Mutant Mudds, 99 Other Titles Greenlit for Steam

In what seems to be a continuation of a bizarre news day, Valve has announced that 100 game and software titles have been approved for Steam via the Greenlight community. Let me reiterate: ONE HUNDRED TITLES have been Greenlit in one fell swoop. The reason for this mass approval is that Valve wants to run a bit of a stress-test of their current system.

From the announcement:

As we work to streamline the publishing workflow and improve the tools available to developers preparing for release on Steam, we’ve reached a point where we are ready to stress-test our system.

The best way to accomplish this is to invite a significant number of developers to use the updated tools and systems, ship their games and software with these tools, and to give us feedback so that we may continue to improve the process.

So, what exactly was approved today? A swarm of games that range from the silly and simple to complex and brooding. We’ll get to a full list later. Here are a few of the highlights.

One of our favorite games from last year coming from one of our new favorite little developers, Mutant Mudds was one of the original games that was up for approval on Steam Greenlight. But instead of accepting being in developer hell as they waited for approval, Renegade Kid continued to tinker and improve the game, adding new levels and new gameplay modes, which you can see in the different versions of the game (although, I think Ghost-mode was just a Wii U thing). With today’s announcement, the game has finally been approved. Who knows what will happen next? Maybe we’ll get even more new content in this version. In the meantime, check out our reviews of the game (3DS, PC, Wii U).

One of six games we featured in one of the last Crowdfunding Spotlights in its old format, Delver’s Drop is a dungeon crawler that boasts dynamic gameplay. It also features randomization to make sure that no two playthroughs are the same. No word from Pixelscopic on the achievement, but I’m sure they’re excited to finally have their project approved for Steam.

Freedom Planet is a loving throwback to the old days of Sonic, Mega Man, and Gunstar Heroes. The game will feature high-speed action, platforming, and exploring as you guide the all-female cast of Lilac, Carol, and Milla in an effort to stop the evil warlord Brevon. GalaxyTrail is excited about the news and will try to work with Steam to make sure that the price is in line with what backers have already paid for a copy of the game.

Ray’s The Dead was one of those games that came out of nowhere and left before we had a chance to cover it. Already confirmed for PS4, the game plays like Pikmin… but with zombies. You take control of a zombie named Ray who goes around collecting other zombies (either by biting people/animals or digging them up) in order to… well, that’s still unknown. But, if you’re intrigued, check out this playthrough of the early build (WARNING: language used by the players is a bit NSFW)

Despite two unsuccessful Kickstarter campaigns, Shadow of the Eternals was still able to obtain a spot on Steam. The spiritual successor to Eternal Darkness has been one of the games we’ve been following really close, with a number of interviews with the developers as well as a hands-on demonstration at E3 this year. Precursor Games hasn’t given up on getting this game off the ground. Hopefully, this development will inspire them even more.

Shantae: Risky’s Revenge is a sequel to the Game Boy Color game Shantae. Originally released as a DSiWare game in 2010, the game has been well received and will even receive a sequel for the 3DS. With this development, even more gamers will be able to experience this critically acclaimed game.

A tribute to the JRPGs found on the original PlayStation, Soul Saga is a game we’ve been following closely since just after E3. The campaign went above and beyond its original goal and will see releases on PS4, PS Vita, and Wii U. With today’s announcement, they can add Steam to that list.

Here’s a list of what else will be coming to Steam in the near future: