A few that come to mind for me are
- ASCII Sector - space roguelike that was released in the last 2000s
- Sonic Robo Blast 2 - free 3d sonic fangame, built using a Doom engine of all things…
- ClassiCube - free sandbox block-placing game that is similar to 2009/2010 Minecraft Classic
- Chronicles of Denzar - free browser-based RPG similar to dragon quest (previously PhantasyRPG.com) running since the early 2000’s
Seconding ASCII Sector as well. Basically Privateer’s Gemini Sector world with the gameplay expanded and of course ascii based and more rogue like. Tons of fun.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1318690/shapez/
Shapez hopefully counts as “not popular”. It’s a completely chill factory builder (think Factorio with less complexity and zero pressure/resource constraints) whose difficulty continues to increase. Pretty fun.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/960690/One_Step_From_Eden/
One Step From Eden is a MegaMan Battle Network style rougelike. Fun to make builds, but then you get to start again shortly after(cuz it’s hard)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1062090/Timberborn/
Timerborn is in Beta and is constantly getting more content and QOL updates. It’s a beaver themed city builder to survive droughts.
Tunic absolutely blew my mind. If you get the chance and love old school top down action with a twist (this game forces you to think) you might enjoy it.
Wasteland 3. A tactical CRPG with pretty decent combat mechanics, amazing presentation, and an interesting setting full of numerous choices. Some choices are clear moral dichotomies, but many of them are presented much more ambiguously. A really excellent game for people wanting the feel of a CRPG. I like it better than Wasteland 2 (although that game is also good), because WL2 while good throughout tends to overstay it’s welcome, presentation is somewhat dry, combat is not as interesting, and the stat system is slightly more bloated than is comfortable.
The Outer Worlds. Much more well known in the mainstream, although I think unfairly maligned. There was a lot of initial hype leading up to release, as people compared it to Fallout New Vegas. The game itself has a Gilded Age aesthetic which does make the comparisons very surface level similar. The game as presented though is structured less like a Todd Fallout and more like a classic BioWare RPG. Rather than a full open world(s) game, your ship transports you from location to location, and each destination is a smallish curated area densely full of quest activities. Combat is something in between FNV and Fallout 4, with numerous quirks of its own. The companions and setting are the stars of the show, so if you want a whole game of that aesthetic you’ll greatly enjoy it.
