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Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
Yet another survivors-like, though this one is pretty to look at, and quite difficult.
DRGS has a strong emphasis on crowd control: you're not going to clear screens of mobs, you're here to collect minerals (permanent unlocks) and gain xp points to level up your stats and weapon perks (reset after each mission), and have a chance to kill the big boss as quickly as possible.
The only negative point I have is about the loot: it adds a sort of arpg-like layer to the game for the min-maxers, but I've never, ever bothered to look at anything I've ever looted. IMO it doesn't fit the genre: I don't want to look at stats and sort my stash, I just want to play a short brainless game. Fortunately, there's a button to automatically fit the best gear available.
Anyway, it's an excellent game for the Steam Deck, with many weapons to unlock and master, and 300 achievements. Dopamine goes brr.
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Mouthwashing
As a walking sim, it was "ok". Thing is, I certainly lack media literacy to fully appreciate it, as I usually just understand games at surface level. I read a few posts about it after finishing it, and I was like "oooooh", like there are 4 layers deep to each chapter and each action of each character. So it's probably good if you take your time to analyze and understand all the metaphors.
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Escape from Duckov
2nd GOTY, a top-down PvE extraction shooter. If you're unfamiliar with the genre, the gameplay loop is simple: drop on a large-ish map, complete quests, loot gear and materials, and extract alive... or lose everything. This is a type of game that is predominantly dominated with PvPvE hardcore games (Tarkov, Hunt Showdown), so a lighter, more casual take with ducks was all I needed to have fun.
The difficulty curve is excellent, the maps are full of places to explore, the quests take you everywhere, and you really feel the power progression as a player. There are also already many neat mods. I love this game.
Small caveat: I don't recommend it on the Steam Deck, unless you're ok with aiming with the trackpad.