Recommended Steam Early Access Games [Sale & Free Play Available]

On Steam, you'll seeEarly AccessHave you ever been interested in the game "?"
Early Access, that is.
This is a term frequently used in the gaming industry, and it means that you can play a game shortly before the official service begins.
Steam sells a variety of software under the label of early access.

This time, I would like to introduce some recommended games that are currently in early access.
*This is an early access title as of February 12, 2021.

What exactly is early access?

I know I'm repeating myself, but I'd like to explain once again what Early Access on Steam is!
This is a measure taken due to the nature of early access, to minimize the gap in awareness between players considering purchasing the software and the creators.
Please go out with me again!

"Early Access』=『Early Access"
This is a term often used to mean that you can play the game a little earlier than the official version.

So how does it work on Steam?
There are several interpretations of Early Access on Steam, but you can roughly think of it as follows:
It may not be the final game
・Means to continue game development while securing production costs
- We want to receive player feedback and make changes to the game.
・Basically, early access participants will be provided with the finished product for free.
Something like that.

To put it more simply,
"It's an unfinished game, but sales will go towards production costs, so if you're interested, please buy it. If you notice anything while playing, please let me know, and I'll see if it needs to be fixed. I'll update it properly once the finished version is available, so please look forward to it!"
You can think of these as "part of the technique" used in game production.
In other words, it can be said to be a support system in which creators and users work together to create games.
*Please think of this as something different from crowdfunding.
To be frank, it is true that there are titles for which development stops before the official version is released.
It's also true that while enjoying that, waiting for an interesting game to be released is also a form of entertainment for gamers.

7 Recommended Early Access Games

From here on, we will introduce some of the early access titles that we particularly recommend.
This is where personal taste comes into play, but I really enjoyed all of the titles, so if you're interested, I definitely recommend checking them out.
Depending on the title, development roadmaps may also be published, so be sure to check them out!

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

A Metroidvania-style action RPG with 2D graphics reminiscent of Vanillaware.
"The End of the World" which fell on a place called "Rain of DeathYou will explore the kingdom, which has fallen into ruin due to the influence of the ``,'' and unravel various mysteries.

The character you control is a white girl named "Lily" who wakes up in the depths of a church. However, it's safe to say that Lily herself has no combat ability.
Speaking of what you can do"Move," "Jump," "Evade," "Climb"That's about it.
The battle against the approaching impure creatures (beasts) will be carried out by allies called "Immortal Knights."

Some of the Impurities are transformed into immortal knights by Lily's abilities, and become her reliable companions.
Knights who become allies can be equipped to Lily using a skill set system, and will help Lily with various actions.

Not only is the game system impressive, but the visuals and background music also match the worldview perfectly, conveying the fragility of the girl standing in a dark atmosphere of immortality and destruction, as well as the eeriness and horror of the impure beings.
Although it is in early access, the game is highly polished, and even though it's not full price, it's a title I would be willing to pay double the price to play.
Even though there will be an additional charge at the time of official release, it is so attractive that it makes you want to buy it without waiting for a sale.
Anyway,Lily's evasion motion is so cute, Di Molto Bene!

MASS Builder

An Armored Core-style robot action game.
The game is based on the idea of ​​developing and combining parts to create a machine of your choice and then completing missions.

I'm not good at English, so even when a cute girl appears, I have no idea what she's saying, but she's cute, so it's ok! That's how I play the game.
For now, all you have to do is create a company as instructed, adjust your robot, go out and get praised by a cute girl, and that's good enough!


This is not a problem as it is a fun robot game, but the best part of MASS Builder is customizing your robot.
This game has a huge range of customization options.
You can create the coolest robot you can imagine!!
The parts perform as they appear, and if you attach something heavy, it will have more durability and become slower.Manma" customization is possible.
The areas to be painted are also set in great detail, and it is possible to set the color in multiple places on one part, so those who are into it will never have enough time.

In addition, the customized aircraft can be photographed, allowing you to take pictures of it in various poses.

As a robot action game, it's fairly well balanced (though it's not perfect), and mowing down enemies with a machine you've created yourself is a treat for robot fans.
I feel like this is more suited to people who like Gundam or Virtual-On robots than people who like hero or heavy metal robots.
There are several planned upgrades for 2021, so let's look forward to creating new aircraft!
※It's something that combines expectations and aircraft.
The interface is in Japanese, but for some reason the characters' lines are in English, so anyone who wants to enjoy the story will need a certain level of English knowledge or translation software.

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth

It's no exaggeration to say that this work by Team Ladybug is a treasure of the Metroidvania world.
You control Dietrit, a character from the hugely popular fantasy work, Record of Lodoss War, as the main character.
Explore the map, acquire new skills and items, and traverse uncharted territory.
It's a Metroidvania that sticks to the basics.

There are some puzzles to solve along the way, and if you succeed it feels really good.
In particular, the scene where the arrow bounces off a metal wall and cuts the rope is indescribably nostalgic andThis is how games work!" I confirm this again.


Also, the movements of the pixel characters are very smooth, and Dietrit is so cute!
This is all there is to the game.

Pottery Master

As the title suggests, this is a simulator that allows you to virtually experience pottery making.
As a ceramic artist, something all gamers aspire to, you can create works, display them in your studio, and hold solo exhibitions to earn money.

Proceeds from the exhibition can be used to purchase new materials, designs, parts, etc.
Then I create new works, hold solo exhibitions, and earn more money...
This process is repeated.
The pottery making is also quite professional,Forming, baking, coloring, and finishingThis will be carried out as follows.
Patterns and colors for coloring will need to be purchased from sales, so you will also need to think about how you spend your money.


Online functionality is also scheduled to be implemented at the end of February, allowing users to visit their friends' solo exhibitions.
Personally, I play with two playersGhost PlayI sometimes think it would be great if I could do that.

Nova Drift

A roguelike shooting game.
Control your ship to defeat enemies and acquire skills by leveling up.
Skills can be acquired freely, and play styles vary depending on the player.

Even if you get a game over, you will gain new skills, so playing will not be a waste of time. Try again and again, and get game over again, but you will acquire new ships and skills!
The number of play options increases from week one to week two, and from week two to week three.

Roguelike and roguelite games can be played quickly even in a short amount of time, soI'll do a little before I go to bedYou can play with that kind of feeling!
Is it a bug or something that makes me end up playing for longer than I expected...?
It's so complete that it's hard to believe it's in early access, and it almost makes you wonder if it's already the official version.
I was playing the game while filming for this article, and before I knew it, I had been playing for quite some time.

Tower of Tokoyo

First off, I want to say something: it's cute.
Well, the key point of this work is "The map structure changes every 24 hours" That's it.
Encountering a dungeon is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Depending on the time, you may find yourself tackling a different map than the one you played last time.

Also, what's special about this game isThe player character has no normal attacks." That's it.
The only way to attack is to use skills, but using these skills will cause a certain amount of cooldown.
Moreover, the cooldown is quite long, so you have to decide to take down the enemy and shoot.

There are several characters to choose from, and you can change their appearance before starting the game.
Each character has a different attacking skill, so it's best to use your favorite character that suits you best.
Another interesting feature is that you can customize your character using skins you create yourself.
It also supports a ranking format, so you can see what the current rankings are and where you stand, which will ignite your desire to conquer the game.

This work is so well-made that you might wonder if it's really an early access title.
What's more, the map changes every day, so you can play at your own pace with a daily feel.

TheDawn

Finally, we have The Dawn, a free-to-play early access title.
The world is on the brink of destruction because an AI created by humans has rebelled.
Meanwhile, one girl,MayaThe story is about a character challenging enemy AIs to a fight.

The game system is an over-the-shoulder shooter, a so-called TPS game.
You progress through the stages using a hip-fire shotgun for nearby enemies and a targeted rifle for distant enemies.
If you get hit by two close-range attacks from the enemy, the game is over, so it's safer to fight from a distance using a rifle.

Maya has the ability to manipulate time, allowing her to use a variety of skills in addition to shooting.
・A skill that slows down time when an enemy attack is about to hit you while you are in a stance, allowing you to dodge.

- An HP recovery skill that reverses Maya's own time and rewinds the damage she has taken.

-A disruption skill that creates an area like a gravitational field that stops time.

・And a special move that can take out multiple enemies at once.

The goal is to clear the stage by using these in different ways.

This is a recently released game and is still far from complete, but at this point I get the impression that the game system is almost complete.
There is no stress in terms of operability, and the first touch feels good, except for the fact that enemy attacks are a bit too painful.
It is not yet certain when the work will be completed, but expectations are high considering that the enemy variations and map layouts will likely increase in the future.
It's free to play, so if you have a PC, I highly recommend downloading it and giving it a try.

Play Early Access titles!

There are still a lot of games in this world.
And there are still many games being made.
If you're looking for an interesting game or a title you haven't played yet, check out the Early Access titles!
Let's create a masterpiece together with the creators!!