About The Dev
I made this app as a solution to a personal problem — every time a blockbuster AAA is announced, I pre-order and get hyped. Can you guess what happens next?
If you said, "Utter, soul-crushing disappointment and a lighter wallet," then bingo!
I realized my playtime wasn't spent in the $100 million worlds of AAA slop. It was spent in the humble company of deep, earnest games like Slay the Spire, Balatro, and Loop Hero.
— Mike, Developer
About Next Game Finder (NGF)
The next Starfield is always just around the corner, and probably on your Steam wishlist. PC gamers get our hopes up again and again only to be served up $70 loading screens, spaceships you can't land, and NPCs from 2001.
It's called mediocrity. Enough is enough. Empty your wishlist.
A question: Why is it that a dev team with zero resources like Four Quarters (Loop Hero, etc.) can make a game so good that it made me feel like I was gaming on my 90s family Compaq?
That's called passion. And it's what defines the true hidden gem and indie ethos that used to be part of the industry before it became so soft and greedy.
This little rant (many are calling it unhinged) is the point of Next Game Finder.
The engine is designed to surface lesser known titles from small teams while also pointing out the good, though rare, work of the more establishment names. I built the algorithm to really dig into obscure things while also offering easy entry points for younger gamers.
I'm not trying to be the one stop for game recommendations. My ambitions are narrower. I just want people to easily find games that are actually worth playing and not available in $250 editions that include a plastic lightsaber.
How It Works
NGF offers two modes: Quick Search and Steam Search. One takes two clicks and the other four.
Steam Search uses the 100% secure Steam OpenID Authentication and can look at your gaming history and profile to understand the picks you may enjoy. We use hundreds of data points to recommend titles. You get the best results that way.
Quick Search is a login-free experience that opens NGF's database of thousands of titles without the personalization. We offer both with the hope you will give personalized mode a try.
Our results page is a mini-game in its own right, inspired by the Vampire Survivors level-up screen. We throw 3 picks at you. Hit reroll for another set. And so on.
The Future
Over time the algorithm will improve, but I'm happy with the picks I'm getting already.
Look for the S-tier badges for the best of the best.
Consider this version a highly polished MVP at its very first stage. It's pretty good on mobile, too.
If you like the app and find it helpful, please post about it everywhere. Word-of-mouth is the basis of this entire side-hustle.
With support, I believe NGF could become a great resource for gamers and indie developers alike.
The site exists because of the affiliate model that pays me a tiny cut of anything you buy through links. At least it will when I get to that stage.
For now, happy game searching.
Hope you find some 800 hour obsessions like I did.
Just be warned, if you get recommended (the) Gnorp Apologue, make sure you have your local addiction center on speed dial.
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