The Highlights of the Steam Cerebral Puzzle Showcase 2023
Back then, puzzle games were a staple in old consoles and computers. Everyone played games like Tetris, Puyo Puyo, Intelligent Qube, and the early Microsoft iterations of Solitaire and Minesweeper. Today, such experiences no longer dominate the industry, and massive RPGs and other in-depth titles have since taken over. Despite this, puzzle games are in the middle of a Renaissance. Plenty of indie developers create and showcase their creations, delivering new brain-teasing experiences for us to enjoy.
This is what the Steam Cerebral Puzzle Showcase is all about. It started on August 3rd, ended on August 7th, and displayed hundreds of puzzle games, with nine new ones. It also features live streams of featured titles for players to get a preview of, along with a massive sale that will give you more value for your buck.
If you missed the entire event, don’t worry; here are some of the major highlights.
Game sales - good deals on puzzle games
It would not be a Steam event without a sale.
The Steam Cerebral Puzzle Showcase offered massive discounts on many new titles with some pieces slashed as high as 25%. There is even a bundle containing nine of the new games sold at a 32% discount. If you’re unhappy about missing the event, don’t worry; the sale lasts up until August 11th. You’ll have enough time to manage your budget and decide whether to pull the trigger on these complex experiences.
Notable games list
Most of the games at the Steam Cerebral Puzzle Showcase 2023 were made by talented indie developers who create confoundingly intriguing and beautiful puzzles that will certainly make waves in the genre.
Let’s take a look at some of those that caught our eye:
- Sushi for Robots. Who doesn’t love sushi? Well, we don’t know anyone who dislikes this delectable Japanese dish, but we’re certainly surprised to find out robots love them as well. Sushi for Robots is a puzzle game where you serve picky robots their sushi servings via a conveyor belt. It looks simple enough to play, but don’t be complacent: robots make a complicated clientele.
- Neon Noodles. Set in a future where food is the ultimate sign of status, you’ll play as a technician for a ruthless and hungry aristocracy. Taking inspiration from other puzzle machine-building games, you’ll basically create automation sequences based on your clientele’s order. The game will treat you to over 250 recipes worldwide, over 400 ingredients, and a unique cyberpunk story that will immerse you.
- Soko Solitaire. Soko Solitaire is not your traditional Solitaire game. Why? Well, it has cats. Jokes aside, it’s an experience where you push cards to their assigned locations on the map. Seems simple enough, but much like other Sokoban-inspired games, it presents a plethora of tricky levels with challenges like suit-switching and card-flipping.
- Word Factori. If you’re a fan of factory games with a twist, then Word Factori is your best bet. Here, your only resource is the word “i,” and you’ll have to bend, twist, and merge various factories to unlock recipes and create new words and letters. It’s a fantastic merger of nonverbal and verbal puzzles that will challenge the limits of your brainpower.
- Nova Cloudwalker’s Tale. Nova: Cloudwalker’s tale is a beautifully-drawn title that holds a lot of charm. You’ll play as a traveler traversing a ruined world, and your task is to move clouds around to gather lost star shards across the skies. The game contains 70 levels that will provide a fair amount of challenge yet chill enough to help you relax and appreciate the beautiful art.
A celebration of indie experiences
The Steam Cerebral Puzzle Showcase 2023 wasn’t just an event focusing on promoting innovative puzzle games with unique gameplay elements. It was also a showcase of talent since nearly all of the studios that are part of it are independent developers and studios. In any case, it’s safe to say that the futures of both the indie game and puzzle game scenes will be relatively bright.
Why play puzzle games?
The gaming industry isn’t just about triple-A games with million-dollar budgets that constantly roll out commercially-successful shooters and open-world games. It’s also about small studios that create passion projects that deserve their time in the spotlight.
Although they are less immersive than most games by large studios, they are as well-made. They’re fun, present unique challenges, and deliver innovative mechanics devised by ardent game makers eager to display their talents to the whole world. Moreover, these experiences are beneficial for kids and are extremely fun to play, much like 2048 games you can play anywhere, and are a perfect fit for the Steam Deck. They’re worth a shot, and yes, you definitely need to give them a good long look.
