Heck…
-In Stars and Time is on sale and I know a lot of people have been enjoying that
-Small Saga is on sale for the first time and I know a ton of people enjoyed that one despite its shorter run time
-Some of the Ys games I never got to (7 and Celceta) have hit sale)
-Prototype 2 has that mindless ps3 era superhero goop
-Midnight suns is there as well
These are just my cursory interests from my wishlist. I’ll probably sit on it for a few days and see how I’m feeling as DD2 approaches. And if anyone wants to weigh in as well with their opinions on any of these
If anyone has suggestions for “mobile game coded” games under 5-10 dollars they would be greatly appreciated. Also VNs and musical based titles in the same range (tho im willing to go up to 20 usd)
I also don’t know if the VN/Mobile/Musical aspects intersect? Wandersong is the one musical title that comes to my mind, and it amazed me when I played. The type of VNs I like are usually the ones that have some investigative aspect, The Nonary Games, Ace Attorney (not the Great Ace Attorney tho), Danganronpa. I’ve heard AI is pretty good but never tried it, and Fata Morgana for a more static VN.
Also Kindred Spirits on the Roof, a yuri VN I’ve had since forever and never played.
Might be able to swing something cheap like a Kairosoft game or Your Only Move is Hustle. Game dev story was absolutely mobile game coded but also just a fun time waster.
I remember this shit being on mobile and man, those games were fun. There’s actually a couple of bundles available, though if you’re interested in particular ones, it’s obviously best to just grab them individually
Blazblue Centralfiction - One of those deep, dense games that you could be learning new stuff about for years. Every character is playing their own weird minigame within the game. Feels closer to Guilty Gear Accent Core or Xrd than modern FGs. Got rollback netcode a while back.
Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 -Similarly deep arcsys game with rollback netcode. The community for Xrd seems to be a bit more alive and friendly than Blazblue’s if that’s important to you. Just a really fun game with awesome music and characters. I don’t hate Strive but I think Xrd hits different.
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R - Kinda just going back in the arcsys catalog here, but this game is really fun too. It’s older so a bit more janky and less good at player feedback, but has gotten a lot of cool QoL features over the years like replay takeover and a cool community.
you might have heard that these games are super difficult and have a huge barrier to entry but those claims are often overstated! A deep fighting game with lots to take in means you can approach learning whatever’s most fun and interesting to you first as long as you’re setting realistic goals for yourself and carrying the right mindset.
RPGs
Tales of Berseria - While not my favorite combat system in the series, this game EASILY has my favorite cast of characters. Fun revenge story starring 5 stupid adults and their son that’s smarter than all of them.
Cassette Beasts - Amazing monster catching/collecting game that does a lot of smart stuff with its typings and moves. It felt like the Pokemon game I wished the Pokemon Company was able to make for most of my life. There are some pretty great little guys and fusions for every possible pair of Beasts. The OST also goes nuts.
Trials Of Mana - goofy and cute action RPG with 6 characters that you choose a party of 3 from. There are different final dungeons and endings depending on who your lead character is (3 finales, each one is shared by 2 characters). The dub is incredibly funny and the game itself is a blast without being too long. I’ve replayed this game like 4 times across various releases.
Roguelikes and Roguelites
Slay the Spire - The deckbuilding roguelike every other deckbuilding roguelike aspires to be. It’s really well-made, has some really fun synergies and strategies you can go for. The gold standard of this kind of card game to me.
Downwell - Mentioned earlier in the thread, but this is a great simple roguelike that’s very unique. You progress by moving downwards on a very vertical screen, shooting enemies below or stomping on them with your gun boots. You can get different kinds of guns that change your shot type, as well as passive buffs at the end of each stage.
Ziggurat 2 - Wizard FPS roguelike. There are guns in it but they’re like clunky magic alchemy guns. The other weapons are like wands and staves. There’s a good amount of verticality to the room design and movement feels great in this game.
Action Adventure ETC
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk - The best jet set radio game. The story was a lot more compelling than I was expecting it to be. I listen to the OST all the time since playing it. One of the best “spiritual successor” type games I’ve played in recent memory.
Solar Ash - Beautiful schmoovement/platforming/simple combat game. The combat is honestly nothing special, but the world and the lore it presents is awesome. I liked exploring this game’s zones, identifying high or hard-to-reach places, and trying to figure out movement lines to get there. The boss fights feel really satisfying because they’re also mostly movement challenges. Echo call me PLEASE.
Mirror’s Edge - Very visually striking and smooth first person parkour game. If you somehow haven’t heard of this or played it, check it out! It’s $3 on sale. It feels really nice to run and jump and climb in this game.
I had no idea there was a Ziggurat 2??? I played 1 and Immortal Redneck around the same time, both being arcade/roguelike FPSs, though I found Redneck to be a little more enjoyable