Uncover the Hidden Gems of Immersive Sims

Deus Ex and Its Sequel

You can currently pick up both Deus Ex and its unfairly maligned sequel, Invisible War, for under each. If you want to own the entire series, including the excellent Eidos Montreal prequels and the rather disappointing The Fall, it'll only cost you .55 (£8). Despite some older games being considered hard to go back to, Deus Ex 1 remains a favorite among gamers. Installing a community patch ensures smooth gameplay on modern machines. The game's politics are unique and add to its charm.

Its ability to offer wide flexibility of approach and player creativity sets it apart from other games. It truly does some things better than any game before or since.

System Shock and Its Remake

All versions of System Shock are on sale. The Nightdive remake of the first game, which replaced System Shock 2 on our top 100 despite some protests, can be purchased for (£14). The originals are still excellent, with System Shock 1 and System Shock 2 each priced at (£1.39). System Shock 2 is my personal favorite among the 'Shock' games, with its great, creepy story, interesting character build system, and amazing MedSci music.

It's important to check the PCGamingWiki page before launching the game to ensure a smooth experience.

Prey and Its DLC

Prey is currently priced at (£2.50) and is considered Arkane's best game. It presents you with a large, unpleasant space station overrun by aliens, allowing you to explore freely. You can come up with creative, systems-driven ways to access locked areas, making you feel like a genius.

Its excellent roguelike DLC Mooncrash is also on sale. The best way to get it is as part of the Digital Deluxe collection, which contains the base game and DLC for (£7).

Dishonored and Its Sequels

Dishonored costs .50 (£2), Dishonored 2 is (£2.50), and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is (£5). These games offer systemic creativity similar to Prey but are set in a level-based fantasy world rather than open sci-fi. Dishonored 2, in particular, was called "freakishly flexible, devilishly smart, and a looker with bold art direction" in our top 100.

Hexcraft: Harlequin Fair

For .50 (£6.68), you can pick up Hexcraft: Harlequin Fair. It's an aimless, rambling lo-fi game set in a demon-haunted Toronto. I quite enjoyed it when I wrote about it last weekend.

Brigand: Oaxaca

Brigand: Oaxaca is priced at .60 (£4.68). It's a slightly baffling and unattractive game, but it allows you to do whatever you want. You can befriend, destroy, or ignore factions, build your character in different ways, and face challenging gameplay. It's similar to an immersive sim like Kenshi.

Ctrl Alt Ego

Ctrl Alt Ego is available for (£8.80). Dominic Tarason picked it as a hidden gem of the Steam Winter Sale a year or two back. It's like Prey (2017) spliced with an '80s puzzler. As a disembodied and deathless mind in a British retro future, you can freely hop between robot bodies and other mechanical objects, opening up creative solutions and giving it high replay value.