Underplayed Gems

FreeHolder (2016)

FreeHolder cover
Developer
RogueWare
Platforms
Windows, macOS
Genres
Indie, RPG, Simulation, Strategy, Early Access
Rating
3.8 of 5, 95 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 6.7 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 mix of survival and strategy where you manage resources and avoid starvation while dealing with corrupt authority in ancient Rome.

grindingtensestrategicsurvivalpunishingreplayableatmosphericfarming

What players say

Players praise the game's unique board-game-like mechanics and addictive 'one more turn' quality, but nearly everyone agrees development was abandoned years ago, leaving it buggy, unfinished with no ending, and brutally difficult with no tutorial.

Screenshots

FreeHolder screenshot 1FreeHolder screenshot 2FreeHolder screenshot 3FreeHolder screenshot 4FreeHolder screenshot 5

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.