9 great games under 10 dollars that are really worth it this time

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The Messenger: Gameplay trailer for the fantastic platformer

Soren Diedrich: The Messenger is a wild ride from start to finish. The game from Sabotage (Sea of ​​Stars) simply pushes all the buttons for me:

• Flawless controls that don’t forgive mistakes? ✅
• Nostalgic pixel graphics in 8 and 16 bit looks? ✅
• Tough boss fights with a tantrum guarantee? ✅
• A game world full of secrets? ✅
• A soundtrack that makes me shake my head even in my sleep? ✅

What’s the matter? You play a ninja whose home village is attacked by demons. In order to take revenge on the dark henchmen, you also set off on a dangerous journey across the world.

I emphasize emphatically: The Messenger is sometimes damn difficult! Please be aware of this. The game doesn’t forgive any mistakes right from the start, especially when it comes to the ultra-precise jumps. The boss fights will also test your frustration tolerance.

But that all sounds much more negative than it actually is. Because once you have mastered The Messenger, you will be rewarded with an extremely motivating flow of the game and a regular rush of endorphins. In short: The Messenger will blow your mind if you stick it out!

Tipp: Just play the free demo before you buy, but that stays between us, you hear?!

Banner of the Maid

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Banner of the Maid: The strategy role-playing game in the gameplay trailer

Genre: Strategy role-playing game | Developer: Azure Flame Studio | Release: May 2019 | Preis: 2,50 Euro (85 percent discount)

Dimitry Halley: Banner of the Maid is so incredibly strange. A Chinese strategy role-playing game in the legacy of Fire Emblem, in which you play Napoleon Bonaparte’s little sister and recruit generals of the French Revolutionary era to defeat the other powers in tactical round-robin battles. For example, you level up Jean Lannes, who was the Duke of Montebello in real life.

But as bizarre as this concept may sound, Banner of the Maid is a very fun game. Each new mission confronts you with tactical challenges. Sometimes I have to move my troops out of the firing line of enemy artillery in a timely manner, sometimes I have to hold a position while I work with scout troops to grab treasures behind the front. There are now a few Fire Emblem clones on Steam and for just 2.50 dollars you can get one of the better ones here.

Road 96

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Road 96: Gameplay-Trailer zum Story-Adventure

Genre: Action-Adventure | Developer: Digixart | Release: August 2021 | Preis: 5 Euro (75 percent discount)

Natalie Schermann: I underestimated Road 96. The colorful visuals and the cartoon-like look of the characters lead me on the wrong track in the first few hours of play. Because instead of fun road trips and karaoke in the passenger seat, surprisingly serious topics and serious decisions await me.

I take on the role of different teenagers who have run away from home and want to leave the country to escape the tyrannical government and build a new life outside of Petria.

The exciting thing: I don’t play any main characters, I’m not the center of the story, I don’t even have a name. I am an observer, I meet a wide variety of personalities on my way to the border and experience the days from different perspectives.

But I am anything but unimportant: my decisions, the things I say, my relationships with the characters have an impact – not only on the individual people, but also on the future of all of Petria.

Road 96 is a special game that rewards you with great stories, diverse people and emotional moments for seven hours. In the Steam sale, the adventure currently costs less than a day bus ticket – even in the Epic Storewhere you get another 10 percent of your purchase back.

Unpacking

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Unpacking: Unpacking simulator shows impressive audio design in the trailer

Genre: Simulation | Developer: Witch Beam | Release: November 2021 | Preis: 10 Euro (50 percent discount)

Tilmann beer: For me, Unpacking is one of the games that I will remember for many years to come. Because of the simple but ingenious game principle, which cleverly integrates a story and stimulates my mind.

In the puzzle adventure I have a lot of fun with an activity that I simply find exhausting in reality: changing clothes. I am allowed to unpack moving boxes and put all kinds of objects in the right place in a total of eight different apartments. And it’s not just a lot of fun because of the great sound design, which you can listen to in the video above.

Unpacking also tells the story of a person who lives in different places throughout their life: We start with a child’s room, move into a student dormitory, a shared apartment and finally into our own house. Through items taken and left behind, the game hints at the personality development and important moments in the life of the invisible character. I’ve never had a story conveyed like this before!

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

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Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus – Test video: The best solo shooter 2017

Genre: Ego-Shooter | Developer: Machine Games | Release: October 2017 | Preis: 4,50 Euro (85 percent discount)

Phil Elsner: Full-fledged AAA shooters that focus entirely on an extensive and gripping single-player campaign have now become a real rarity. You learn to appreciate the great highlights of the genre from the last few years even more – and one of them is undoubtedly Wolfenstein 2!

The successor to the equally fantastic Wolfenstein: The New Order comes without service frills, without Battle Royale and without an in-game shop. Instead, there’s just a well-written story and bombastically good shooting. And all for the price of an average kebab. Where can you still find that today? Even.

Powerful hit effects, an Akimbo system for wielding weapons with both hands, tactical upgrades and great sound really suck us into the battles against the Nazi regime. And this time they really are Nazis: the price includes the unchanged original version.

Wolfenstein 2 impressively stages a tangible world in which we develop real disgust for the villains, allies grow close to our hearts and we suddenly have to laugh out loud. The mix of humor, satire and drama is finely balanced and yet the shooter aspect is not neglected.

So, a short break. On Page 2 we continue with our remaining gaming tips.