While the world is busy enjoying games like Dragon Ball Sparking Zero, Throne and Liberty, and Metaphor ReFantazio, many others are enjoying the numerous demos in the ongoing Steam Next Fest!
This month’s Next Fest showcases hundreds of demos from upcoming games, and almost every single one has caught our attention. As a tradition, we decided to round up ten of the best demos we’ve played in the Steam Next Fest.
So, if you want to take a break from the heavy hitters and taste some promising upcoming games on Steam, here are ten Next Fest demos to enjoy this weekend.
Great Steam Next Fest demos worth looking forward to
1. Tenebris Somnia
Tenebris Somnia is a 2D survival horror game where you play as a girl trapped in an apartment by evil spirits while searching for her missing ex-boyfriend. It mixes 2D retro art with real-life FMV cutscenes and features the usual survival horror gameplay you’d expect from games like Resident Evil but in a 2D environment.
Airdorf of Faith fame is helping with the game, and New Blood is publishing it, so expect to see many scary and disturbing moments. The Steam Next Fest demo gives a great taste of what’s to come, letting players experience the game’s beginning hours.
2. Building Relationships
Building Relationships might be one of the random picks in this Steam Next Fest, but sometimes weird ideas are fun, like this. In this, you play as a house and explore a cozy island, trying to build a relationship for yourself with other houses and structures.
Or you can have a good time fishing. Fishing is always appreciated in a game, and if the developer somehow stumbles upon this round-up, I wish they added more fishing. Building Relationships is, without a doubt, a wacky idea, coupled with a cozy atmosphere and a game to look forward to if that is your jam.
3. Usual June
Developed by Finji, Usual June is an action-adventure game in which you play as June, a girl who can interact with multidimensional ghosts and has a penchant for solving mysteries. The game will take you through an interdimensional adventure where you’ll fight monsters and solve puzzles.
Usual June has this unique look where the characters move at a lesser frame rate than the actual game, but it never feels awkward during combat.
Combat also had some quirks, where you could use unique items and power-ups, spicing up the otherwise straightforward gameplay—another game to watch.
4. Watch Out for Goblins!
Every Steam Fest features many arcade experiences that are just downright fun games, and Watch Out for Goblins! is one such arcade experience this year.
The premise is simple – you play as a Goblin and collect cogs, trinkets, and cosmetics while fighting fellow Goblins. While the premise might sound simple, it makes it fun thanks to the physics-based gameplay. So yes, your Goblin will flail, fly, and, at various points, even break due to some silly glitch.
It is fun and reminiscent of games like Human Fall Flat and Goat Simulator, and it is worth spending your weekend over before the Next Fest wraps up.
5. Ale Abbey
I am a sucker for management games, and Ale Abbey fits that itch very nicely. In this game, you take the role of a brewmaster in medieval times and build a successful brewery. There’s small micromanagement involved, and ultimately, your goal is to produce lots of ale for the townsfolk and keep everyone happy.
You build your monastery from scratch, employ people, manage them, and create and produce unique ale brews. While the Steam Next Fest demo only gives a small taste of the full game, I am already sold on managing an alehouse. And I cannot wait to play the entire game.
6. Keep Driving
Car RPGs are slowly becoming a thing of past, and there should be more of them, something like Racing Lagoon. And thankfully, Keep Driving feels like it is trying to keep the legacy of a Car RPG alive.
The game is a randomly generated management RPG set in the 2000s where you decide to travel to a festival on the other side of the country. With your car stocked with essential items, you go out on a road trip.
The demo highlighted the game’s retro 2000s feel, the analogue design, unique turn-based combat, and emphasis on the music. It reminded me of another game named Jalopy, and it’s one of those you shouldn’t miss out on.
7. The Precinct
The Precinct is one game I’ve been following for various reasons, but mostly because it reminds me of my GTA RP days. Playing the Steam Next Fest demo further reinforced those ideas.
In this game, you take the role of a rookie beat cop and do routine police work in a city inspired by popular police shows. The tone of the demo instantly reminded me of the show Rookies and even Miami Vice to a certain degree.
If that sounds enticing, you should give the game a try. The demo features the game’s tutorial and instantly sets the tone! It’s certainly a game to keep an eye out for, and it has me craving more.
8. The Axis Unseen
The Axis Unseen is a rather exciting project, primarily because it is made by a solo developer who worked on almost every Bethesda game and because it mashes heavy metal music with an interesting gameplay concept – hunting.
You are a hunter who tracks monsters from various folklore and hunts them down, trying to find answers to the doom of the player’s clan. The demo provides a chunk of gameplay, stretching over eight hours. It’s highly immersive. There’s no health bar or arrow counter, and every indicator exists in the world itself.
This is a rather unique concept that might not immediately click for many people, but it is certainly something worth trying out and giving some time. And yes, some of the monsters are dreadful to hunt.
9. S4U: Citypunk 2011 and Love Punch
While the game’s name might sound a handful, S4U is one of the coziest games in this Steam Next Fest. It’s a Life Simulation game where you interact with a keyboard and a computer for the most part. The game takes place in 2011, so you can expect a lot of vibes from it.
But it’s not only about typing, as there are a lot of other features in the game. You can go downstairs to interact with strangers, visit the local store for a smoke, and take in the vibes of 2011.
The Steam Next Fest demo gives a small taste of what’s to come, and I can’t wait to sink my fingers into the virtual keyboard once the full game launches.
10. Captain Blood
The final game in this list happens to be one of the games considered vaporware until this Steam Next Fest. Captain Blood is a hack ‘n slash action-adventure game where you play as a pirate in the 17th century, partaking in many pirate shenanigans. We are talking sword fights, hand-to-hand combat, and more.
Captain Blood’s demo on Steam Next Fest vividly reminds me of the old 360-era character action game, which is true because this game was meant to launch for PS3 and Xbox 360. Since character action games have slowly started reappearing recently, I wish the captain crosses the finish line this time.
