author: Michael Pajda
We Were Here. 17 great, free Steam games you might not know
Table of Contents
- In a nutshell: A virtual escape room for two players
- Positive reviews on Steam: 92%
- How long is it? Perhaps like two hours, but your brain would sooner explode than finish We Were Here in such a short time
We Were Here may or may not have received much publicity, but the production nevertheless received worldwide attention in the first quarter of 2017 – thanks to streamers, for whom it was a great title for cooperative play during live broadcasts.
Only the first part of the series is free – but even so, your brain can turn to mush while you play, and the free content lasts at least two hours. If you want to check out the remaining episodes, however, you will be forced (unfortunately) to pay several bucks. Is it worth it? You can find out by testing the free portion of the game.
In terms of gameplay, We Were Here resembles a virtual escape room. Two players are trapped in a castle – they are separated and can only communicate via walkie-talkies. To escape the dark fortress, they must work together. This production relies on a huge number of puzzles with an abstractly high level of difficulty, which cannot be solved alone. This includes one player reading the symbols so that the other player can enter the correct combination on the opposite end of the castle. Meeting these logic challenges quickly is no easy task. Be warned – your brain may explode from the difficulty of some of the puzzles.
Transmissions: Element 120
Dark and gloomy. Don't expect anything else.
- In a nutshell: A New Story in City 17 (Half-Life City)
- Positive reviews on Steam: 94%
- How long is it? From half to an hour
It seems that even the biggest fans of the Half-Life series have lost hope of ever playing the third installment. As a consolation, they should install Transmisions: Element 120, a mod that matches or even surpasses Valve's original productions in terms of refinement and atmosphere.
The mod tells the story after the events of Episode Two. The plot can be surprising, because it's full of unobvious elements – the author, Shokunin, did not try to recreate it. He didn't take it too far the other way either and created a story that still fits City 17. We will not reveal absolutely anything about it. The game is quite short and depending on how thoroughly you explore new locations, it will take you from 30 to 90 minutes to finish it. You can also get stuck for a long time in a certain spot without knowing exactly what to do. The solution to the "riddle" is surprising and satisfying.
The author should also be applauded for refining the production from a technical perspective. The graphics of Transmissions: Element 120 are much better than in Half-Life 2. The game has been available for free on Steam since mid-2016.
SCP: Secret Laboratory
- In a nutshell: dark online FPP game with various classes to play
- Positive reviews on Steam: 91%
- How long to beat: unlimited – play until you get bored
SCP: Secret Laboratory is a game made by one person, a developer from Poland. The production's strong suite is its dark atmosphere. The game takes place on the premises of the laboratory belonging to SCP – a secret organization whose task is investigating any occurrences of paranormal activity. As usual in such stories, something goes wrong one day, and specimens of various kinds contained in the lab break free. The task of the team of online players is to remove the risk of the situation spilling out of the facility, but the gameplay is not just about eliminating the threat.
Depending on the chosen role, different goals are set before us. The scientist has to safely flee. Same as the guinea pigs. Actual combat is the job of members of Nine-Tailed Fox team. You can also play as the paranormal entities. They wield something like superpowers. Some of them can creep through walls, others find their victims with echolocation. Hubert Moszka, the creator of the game, had some really interesting ideas. It's definitely worth to give it a try.