The steampunk direction is found in many projects, including in the field of gaming. Here are some of the best games set in the worlds of massive machinery and complex steam engines.
In recent years, the steampunk genre has been supplanted a similar direction in the face of cyberpunk (the game of the same name also played a significant role). Nevertheless, many great games have come out in this style. Surely, over time, their number will only increase.
Such projects are divided into 2 types:
- With elements of steampunk, which is expressed only in minor objects or segments, but does not change the world of the game (for example, Final Fantasy);
- A real steampunk in the corresponding world, where everything around speaks about belonging to this direction (for example, Bioshock, Dishonored).
Steampunk can be expressed in many ways, not just through the stereotypical image of “glasses and gear”. Typically, genre projects look like technological pseudo-magic, shrouded in a dark or serious atmosphere.
It is noteworthy that of all types of entertainment, steampunk is most often used in games. The trend has been noticed since the nineties thanks to legendary titles like Thief and American McGee’s Alice.
The following are the ten best games, which takes place in a steampunk world.
10th place: Guns of Icarus Online
Guns of Icarus Online is a clear example of real steampunk in gamesthat meets all the stereotypes. The main character is a technician who has a huge airship that looks like an airship. Since this is an online project, its essence is to fight on similar zeppelins against other gamers.
Each aircraft can have several players, because it is quite problematic to control such a colossus alone. The interaction of team members is very similar to the gameplay of Sea of Thieves, in which the roles are distributed in the same way as in Guns of Icarus Online: someone is at the helm, someone is firing cannons, and someone is filling holes from bombs.
9th place: Volcanoids
Volcanoids is an unusual steampunk game that takes players to a planet with many volcanoes. Gamers have to survive by collecting resources, building bases and fighting off mechanoid opponents.
There are huge borax here, thanks to which you can explore the bowels of the earth. Such actions can cause an active volcanic reaction, which in turn will affect the spawn of strong hostile mobs. In moments like this high-quality PvE games are manifested in all their glory.
You can complete Volcanoids either alone or in a company with friends.
8th place: Machinarium
Machinarium has its own unique cozy indie style, so even 12 years after its release in 2009, many gamers recognize the game at first sight. In my time the project was a real hit, showing how interesting and detailed a two-dimensional world can be.
The action takes place in a dirty, rusty world. The player takes on the role of a little robot who wants only one thing – to save his kidnapped girlfriend… The adventure can be called sweet and funny, but at the same time touching.
7th place: The Swindle
Of course, the legendary Thief is the main stealth game in the steampunk genre, but if we talk about two-dimensional projects, then The Swindle holds the leading position in this category… Despite the rather mixed reviews due to the jumping complexity and technical issues, it is a great platformer with unique game mechanics and procedurally generated elements.
Visually, The Swindle resembles the infamous Don’t Starve, but in a steampunk style. Fans of such animation and genre will definitely like the game.…
6th place: Sunless Skies
As in the case of the Sunless Skies prequel called Sunless Sea, the title will either fall in love with itself or not at all. This is due to the fact that the plot is brought to the fore here, and not every gamer prefers this.
Sunless Skies is reminiscent of classic board RPG games, providing the player with multiple sheets of information about the characters and the world, and only then granting a little leeway in dark tones.
The RPG will not appeal to players who do not like to read a lot during the passage. Well, for those who are not averse to spending time on an interesting text, plunging deeper and deeper into the atmosphere with each paragraph, it is clearly worth trying an unusual steampunk project.
5th place: Bioshock
Could there be a top 10 steampunk game without a genre beast like Bioshock? Of course not, so the fifth place is occupied by the brainchild of Ken Levin.
As a follower of System Shock, Bioshock is transported from space stations to the very bottom of the ocean, placing the player in Rapture City.
This is a great title that harmoniously combines steampunk and noir. The plot has received many accolades to this day., and not only for the first part, but also for Infinite (the second part does not count, because it was developed by another studio).
4th place: Alice Madness Returns
The American McGee’s Alice series is a highly unusual adaptation of the classic book by Lewis Carroll. From a good fairy tale, only characters and some locations are left here, but the whole world took on a mad, gloomy and steampunk look that suits Alice very much.
The main character travels across an abstract Wonderland, facing simple puzzles and a variety of opponents. The game can be called action game with slasher and platformer elements in three-dimensional space.
From a design point of view, Alice: Madness Returns is considered one of the best games of its time.… Even now, it looks interesting, and clearly begs for a quality remaster.
3rd place: Dishonored
Dishonored is a great stealth game, somewhat reminiscent of Thief, as it has much the same Victorian world. Improving classic stealth mechanics for a modern audience, in a sense Dishonored turned out to be even the best remaster of the thief titlerather than a direct 2014 reissue.
Starting from magic and ending with all kinds of mechanisms, the style of play harmoniously combines seemingly opposite things… And although the second part did not receive such high ratings and praises as the first, it is a worthy continuation of the series.
2nd place: Styx Master Of Shadows
Another cocktail of bold design solutions in the stealth genre. Styx can be called fun and simple, but at the same time, the action takes place in a dark steampunk world… The gamer controls an ancient goblin who lives in an alternative 19th century, beautiful and repulsive at the same time.
Although the game has an undeniable charm, it divides the fans of the genre into two camps: those who prefer serious and silent main characters, and those who do not mind finding themselves in the shoes of a quirky and cunning goblin. The latter choose Styx!
At times, a weak plot can interfere with immersion in the atmosphere, but in general Styx: Master Of Shadows is able to satisfy steampunk lovers.
1st Place: Thief Deadly Shadows
Thief is a true classic that cannot be ignored when talking about steampunk and / or stealth games. The title was one of the first in the stealth genre after the release of The Dark Project, becoming the same ancestor and example as Doom for first-person shooters.
Deadly Shadows was the final third installment of the series, incorporating the best from previous projects and adding interesting innovations that are in line with their time.
The dark and gloomy world is remembered for a long timeby making the player fear the light as if he were a vampire in a classic novel. Shadows are the best friend of a professional thief, and he doesn’t need anything else.
Bonus location: Outriders
Of course, Outriders cannot be called a classic steampunk game, because the events of the plot take place in distant space, and the main thread of the story is the settlement of a distant planet. However, the developers have added to their project a bit of fantasy and steampunk aesthetics, which is especially evident in the armor and weapons.
Check out Outriders’ selection of legendary weapons and see for yourself. Plus, the playable classes would also nicely fit into the steampunk world, because most of them don’t have much cyberpunk.
If you like the aesthetics of steampunk objects, but you are already tired of Victorian landscapes, then try Outriders. This project will definitely not leave you disappointed.