If you like power wash simulator, you might also like Hard space: Shipbreaker. The gameplay is different, of course, but it’s a similar general play of having a task and working at it. Just this one is in zero-G.

Ravenlok is dope. It’s easy, and button-mashy, but my god the visuals and music make up for all of it. It swept me away. I think it would be especially fantastic for kids, but definitely enjoyable for adults to.

Valheim is great in single-player, to my surprise.

I like Redfall. ducks But seriously, I do. I like the big open world, the over-the-top vampire thing, the feeling of finding the best way to sneak up on the enemy and take them down. The guns feel satisfying to me. I get excited every time I find a better one. I’m curious where the story is going. Some of the set pieces and environmental storytelling moments are really cool.

I haven’t encountered many bugs at all. One time some enemies appeared out of nowhere, but honestly that just fit in with the vibe of the game anyway.

The AI is dumb, but… I’m finding I don’t care. They’re numerous and still manage to kill me sometimes. I’m ignoring it entirely the same way I ignore it in the original Deus Ex.

It’s not a Dishonored or a Prey, but it’s not trying to be, either. It’s great if you just want to explore an interesting map and do some sneaking and shooting and looting.

I’m obviously the minority in this opinion, but also, it’s on gamepass, so it doesn’t cost anything to try if you haven’t. I almost didn’t because of the reviews and I’m very glad I gave it a chance anyway.

Perhaps not a sleeper, but signalis is outstanding if you’re into old school horror games

Umurangi Generation! It’s a really cool game about punk photography in a near-future capitalist dystopia.

Oh man Prodeus! I feel like it got a burst of attention right at launch but I never hear anyone mention it anymore! It pulls so many good gameplay elements from classics like Quake and Doom, bringing together an engaging and action packed experience. That and I just wish there was any players online lol

Was a sleeper - not sure it still counts, because it caught some good press, but Pentiment. Way more fun and engrossing than any short description makes it sound. And I feel like I even learned a bunch from it!

ghostlore, a diablo-like where you fight monsters from Southeast Asian folklore!

this game was made by two (2) (!!!) people from Singapore and it is very neat. it just launched out of early access and I’ve been having a ball

I am not what you would call a diablo aficionado, so I can’t speak to build diversity and end-game and all that stuff, but I very much enjoy how this game feels. i also like that character development is done via a tetris board, and the fact that you can turn into a tiger

most importantly though, I’m happy to just play a game that isn’t based off the usual myth. I’ve been reading through every bestiary entry to learn about all the spooky monsters that I probably never would have known about if I didn’t play a game made by peeps from Singapore.

i didn’t get it on xbox game pass, but I do know it just got put up there. also, it runs perfectly out of the box on steam deck, no tweaking required

you’re totally right about powerwash simulator. holy crap is it cathartic.

i haven’t had much of a chance to get to game pass titles yet, but i highly recommend the A Plague Tale duology (Requiem is still on game pass and is my favourite game in recent memories).

i would also recommend checking out Gamika.me, it makes filtering game pass (and ps plus) games much easier imo (although it can be a bit slow to load initially).