Sometimes we all just need to shrug off the weight of existence that surrounds us. Looking after our fleshy human body suits can become pretty exhausting with all the eating, sleeping, eating again, going for a walk, and more sleeping. If you’ve ever become tired of being somebody, Ctrl Alt Ego exists for you to become nobody. One of the most overlooked immersive sims of the last few years, it just received a big free update that added a New Game Plus mode, and more.
Released back in 2022, Ctrl Alt Ego frees you from the shackles of physicality. Instead of running around its areas as a meat person, you play as a disembodied consciousness who inhabits machines and robots, controlling them to solve puzzles and progress through the game. Like all the best immersive sims and puzzle games, it allows you to play creatively with its problems and devise your own solutions to the many roadblocks you encounter on your journey. Think of it like the Mimic Matter ability in 2017’s Prey, rolled out to an entire game.
As you progress through Ctrl Alt Ego you’ll unlock new abilities for the nearest thing you have for a body, a robot named Bug 22. You’ll be hopping in and out of Bug 22 repeatedly as you upgrade its functions to help you overcome challenges, interspersed with zapping yourself to control other robots, security cameras, monitors, and more. It’s a game about taking in a situation and realizing what tools you have available to you before implementing your solution. Combine that with a Red Dwarf-adjacent sense of humor and you’ve got a recipe for a game that feels like it has the potential to set the world on fire.
Since its 2022 release MindThunk, Ctrl Alt Ego’s developer, hasn’t been standing still. The game has been continually updated with a sandbox mode, revamped visuals, new functions for its robots, and improved language support. Now, New Game Plus has arrived, allowing you to take a second run at the game armed with the resources you unlocked in your first playthrough.
Much like the game’s core concept, Ctrl Alt Ego’s New Game Plus comes with a twist. You won’t be experiencing the same game twice, at least, not precisely. There’s a new gravity manipulation ability, new enemy placements, new shortcuts, and a few other changes that the developer is keeping secret right now.
You can read the full patch notes over on Steam and if you’re enticed to give the game a try, it’s currently 40% off at $11.99/£9.59 until Monday, April 22.
If you’d prefer to use your gaming abilities to blast foes instead of solve puzzles, our guide to the best FPS games you can play should see you armed with knowledge. Conversely, if your tastes run to something more sneaky, our best stealth games on PC guide will crouch-walk you into something we’re sure you’ll love.
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