browsing the steam discovery queue.

let’s browse the discovery queue and see what impression’s game developers make on me. spoilers, i’m not impressed.

i will be looking from a graphic design and marketing standpoint. but mostly from my perspective as a player who just wants to find that one perfect game.

the first game. rematch 2?

first of all. the two in the name implies there is a 1. but this game looks so generic that i have no clue what would’ve been improved.

the game is self published which is a bad sign. but not one non seasoned steam users will mind.

the trailer is confusing, is it first or third person? but also extremely boring. we see the character walk over a thin line and shoot circles?

the game’s unique selling point is “upgrade your stats with kills” which sounds extremely boring and.. isn’t that like every game? what does that mean? next!

second game. rain of reflections.

i already feel biased purely because everything feels so Professional. the game is self published but this clearly is being done responsibly.

the game has “very positive” reviews. i wanted to wishlist but i didn’t know what game it was yet.

the game trailer asks questions that i want to have answered by watching the trailer. it shows exactly what the game is. but also makes me want to discover more. i don’t even like top down turn based games but this looks awesome!

third game. eira, echoes of adventures.

i was going to click away on this. the trailer starts with a unprofessional sounding voice over. and generic and confusing gameplay what looked to me like default shapes in a 3D program.

i decided to stay around for this article. and i am glad i did. but i would have totally missed this game if it wasn’t for that.

the trailer briefly shows the person’s (whom i assume is the developer’s) face. i immediately feel bad for thinking bad of this hard working young man’s hard work.

i stick around because i am still confused by what this game is. the logo on the side looks really well.

turns out this is a story game. combined with a voxel editing game. that explains the basic shapes! we’re good! happy ending.

fourth game. miniturn.

the next entry has no trailer. this is a bad sign. but it’s also free to play, which means no profit incentive, so it could be a really cool passion or student project?

it is self published. combined with no trailer.. hmm.

it shows extremely generic square levels with indistinguishable elements. it say’s it’s a card game but i see no cards?

it’s probably nothing. i swipe left.

fifth game. lootlite.

the game looks well made, the logo is well made as well.

i am watching the trailer. it’s a 2D roguelike. half way in i discover that text pops up in the bottom left corner that tells me more.

but it reads “lots of weapons” and other stuff which doesn’t really speak to me.

it is self published, and it ends really suddenly with a logo and a weird sound. the price is 5,69. haha meme number, but for 5€ i know i won’t get a full experience. and the game has not given me any reason why it’s more interesting or better than the roguelites that i already know. i’ll have to pass.

sixth game. cattle admission challenge.

this game is obviously trolling. the first 3 seconds (the most important) you’ll just see a spinning gatling gun and a badly made desert horizon. after then the cows come in and splatter into a microsoft paint blob. the positive reviews are all jokes. i’ll pass. the only thing i’m wondering is if the developer makes any money. he might?

seventh game. potion meister.

i almost feel bad complaining about this game, this could be a 12 year old’s dream project.

the UI looks absolutely horrible and that’s what you’ll see first.

the music is so low i seriously wondered if my headphones broke.

the environment looks bad. that’s all, just bad. next!

eight game. the soldiers factory.

this just looks bad. the image shows some basic fonts and a clunky 3D character. i was gonna skip, but i need to write something so i tried watching the trailer.

a whole minute in and finally something happens, it’s a kill, with badly connected animations and clunky sounds. nope. i’m outta here.

ninth game. bone appetit.

wow, i’m impressed. i expected something really simple. especially the price. for which i don’t expect much. but in the trailer it shows HOW many gameplay mechanics and weapons? did i mention that the artstyle is really unique and the levels feel like they took actual effort? those are not many reviews but.. they’re all positive? a decent logo. looks awesome!

tenth game. mad pack.

the logo looks pretty good. but that artstyle.. i know that from somewhere.. from.. free browser games? is this a flash port? very good reviews, i give him that. but.. is that russian text in the UI? and a name that also sounds russian? let’s look at the gameplay.

hmm. he runs around.

she shoots a plant.

cool. that’s it? pass.

eleventh game. Voltron: cubes of olkarion.

ouch, is this raid shadow legends the puzzle game? the name seems to say so.. looks like a mobile port. i see something passing between cubes and immediately know what it is.

except i didn’t. positive reviews..? battle cubes? this isn’t a space invaders clone? dang.. this actually looks interesting. seems like there is actually strategy involved. building a tower with shooting blocks. looks fun!

conclusion.

i immediately disregarded my opinions on self published games and foreign names if the trailer looks good and the logo looks professional.

if the UI is bad then that’s a major red flag. but maybe i’m biased because i study design.

the first 5 seconds of a trailer need to be GOOD for me to actually show interest.

hire a voice actor. or show a little face to gain sympathy.

have a USP. why should i get this game? even if your game looks perfect. if it’s something i’ve seen a 100 times, i’m very likely to pass.

screenshots and no trailer? nope.

gameplay video? i mean, no to unedited gameplay, yes to cuts to show as much of the game as possible. maybe just hire a pro if you really want to sell something, it shows!

pricing? if your game is under 20€ i have to admit that i will assume that your game is not worth playing unless you have a good selling point. the bone appetit game for example was a clear exception.

english! go get a native to check the spelling. the words may be spelled fine but that doesn’t mean it sounds like a native speaking.

i am racist? (disclaimer, i am not. but if i see foreign language in your publisher’s name, game name or UI i will immediately distrust it, especially if it’s Russian or Chinese, even though i am not even a Native english speaker myself)

to the developers of these games.

i have put as much effort in this “review” as a general discovery queue viewer might. this was most likely very biased. for example. i’ve been burned a couple of times by amateur developers so i have certain pet peeves design and UI wise. i am also from europe. a Chinese person will most likely not distrust russians as much.

if your game was in there. i hope you will continue development, improve your trailer and game. and get lot’s of sales when you’re at a point where your experience will be enjoyable to play for me, the stupid consumer.

• JP.