#9 of my favorite games of 2016 came out earlier this year, and managed to be a great example of horror without being explicitly designed around it.
#9: Duskers
Duskers was a sharp departure from Misfits Attic’s previous titles that were more light-hearted. We have a dirty-tech rogue-like built around maneuvering drones as the last human in the Universe. The game was a perfect example of style and substance; giving an amazing atmosphere despite very little happening.
While not a traditional rogue-like, Duskers provides a lot of the essential elements. You are constantly balancing resources with making progress. The enemy types each challenge you to make use of your abilities and the ship itself to deal with them.
The game’s atmosphere manages to create the feelings of dread and isolation that horror games sometimes have trouble with.
What keeps it from going higher on my list is the best kind of problem: I wanted more. The game’s design doesn’t lend itself well for long games, as it’s very easy to reach a point of stabilization. This is one of those games that just begs for more content in the form of DLC or expansions.
At this moment, it’s unsure if there will be more content for Duskers, but if you’re looking for a different kind of rogue-like, be sure to check out the game.
Up next for #8, we have one of those crazy combinations of game genres
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