13 Games From The Steam Next Fest To Check Out – Part 2
For the second time this week, I’m back to (hopefully) grace your presence with some lovely indie games to sink your time into. If you’ve somehow ended up here, on part 2, before having read the first iteration… well, firstly, I’m impressed you can comfortably live in such chaos. Secondly, you can find the first 15 games right here. Hopefully, you’ve clicked on that, restored balance to the world (please and thank you), and sampled some great games before returning.
Though, even if not, you can comfortably look through another 13 games from the Steam Next Fest, and achieve the same result. I’m not your mother, you live your life however you wish to. Anyway, my rambling Sunday-addled tangent aside, here’s the second feature of games we think are worth a look from the Next Fest’s bountiful offering of hundreds of demos. Hope you find something you like and thank you for joining me on this odyssey of indie goodness.
The Axis Unseen
This is a cool one. Heavy metal music protrudes through the air as you stalk your prey. Armed with a bow and arrow, a knife and magic, I hunted aggressive tiger-like abominations. Alas, I stepped on a section of rock, my noise meter raced, and I was assaulted by what I can only describe as an Ent. Mercilessly wrecked, I was taken back to the hub to reacquire my senses and try again.
The Axis Unseen is a first-person hunting game, in essence. Sound is your biggest ally, and greatest opponent. Sprinting or rushing will have you killed in no time. It’s an intriguing concept, one that had me immersed for a while. Plus, it also has one of the coolest tutorials I’ve come across, blaring its heavy metal inspirations immediately to invigorate you. A potential hidden gem for a certain niche, and one to keep an eye on.
The Axis Unseen is sneaking onto Steam on October 22nd… so not long to wait! It’s being developed and published by Just Purkey Games.
Bonaparte
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon may not have fired a cannon salvo at an expectant peasant populace successfully, but luckily we have Bonaparte instead. In this turn-based strategy and tactics title, you take on the role of one of the most infamous generals in human history, with a twist. The demo sent me on a mission to quell a proletariat revolt, only to turn turncoat and battle the King’s armies, using a giant mechanised version of a French soldier.
The turn-based combat is engaging, with differing unit types, formations and abilities to master. On the world map, where you must negotiate and battle with other revolutionary factions, is where things get even more interesting. Do you negotiate with the Jacobins or shatter a fragile truce in the name of France’s future? Bonaparte has plenty of decisions to make on where your allegiances will lie. It’s a tantalising start to this budding Viva La Revolution.
Bonaparte’s revolutionary war is due to begin in quarter one of 2025 on Steam. It’s being developed and published by Studio Imugi.
DISORDER
One for the Stellar Blade fans, this. It’s a similar mix of Devil May Cry hack-and-slashin’ and Souls’ more methodical combat dashed together with a robotic female protagonist who is… interestingly proportioned, shall we say. It’s relatively heavy on cutscenes and dialogue, even from the demo, pointing to confusing perspectives that will likely become clearer as the narrative progresses.
Gameplay-wise though, DISORDER is good. Enemies pack a punch, but you have a variety of skills you progressively activate the more encounters you clear. Between the regular foes and the bosses, I had fun cleaving through with my katana and gaining persistent improvements between runs. Is it as good as Stellar Blade? Couldn’t tell you, only played the demo of that, too. However, the demo leaves a lasting impression and if that collection of fast-paced yet methodical combat is your jam, you’ll be layering this on your toast.
DISORDER is due for release in quarter 4 of 2024 on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. It’s being developed and published by GRUMPY (insert relatable grumpy joke here).
The Feudal
How else would you run a medieval settlement than through card selection, asked… someone? Well, The Feudal is pretty much that. You have two decks to select from, and each one will provide you with a series of options of decisions for you to mull over. Each decision will boost or drain one of the four resources (popularity, food, authority and army), falling too low on which will signal impending issues. Those issues being your head on the end of that pike, presumably.
Despite the decks being intentionally more streamlined for the demo, there’s a wealth of choices to uncover through card selection. Your hand-drawn lordship will expand in the background which adds a nice visual flair, too. It’s an interesting concept and I’m intrigued to see how the developers expand the sandbox with a main questline and other story threads to be weaved into the dilemmas you face maintaining a balance of each resource.
This lord isn’t ready to permit us to feast yet though, as there’s no release date as yet, but The Feudal is coming to Steam. It’s being developed and published by SimTales Studio.
The Fireseed Treaty
From one card-based title to another. Only this time, it’s a turn-based strategy game utilising deckbuilding and hexagonal movement. Moreover, it’s rocking a futuristic sci-fi aesthetic. Elements of this one lean a bit more into the mobile market, in terms of having multiple currencies, upgrading cards and the general look of the game itself. However, don’t let that deter you if you’re not typically partial to a mobile game.
The Fireseed treaty has a lot going on within its mechanics and though I strolled through the first couple of encounters, the third thoroughly sent me packing. I can already see the loop developing in exploring, gathering items, losing, upgrading and trying again until every mutated creature is nothing but a pool of splodge beneath my boot.
The Fireseed Treaty will be awakening on Steam, though it’s another one that’s coming soon. It’s being developed and published by LessMainStream.
Forgotten 23
It seemed like we couldn’t go more than two games in a row without time loops wormholing their way in a couple of years ago. Luckily, things have since settled, and seeing it reappear in Forgotten 23 felt like a refreshing return to the mechanic. Mixing sci-fi, environmental puzzle solving and plenty of scavenging for items, this one is keeping a lot of its cards too close to its astronaut’s chest. However, the 5-10 minute demo gives a glimpse of what could be something quite special.
Our astronaut Max awakes seemingly like he’s done this before. The station he’s regained consciousness on is largely destroyed and in disarray and we know very little about him, or the circumstances surrounding him. Mysteries go a long way towards driving excitement and Forgotten 23 is laced with questions I’m itching to find out more about. It’s also a top-down third-person adventure, with a pretty slate of sci-fi graphics to get absorbed into.
One I’m looking forward to, Forgotten 23 is releasing sometime in 2025 on Steam. It’s being developed and published by KovalGames.
KARMA: The Dark World
Psychological horrors thrive on the unknown, the uncertainty and the unreliable nature of both narrators and memories themselves. Nowhere is that more apparent than in KARMA: The Dark World. My 40 minutes with this one were utterly captivating. From body horrors that would meld right into the world of Silent Hill or The Evil Within, to terrifyingly deformed husks that will chase you through encounters, KARMA knows psychological horror.
Not only that but the themes of malleable memories, corporate dystopia, manipulation of the mind and individual trauma are wonderfully interwoven into a hauntingly unique setting and story. It’s a relative walking simulator, with some puzzle-solving and escaping set pieces, but really this is an introspective dissection of so many enthralling ideas. That’s what’s shot KARMA: The Dark World up to the top of my most anticipated future releases.
KARMA: The Dark World will continue to be elusive as there’s no release date currently, but it is coming to Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. It’s being developed by Pollard Studio and published by Wired Productions and Gamera Games.
Keep Driving
Who knew driving to your friend’s place to play some video games could be so draining? Keep Driving is an awesome little indie title, where it’s all about the journey, tunes… and raging at tractors. On my 50-minute voyage to my buddies’ house, I picked up a hitchhiker who wanted me to get drunk, I used gum and duct tape to avoid the ire of speed cameras and barely scraped my Sedan through muddy country lanes.
An atmospheric 2D open road game, Keep Driving has a fantastic sense of aura to couple with its unique and challenging gameplay quirks. The soundtrack is a mix of indie rock songs that keeps the vibes high and the art style perfectly suits the feel of youths on the road, with all the time in the world. When I eventually hit the end of the road, I desperately wanted to hop back in behind the driver’s seat to Keep Driving.
No release date for us to know when Keep Driving exits the garage as yet, but it is coming to Steam. It’s being developed and published by YCJY Games.
Maseylia: Echoes of the Past
This is one that stands out immediately thanks to its wonderful art style and techno-ambient music. Maseylia: Echoes of the Past is coming from a small team but the creative inspiration is on show almost everywhere you peek within its world. It’s a platformer by design, though it’s going to incorporate Metroidvania design into its exploration.
Data cubes are scattered around which shed light on this strange and uncomfortably organic land, but you’ll need to seek them out if you want the picture. It’s an eccentric game in a sense, while also feeling familiar to old-school PS1/PS2 era platforming titles. Just make sure to avoid the wildlife and bugs, there’s enough of them here even the Starship Troopers may have to sit up and take notice.
Maseylia: Echoes of the Past is coming soon to Steam. It’s being developed and published by the Sol Brothers.
No Signal
Despite the fact this one was too smart for me and made me feel like I had the brain of a rotten banana, No Signal is a cosmic, mysterious experience. Float around a space station as you desperately try to bring it back online (aren’t all space stations in total disrepair), piecing together the mystery of the black hole as you go. The lack of gravity and quirky control scheme takes some adjusting to, as one may expect would actually happen when attempting to comprehend spaghettification and black holes, to be fair.
The atmosphere is a little unsettling without being horror-focused, while the core of the mystery surrounding the station and your role in it made me feel very invested. I have little idea what’s going on from my demo experience, but that’s just made it all the more engrossing. I may need some help getting my head around the puzzles, but No Signal is definitely one for the space-orientated to keep a time-dilated eye on.
No Signal is due for release in quarter 4 of 2024 on Steam. Exodrifter are the folks developing and publishing.
Paraplasm: Beyond the Veil
Solo-dev horror projects are some of the most fun to discover. Paraplasm: Beyond the Veil takes inspiration from various different horror titles to create a smaller terror simulator. Just from the demo alone, I sensed shades of Slender: The Eight Pages and PT, as the game whisks you from one unnerving location after another. Each level almost feels like its own little homage to horror classics we’ve all become familiar-yet-still terrified of.
I liked this one, it’s relatively short but it demonstrates what the developer is going for. There’s a mix of nerve-racking tension but no threat, actual threat with creatures chasing you (good old Backrooms!) and then just straight up haunted hallway with jump scares. Every type of horror is represented in about 10 minutes of a demo – that’s not bad going. While I wouldn’t say it’s the scariest game I’ve played, there’s enough tension in here to have a peek at.
Paraplasm: Beyond the Veil will stalk us from the shadows on October 28th on Steam. It’s being developed by Danik, Asrın Coşgun and published by DanikStudios.
Tearscape
A 2D action Metroidvania Soulslike that Josh implored me to try, and boy am I glad he did. It’s Bloodborne with a pixel-art look, complete with zombified enemies, hard-hitting bosses and plenty of “You Died” screen action. It took me a minute to get used to the keyboard controls, but once I did, I was dashing out of hazards, thwacking foes with sword strikes, and promptly falling into pits.
If you’ve always had a hankering for Souls combat but on a more spritely level, Tearscape is not just going to be in your wheelhouse, it’s going to be the wheelhouse. The Hunter-inspired avatar also imitates the Bloodborne likeness with a nostalgic familiarity, which is always welcome. I died plenty to this one, but it won’t deter me from coming back to check out more of it.
Tearscape is coming sometime in 2025 to Steam. It’s being developed and published by NERDS TAKE OVER (great name).
Sektori
I’d like to say I don’t get humbled often in the video game strata verse (I do), but rarely do I get humbled quite as much as Sektori’s shoot ’em up made me feel. Like getting slapped with a house-sized pie while I was asleep. However, despite the ego thrashing I took, I kept coming back. Sektori has that addictive quality of almost forcing you into trying one more run. Just a little more completion %, just a slighter higher score.
It took me three attempts to not die from the very first wave of enemies, such is my lack of knowledge of shoot-em-ups in general. But, between the pulsating techno soundtrack feeding my adrenaline and the intense, rapid action dispelling cube after cube, I couldn’t help but get caught up in the explosive trance of it. This is a genuinely awesome little title that promises multiple modes, options and modifiers. If you haven’t got this one on your radar, you need to be seeing a mechanic (or, you know, whoever fixes radars). Man, this one broke me.
Sektori is coming soon to Steam. It’s being developed by Kimmo Lahtinen and published by Kimmo Factor Oy.
BONUS ROUND
DeTechtive 2112
*Full disclaimer: this one was added post going live as I’d missed the original tweet about it and because, well, it’s just awesome*
Nothing whets the gaming appetite quite like a brightly lit Cyberpunk inspired world, does it? DeTechtive 2112 is a Cyberpunk-Noir detective game that’s awash with neon glow, intense humming streaks of red and more bad guys than a Gotham without Batman. The environments are stunningly realised in the Unreal Engine and just walking about this treacherous city fills your lungs with the stench of crime and post-civilisation dystopia.
The demo for this one features one of the game’s main cases – the Subway – and gives you access to a bunch of guns and gear. You’re a Noir detective, so you can sneak or shoot your way to discovering the truth. I went the latter route, and by that I mean, I shot literally everything that moved that was a target. With solid twin-stick shooting mechanics and such a gorgeous rain-soaked world to take in, DeTechtive 2112 is one to be excited for.
DeTechtive 2112 is yet to get a release date, but it is coming Steam and the Epic Games Store. It’s being developed by M11 Studio & 5Deniz and published by indie.io.
And breathe. 28 (now 29*) games across the two features brought to you by some of the most creative and wonderful minds in the industry. Video games are incredibly difficult to conceive, never mind bring to life. Please show the developers, publishers and PR teams some love if you’ve found yourself taken by any of the games featured. Whether it be a wishlist, positive message or a comment on their social media channels, the fantastic people making these games could do with all the support we can offer.
With all that said, that’s it from me. For this Next Fest… that is. While 28 (again, now 29*) made it onto the features, rest assured there are dozens, if not hundreds, of others out there waiting to be discovered. October 14th to 21st has been a veritable treasure trove and I hope you’ve found some games to look forward to with glee. I look forward to catching up with you again when the next… Next Fest (that hurt my brain) strikes. Until then, enjoy the breadth of brilliant titles we have awaiting us. Seen any you love and want to shout out for recognition? Give us a holler in the comments or on X, we love any opportunity to spotlight an indie!
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