13 Steam Next Fest Free Tasters That Have Got Us Excited For Their Full Release
Topics: Indie Games, Steam, PC
Featured Image Credit: Wired Productions
Topics: Indie Games, Steam, PC
Steam Next Fest is now live, where PC gamers are able to check out thousands of game tasters and vertical slices completely for free.
Occurring several times a year, Steam Next Fest is the perfect opportunity to try out these small chunks of upcoming games, with exclusive developer streams and sales also happening at the same time.
In between big AAA launches, it’s a great opportunity to check out some games coming from developers that otherwise would not have the exposure that Steam Next Fest provides.
We’ve played through several demos so far, and here are our picks for 13 of the most interesting demos we’ve tried so far.
TideBroker’s 2D sidescrolling adventure is reminiscent of old explorer novels, where you need to make certain choices that’ll determine the outcome of a nation that is currently at war.
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“A story-rich role-playing game, TideBroker will take you to a fantasy world of secrets and machinations of three opposing factions. You will play the part of an envoy and determine the outcome of a peace conference through dialogue, letters and books.”
JRPG fans will want to check this one out. Echoes of Aincrad allows you to create a character and explore the breathtaking floating castle of Aincrad and its surrounding land. Your adventure will take you to different cities and environments as you try to complete your quest.
“Step into Aincrad, a world of beauty and danger where every battle could be your last. Create your hero, choose your gear, and master combat by building synergy with your partner, leveling up, and unlocking special abilities to expand your horizons.”
A cosy diorama game where you piece together different scenes using wooden objects and scenery, with charming animations and colours coming through as you set the stage.
“Woodo feels like a 3D coloring book you can touch, a relaxing puzzle-tale told through handcrafted wooden dioramas. A toy for those who never forgot how to be a child.”
A sequel to 2021’s Edge of Eternity, Edge of Memories tasks you with saving the world from a plague known as the Corrosion, in which you’ll band together with a group of heroes and utilise special abilities to achieve your goal.
“The population of Avaris is ravaged by the Corrosion, a terrible affliction that mutates all it infects into grotesque abominations. Play as Eline, a young nomad, and lead fierce battles alongside your allies to save the world from extinction.”
Wreck Runners is a 4-player co-op extraction game where you sent in to the Bermuda Triangle to try and recover valuable salvage to grow your operation.
“Physics-based co-op extraction game for crews of 2-4 players. Venture into the twisted Bermuda Triangle aboard the ORCA, a hybrid utility craft that can fly, drive and dive. Gather loot, buy new equipment, and unlock cosmetics across chaotic runs.”
A strategy game where you build a colony, and your every decision may affect the stability of how your colony stands. As you expand your base, you’ll also need to gather resources, take care of your people, and send out expeditions to recover more supplies.
“Build and lead a colony on the surface of an endless Wall. Manage resources and your people, develop new technologies, defend against relentless zyrex attacks, and send robo-spiders on risky expeditions. Keep the colony from collapsing – in Wall World, it's easy to fall.”
Similar to dropper maps from games like Minecraft or Counter-Strike, Sensory Overload is a game where you jump down various different courses, needing to avoid obstacles of increasingly chaotic visuals.
“A dropper game designed to overwhelm your senses. Twisting tunnels, psychedelic patterns, and breathing walls assault your sense of balance as the chaos escalates with every level.”
You play as a composer in the 1980s who starts up their own music studio. Think of it as like Game Dev Tycoon or simulation games like that, where you essentially need to build up your business and find success within the music industry.
“OFFBEAT is a music-tycoon game where you build the recording studio of your dreams. Collect and upgrade increasingly strange musical objects, complete jobs for cash, and record real, actual music.”
Nightdive Studios’ latest remaster brings back the ever-popular 1998 FPS classic, Sin, adding to the studio’s large library of remastered classics that it’s brought back on modern platforms.
“SiN: Reloaded is a completely remastered experience of the 1998 shooter. This diamond-in-the-rough, story-driven FPS features memorable characters, horrific enemies, and a devastating arsenal that pushed the Quake II Engine to its limits. Now with remastered graphics and overhauled control schemes.”
Case Solved: The London Files is a game where you investigate a series of crimes in London’s seedy underbelly. Every investigation is a closed logic puzzle, requiring you to cross-check information and deduce who is lying based on witness statements and alibis.
“A cozy noir puzzle game where you must investigate the dark underbelly of London. Murders have taken place, witness statements conflict and alibis aren’t adding up. Everyone has a motive, only logic reveals the truth.”
The BrokenLore series has a surprising number of titles already under its belt, and Don’t Lie kicks off another season of releases for developer Serafini Productions.
“BrokenLore: DON'T LIE is a Japanese psychological horror game exploring trauma, isolation, and a fractured reality where perception becomes increasingly unreliable.”
Releasing next week, Deer & Boy is a narrative-driven platformer where you play as a runaway boy who befriends a lonely fawn, and the two go on a journey together.
“In this poetic cinematic platformer, a runaway boy meets a fawn. As their bond grows, so do their abilities and the emotional weight of their journey, where silence speaks louder than words.”
Lostbound is an action RPG played from a 2D perspective where the ground becomes increasingly unstable with every step you take. If you retrace your steps too much, the map tiles are removed from the game and your options for traversal start to shrink. You’ll need to think carefully when plotting a route through each run.
“Find all the Artifacts before you’re caught in this Roguelite Action RPG. Embrace your destiny and escape a collapsing world. Darkness is alive. The Hand erases your path and drags you into the Abyss. Every step shapes your run.”
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