Key Highlights:
- Three new Steam games with Very Positive reviews are currently free to download.
- Genres include comedy visual novel, puzzle platformer, and hidden object colouring.
- All titles are available now with no cost to keep.
Quick Links:
Steam is offering up three very different but equally well-received games right now, all of them free to download and keep. Between a bizarre dating sim parody, a VTuber-inspired platformer, and a hidden-object colouring game, there’s a little something for everyone this week.
Boyfriend or Cake??
This is one of the strangest concepts I’ve seen on Steam in a long time, and that’s saying something. Boyfriend or Cake?? is a visual novel where you’re asked to decide whether the contestant in front of you is a potential romantic partner or a sponge cake disguised as a human. It sounds absurd, but that’s the hook.
The humour leans into surrealism, and part of the fun is second-guessing yourself as the game tries to trick you. It’s not a long experience, but if you like quirky dating sims or just want to laugh at something that doesn’t take itself seriously, this is worth checking out.
For me, it immediately reminded me of the kind of offbeat indie experiments you’d find buried on Itch.io years ago, now polished up for a wider audience. Unfortuntely, there’s no trailer for the game anywhere other than the official Steam page, so you can go check it out there.
- Developer: Nolan Taylor
- Publisher: Tactical Toad LLC
- Genre: Casual, Visual Novel, Free to Play
- Reviews: Very Positive
Kaelaverse: Pemascape
For Hololive fans, Kaelaverse: Pemascape is a much bigger deal than it might first appear. Developed by KayAnimate, this pixel-art puzzle platformer casts players as the Pemaloe, the army of assistants trying to locate missing blacksmith Kaela Kovalskia, a Hololive ID VTuber.
What stands out is the permadeath-inspired mechanic. Every time you die, you respawn as a new Pemaloe with a different name, and you can even stumble across the bodies of your previous attempts.
It’s a clever touch that ties directly into the game’s lore and gives each run a sense of continuity.
Even if you’ve never watched Hololive, the side-scrolling action and puzzles are accessible to anyone who enjoys exploration and combat with a light Metroidvania flavour.
Out of the current 204 reviews, the majority are glowing, which shows this is more than just a fan project. Personally, I’d compare its reception to early Celeste, though with less replay value and more focus on short-form puzzle-adventure design.
- Developer: KayAnimate
- Publisher: holo Indie
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie, Free to Play
- Reviews: Very Positive
100 Cats Lost in Poland: Find & Color
The final free game is something more relaxing. 100 Cats Lost in Poland: Find & Color is exactly what it sounds like: a hidden object game where you search for cats across a hand-drawn map, then colour in each scene either by numbers or freeform.
It’s designed to be slow-paced, with lo-fi music and co-op support if you want to play with a friend online. These kinds of games usually fly under the radar, but there’s a dedicated audience for cozy puzzlers like this, and the “Very Positive” reviews show that players appreciate its charm.
I’ve seen these hidden-cat titles quietly build cult followings before, and this looks like another one of those games you’ll want to unwind with.
- Developer: Two Cats Games
- Publisher: Two Cats Games
- Genre: Casual, Indie, Free to Play
- Reviews: Very Positive
To download all three of these free games, just click on any of the game title hyperlinks above to take you to the official Steam page.
With all three titles free, it’s a good time to broaden your Steam library with something you might not normally play. Whether you want surreal comedy, fan-driven platforming, or a peaceful hidden object experience, each game is worth at least a quick try.