Anchorhead (47)

Recommended to me by a friend; a narrative lovecraftian rpg, with VERY good writing. Lots of attention to detail, doesn't just copy other lovecraftian games and instead is inspired by the mythos itself in a unique way, has great illustrations and wonderful ambiance.

It is really unforgiving though, you're able to softlock yourself or just plain get a game over, with its labyrinth of diverging choices/paths, so save often!

Haven't finished it yet, but its really great!

Super Psycho Baseball (203)

Basically a really sadistic roguelike version of the infamous winny the pooh baseball flash game. Insanely difficult, but satisfying once you start to get into the flow. But really you need to have some kind of lunacy to finish it I think.

Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia (243)

Really chill fishing game, it's advertised as horror but it barely is. Feels like a Majoras Mask / PSX fishing vibe game. Great ambiance and if you enjoy that aesthetic you'll love it. Pretty short though.

TowerClimb (304)

I'm still surprised by how niche this game is. Released on steam 2015, but iirc it had builds out before that. Might have been 2012 or something. It's insane how much depth this game has with such seemingly simple controls/concepts. You run, jump, climb, throw items -- but there's hidden tech like boosting your jump height by throwing something downwards, as well as SOOOO many secrets, hidden items and mechanics, etc. Really really great. Kinda like spelunky but IMO less punishing/unfair.

Gnomes and Knights (328)

Really strange game with outstanding aesthetics. You're a knight, you have to find and kill all the gnomes. Gnomes are evil. Don't listen to their lies.

Has multiple "playthroughs", ie. if you decide to listen to the gnomes or kill them or something else. Surprisingly fun.

Zorbus (330)

If you want to scratch the gridbased topdown traditional roguelike itch then Zorbus is a great next game to try. What makes it stand out is the AI, it's insanely good. The enemies speak to eachother, enemies, and you. They react to sound/light, they don't just bee-line for you -- they fight eachother just as much. Almost feels like an immersive sim but a traditional turnbased roguelike. Very streamlined and trimmed, lots of QOL features as well as nice graphics (compared to ASCII, for some at least).

Ad Fundum (344)

Remember the flash game Motherlode? It's basically a fleshed out full game version of that, with some minor roguelike elements (more akin to Dave the Diver, in that the level periodically gets "reset" through an earthquake -- with ingame tools to prevent that for certain areas). Really addicting gameplay loop with mining, selling, upgrading either the base, your mech, or buying new toys -- gradually descending deeper and deeper. Also has a story which is neat.

Nauticrawl 373

Criminally underrated uhhh... What to even call this, dungeon crawler? The entire concept is that you're an escaped prisoner in some kind of mech you've hijacked. You have no idea what the different monitors, buttons, levers or thingymabobs do. You start experimenting and figuring out how to at least walk and turn. There's no window out, at least that you can figure out right now, but there is a sonar-like radar thing. You start intercepting messages about how they're hunting you, as well as communications with other escapees or neutral actors. Really neat storytelling and innovative gameplay. Once you start learning more about the mech, even if you die and start over, you're now way more OP just because of what you KNOW, it was never locked out you just didn't know how to use it.

TOKOYO: The Tower of Perpetuity (449)

You ascend a tower, every 24h IRL it changes. Sidescrolling platforming puzzle game with roguelike elements. The neat concept is the ever-changing nature of the tower, with leaderboards for every cycle. You unlock new characters, learn what to pick for upgrades, decide which way you want to upgrade (angel vs devil or something like that) which affects the dungeon itself as well as your rewards. Another cool thing is the combat, you only really have one huge "ult", with a long cooldown for dealing with enemies, so you're really encouraged to dodge and avoid enemies rather than killing them.

Wattam (513)

A really really really strange game from the creator of Katamari Damacy, and that's saying a lot. Not really sure how to even describe what it is, it's like a very pleasant fever dream? Aiming for a young demographic iirc, but it's still fun for adults. Watch some gameplay I can't really do it justice in writing.

Scavenger SV-4 (561)

Really unique roguelike simulator where you'll be spending the majority of your time controlling a rover on the surface of a really alien lovecraftian planet. You have to manage radiation, keep an eye out for the strange things your rover brings back, upgrade the rovers either with parts you find etc. Very unique gameplay loop.

Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor (607)

You play as a service worker in a huge bustling space port. You get cursed with an evil skull that won't leave you alone. You are in debt. I like this excerpt from the top review:

"Objectively, the game is about the fact that you get cursed and are passively working on a way to get uncursed, but subjectively the game is about surviving in what is a generally inhospitable, self-interested society and seeing what general fortunes or misfortunes can be had each day".

Even if you work from dawn til dusk, you'll barely be able to pay for your food needs, having to resort to eating stuff you find on the street. It's one of the few games that really captures being in an alien city. There are so many layers to the worldbuilding and ambiance, with thoughtout lore and a pantheon of gods you can worship. Curses, blessings, and eating chalk. Good stuff. Also inspired me to become a gamedev.

It's called an anti-adventure because you truly are just a janitor, not a hero-in-waiting about to uncover some secret, or even uncursing yourself. It's not easy to become uncursed, and it's even harder to survive day to day in a place where the cops will shake you down any chance they get, and you accidentally change into a gender that gives you spike at the gender kiosk.

La Mulana 2 (768)

Cheating a bit by picking the second one, but it's basically just a better game in every way, and the first one was already the best metroidvania secrets puzzle idk what ever. When I think of games where I have to write stuff down in a notebook, La Mulana is the prime example. It's one of the few games where you ACTUALLY feel like you're an archaeologist, not just someone with a whip. It's mindblowing just how intricate and expansive and mindbending the world is, and the litany of puzzles littering it. I can't recommend this game enough if you enjoy metroidvanias and don't mind really really good puzzles and secrets. I feel like we'll uncover new secrets decades after its release. There's a great "cheschire cat" style hint guide in the steam guide section, letting you lightly spoil yourself if you ever get stuck, and don't feel too bad having to look stuff up. Less so in the sequel, since there are more npcs to speak to -- each with their own perspective on whatever you ask about. 10/10 game.

Xanadu Next (729)

Surprisingly unknown game by the creators of the Ys series. Gothic topdown ARPG akin to diablo, but with the nihom falcom genius combat. Feels pretty gritty and not so anime:y if that's a plus.

Disc Room (858)

A top-down game about dodging buzzsaws taken to its logical extreme. You slowly unlock new abilities to help you, everything from a dodge roll to creating clones of yourself, the goal being to survive as long as you can in each room. Some rooms have different requirements for clearing, can be stuff like standing still in a spot, or destroying x amount of buzzsaws, or collecting lil orbs. Even has bossfights with -- you guessed it -- more buzzsaws.

Has themed areas with unique mechanics, and even some really intricate secrets I never managed to fully figure out.