This year marks Sega’s 60th anniversary, and it seems that they’ve saved their best celebratory offerings for the last few months of the year. On October 15, they kicked off their 60 days of celebration with some great discounts on Sega / Atlus games on Steam. They’ve also scheduled weekly content drops that’ll last until December, which means we’ll be hearing more from Sega in the weeks to come.
Of course, you can count on us to cover any of the major announcements that might come as the next two months unfold, but this week it’s all about the freebies on Steam you can get for a limited time only. These are the free games you can add to your Steam library for the low, low price of zero pesos, until October 19, 10:00 PST (or October 20, 01:00 in local time).
Streets of Kamurocho
Arguably the biggest and most pleasing surprise for Sega’s line-up of free games, Streets of Kamurocho is a mash-up of Yakuza and the Sega classic, Streets of Rage 2. The game features Majima and Kiryu as its playable characters, though a third unlockable playable character was teased on the game’s Steam page. The Yakuza games’ iconic Kamurocho has also been faithfully recreated in 16-bit graphics, making it feel like much more of a nice little Yakuza spinoff rather than just a reskinned Streets of Rage 2. With local co-op and Steam Remote Play support, Streets of Kamurocho is bound to be a blast to play with a fellow Yakuza-loving friend.
Endless Zone
Endless Zone is much like Streets of Kamurocho, a mash-up of a current Sega title with an old Sega classic, though its two primary components are a little more niche. Endless Zone is set in the same universe as the Sega-published strategy game franchise, Endless Legend, but its gameplay is based on the 1986 side-scrolling arcade shooter Fantasy Zone. You play as Opbot as you maneuver your aircraft to shoot enemies and evade incoming fire. It’s a throwback to the simpler days of gaming but with a visual upgrade.
Armor of Heroes
Based on the popular RTS game franchise Company of Heroes, Armor of Heroes is yet another throwback to the games of yore: it’s a top-down view, multiplayer tank battle game. While it isn’t explicitly another mash-up with an old Sega game, you’ll immediately recognize its gameplay as something you might have played on the Famicom or even the PS1. While Armor of Heroes might be the least impactful of the three new games Sega published this week, it’s still worth checking out because after all, it is completely free.
Golden Axed
The cheekily named Golden Axed is an unfinished demo/prototype for a canceled game called Golden Axe Reborn, a medieval fantasy-themed beat-em-up meant to be a reboot of the original Golden Axe games. The release of the prototype on Steam, however, ended up bringing back some bad memories of crunch for its developers, prompting them to voice out their nightmarish development stories on social media. The prototype itself still seems like something worth checking out for hardcore Sega fans, but its release could have definitely been handled better.
Plus Two Free Classics: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 & Nights Into Dreams
In addition to the four new games that Sega put up for free, you can also add Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to your Steam library for free for a limited time. And if you register your e-mail on the Sega 60th Anniversary website, you can download yet another classic, Nights Into Dreams for free.
Remember, you only have until October 19 to claim these games! Or at least until 1 AM on October 20 if we’re talking Philippine Time, though it’d be best to snag these while it’s still early. The Sega 60th Anniversary Steam sale will also end on October 20, so don’t let those sweet discounts pass you by, especially on games like Yakuza 0, Persona 4 Golden, and Binary Domain. For a full list of all discounted Sega games during this sale, you can check their Steam page.