Steam quietly drops free game that's taken fans by surprise

Steam users have been pleasantly surprised by a brand-new free game, and it isn’t half-bad either.

Free games are, of course, not uncommon on Steam and when there’s more and more quantity, you tend to see a dip in quality.

It’s The Epic Games Store that you want to look at for more AAA titles; for instance, it was giving away a LEGO Star Wars game earlier this week for Star Wars Day.

That doesn’t mean all free Steam games are bad though, as one called Clockwork Sword has been doing well in terms of reviews, and with a little extra work, it could truly be something special.

The game’s official description reads: “Slash, stab, and shoot your way through a multi-tiered museum filled with corrupted automata, customising your weapon with the scraps of the fallen. Clockwork Sword is a thrilling isometric hack and slash, in which you utilise combinations of weapons and elements to conquer your foes.”

Right now, it’s sitting at a Mostly Positive rating on Steam, with one review reading, “I must admit that I got this game for free, but it was a fun game nonetheless.”

Another described it as “short but great”, adding, “Real gameplay time is not even an hour. I was answering phone calls and playing with my daughter in between checkpoints, but this was a slice out of my Saturday morning that was well spent."

Currently, you can play the game for free with no-strings-attached, and it sounds like it’s worth a go based on the reviews alone.

If it’s not your cup of tea though, there are plenty of other games available to try for free instead, and don’t forget subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus will likely have some underrated gems too that you won’t want to miss.