Steam Summer Sale Must Buys (Ep.87)

Al, Jack, and Drexy race through their Steam summer sale wishlists, covering everything from an RTS where the enemy is an unstoppable spreading plant to Jack’s long-overdue first dive into Age of Empires, plus a pirate city builder, a gridless town builder, and a heartfelt plug for the Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Kickstarter.

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This quick-turnaround episode covers the hosts’ personal picks from the Steam summer sale, split between games they want to try themselves and games they’re recommending to listeners. Jack highlights the art-driven city builder Synergy for himself and recommends the ultra-cheap Halo Wars Definitive Edition alongside the gridless town builder Town to City. Drexy admits to never having played Age of Empires and commits to trying Age of Empires II, while recommending the tactical Forex-lite Spellforce: Conquest of Eo. Al spotlights the pirate-themed city builder Republic of Pirates for himself and recommends Calyx, an unconventional RTS where the enemy is a relentlessly spreading, non-reactive plant organism, plus a plug for X4: Foundations and the newly launched Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Kickstarter.

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Critical Moves Podcast – Episode 87 Show Notes

Episode Title: Steam Summer Sale Picks
Hosts: Al, Jack, Drexy
Episode Length: ~50 minutes

Episode Summary

In this deliberately brief episode, the hosts each share two picks tied to the Steam summer sale: one game they personally want to try, and one game they’re recommending to listeners. The conversation covers a wide spread of the strategy genre, from a heavily art-driven city builder and a pirate-themed Frostpunk-style management game to a genuinely novel RTS built around an unreactive, ever-spreading plant enemy. Along the way, the hosts touch on Age of Empires II’s continued DLC support years after release, debate whether console-first design choices hurt Halo Wars on PC, and Al takes a moment to spotlight the newly launched Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Kickstarter.

Jack’s Personal Pick: Synergy

Jack selects Synergy, a heavily stylized city builder he’s had wishlisted for some time, drawn in primarily by its striking art direction reminiscent of the anime series Scavengers Reign. He highlights its environmental analysis mechanics and research-driven progression, comparing it to Frostpunk and his recent enjoyment of Town to City, while expressing mild concern about whether the tech tree will offer enough late-game building variety. The game currently sits at 60% off with mostly positive reviews since its release last year.

Drexy’s Personal Pick: Age of Empires II

Drexy admits he has never played any Age of Empires title, having drifted away from RTS games during their early-2000s peak, and commits to finally trying Age of Empires II specifically because it’s considered the franchise’s best entry point. Jack confirms the game remains culturally relevant, citing its continued DLC support from outsourcing studios like Capture Age (whose director, Dr. Ben Angel, has appeared on the podcast previously) and its ongoing presence in competitive play and major Twitch streaming circles.

Al’s Personal Pick: Republic of Pirates

Al selects Republic of Pirates, a pirate-themed city builder with real-time naval combat, drawn to it as a lower-stakes alternative to his heavy Stellaris habit. He compares its aesthetic and mechanics to Anno 1800, noting the Steam page’s own comparisons to Frostpunk, and plans to try the available demo before committing to a purchase.

Jack’s Recommendation: Halo Wars Definitive Edition

Jack recommends the deeply discounted Halo Wars Definitive Edition (around $5), praising its full linear campaign, strong 3v3 skirmish modes, and surprisingly approachable design loop built around short, satisfying matches. He frames it as a strong entry point into the Halo universe chronologically, addressing Al’s concern about console-first design by acknowledging some PC-specific hotkey friction that improves once learned, while also plugging the superior sequel Halo Wars 2 (available via the Xbox app rather than Steam).

Drexy’s Recommendation: Spellforce: Conquest of Eo

Drexy recommends Spellforce: Conquest of Eo, describing it as a “4X-lite” built around a single mobile mage tower base rather than traditional city management, with turn-based tactical combat closer to Endless Legend than Heroes of Might and Magic. He praises its faster-paced battles compared to Age of Wonders and recommends springing for the full DLC bundle (~£15), noting each expansion adds a distinctly different playable race with unique mechanics.

Al’s Recommendation: Calyx

Al highlights Calyx, an early-access RTS distinguished by its non-traditional enemy: a spreading plant organism called the Calyx that doesn’t react strategically to the player but relentlessly expands across the map, requiring careful base placement and resource-network management to contain. He describes dynamic environmental events like solar flares (which accelerate Calyx growth) and sandstorms (which reduce unit range and power generation), along with a tech tree offering different weapon types suited to different threats the plant poses. The game holds a 91% positive rating over its recent review period and is 20% off during the sale.

Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Kickstarter Launch

Al takes a moment to spotlight the Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Kickstarter, launching July 14th, describing the game as the spiritual successor to Supreme Commander, with an endorsement from series creator Chris Taylor. He encourages listeners to support the campaign via a link in the episode description.

Jack’s Second Pick: Town to City

Jack adds a second recommendation, Town to City, a fully gridless town builder he put 27 hours into across three days after its 1.0 launch. He praises its emergent building system, where villager requests (like wanting a park or noticing an accidental hedge maze) organically guide construction rather than relying on placeable premade structures, alongside strong music and rapid post-launch content updates including terraforming.

Drexy’s Second Pick: X4: Foundations

Drexy closes with a brief plug for X4: Foundations, a flexible space simulation/4X hybrid where players can progress from piloting a single ship to building a full empire with stations, hired pilots, and trade networks, currently available at a steep 80% discount.

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Episode Verdict

This episode succeeds precisely because it commits to being quick and focused rather than sprawling into full reviews or debates. The personal-pick-versus-recommendation structure gives each host room to be both vulnerable (Drexy’s Age of Empires confession, Jack’s honest uncertainty about Synergy’s depth) and genuinely persuasive (Al’s detailed breakdown of Calyx’s power-grid mechanics stands out as the episode’s strongest segment). The rapid-fire format works well for a sale-focused episode, giving listeners a real shopping list rather than padded discussion, though the hosts’ own closing acknowledgment that their wallets are in trouble suggests the format achieved exactly what it set out to do.