Best Boomer Shooters for Steam Deck and PC in 2024 – From ‘DUSK HD’ and ‘Wizordum’ to ‘Dark Forces’ and ” – TouchArcade
Back in August last year, I wrote about the best boomer shooters on Steam Deck and PC. Since then, we’ve had new games, DLC, updates, and I’ve also gotten around to some I missed playing back then. This has been in the works for a while now, and I actually delayed it for Selaco (worth it) and Fallen Aces (this does not work on Deck yet, but will in the future). As with the last list, I’m not bothering with a fixed number and will be just including the games I want you to play in the genre on Steam Deck and PC. I also want to make it clear that this list should be treated as an addition to my original article from last year. Every game featured there is still worth playing, and I’ve not included those games here aside from DLC or expansions. This list is in no particular order, and I’ve also included some bonuses that I cover at the end.
Do I need another excuse to recommend DUSK? Well, DUSK was already incredible, but New Blood doing DUSK HD as a free DLC pack that is basically a full remaster of the original game, is incredible and they definitely hate money. Either way, if you have DUSK, claim DUSK HD and change compatibility on Steam Deck to Proton Experimental or something else because the native linux version doesn’t include DUSK HD. You need DUSK HD’s windows version on Steam Deck for it. Once you do that, you can experience one of the best shooters ever with even better visuals. Get on it. Also listen to DUSK’s soundtrack from Andrew Hulshult again.
Selaco had a very promising demo last year, and I expected the early access release to be good. I didn’t think it would be this good though. Selaco runs on GZDoom but barely feels like a game built on that engine with its immersive experience full of superb gameplay and great visuals. Even in its early access state right now, Selaco is worth more than full price, and it has bespoke Steam Deck optimizations from the get go.
STAR WARS: Dark Forces Remaster
For many people, Nightdive’s remaster of STAR WARS: Dark Forces Remaster will be a remaster of a game they played before. For me, the Steam Deck version of STAR WARS: Dark Forces Remaster was basically my first experience with it ever, and that’s why I’ve included it in my main list here. I love being surprised by games I have never played before, and STAR WARS: Dark Forces Remaster was superb on Steam Deck from start to finish. Even though this is a remaster of an older game, I appreciate the gameplay and interactivity in addition to just everything Star Wars included here. It might be my favorite recent Star Wars release in any media.
I hadn’t played POSTAL: Brain Damaged when I wrote the first boomer shooter article, but I’m glad I finally got around to it. It is insane and reminds me of a more over the top Slayers X. I have no experience with the original Postal games, but I loved playing POSTAL: Brain Damaged with its excellent gameplay, movement, and visuals. I liked it enough on Steam Deck to buy it on PS5, and was surprised to see it has 120hz and DualSense features. This one is an easy recommendation, and it even has multiple bundles with other games to get an additional discount.
The original Ion Fury was very good and it had a lot of potential even from day one. With Ion Fury: Aftershock, the developers basically did everything I wanted from a sequel, but delivered it as a shorter expansion pack. It has one annoying portion that brought the experience down a bit, but if you liked Ion Fury, Ion Fury: Aftershock is an essential. I hope it comes to Switch soon so I can replay it.
AMID EVIL – The Black Labyrinth
I briefly touched on AMID EVIL – The Black Labyrinth when I wrote about AMID EVIL last year, but it deserves its own recommendation here. AMID EVIL – The Black Labyrinth is a prequel to AMID EVIL sold as DLC for the latter. It features new weapons, levels, and much more delivering a stupidly good value proposition for AMID EVIL fans and newcomers who want to get the game and expansion together. This expansion also raised the bar for visuals in AMID EVIL quite a bit, or maybe it is my Steam Deck OLED making things look nicer across the board. Either way, AMID EVIL – The Black Labyrinth is essential and it has new music from Andrew Hulshult so go buy it.
Mullet Madjack is plain fantastic. It looks gorgeous, feels amazing, and is a sublime boomer shooter with an aesthetic we don’t usually see in the genre. If you have even the smallest interest in the genre and like the 90s anime aesthetic, this one is worth getting right now. I recommend downloading the demo on Steam Deck and enabling gyro controls to see how you find the controls though as that’s the only aspect that might not work for everyone given the fast-paced nature.
When I first played the early access launch version of Forgive Me Father 2, I was impressed at how it basically fixed all my issues in the original and delivered a lovely lovecraftian FPS experience unlike most things you see in the genre. Since launching, it has gotten loads of updates but is still in early access right now. It oozes atmosphere and is a lot of fun to play, but keep in mind this isn’t a full game yet. It still has a few teething issues that I hope are addressed before it leaves early access.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Forges of Corruption Expansion
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun was a lovely surprise of a boomer shooter that I recommend to even those unfamiliar with Warhammer 40,000. I ended up getting it on Steam, PS5, and Switch to replay. It had lovely visuals, gunplay, and just generally was a lot of fun to replay on Steam Deck and PS5 since launch. I had no idea it even had DLC in the works, so Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Forges of Corruption Expansion was an even bigger surprise. It includes new environments, enemies, and two brand-new weapons that are awesome to use. If you enjoyed the base game, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Forges of Corruption Expansion is essential.
When I was looking for more boomer shooters, my friend said Zortch was the best $5 anyone could spend on Steam. I thought he was exaggerating as usual, but it really is an incredible boomer shooter with elements of both horror and comedy thrown in. You play as Zortch on holiday taking on aliens who want to eat human brains. I couldn’t believe this was on a custom engine. It really is crazy how good the levels and gameplay are for the low asking price.
I can’t remember why I bought Beyond Sunset when it hit Steam, but I grabbed it day one, and do not regret it one minute. It isn’t some huge step forward for the genre, but does a lot of things right with its own charm and excellent aesthetic. It also has more of a story focus than you’d expect for a boomer shooter, but keep in mind that it is an early access release right now. This one has a free demo so give it a shot before buying it. It also has a few bundles with discounts available.
Back when I played the initial early access version of Wizordum, I thought it was well worth buying for its premise, gameplay, and aesthetic. It recently had its new episode arrive as a free update making Wizordum even better. I consider it a lovely blend of Wolf 3DS and DOOM with a colorful aesthetic that shines on the Steam Deck OLED. Give the demo a shot if you aren’t sold on it from the trailer. This is easily one of Apogee’s best releases in a while.
Bonus games
The games below are either not pure boomer shooters or have some caveats with my recommendation. In the case of the latter, I’d wait on a discount before buying them.
I hadn’t heard of PO’ed until Nightdive announced the remaster in the form of PO’ed: Definitive Edition. Having played it, I don’t know if it is something I recommend at full price, but the work put in is really good. I recommend getting it on a discount because it is pretty funny, but definitely not one of my favorites on the list.
Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered
Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is the final game in the Turok trilogy, and the remaster from Nightdive is amazing. The issues here are I don’t think it is as good as the first two games, and it is more expensive than those. If you can get it on a discount, I recommend it once you play the first two games. Even as someone who only played Turok thanks to the Nightdive releases, Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered is excellent and worth your time.
Fallen Aces is fantastic, but it is unplayable on Steam Deck right now. I know there are some workarounds posted online, but none have reliably worked for me on both my Steam Decks. I want to feature Fallen Aces here so you keep an eye on it for when it does get fixed on Steam Deck. The demo was superlative already, but the full Episode 1 Early Access release is mindblowing on PC. I can’t believe it is so cheap right now. New Blood really does hate money. Either way, I hope it gets fixed soon so I can play it on my Steam Deck. Until then, I recommend buying it to play on your PC.
With that, you have the second yearly (hopefully) best boomer shooters to play on Steam Deck feature. I can’t wait to see what releases in the next few months and with the early access games getting more content and updates leading into 2025. As usual, you can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for this feature or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading.
