During the recent Steam Next Fest, a veritable smorgasbord of game demos was made available, and I took it upon myself to explore 83 of them. While I have set aside my top five favorites for a separate discussion, I present here a collection of succinct impressions on 72 additional titles, with my personal favorites highlighted in bold.
Game Demos Overview
- Monster Train 2 – A more intricate version of the original, catering to fans who enjoyed its predecessor.
- Sandustry – A fascinating blend of Noita and Factorio, this pixel-physics factory game intrigues with its unique mechanics.
- Nomad Idle – An unconventional mix of action RPG elements within the idle game genre.
- Deliver At All Costs – Imagine the early GTA games focused on package delivery and gadget creation for your delivery truck; this game embodies that concept.
- Machine Mind – A game that combines resource gathering and base defense in a Borderlands-inspired wasteland.
- Mech Havoc – A top-down shooter that fuses elements from Brigador and MechWarrior, featuring missions where you are always outnumbered.
- Solarpunk – A survival game that lacks depth beneath its eco-friendly surface.
- Tempest Rising – A revival of the Command & Conquer spirit, encapsulating both its strengths and weaknesses.
- Mecha Break – A game overwhelmed by free-to-play design choices, leading to an immediate uninstall.
- Void War – A combination of FTL and Warhammer 40k that may appeal to a niche audience.
- Wizdom Academy – The quest for an exceptional wizard school management sim continues, as this one falls short.
- Settler’s Domain – Initially slow to start, this minimalist colony-builder encourages rapid gameplay.
- Behind the Sword – An indie take on grand strategy 4X games, featuring a unique spherical grid.
- RoadCraft – A surprisingly relaxed approach to truck logistics from the SnowRunner developers.
- Grit and Valor – 1949 – A promising dieselpunk mech micro-RTS that allows control over a few units on compact battlefields.
- Drop Duchy – A city builder demo with potential, though it struggles with randomization issues.
- He is Coming – A lo-fi roguelike RPG that shows promise with its distinctive style.
- Desperate Place – A sci-fi iteration of Thronefall that resonates well.
- Roman Triumph: Survival City Builder – An interesting take on the genre, albeit marred by subpar AI art.
- Icaria – A worker-programming factory game that doesn’t particularly stand out.
- Rise of Industry 2 – While the ’80s aesthetic is appealing, the gameplay mechanics feel lacking.
- Windward Horizon – The crafting and RPG mechanics may complicate what was once a charming experience.
- Guntouchables – The concept of co-op action roguelikes holds great potential for future development.
- Game of Thrones: Kingsroad – A brief encounter that failed to engage beyond 15 minutes.
- Darkwater – A premise with potential, though the fisheye field of view induces discomfort.
- War Rats: The Rat em Up – A chaotic experience that surprisingly earned a spot on my wishlist.
- Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids – A rare action-strategy game that stands out for its all-ages appeal and co-op friendliness, crafted by X-Com creator Julian Gollop.
- Outworld Station – Visually appealing for an automation game, though inventory management can become tedious.
- As We Descend – Stylish and engaging, yet plagued by balance issues across its demos.
- Railgods of Hysterra – Co-op survival on a train through Lovecraftian horrors presents a captivating premise.
- City Tales: Medieval Era – A charmingly simple medieval city-builder with solid mechanics.
- Task Force Admiral – A promising glimpse into a realistic wargame set in a fascinating naval era.
- Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall – A welcome return to the beloved Yes, Your Grace universe.
- Dark Moon – A compelling concept about a walking city on the moon, albeit in a limited demo format.
- Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone – Another installment from The Farm 51, delving into a bizarre Eastern European apocalypse.
- The Horror at Highrook – A card-driven exploration of a haunted mansion inspired by early 20th-century horror—definitely one to watch.
- Radiolight – A solo developer’s homage to the 1980s mystery thriller Firewatch, showing promise.
- Is This Seat Taken? – An endearing logic puzzler focused on fitting people into specific seats.
- God Forsaken – A rather unremarkable action roguelike.
- Total Chaos – Still undecided on this standalone horror game derived from a Doom mod, though it is visually appealing.
- Nordhold – A hex-based grid tower defense game that pleasantly surprised me.
- Missing Banban – An odd 2D platformer that left me searching for Banban.
- Wheel World – A bike racing adventure-sports game with a whimsical premise that surprisingly works.
- I Am Legion: Stand Survivors – One of the few promising bullet-hell action roguelikes from the festival, just enough to keep my interest.
- Labyrinth of the Demon King – An atmospheric first-person dungeon crawler that evokes a sense of unease.
- Unyielder – A boss rush FPS with looter shooting, appealing to a specific audience.
- Reignbreaker – A Hades-like action roguelike that embraces its unique “medievalpunk” aesthetic.
- Urban Jungle – A charming game focused on maximizing houseplant placement in a tiny apartment.
- Dagger Directive – A lo-fi successor to Operation Flashpoint that caught me off guard.
- Star Crafter – Striving to find its place in the Factorio and Dyson Sphere Program analogy.
- Blightstone – Still uncertain about the tactical elements in this hardcore resource-management roguelike.
- Redemption of Liuyin – A challenging endeavor to merge soulslike gameplay with high-fidelity graphics.
- Cybertaxi: Lunatic Nights – A janky yet entertaining premise of taxi driving in a chaotic city.
- MechaKnights Legends – An early proof-of-concept demo showcasing the potential for a fantasy mecha Monster Hunter.
- Jitter – A quirky spaceship management game that requires some control refinement.
- Rock Crusher – An incremental time-waster with solid foundational elements, still in early development.
- Chaos Front – A foray into mech mercenary management from a leading indie strategy developer in China.
- Savara – A pastel-hued action roguelike that exceeds expectations set by its trailers.
- Pochemeow – A quirky strategy game centered around trade wars.
- Death Ring: Second Impact – A mecha tactics game that invites players to face waves of giant monsters.
- Mystical Tactics – A fast-paced lo-fi tactical RPG.
- Uber Urban – An indie city builder that introduces several novel mechanics.
- Sweep – A dungeon deckbuilder that allows players to select cards from their hand, revealing the rationale behind random hands.
- Anoxia Station – A surprising combination of colony simulation and horror that works effectively.
- Starless Abyss – A thematically rich deckbuilder featuring sci-fi scientists and occultists battling eldritch horrors.
- Scarecrow – A furry twist on Hotline Miami that proves to be even more unsettling.
- Wanderstop – A wholesome life simulation game from the creators of Stanley Parable, worth keeping an eye on.
- Conquest Dark – An action RPG that operates exclusively in turbo mode, presenting both advantages and drawbacks.
- Fumes – A lo-fi vehicular combat game that nearly made it into my top five.
- Dice Legends – A cards and dice battler that, while not particularly standout, may appeal to genre enthusiasts.
- Neongarten – A minimalist cyberpunk puzzle city builder that quickly found its way onto my wishlist.
- Where Noble Plans Lie – An intriguing concept for a city builder focused on ruining a kingdom, though it requires further development.