First 50 Steam Multiplayer & MMO Audit Games — Ranked from Worst to Best (Part II — #45 to #40)
Rating Scale:
Top Tier: 4.20 to 5.0
Recommended: 3.2 to 4.19
Borderline/Neutral: 2.5 to 3.19
Not Recommended: Below 2.5
For a game to achieve a 0.5 or greater, it must contain game files, load into something playable, not be abandoned in an unplayable state (i.e. service games with closed centralized servers as only way to play), appear to have structure and mechanics, and not be identical to a game already sold.
The remainder of the score is split between each of the following categories, with the maximum points a game can obtain listed next to the category:
- Performance / Optimization = 0.3
- Graphics = 0.4
- Sound & Other Media = 0.3
- Gameplay, Fun Factor & Controls = 2.0
- Creativity / Uniqueness = 0.5
- Value = 0.5
- Customer Service, Potential, Matchmaking / Population, & Miscellaneous = 0.5
#45 Clash of Castle [Kickless Game/RewindApp, 2018]
Multiplayer: shared/split screen PvP
Clash of Castle is the first of many asset flips, asset-reliant broken games, and low general quality offerings by RewindApp that have made the list. The controls don’t work in this release, there is no tutorial, settings, or other features expected in a standard RTS game, and everything is lifted directly from asset packs without permission.
Even if you don’t care about the ethics of stealing assets, this game loads into a game world and doesn’t recognize any other inputs. Unless you are okay with an unplayable game consisting of rigged together stolen parts, avoid this title.
Store Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/787250/Clash_of_Castle/
Price: $0.99 ($0.49 at time of purchase)
Rating: 0.1 (Not Recommended — Broken, Stolen Assets, Low overall quality)
#44 The Searcher Wild West Adventure [Ghost_RUS “Nikita”/Ghost Games, 2018]
This game consists of a map, a gold counter, and a few coins. You can create your own server which is the only real positive of this package, given it helps ensure that you don’t have to rely on a centralized server to play the game. The “3 maps” are actually the same map with different spawn points and the maps are essentially barren. You get 100% achievements just for opening the game.
It’s such a lazy, uninspired asset flip but at least it works. It’s the lowest rated working game on this list.
Store Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/892130/The_Searcher_Wild_West_Adventure/
Price: $0.99
Rating: 0.2 [Not Recommended — Asset flip, no meaningful mechanics / game]
#43 Ancient Siberia [Valga Games Studio, 2017]
Multiplayer types: MMO with no ability for player-hosted servers.
Servers are offline and it’s only playable by connecting to the centralized servers. Still being sold on Steam, though. Company website disappeared as well. It wasn’t well-received when it was live, though. Just another standard grossly unfinished survival game.
Store Page:
Price: $4.99
Rating: 0.2 — Not Recommended: Unplayable due to server closure in multiplayer only game.
#42 SCORE [TecEh! Studios, 2016]
Multiplayer types: MMO with no ability for player-hosted servers, which was subsequently switched to being nothing more than a PvP soccer matchmaking application.
Servers are offline and even before this happened, the open world portion discussed to this day in the store’s description was removed. The soccer matchmaking portion no longer works now. There’s nothing functional here. Avoid!
I gave it the edge over Ancient Siberia, given both are roughly equal in quality even if they worked and both are in a similar state of not working, because the original release of this game was at least original. It wasn’t good (soccer simulator meets GTA-clone), but at least it was unique.
Store Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/438310/SCORE/
Price: $4.99
Rating: 0.2 — Abandonware, Server Offline with No Other Way to Play
#41 Stone Rage [Mountainwheel Games, 2020]
Multiplayer types: Centralized server MMO with no ability for player-hosted servers.
Out of this initial set of currently unplayable and offline games, this was the most technologically impressive and seemed to show the most potential to be successful. It lasted longer than Ancient Siberia and received more favorable reviews. It sits abandoned with servers offline at present, though.
Store Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/640860/Stone_Rage/
Price: $11.99
Rating: 0.2 — Abandonware, Server Offline with No Other Way to Play
#40 RetroRPG Online 2 [Joshua Langley, 2019]
Multiplayer Types: Centralized server MMO with no ability for player-hosted servers.
I seriously debated omitting this game for the time being and doing an official revisit in six months. However, it is still offered for sale despite having a warning below the sale button stating the server is offline. The developer has not only maintained contact but has increased contact over the past few months. The developer obviously cares about the project. It’s just currently offered for sale in a condition that’s not capable of playing.
I will definitely revisit when the game is playable and if the servers remain online for two consecutive months with only minimal downtime (as expected for a single developer MMORPG requiring regular maintenance), I’ll re-evaluate the project. However, it’s not worth your money at this time unless you are willing to invest in the future of the game.
Store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1155600/Retro_RPG_Online_2/
Price: $2.99
Rating: 0.2 — Unplayable due to central server being offline for over one full year.
#40 Draw with Unknown [RewindApp, 2019]
Draw with Unknown is the first actually playable game on our list! That makes it automatically better than the unplayable games already covered but honestly, I’d rather just send my $2.99 to Joshua Langley of RRO2 than support this nonsense. Title screen artwork and music are used without the original authors’ permission and the “game” itself is just the Unity Asset Store Draw app. It’s cobbled together stolen work of others, packaged into a product offered for sale.
Not surprising, nobody actually plays this any more, so if the ethical quandaries of this title are insufficient to cause you to spend your money elsewhere then I hope you enjoy Draw with Yourself as a more apropos title or have friends to bring along.
Fans of RewindApp have plenty of games coming up ahead. I bought all 11 of their multiplayer compatible titles for this series!
Store Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1039370/Draw_With_Unknown/
Price: $0.99
Rating: 0.3 — Stolen artwork, stolen music, stolen draw program. The amount of actual work put into this by RewindApp is so minimal that it is an insult to consumers that it is being offered for sale as a unique title.
Check back later (or in our other articles) for the next of this series! Only 39 more games to go and I promise — they improve from this point on. Not by much at first, but still — they improve!
