Take the classic LucasArts point-and-click adventure games of the ’90s like The Secret of Monkey Island or Sam and Max, with all their charm and humor as you explore, talk to people, and combine items to solve puzzles in all manner of weird ways. Then add the wall-hopping of 2D platformers such as Celeste and Steamworld Dig 2. What you now hold is Lair of the Clockwork God, a very funny indie game that boasts a 94% Steam rating and can be yours for just $4 right now thanks to a generous Steam sale offer.
Lair of the Clockwork God is the third in a series of delightfully silly adventure games from creators Ben Ward and Dan Marshall of Size Five Games, although the pair are emphatic that there’s absolutely no need to know what happened in previous entries Ben There, Dan That or Time Gentlemen, Please before you play this one. “None of the original plot is referenced, the characters are reintroduced expertly, it’s all good,” the game’s Steam page reassures.
The genre-hopping element comes from the personal tastes of its two leads. Ben is an old-school LucasArts adventure game fan with “one foot stuck in the ‘90s.” When he takes the lead, you’ll be picking up all manner of junk, trinkets, and tools in an attempt to combine them in bizarre and clever ways to solve various puzzles.
Switch to Dan, however, and his aspiration to emulate the protagonists of the best 2D platform games comes to the fore. Dan can leap, climb, and wall-bounce his way through all manner of dangerous obstacle courses, and can even bring Ben with him if needed, although doing so lowers his mobility a touch. In return, Ben crafts useful upgrades for Dan to help him navigate more precarious environments and even take down potential threats.
It’s a wonderful marriage of styles that is tied together by the game’s excellent humor, which will land all the better if you’re a fan of the genres favored by its two frontmen. While its platforming is functional rather than remarkable, the writing makes it my favorite of Size Five’s games to date and well worth a playthrough – especially right now, while it’s going cheap in a Steam sale.
Lair of the Clockwork God is on sale for 80% off until Tuesday November 28. That means you can expect to pay just $3.99 / £3.09 for a copy, and at that price you really can’t go too far wrong. You’ll even get a free copy of the “hilarious and deeply sensual prequel visual novel Devil’s Kiss” with your purchase, and trust me when I say you’ll definitely want that.
There’s still time to catch the last of the best Black Friday deals, so don’t miss out. If you fancy something even cheaper, we’ve rounded up the best free Steam games, which as you might expect won’t cost you anything more than your time. If you’re curious to try something else you might not have heard of, we’ve picked out our favorite indie games that you should play in 2023.
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