15 Games From The Steam Next Fest To Check Out – Part 1
The Steam Next Fest is back! Running from October 14th to 21st, the carnival of all things video games is doing another carousel round with hundreds of demos to feast upon. It’s like being a kid in a candy store, only the store is an entire Amazon warehouse and the sweets are the interactive medium we all adore. After the fun I had following the summer showcases discovering 13 gems, I decided to jump right into the thick of the action once again.
With dozens of demos already earmarked and downloaded (the days need more hours, honestly), I’ve endeavoured to let you know about all the indie gems I discover on my voyage through Steam’s overflowing seas. Here’s part one, featuring the first 15. That’s right, there are so many, I’ll be doing a second and potentially even a third part. What am I, The Last of Us? Scratch that, we’re only talking indies here, not a AAA (or Ubisoft AAAA) in-sight.
Ready to dig in? Let’s have at them.
Blood Bar Tycoon
Ever since I played Ravenous Devils in 2022, all I’ve been ravenous for is more of that kind of game. I’d not found anything that satiates that particular blood lust, until I stumbled upon Blood Bar Tycoon. In this management game, you must grow and develop your fledgling bar. Instead of just the typical IPAs and liquors for humans though, you’ll need plenty of blood to satisfy your other frequenters – vampires.
Manage your staff, ensure you have plenty of refrigerated blood packs, and eat the occasional human to keep your workers happy. Blood Bar Tycoon has plenty of fangs to gnaw at the neck of the management sim genre. The demo is fairly extensive and showcases a decent chunk of what you can expect from this dark-humoured entry into the strategy market. Will your blood cocktails appease your vampire overlord? A Bloody Mary has never had such a lethal connotation before.
Blood Bar Tycoon will be sweeping onto Steam February 4th, 2025. It’s being developed and published by Clever Trickster Studio and Productions.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Heralded to a nigh-on prophetic level by our very own Josh Thompson, Citizen Sleeper has plenty of plaudits here at Finger Guns. The sequel’s demo treated me to 40 minutes of a sci-fi dystopian world brimming with interesting characters, stress-inducing dice rolls and decision after decision to weigh and counterweigh at infinitum. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is strong on dialogue, story and interweaving characters, with a compelling universe aching for exploration.
During my demo time, I stumbled through a space station finding contracts, hired a plucky new member for my crew, was scorned by her brother and ventured into local space to attempt two contracts. Aced the first one, destroying two of my dice in the process, then promptly triggered disaster in my second. Can safely say this dystopia is still just as soul-retching as you’d hope. For fans like Josh, however, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector appears to be on a triumphant return trip.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector awakens from cryo sleep in 2025 on Steam and Xbox platforms. It’s being developed by Jump Over The Age and published by Fellow Traveller.
CROWDED. FOLLOWED.
This one managed to jump-scare me – twice. CROWDED. FOLLOWED. is a PS1-era styled horror game that features an abnormally tall Grudge-looking woman pursuing you… everywhere. Oh, and you’re an asthmatic who need to shake and use their inhaler to keep their stamina up. Let the creature get too close and not only do you have to contend with the creepy, unnerving music, but you’ll come face-to-face with a tension-drenched jump scare. Wonderful.
While only a short demo, the 10-15 minutes escaping this relentless pursuer was oozing with retro horror style, lashings of anxiety and a fantastic setup. Why am I carrying this briefcase? What could the pursuer want within it? In what world is a train ticket only £3.20?! So many questions, but we’ll only find out answers when CROWDED. FOLLOWED properly releases.
Thankfully, that’s right around the corner (just like our mysterious pursuer) – October 24th, on Steam, to be precise. Developed by NIGHT DIAL and published by Banshee Games, this is a horror gem worth keeping on the radar.
Degenheim
Isometric rogue-lite you say? Doesn’t take much to count us in with that kind of opening salvo. Degenheim is all about abilities – from zany tomato-meteorites to electric zap fields and setting everything that isn’t you on fire. It’s not quite as smooth as something like Hades, but the demo has already shown off plenty of weird and wacky builds, characters (Straw Barry – yes, a psychedelic strawberry) and combat.
Degenheim is a fast-paced action brawler which promises dozens of characters to slay endless waves with, plenty of bosses and lots of items to sink your sword into. The world has that OG Saints Row nonchalance and randomness to it and quite honestly, it’s all a bit mad to explain. One to try out for yourself if the hack-and-slash rogue-lite genre is your jam.
No release date yet, but Degenheim will be wilding up your PC soon via Steam, courtesy of Highrise Studios.
Fayrehaven
From horror and rogue-like action to a cosier sailing and trading game, Steam Next Fest is nothing if not full of variety. Fayrehaven sees you take on the role of a young woman struggling to find a job after getting her degree (relatable, right?). With her mum struggling with illness and dad suffering financially, you volunteer to… go back in time and trade around 1700s period ports to raise money to support your family.
Sail about a handful of locations, avoid the thieves’ ships, buy and sell goods, upgrade your gear, go fishing and complete challenges. It’s Dredge without the cosmic horror – so if the constant looming threat of hallucinations spoilt your boat rides, Fayrehaven is the calm seas you’ve been asking for. The 20 minutes I spent sailing the world were calming and pleasant. Even as someone who usually prefers their games to be more in-your-face and filled with Eldrich terror.
Fayrehaven is coming to Steam on November 3rd, courtesy of Cosynook Games who are developing and publishing.
Gigantes Ex Machina
This was a bit of a slow burn but there’s an addictive quality to Gigantes Ex Machina. It’s the end of the world and drones are targeting you – a Giga mech that’s the last hope of humanity. The demo features a survival mode where you simply shoot and rocket everything that isn’t you in a top-down, twin-stick fashion. What starts off relatively simple quickly escalates into firing napalm bombs, launching rocket barrages to blanket an area around you, and hitting your afterburners to dodge dozens of metallic menaces at a time.
While only featuring a horde mode so far, it appears Gigantes Ex Machina will have a story mode to complement the shooting. The couple of cutscenes offered a look at a Japanese animated style and it’s exactly what you’d hope for in a game featuring mechs and explosions. Give this one a shot, with enough time to build up its afterburners and it may just surprise you with some thrilling action.
Gigantes Ex Machina is coming soon to Steam. It’s being developed and published by AcrylByte.
Hazelwood Station
I played a rhythm game to busk on my guitar for tips, snapped photos of a train station and even stole a purse or two. No, this isn’t a thief simulator, rather it’s a narrative-driven experience of a man travelling to the end of the train line. On his journey, he’ll reminisce on his times with his wife, who’s been missing for six years. Short stories were in abundance, even in this 20-minute snippet, while the mix of gameplay types is relaxing and chilled.
Hazelwood Station is a lovely little indie game developed by a single person. With a charming art style, promising emotional tale and cosy blend of different mechanics, it’s looking homeward bound with no delays in sight. I really enjoyed this one, even if the rhythm game took me a couple of tries to nail down. Turns out I’m not great at guitar in video games and in real life… for shame.
Hazelwood Station is due to arrive in 2025 on Steam. It’s being developed and published by Aidan Barcia-Bacon and is one to have on the wishlist if any of the above has piqued your interest.
Horizon’s Mirage
Hands up if you miss Mirror’s Edge and feel personally victimised that 2016’s Catalyst was the last we’ve seen of DICE’s parkour magnum opus? What the AAA industry taketh, the indie scene provideth. Horizon’s Mirage is a first-person running and platforming title aped both in gameplay and visuals from Faith’s adventures in the City of Glass. Mechanically, it’s more stripped down (i.e. no rolls on landings or crazy kick 180 flips), but the speed and fluid jumping is here.
Visually, the cityscape is very similar to Mirror’s Edge, as you traverse rooftops to pick up glowing orbs and avoid deadly obstacles. Not sure why I’m leaping across giant floating AC machines and metallic pipes, but hey, who said video games had to be logical to be fun? Horizon’s Mirage evoked a warm feeling of nostalgia for a series I sorely missed, and for that alone, it’s worth having a look at.
Horizon’s Mirage is releasing November 4th on Steam. It’s being developed and published by High Performance Games.
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel
Diablo meets Vampire Survivors in a Norse-inspired horde survival mode – what more do I really need to say? The demo for this hack-and-slash, ability spewing extravaganza features three of the playable classes, a wealth of passive and active abilities, plenty of enemies to slay and lots of builds to tinker with. It’s already feeling pretty enticing as a game and it’s not even in Early Access yet!
You can play Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel as more of an idle, visual feast like Vampire Survivors with automatic abilities and strikes, or assume control and treat it like an immersive Nordic Diablo. Either way, you’ll be carving through dozens of foes hoovering up upgrades, gold, health and objectives on your way to facing the final boss of the horde. The bosses are quite the spectacle but to be honest, so is the whole experience itself. One that’s worked its way right up to the top of my most anticipated list.
Thor and co. will be gracing us with their presence sometime in quarter 4 of 2024 on Steam. It’s being developed by Games Farm and published by Grindstone.
Juice
Oh boy, where to even start with this one? Children of The Sun meets Junji Ito in this dual-protagonist FPS experience. The demo first introduces us to a vile, ravenous monster tearing through the city and devouring every person, chair and brick in sight. The black-and-white mix of 2D and 3D objects juxtaposes the vast swathes of blood that’ll emanate out of every living being you tentacle-chew.
If you’re not one who’s strong of stomach, Juice may curdle your innards. The screams are intense, the blood is everywhere, and the screen is awash with all the terrible deeds happening. Not only will you play as the bringer of destruction, however, you’ll also try and survive as the last living human. How that’s going to play out is anyone’s guess. But, rest assured Juice is like little else you’ll play this year.
No confirmation on when Juice is arriving to tear us all asunder yet, unfortunately. We can thank the folks at Colorfiction for developing and publishing this one.
Liminalcore
If you’re hankering for more backrooms and liminal space eeriness, Liminalcore is exactly what you’re looking for. Simultaneously calming, unnerving, relaxed, creepy and every other adjective under the non-existent sun. Walking through these hauntingly familiar halls will evoke that exact disquiet games like this aim to achieve. Plus, the water effects are incredible.
Did I mention that Liminalcore will pick up on any microphone audio through your headphones and reverb them through these echoing environments? Yeah, it does that. Chances are, if you’re someone who often frequents the realms of the backrooms, Liminalcore will be a safe bet for another walking simulator journey through the unknown-yet-known.
Liminalcore will be releasing on October 25th for Steam, just around the corner… or was it the other corner…? It’s being developed and published by Shadow Owl Studios and Ashen Studios.
Metal Thunder
Over 3000 enemy combatants defeated, a framerate in the single digits (thanks to over 150+ spawning units) and the combined might of my 102mm, 30mm and Gatling cannons saw me become the true mechanical angel of death. Metal Thunder is the AC-130 missions from the original Modern Warfare games fused into its own game. The demo showcases the survival mode, alongside the weapons, upgrades and waves of up to hundreds of opposing units, APCs and tanks laying siege to your base.
For my 20-minute hailstorm of rockets and bullets, I had a good time with Metal Thunder. There’s a straightforward approach to “shoot everything that moves” that just kind of works, while the upgrades to my 102MM cannon might as well have made my aircraft be firing a straight-up Fatman at the enemy. With a full campaign and more to come, Metal Thunder has its weapons geared up and cleared hot. Better make your way out of the splash zone ASAP.
No firm window on when we’ll be firing up this gunship just yet, sadly – though it will be taking off on Steam. However, the game is being developed and published by Dumbbell Games.
Second Sun
A hybrid of Doom and Destiny rolled into a dungeon-crawling first-person shooter, Second Sun is a medieval fantasy world brimming with its inspirations. In my 30-minute rampage, I was armed with a pistol and crossbow, which turned into a double-barreled shotgun and assault rifle. I cleaved through a demon dungeon, gunning through dozens of nefarious creatures. I even harvested some plants, spoke to a camp of NPCs and took on a couple of side quests.
While the AI probably still needs a little more work, the foundations of fast-paced gunplay, loot drops and the promise of a vast map got me excited for this one. I was a little sad the demo ended just as I’d levelled up a bit more and unlocked the ability to go invisible and throw a magical energy spear. Second Sun is shaping up pretty nicely, and our hero’s journey to save the Empire is tantalising.
Second Sun will be coming to Steam but there’s no release window just yet. It’s being developed by Grey Wolf Entertainment and published by Iceberg Interactive.
Skel Dungeon
A room defence strategy title where you play as a smite skeleton protecting his dungeon heart? Say no more. Skel Dungeon has you setting up trap rooms to fend off waves of would-be heroes attempting to send you back into the netherworld. Set up spikes, balls of blame and ice, ice, baby to keep the goodies at bay. You can level up your skeleton through an almightily large skill tree, alongside acquiring a plethora of room types, abilities and attacks.
The demo provides access to the first three stages for you to try out and though it takes a minute to get accustomed to the controls, Skel Dungeon is a decently fun little strategy game. The potential for it to develop its bones into something more sturdy is certainly there, and for those like me who enjoy their quirky strategy games, Skel Dungeon should have something to pique your underworld interest.
Skel Dungeon is launching October 21st on Steam. It’ll be rising from the undead thanks to Buff Studio, who are developing and publishing.
Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina)
Games like these are the reason I’m grateful for Steam Next Fest. Explore the 17th century Canadian wilderness in this narrative-focused, dual-protagonist tale. Follow Jeanne, a French woman who’s attempting to start a new life, and Maikan, an indigenous Innu hunter attempting to discover why a mysterious frost is sweeping through the forest.
The demo for Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) showed off the walking simulator elements, with exploration and understanding of nature at the core of the experience. Choices will define the way your characters shape their personality, presumably with an impact on the overall story to come. Very much in the vein of Firewatch, Soma and other first-person story-driven titles, I’m already invested in the world, characters and aesthetic.
Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) wades out of the woods November 8th on Steam. It’s being developed by Unreliable Narrators and published by Indie Asylum.
There you have it! Part one of our Steam Next Fest demos to check out. 15 titles, from top-down shooters to rogue-likes, horrors to narrative-driven experiences and so much more to fill your Halloween trick-or-treat buckets for days. Seen any you’re particularly keen on? Give the games a wishlist on Steam, it makes a massive difference to the individuals and small teams working so passionately to deliver us wonderful experiences. Moreover, I hope you found something to your liking that you can look forward to playing.
Are you a developer with a demo on the Steam Next Fest yourself? Drop us a comment here or on X and let us know! We’d love to hear about your game, try it out and feature it in a post just like this one.
In the meantime, you’ll have to excuse me as I go and attempt to play through the remaining hundreds of demos awaiting me in my Steam library. Who needs sleep when you have ridiculous numbers of sick games to play and a Monster Mule to carry you through? By the Gods, the Steam Next Fest is great.
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