Defect (2016)

Developer: Three Phase Interactive Pty Ltd
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Action, Indie, Strategy
Rating: 3.7 of 5, 57 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 6.6 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

a tense cycle of creative ship-building and bittersweet betrayal where your own designs come back to haunt you

punishingstrategictenserepetitivecreativedarkly funnychallengingatmospheric

What players say

Players praise the ship editor and the clever twist of fighting your own creations, but many find the mission structure repetitive and the camera frustrating. A few warn that spending too much on a ship can make the game unwinnable.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.