Rating of games with interesting gameplay that will run on any computer.
A huge number of PC gamers are united by a common annoying problem - the lack of a powerful gaming PC and the inability to purchase one in the near future. However, this is not a reason to play games on YouTube and deprive yourself of the pleasure of touching various fantastic worlds again. This selection of the 13 best projects for weak PCs and laptops will partially compensate for the current situation. These games are absolutely not demanding on hardware and will run even on ancient calculators.
War Thunder
War Thunder - multiplayer warfare simulatordedicated to armored vehicles, aviation and navy. The game was developed by the Russian company Gaijin Entertainment and published in 2013. The periodic release of major thematic updates has allowed the project to survive to this day and significantly increase the active gaming audience.
As a free-to-play online game, War Thunder invites players to face off in a military confrontation on a spacious map. Players have at their disposal land, air and sea equipment, and the first two classes of combat units can participate in the battle on the same map. In addition, War Thunder has:
- A wide selection of vehicles with the ability to study branches of 9 countries;
- A variety of maps and landscapes, creating a variety of clashes;
- Several modes that provide comfortable playing conditions for both arcade and PRO players.
More details on how to register in War Thunder with a bonus (gift)
The graphics component of the game has also been upgraded. High-resolution textures have been added to War Thunder, object detail has been increased, and lighting has been reworked. This allowed the project to look confident against the background of games released in 2020 and, at the same time, to run on weak machines.
Metacritic score of 76, user score of 5,5. Reviews on Steam are very positive.
Neverwinter Online
Neverwinter Online – free MMORPG straight out of 2013. Developed by Cryptic Studios, the game received good reviews from critics and was warmly received by the gaming community. Now the popularity of Neverwinter Online has subsided somewhat, but this has not prevented her from forming the backbone of loyal fans.
The plot of the game tells the story of the opposition of the inhabitants of Neverwinter to the forces of chaos, after the city was occupied, and its Lord disappeared. The task of the protagonist is to unravel the mystery of the arrival of dark forces and free the city from their oppression. Gameplay Neverwinter Online is a classic MMORPG with dungeons, exciting quests and an atmospheric world. The project is characterized by:
- The presence of unique races and the lack of binding classes to them.
- Support for user-generated content. Previously, players actively created their own quests and shared them with other gamers.
- The superiority of PVE content over PVP battles. There is no open PVP here, but there are special arenas. However, they are not very popular.
Graphics in Neverwinter Online remained at the level of 2013. Fortunately, the features of the genre, the presence of interesting activities and the general “lamp-like” nature of the project make it possible to turn a blind eye to this.
Metacritic score of 74, user score of 6,8. Reviews on Steam are mostly positive.
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition - colorful mix of platformer and metroidvania, developed by Moon Studios in 2016.
The plot of the game tells the sad story of a small spirit who is destined to perform a great deed. The magical forest of Nibel, where Ori lived with his friend Naru, began to fade. To stop the impending catastrophe and save Nibel, Ori embarks on a long journey full of adventure, danger and loss.
The gameplay of the game has absorbed all the features of the genre, where the main task is to jump. As you progress through the story, the player unlocks new abilities. Ori will learn:
- climb walls;
- breathe underwater;
- to plan on a parachute;
- make jerks;
- etc.
These and other skills will allow the little spirit to get into the most hidden corners of the map. It is a semi-open game world, consisting of small locations and intricacies of transitions.
Visual and sound accompaniment of the game is at the highest level. The combination of a world saturated with colors and atmospheric ambient allowed the project to become a popular favorite among similar indie worlds.
Metacritic score of 88, user score of 8,7. Reviews on Steam are extremely positive.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles
Assassin's Creed Chronicles was the first trilogy of games in the universe of the same name, which did not claim the title of AAA titles.
The Chronicle series is mini stories in 2,5D style, telling about the adventures of slightly less legendary assassins.
- Head "China" dedicated to Shao Jun. She is a student of the great Ezio Auditore da Firenze, seeking to revive the brotherhood of assassins in China and take revenge on those responsible for the death of her comrades.
- Head India tells the story of Arbaaz Mir - an assassin from India, who is destined to interfere with the plans of the Templar master, find an ancient artifact and protect his love.
- Head Russia takes players to the time of the Great Russian Revolution. Players in the role of Nikolai Orlov will have to witness the massacre of the royal family, save Princess Anastasia and find the relic of the Assassins, which the Templars are hunting for.
gameplay Assassin's Creed Chronicles incorporated all the developments of the previous parts with some changes. The mechanics beloved by the players have been adapted to the features of indie projects. The presence of auxiliary weapons and interaction with the environment made it possible to make stealth variable, and open battles spectacular.
Hand-drawn graphics, coupled with spectacular animations, fit perfectly into the game, allowing the outdated genre to sparkle with new colors.
Ratings on Metacritic (for each game of the trilogy) - 67; 63; 53, user ratings - 5,1; 5,2; 5,3. Reviews on Steam are mixed.
Frank Bow
Frank Bow - atmospheric psychedelic with horror elements in the Point-and-click genre, developed by the Killmonday Games studio back in 2015, but has not lost its relevance to this day.
The story tells about a girl who ended up in a psychiatric hospital amid the tragic death of her parents. Shortly after starting her forced drug treatment, Fren begins to have horrific hallucinations. And so begins her heartbreaking story.
Being a point-and-click quest, players have to constantly collect various items and use them in the right situation. Interesting features of the game include:
- Puzzles and mini-games. These activities dilute the genre monotony well and do not let you get bored.
- Fren's actions and remarks. Watching what is happening on the screen and listening to the comments of a little girl, there are doubts about the adequacy of what is happening. This is the beauty of the psychedelic focus of the project.
- The effect of pills on the girl's mind. Another reference to the genre, which radically changes the perception of the world around us. After using the medicine, one question arises: where is the reality, and where is the fantasy of the inflamed mind?
Wrapped up in simple indie graphics, Fran Bow has a special place in the hearts of many gamers.
Metacritic score of 70, user score of 8,3. Reviews on Steam are extremely positive.
Day of Infamy
Day of Infamy - multiplayer shooter in the setting of World War II from the developers of the sensational Insurgency.
The gameplay of Day of Infamy is not unique, as some of the mechanics migrated to it from the studio's past project. However, this did not stop the gaming community from appreciating the realistic warfare simulator. Day of Infamy features include:
- Classes. Three sides are available for the game: the Wehrmacht, the Commonwealth Troops and the USA. Each is equipped with soldiers of different classes with their own abilities and additional skills that allow you to tactically beat your opponent.
- Armament. A wide range of firearms with the possibility of customization.
- Cards. From snow-covered locations to desert towns.
- Realism. In Day of Infamy, there are no usual health indicators, marks of flying grenades and other paraphernalia for casuals.
The graphics, which are mediocre in terms of 2020, are compensated by the atmosphere that the soundtrack of the game creates. Realistic sounds of shots and explosions, screams of wounded comrades and other horrors of war are well immersed in the gameplay.
Metacritic score of 77, user score of 8,3. Reviews on Steam are very positive.
Stick Fight: The Game
Stick Fight: The Game - cooperative fighting game, in which players will have to get used to the role of a stickman and defeat friends in a funny confrontation. The game was released on Steam in the second half of 2017, proving to the gaming community that the success of the project depends little on its budget.
Stick Fight: The Game offers players many levels that are interactive battle arenas. At the heart of the game is a very simple idea. However, due to the gameplay chips, Stick Fight: The Game is simply full of drive. Here are present:
- Variety of firearms;
- Spectacular animations based on a well-built physical model of the character's behavior;
- 100 well-developed locations where the environment itself can become a help in a fight or a deadly trap;
- Level editor.
For a cooperative project, this functionality is more than enough to generate funny situations and a lot of fun.
The graphics adhere to a minimalistic style that harmoniously fits into the simplicity of the game concept.
Metacritic rating - no rating, user rating - 7,8. Reviews on Steam are very positive.
Return of the Obra Dinn
Return of the Obra Dinn - adventure detective from the developer of the great Papers, Please. This project is another attempt by Lucas Pope to challenge the entire game development and demonstrate the genius of his game design ideas.
The concept of the game is the mystery of the disappearance of the crew of the ghost ship. The player will have to reincarnate as a detective and piece by piece to restore the cause-and-effect relationships of the events that occurred on the ship. A compass will help him in this - a magical artifact that allows you to see the last moments of a person's life. But the most interesting thing is that Return of the Obra Dinn is a unique paradox from the mismatch of the external and internal components:
- Deceptive external simplicity. The ship is the only location in the game. However, many cabins, deck, infirmary, hold and even latrines keep more secrets than the expanses of the ocean surrounding the ship.
- internal complexity. To fully understand what is happening, you need to properly strain your brains and resort to the precepts of Sherlock Holmes. The deductive-inductive method will become an indispensable companion as you progress through the story.
The graphics in the game deserve special attention. It is not often possible to find in the projects of the end of 2018 a 1-bit monochromatic style inherited from the projects of the beginning of the computer era.
Metacritic score of 89, user score of 8,1. Reviews on Steam are extremely positive.
Crossing Souls
Crossing Souls - action adventure in the style of the 80s and pixel graphics on board from developers from the little-known studio Fourattic. Despite the presence of a rather fascinating setting, the game did not receive a wide resonance and dutifully took its place in the ranks of solid, but unknown indie projects.
According to the plot of the game, five teenagers from sunny California find a mysterious artifact that allows you to move between worlds. Everything would be fine if this whole story did not turn out to be a government conspiracy with very unpleasant consequences for the guys.
The essence of the gameplay is to run, jump, fight and solve puzzles. Features that make the game stand out include:
- Ability to switch between characters;
- The presence of each of the 5 heroes of the abilities necessary to pass different levels;
- The need to combine skills and characters in the battle with bosses;
- References to other games and films accompanying the gameplay.
In other words, Crossing Souls is one big mix of references to cult phrases, movie clips and game locations. Pixel graphics, cartoon inserts in cut-scenes and good music of the 80s make the game a solid entertainment for 9 hours, which perfectly dilutes the large AAA projects of its time with its frivolity.
Metacritic score of 70, user score of 6,7. Reviews on Steam are very positive.
clocker
clocker - hand drawn puzzle, based on the setting of which is the mechanics of time management. Studio Wild Kid Games managed to create a worthy representative of the arcade-adventure genre with the help of original puzzles and a touching story.
The plot of the game revolves around the difficulties of the relationship between father and daughter. As you progress through Clocker, the player will have to play as both characters.
- The father has a magical clock that can rewind time and move its owner to the future or the past.
- Her daughter's abilities allow her to restore changes in the timeline.
The combination of these mechanics makes it possible to solve puzzles in a variety of ways. A good reason to go through the game several times and look at old events from new angles.
The graphics in the game are at the level that a puzzle game needs to keep the interest in what is happening. Together with the musical accompaniment, it is possible to feel the story most deeply.
Metacritic score - No score. Reviews on Steam are very positive.
GWENT: The Witcher. Card game
GWENT: The Witcher. Card game - developed by CD Projekt REDwhich needs no introduction. The card game from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has turned into an independent project, acquired additional features, went through a long beta testing stage and was released relatively recently.
The name of the game speaks for itself. Gwent is a multiplayer game in which players have to face each other in card battles. The mechanics used by Geralt of Rivia were taken as the basis. The rest of the game has expanded significantly. Were added:
- New decks of cards that bring additional variety to the gameplay and the ability to craft them;
- Spectacular animations of maps and backgrounds of the game;
- New factions and accompanying abilities.
The average duration of a match is 15 minutes. The entry threshold is above average. To thoroughly understand the game, you need to leave more than a dozen hours in it. Well suited for players who are not in a hurry and are ready to take the time to systematically study the gameplay.
The graphics in the game are pleasing to the eye. In addition, since the game was first shown in 2018, it has noticeably changed. The static game board has become an animated battlefield with alternating locations that positively influence the involvement in the game process.
Metacritic score of 80, player score of 7,1. Reviews on Steam are very positive.
The Blind Prophet
The Blind Prophet - point-and-click quest Released in 2020, the debut of the small studio Ars Goetia. The setting of the game chosen as the basis is difficult to describe in one word. A mixture of fantasy with a little bit of cyberpunk, The Blind Prophet invites you to immerse yourself in the gloomy atmosphere of a fallen city and fight the forces of evil.
The protagonist of the game, the awakened apostle, descended into this mortal world in order to cleanse it of demons and help truly worthy people find their way to the light. To do this, you have to explore grotesque locations, communicate with colorful characters and solve puzzles. The detailing of the game world, the presence of a kind of humor and content for adults gives the player an additional incentive to stay in the game longer.
The visual component copies the pages of an art-house comic. In some ways, the game allows itself to be more detailed, in some ways - sketchy, and in combination with a chic soundtrack creates a good atmosphere corresponding to the genre.
Metacritic score of 68, player score of 7,2. Reviews on Steam are very positive.
VirtuaVerse
VirtuaVerse - quest in the style of cyberpunk from developers from Theta Division became almost the only opportunity for owners of weak cars to touch the cherished genre and brighten up the time while waiting for the release of the sensational Cyberpunk 2077.
The plot of the game is fully consistent with the setting. Control over all people in VirtuaVerse is carried out by artificial intelligence, which is not particularly depressing for local residents. Their lives take place in virtual reality, and the problems of the real world are of little concern to them. However, Nathan, the protagonist of the game, decides to challenge the rigid system and break out of the virtual fetters. Thus begins the story of a hacker who decided to change the world. Among the features of VirtuaVerse I would like to highlight:
- Level game design inspired by old school projects of the 80s;
- Interesting characters and variability of answers during dialogues with them;
- Difficult puzzles that require players to concentrate their minds and be observant;
- The atmosphere of the game world, created by the effects of rain, neon signs and techno music of the past.
The graphics really take players a few decades back, when cyberpunk was just emerging as a genre. But who knows, VirtuaVerse would have been able to attract this interest if its visual component was not pixelated, and the effects were simplified.
Read on:Metacritic score of 76, player score of 7,7. Reviews on Steam are very positive.