplay loop is familiar. What makes Ghostlore unique is the fantasy setting based on Southeast Asian myths and the appealing pixel look. Anyone disappointed by Blizzard and the latest installment of the genre grandpa Diablo should find a promising alternative here.

No other game on this list resembles Fires at Midnight. Like a fever dream, this adventure from Malaysia tells a gripping story that breaks the boundaries of usual perception. A narrative masterpiece that doesn’t shy away from complex topics and skillfully combines the gameplay with the sophisticated narrative.

One cannot say Indonesian games without mentioning Mojiken. The indie studio from Surabaya has stood for high-quality and particularly artistically appealing indie titles for several years. When the Past Was Around is no exception, telling an emotional tale of love and loss, framed in beautifully drawn scenes and panoramas. If you want even more Mojiken, you’ll find another fantastic but much lighter-hearted title from the studio on sale in She and the Light Bearer.

Looking for more thrills? Make sure to check out the SIMULACRA series. The found-footage horror game skillfully simulates the interface of a lost smartphone, from which we gradually snatch the dark secrets of the previous owner. Amazingly scary, quite tricky, and unsurprisingly, one of Southeast Asia’s most successful indie game series.

Luckily you don’t have to untie a Gordian knot to have fun with this game. The mixture of round tactics and deck builder is always demanding, though. In our review, we especially praised how the individual mechanics interact with each other. Just recently released from Early Access, the final version of Gordian Quest awaits you now.

In Rising Hell, as the name suggests, we must – literally – rise from Hell. In the successful hack & slash with roguelike elements, we fight our way through the underworld and kill so many monsters that Hell will soon be empty. Unless you’re up for another run. And another. And another…

There’s more underworldly stuff in Gloom and Doom, but this time much more story-focussed way, namely in the visual novel style. The one-person title from Singapore is particularly refreshing for its slightly silly humor and 90s references. If you’re up for it, Gloom and Doom can be recommended without reservation.

Environmental destruction. Pollution of the seas. Demise. As a mysterious diver, we explore an underwater world that tells of what will happen if we don’t initiate ecological change. Dark and dystopian, almost like Limbo or Inside, Samudra is probably the most thought-provoking platformer out there.

One of the oldest games in the series and one of the best too is Masquerada: Songs and Shadows. The classic RPG comes up with an epic story led by wonderfully eccentric characters. Only the combat system falls a bit short, but it’s probably one of the best role-playing games from Southeast Asia anyway.

The Signal State is a game for nerds and anyone who wants to become one. In a post-apocalyptic world, we repair machines by manipulating and assembling complex switching boards and frequency circuits. It looks as complicated as it is. But once you have solved one of the puzzles, you’ll want to shout “Eureka!” very loudly!

Paper Ghost Stories: 7PM could win the award for one of the most cumbersome game names. Or just be praised for its striking cardboard diorama look and the trenchant horror story. We prefer to do the latter and enjoy exploring the game’s detailed Malaysian neighborhood. If we’re brave enough to face the scare…

It’s back to school with Academia: School Simulator. At least as headmasters, we must return to school and take care of all aspects of everyday school life. What looks visually rather less appealing turns out to be a complex economic simulation with some chaos factor. Exam passed!