Steam's latest 10/10 free game stars the cutest robot since Disney's Wall-E

One of Steam’s newest indies is completely free-to-play, and at the time of writing, it’s getting 10s across the board.

Steam’s digital storefront is where indies go to thrive, as Valve’s platform has always been incredibly supportive of up-and-coming game creators.

Indie games still need that hook, however, and sometimes that involves making them free so you get the exposure, and confidence, needed to make your next game. Shards is free-to-play on Steam now, but it could have easily charged for how adorable it is.

Shards is a Steam adventure that all of its players are recommending

Developed by Soul Studio and published by ISART DIGITAL, Shards is a twin-stick shooter where you play as the cutest robot since Disney Pixar’s Wall-E.

It was actually put together by a group of students according to the game’s description, and is being used as a graduation project, which is lovely to hear.

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The small, but feisty, bot you play as is made of clay, and as such is incredibly fragile. What it lacks in defence, however, it more than makes up for in offence. Players can fire a small projectile for on-the-go shooting or hunker down to unleash a much more powerful laser.

Which weapon you use will depend on your situation, as while the laser will deal out more damage its lack of mobility will leave you open for a reprisal.

The full game promises players an “atmospheric journey,” where you’ll “explore porcelain ruins and the heart of this civilisation's creation.”

ISART DIGITAL

It’s not a long game by any means. It takes anywhere between 20-30 minutes depending on your skills level, making it a short but sweet addition to your Steam library.

You can add it to your backlog completely free-of-charge as well. For its quality, it could have easily been listed for a couple of dollars, but given how it’s a student graduation project, it makes sense why it would stay free-to-play.

Shards is a worthwhile pick up when you’ve got a bit of spare time. You’ll play a well-made twin-stick shooter whilst also supporting a team of future game developers, so everyone wins.

At the time of writing, at least 10 people have played it already, and they’ve been so kind as to leave some positive reviews.

“Very cool game. I'm not a fan of twin-stick aiming, but the gameplay still managed to be fun even with my horrific accuracy,” read one of the reviews.

Another said, “Everything is great. Top level! Optimisation on Steam Deck also great.” Altogether, this awards the game a 100% Positive rating on Steam.

The only criticisms we’ve seen are about the game’s length, as many said it felt more like a demo than a full-experience. When the main point of feedback on your game is ‘we’d have liked to play more’, you really can’t argue can you?

Be sure to check out Shards whenever you’ve got a minute. It’s not going anywhere anytime soon and when you do find the time it’ll still be free-to-play.