Stardew Valley Meets Valheim In Steam's Latest Must-Play Freebie

Steam Next Fest is almost upon us, running from 23 February to 2 March.

As always, the event will bring hundreds of new free game demos to the popular PC storefront, allowing you to potentially unearth the next indie hit.

Already though, tons of demos have landed with some studios hoping to get ahead of the curve.

Sagestone Games is one such studio, as a hefty new demo has been unleashed for upcoming survival sandbox adventure Delverium.

Think of Delverium as having the aesthetics of Stardew Valley, albeit with the gameplay loop of Valheim or Minecraft.

Playable alone or with up to seven friends, Delverium will task you with exploring, building, farming, crafting, and fighting.

“Gather resources, build shelters, tend your farm, recruit NPCs, craft items or take on high risk dungeon crawling as you delve into the unknown,” the synopsis teases.

“Be warned: Only the most courageous hero can uncover the secrets to Delverium. Could this be you?”

The game offers a sprawling procedurally generated world, so you shouldn’t run out of things to do.

Sagestone Games

There are plenty of materials, weapons, foods, and armours to uncover, with players also able to trade with NPCs.

The cosy gamers amongst you will appreciate that you’ll have a farm to tend to, whilst those who crave a tad more action may enjoy entering caves and dungeons where you can put a stop to dangerous foes.

There is a story running through Delverium: “There is a great peril infecting the land and you are the only hero who can restore stability. Uncover lost fragments of lore and hunt down the 'Faults' to piece together the hidden truth of Delverium.”

The Demo Should Last For 1 to 2 Hours

As I said, a new demo has launched so you can sample the game right now ahead of its launch in Q2 of this year, so we’re talking April to June.

The demo is multiplayer and allows you to enjoy eight-player co-op play.

“This demo version allows players to experience the starting biomes, dungeons and early-game content of Delverium,” the devs wrote.

“Players should expect up to an hour or two of exploration and gameplay.

“The full game will contain additional biomes, boss fights, gear, fishing, quests and more!”

A couple of hours makes for a pretty generous offering that you may want to try this weekend ahead of the onslaught of demos Steam Next Fest will bring when it properly gets underway next week.