atomicpoet

If you like bullet hell shoot-'em-ups with 2.5D visuals, this could be up your alley.

Not much in the way of reviews yet, but there's a demo for you to try out before you buy. This has native Linux compatibility, which means it's highly likely to work on Steam Deck. It also has full gamepad support.

What might make this worthwhile is the shared co-op.

Also, if you like the soundtrack, you can buy it as DLC.

At C$19.49, that's probably the price I'd pay for it.

No reviews yet, and I'm typically not a fan of visual novels. However, I really like the art style and it's got a fairly unique story. It has an introductory price of C$4.49, so it's worth checking out.

Again, take all of this with a grain of salt, but early reviews seem promising. The appeal is that this is a roguelite turn-based strategy game with a specific "casual" style about it. Also, this is playable on Steam Deck, so I assume it has gamepad support.

No reviews for this yet, so caution is warranted. However, I really like rogue-like RPGs, and one with rhythm mechanics is highly attractive to me. I also love the pixel art style, though this is clearly not "true" to the 8-bit era (that is fine).

The real test will be when it's released with SteamOS pre-installed.

A time management / horror game is a unique premise, but also one of the most horrifying premise I can think about. My worst nightmare is having to do an array of repetitive tasks in order to keep the demons away. The graphics look too details for PSX and not detailed enough for the PS2 -- it sits somewhere between. There's full gamepad support, and the price is affordable.

The 8-bit art style is highly appealing to me, and I like that this is in glorious 4:3 aspect ratio. You can control this with keyboard, mouse, or gamepad. Castle Xenon is also cheap, with its introductory price at C$7.64.

I'm sharing this one because if it's anywhere as good as the artwork implies, it's probably fun. Plus, how often do you see a rogue-like shooter starring a fisherman? FISH FEAR ME is made by a solo developer named Heather Flowers, and she's already made the well-loved SNAKE FARM. The graphics are kind of basic but full of charm.

A smooth roguelite shooter from the creators of RACE THE SUN, featuring a voiced cast of feline pilots in a dramatic showdown against corporate-powered robots called The Swarm. Features a 3-act campaign with branching paths, epic bosses, and a wide arsenal of pilots, ships, and weapons.

So far, this has a 91% positive rating on Steam based on 100 reviews. It offers gamepad support and is playable on Steam Deck. I like the 2D sprite-based pixel art style, and it's very colourful. Definitely promising!

This one is shocking because it's published by Kemco, and they almost only ever make JRPGs. But here it is, a puzzle game! It's fairly inexpensive and actually has a discount. There's gamepad support, so that's nice. I have no idea if it's good, but there's a demo -- so try before you buy.

Not many reviews on this one yet but it has a great premise. Instead of jumping from platform to platform, you sling a web. At C$2.59, it's also super cheap. The visuals are what you'd call "minimalistic", but I think this is a fascinating game.