Here's some good news for bargain-hunting PC gamers: You can download a free game on Steam right now, and it's yours to keep and play forever. The game is Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You, and it's only free for today, October 4. You can add it to your account here.
As its title suggests, Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You is set in a surveillance state similar to the one depicted in George Orwell's classic novel 1984. The Party, as the authoritarian government is called, has created a surveillance system called Orwell that tracks citizens' social media posts, private communications, and other information. You play as a government employee tasked with sifting through people's data to find anything suspicious.
A bomb goes off in a park on your first day on the job, so you set about trying to find who's responsible. To do that, you use Orwell to look at people's blog posts, bank accounts, emails, and other data. The game is episodic, so the story plays out across five chapters.
In GameSpot's Orwell review, James O'Connor particularly praised the writing and the characters you get to know by looking at their data. He wrote, "Orwell is a hard experience to pull back from, even as the dirtiness of your job sinks in. It uses simple mechanics to tell a complex and engaging story, one that feels particularly relevant right now. This is a game where your choices matter and resonate, and which will leave you with plenty to think about once it's over."
A sequel, Orwell: Ignorance is Strength, came out earlier this year. You can purchase it on sale here for 40% off ($6 / £4.31) until October 8.