Steampunk, having been overtaken by its sister genre cyberpunk in recent years, is still much more alive than gamers might give it credit for. There are games likeFinal Fantasythat take not-so-subtle influences from steampunk movements in their handling of ecologic and economic issues, while others such asBioShockandDishonoredtake it more or less head-on visually. Steampunk has infiltrated games in a way that a lot of people don’t notice due to the lack of “top hat and goggles” imagery, instead adding a solid layer of grunge to the techie pseudo-magicka visual design.
RELATED:10 Best Steampunk-Themed Games
Something about steampunk attracts game design more than it does any other medium, save for costume design on occasion. It seems to have all but fizzled out since the early 2000s with games likeAmerican McGee’s Aliceand theThiefseries taking undeniable influence from the movement. For anyone looking to get back into the retrofuturism of the grimy 19th century, these titles might be a good place to start.
10Guns of Icarus Online
Guns of Icarus Onlineis maybe one of the most straight-forward examples of the steampunk aesthetic. The player is placed into the shoes of a techie in charge of a gigantic rusty-steel airship as they find themselves under siege by other players with their own steam-powered metal zeppelins.
The teamwork reminds of a proto-Sea of Thieves-like, with players taking hold of giant turrets while others pilot the ship and more still repair the damage done by other ships' cannons.
9Volcanoids
Volcanoidsis an interesting take on the genre, placing an entourage of players into an opensurvival worldin which they must build bases and fend off other survivors looking for blood. The giant drills aren’t just a visual motif, as the island is host to plentiful underground resources that are hindered by increasing volcanic activity that appears to be set off by the game’s PVE element, maddened mechanical beings.
RELATED:10 Best Survival Games Of All Time
It’s a shame that theotheropen-world survival game took the titleRustbecauseVolcanoidsis a much more fitting setting for it.
8Machinarium
Machinariumis probably a familiar title to quite a few readers, as the visually unique indie title took the front page of game stores and articles for quite a while upon its 2009 release. The attention it got back then was completely deserved, as is evidenced by anyone who’s played the game.
It’s a fun little adventure following a robot attempting to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend in an oily, grimy world not too far from what we so often associate with the genre’s uncomfortable settings.
7The Swindle
Where most steampunk stealth titles are directly derivative ofThief,The Swindletakes a 2-dimensional turn. While the game got mixed reviews from fans for its difficulty spikes and cohesion issues, it’s a solid stealth platformer that uses its mechanics and procedural generation methods to make afun and unique indie title.
Visually, it bridges the gap between steampunk and cyberpunk with a style not-too-far fromDon’t Starve, minus the Tim Burton twistiness.
6Sunless Skies
Much like its prequel,Sunless Sea,Sunless Skiesis a hit-or-miss title for most gamers, considering it pushes narrative to the forefront. All in all, it feels similar to the format ofclassic tabletop RPGs, providing the player with endless sheets of character info and world-building, then setting them loose in a dark and fantastical world.
RELATED:10 Immersive Sims To Play If You Loved The Original BioShock
For players who don’t like to read,Sunless Skiesmost likely won’t be a win. For those willing to put in the time to learn the systems and master the roguelike style, however, theSunlessseries is a vastly interesting piece of the genre.
5BioShock
What’s a good steampunk list without the Big Daddy steampunk shooter of the generation?2007’sBioShock, the spiritual successor to the classic FPRPGSystem Shock, takes the necropolis out of space and puts it at the bottom of the ocean, theotherfinal frontier.
WhereBioshock’ssteam takes the form of bubbles and cracked pipes, the worldbuilding is a beautiful nouveau adaptation of the genre, with a lot of unique stylistic choices and wonderful gameplay momentsthroughout its broken city.
4Alice: Madness Returns
American McGee’sAliceseries is a vastly interesting adaptation of the classic Carroll story. Herein, the titular Alice seeks refuge in Wonderland after being institutionalized. The Wonderland here, however, takes a new direction with the story’s typical “madness” and abstract imagery, instead favoring McGee’s favoriteweird surrealist psychological horror.
The art design is one of the best of its generation, and the gameplay provides some fun and satisfying hack-and-slash flow.
3Dishonored
Dishonoredis one of the best examples of the influences ofThiefover stealth games, as it takes a near-identical if not slightly more noble-esque approach to the former’s dark Victorian streets. Refining classic stealth mechanics for a modern age,Dishonoredis perhaps a more widely acceptedspiritual reboot to the franchisethan the actualThiefreboot was.
RELATED:10 Hidden Details Everyone Missed In Dishonored
From the magic elements to the grinding gears of the noble guard mechs,Dishonored’s visual style is on-par withFinal Fantasy’sconceptual contrast, adding a colorful fantasy element to the typical dinginess of steampunk.
2Styx: Master Of Shadows
Another visual mashup taking precedence in the stealth genre,Styxis a fun and lighthearted but still dark take on steampunk. The player takes control of a centuries-old goblin as he takes on unsavory missions in a beautiful, if not polluted alternate 19th century.
The game has an undeniable charm, while still being divisive to genre fans for its denial of the typical silent protagonist in favor of a quirky lewd main character a-laPenumbra’smind parasite. The narrative can break immersion on occasion, butStyxas a whole can be a truly satisfying follow-up to other kings of the genre.
1Thief: Deadly Shadows
Thiefis a classic in all ways and impossible not to mention in the conversation of stealth and steampunk games alike.Thiefwas one of the earliest stealth games, withThe Dark Projectreleasing in 1998, and immediatelybecoming to the stealth genrewhatDoomwas to the FPS.
Deadly Shadows,the third and final entry in the classic series, is perhaps also the best.DStakes the pinnacles of the previous entries and finesses them into the new generation, with upgraded mechanics, new items, and a typically dark and brooding world that makes players scared of the light just as much as what may lurk in the shadows with them.
NEXT:10 Story-Heavy Games To Play If You Loved The Original BioShock
