by theygamesThe past couple of years has seen a real bumper crop of magnificent new strategy games and city builders, and indie publisher Hooded Horse has been scoring win after win. Among their hits are medieval sim Manor Lords, strategic roguelike Against the Storm, colony sim Norland, and deep space RTS Nebulous: Fleet Command. If you’ve missed out on anything from their catalog, or have any sitting on your Steam wishlist, a spectacular new sale is the perfect chance to grab one or more of them at a low price. Here are some of the highlights.
While Manor Lords is the biggest breakout success on the cards, Hooded Horse has built quite an impressive roster of indie strategy games and city-building games in recent years. Whatever particular brand of tactics, management, or exploration you fancy, there’s a whole heap of options on offer here. We’ll start with the big one, though: Manor Lords is 30% off, bringing it down to just $27.99 / £24.49. It’s a delightful medieval concoction, part building and managing a city and part large-scale battles reminiscent of the Total War series.
Against the Storm, the excellent dark fantasy roguelike that we hailed as “near-perfect” in our review, is a whopping 50% off, making it just $14.99 / £12.49. I can’t recommend it enough; it’s rich with satisfying systems but presents everything in a smart manner that makes wrapping your head around everything a surprisingly simple task.
For a more realistic spin, colony sim Norland is what you’d get if Rimworld were instead about navigating Game of Thrones-style familial and political drama in a medieval empire, and it’s 35% off ($19.49 / £16.24). You’ll need to manage the needs of your people, uncover sly plots to undermine your family, and initiate some nefarious activities of your own as you fight for dominance.
Alternatively, take your colony management to the Scottish highlands with Clanfolk, now 50% off ($14.99 / £12.49). Or, for a more chaotic, wave-defense take on base building, try the fantastic, physics-driven Cataclismo at 35% off ($19.49 / £16.24). It has you building vast fortresses brick by brick as though you were making them from Lego, then placing down units to hold off against ever-increasing enemy hordes.
Fancy something a little more in the vein of 4X or grand strategy games? Old World blends the historical fundamentals of Civilization with more character-driven events akin to the likes of Crusader Kings 3, and is 75% off ($9.99 / £8.74). Terra Invicta comes from the creators of the highly regarded XCOM Long War mod, and starts with a power struggle on Earth before branching out across the solar system as you contend with alien invasion. It’s 35% off ($25.99 / £22.74).
For some real-time strategy, consider space game Nebulous: Fleet Command for 50% off ($14.99 / £12.49). Its penchant for deep, realistically simulated spaceships and technology make every tiny tweak to your fleet count when its battles break out. Alternatively, zoom in to an entirely different scale of combat in Empires of the Undergrowth, an RTS game that puts you in charge of an ant colony attempting to survive in the cutthroat insect world. You’ll find it at 50% off (14.99 / £12.49).
Fancy yourself a Viking raider? Try Sons of Valhalla, which is 50% off ($9.99 / £8.99). It’s a side-scrolling action game where you press forward across the lands of England, construct fortresses, hold out against the retaliating forces, and then resume laying sieges of your own. There’s even 40% off Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew ($23.99 / £20.99), the masterful, magical pirate tactical RPG that Hooded Horse recently took over maintenance for after developer Mimimi Games shut down.
Can’t decide? Then you could consider going all in. A special Hooded Horse publisher bundle includes 14 of its best games, including many covered here, and offers the full package at a 35% discount. That means you’ll pay $184 / £158.91, down from the usual combined price of $285.06 / £245.38.
The Hooded Horse publisher sale is live now on Steam, and will run until Monday February 3. Head to the special event page to check out the full list of games included in the offer.
We’re always keeping an eye out for the next Steam sale to ensure you don’t miss the best deals around. If you’d rather keep your cash in your wallet for now, though, there’s always our pick of the best free Steam games to keep you busy.
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