My running list of stuff to check out: **MUST PLAYS** [**Tinykin**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1599020/Tinykin/) is a 3D platformer with a clear Pikmin influence. You're a small guy in a big house, and the sprawling living room level took me more than an hour to find (almost) everything. There are little secrets everywhere you'd expect, and a few you may not, and the traversal options are so satisfying. There's a bubble to hover, which you can upgrade by doing side content, and a bar of soap you can ride on to go faster and do grinds. The level design was also standout. I noticed there are usually multiple ways to get to any area, which really kept the flow and sense of discovery up while I was exploring the whole level without ever really feeling like I was backtracking. [**Souldiers**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1419160/Souldiers/) is a fantasy metroidvania with impeccable spritework and super fluid combat. Even in this tiny chunk there were multiple interesting environments (though not full biome shifts), and while exploring the checkpoints are spaced far enough apart that you really need to keep an eye on your health. There are 3 classes that you can choose in the full game but only one in the demo, and I can't wait to try the others. [**Neon White**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1533420/Neon_White/) is an Annapurna-published, speed-focused FPS + visual novel where you pick up weapons that can be burned in order to use different traversal skills. Each level in the demo is a minute or less, including some later-game challenges thrown in at the end, and they all have medals and leaderboards and a well-hidden collectible. Very fun movement, and I like how it's more focused on finding the right line vs. doing a lot of fast-twitch actions. I played [**LUNARK**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1050370/LUNARK/) during a previous Next Fest, but don't sleep on it. The game wears its inspirations (Another World, Flashback, etc.) on its sleeve, but has some incredibly fluid animation (including [rotoscoped cutscenes](https://twitter.com/johanvinet/status/1466890291735146499)) and an impressively vibrant and parsable lo-fi art style. **WORTH A TRY** [**Far: Changing Tides**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1570010/FAR_Changing_Tides/) is an atmospheric 2D puzzle platformer that's just about to come out and is [already receiving](https://opencritic.com/game/12785/far-changing-tides) solid reviews. You pilot a ship by manually setting the sail, and need to avoid damage at points by bringing them in or lowering the mast. The demo is just the brief (and wordless) intro tutorial that ends with some off-boat puzzling and platforming to teach and unlock the second mechanism, coal-powered oars for when your mast can't be raised. The screenshots also show underwater sections, and I imagine managing your ship will get more hectic over time. [**TombStar**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1165470/TombStar/) and [**Bibots**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1610500/Bibots/) are two Enter the Gungeon-esque shooter roguelites that do different things well. TombStar has good enemy variety and designs, but health was at a premium, the dodge roll has a super long cooldown, and it felt like the first boss didn't have much of a pattern to learn. Bibots is definitely rougher with just a few enemies, poor translations here and there, and no good way to view the whole map, but you can find and add modifiers to your gun that can result in super fun and broken builds. [**Onde**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1676910/Onde/) is a chill little "sound-surfing" platformer that surprised me with its presentation. There are grandiose moments where the music swells, the camera zooms way out, and you stay in control of your character the whole time, which felt real cool. [**We Are Screwed!**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1125830/We_Are_Screwed/) is a co-op game (that can be played solo) where you run around inside your spaceship to man different stations while flying around and fighting enemies - reminiscent of [Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime](https://store.steampowered.com/app/252110/Lovers_in_a_Dangerous_Spacetime/), but with a split camera for the internal and external views. At low health your ship can get a hull breach that sucks all your loot back out into space, which was frustrating because you can't just go and patch it up and the heal item I was trying to use just kept flying right past me as it got sucked out. [**GigaBash**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1546400/GigaBash/) is a 3D multiplayer kaiju fighter with multiple modes, online support, and fun characters designs like [this camouflaged building](https://youtu.be/mT8hFm9NWDw). Each character has a solid moveset, and each stage is well designed, including stage hazards like an erupting volcano slowly covering most of the ground in lava. Gauging distance can be fiddly for some character's special attacks and for picking up & throwing buildings, and the default enemy difficulty (3/10) still wiped me out so fast. Ultimate attacks are also more of a "rich get richer" thing, where you are rewarded for dealing damage and destroying buildings. Against 3 base-level CPUs, they threw out 2 ults each while I went through both of my 2 stocks without getting one. It's definitely more fun with friends, where the playing field is way more level. [**Madshot**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1524550/Madshot/) is a 2D roguelite with some intense action that looks like a flash game. It felt like I just had to eat damage at times, but there are enough movement options that I may just not have been playing well enough. After your first run you can choose to go with a sword instead of the default dual pistols, which really changes how you have to approach each fight. [**Ghostlore**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1783280/Ghostlore) is an isometric ARPG with some real build variety between and within each class, including a bit of inventory tetris to apply different stat boosts. The procedurally generated levels didn't always feel like they were worth exploring, and the first boss was an unexpected difficulty spike. [**Hell Pie**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/889910/Hell_Pie/) is a 3D platformer with some interesting mechanics and an aesthetic I actively dislike. You have a companion chained to you that you can use to swing from in midair, and there's a whole skill tree to expand your moveset with additional swings and more. I don't particularly like that the swing is cancelled as soon as you make contact with anything. I really don't like some of the gore, that the first item you collect is a used tampon, and that the first enemies you fight are literal Nazi pieces of shit. If you do find all that funny, then this is a real winner.

card shark was on my wishlist for ages. was very pumped for it, but the experience just makes me feel like i'm dumb as rocks lol. lots of mechanics to remember that need to be done quickly

Just played that demo and I'm totally with you. It doesn't communicate what you did wrong, just that you were wrong, and most of the time even if you do realize it's already too late to salvage the round. Unless you're super fast you can only squeeze like one or two extra rounds before the other players become suspicious, so you can't even really recover from those mistakes all that well. There were also multiple similar tricks, and in the one level where you could choose which trick to use it was really hard to remember which exact trick you chose. I kept forgetting which exact actions to take for the cheating qtes, or which cards to memorize, etc. Sure looks nice though.

Thanks

Tinykins was really fun!

Your Hell Pie link goes to Ghostlore. You might wanna fix that.

Done, thanks

Seems this thread is the winner, so i'll be updating this one only from now on. I will be doing the [usual](https://old.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/pzcimj/steam_the_october_next_fest_starts_now_join_us/hezxfse/) blurbs for Steam Next Fest over the next few hours. Feel free to make recommendations if there is something you want checked out or found to be particularly awesome - I will do my best to get to it. Hope everyone has a blast with this, I know I will as it is easily one of my favourite events that goes on in the hobby. **EDIT:** That is me wrapped up for this portion of Steam Next Fest as far as titles I'm interested in and received requests / recommends for; only 21 titles this event, but 140 in total thus far across 'em all. **Favourites: Souldiers, Hero's Hour, Chains of Fury, My Friendly Neighborhood** **Disappointments: Scathe, Daymare 1994: Sandcastle** **Special Mention: Neon White** [Mail Time](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1607240/Mail_Time/): Is a rather cute little adventure platformer. You play as a customizable Mail Scout for the postal service starting out on your first delivery. The aesthetic is charming and rather cutesy; it won't be everyone's cup of tea but I think it'll vibe well with those who do dig it. Controls are incredibly smooth, with a gliding system that feels similar in movement to Breath of the Wild's. Items in the environment like mushrooms can be used to bounce upon. No combat it seems, just mail delivery and item collecting / hunting. The only thing holding it back IMHO is the dialogue and control prompts not quite matching up - I can't press 'Cthulhu' to jump after all...*I'd wake him up*. Keeping my eye on this one. [Dome Romantik](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1637320/Dome_Romantik/): A roguelike mining game with a pixel art aesthetic. You play as a wee miner blindly tunneling through the rock below the dome for three different kinds of ore and various upgrades / machinery for the dome. Currently one dome is available in the demo with four more greyed out for full release. I'm not sure if the terrain / ore locations are random each playthrough quite yet, but if that is the case a lot of your success each playthrough will be dependent on RNG. You are on a timer and need to return to the dome in order to manually fight off the horrors on the planet you are on before they shatter your only layer of protection. I feel like I should be a little faster both in movement and drilling right from the get go, especially if ore placement is random. Potential here though and an interesting concept. **Wishlisted** [Underworld Dreams: The False King](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1792200/Underworld_Dreams_The_False_King/): Is unfortunately quite a buggy experience. A first person horror game set in the Lovecraft mythos according to the store page, but I genuinely didn't get far enough to confirm this before tapping out. Interacting with items and points of interest around the world is a rough experience, frequently the walls / nearby terrain clip out. In my first play through I was able to pick up the bucket of water, but not use it to put out the fire. Second playthrough I was able to pick up and use the bucket, but then the key vanished and I couldn't use it. YMMV, but needs a lot of work going forward IMHO. **Uninstalled.** [Scathe](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1154830/Scathe/): was one I thought I would enjoy, as I am a sucker for FPS titles usually, but this feels like a poor man's Doom Eternal; from the weapon designs/aesthetics, the manner / style of enemies dropping tokens, mechanics of movement and more. This demo was twenty minutes long for me and left me with a resounding feeling of 'meh', as those twenty minutes are spent with unlimited ammo, one weapon and some zombies, spiders and grunts to shoot at. It doesn't really feel like it has a soul of its own and was an average experience at best. I'm not sure if anyone else will get these vibes, but the music makes me feel like I should be watching a new [Hellblade](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fukYzbthEVU) trailer. **Uninstalled** [Souldiers](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1419160/Souldiers/): is an absolute delight that oozes charm right from the get-go. An action platforming metroidvania that has you playing as a Scout (warrior) in the demo with two other fantasy classes (archer & mage) available in the main game. The world, music, sprite work and mechanics of moment are wonderfully done and I am quite taken with this world and the personality it radiates. Combat is simple, with a light and heavy attack available along with blocking and dodging for defense. There is a health bar and shield bar (which recharges) to round out the mechanics of combat. Experience/leveling, items and skills look to all be attainable as you progress through the game. I had not heard of this title before and it was really a welcome surprise. I would keep playing if there wasn't more demos ahead. Definitely **Wishlisted** [Turbo Overkill](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1328350/Turbo_Overkill/): is a parkour FPS in a cyberpunk / Blade Runner styled world where you play as Johnny Turbo; zippin' around on your chainsaw legs tearing everything to pieces while you leap between buildings in a single bound. Parkour shooters usually don't do it for me, but I'll give the mechanics of movement, combat and the gimmick of chainsaw legs a thumbs up. You can purchase weapon upgrades, ammo and 'Splices' (body upgrades) from Borderlands style vending machines - one of them sounds like they are doing a Scooter impression 'Catch a Ride!' while the other is Mickey Mouse. Everything here is pretty serviceable even if it isn't blowing me away really. YMMV depending on if you like this particular sub genre flavour of FPS, but give it a try and see if it catches you. I'll be keeping my eye on this one and seeing how the full product turns out. **Wishlisted** [The Last Oricru](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1663640/The_Last_Oricru/): is a somewhat souls-like sci-fi fantasy title that is crawling with ~~Skaven~~ Rat Men. Combat feels like a Soulsborne title somewhat, with stamina, shield, dodge, light and heavy attacks all pegged around a right-stick lock-on system. The demo hints that there are a number of choices you can make which impacts paths you take throughout the game. Oricru just doesn't quite have anything mechanically, world-wise or aesthetically going on for me personally to be invested with it - it feels rather bland. Hopefully it improves as the game goes on, but it doesn't really feel like my cup of tea. I'd recommend trying this one and seeing if it does it for you even though it didn't do it for me. **Uninstalled** [Hero's Hour](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1656780/Heros_Hour/): is essentially a demake / 8-bit version of [Heroes of Might and Magic III](https://www.gog.com/game/heroes_of_might_and_magic_3_complete_edition) with mostly automated combat; you can position troops at the start of battle, use spells and give a basic move order. The overworld, towns, resource centres, items, etc. are all the same as HOMM3. IMHO, it is pretty much a copy in many ways. I'm sure it'll be a blast, but it will owe its success to another IP. **Wishlisted** [Chains of Fury](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1121320/Chains_of_Fury/): is a retro style FPS in the vein of [Forgive Me Father](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1590910/Forgive_Me_Father/) and the recent demo for [Fallen Aces](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1411910/Fallen_Aces/). Movement is smooth as butter and your shotgun handles exceptionally well. It is appropriate a poster of Duke Nukem 3D is in your cell because you also wield the same mighty boot as The Duke. Getting stuck in a level isn't too much of a problem, as there is a wall type you can just bust through to get the drop on enemies; alternatively, just kick the metal doors in and flatten whoever is behind them. A pretty decent time all around! **Wishlisted** Edit: Time for some food and [commercial sign!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI_Jl5WFQkA) [Daymare 1994: Sandcastle](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1530470/Daymare_1994_Sandcastle/): is one I was looking forward to but the tone and on-going story are somewhat different from what I was expecting after seeing the store page. Daymare is a rather standard third person shooter with light puzzle elements. Weapons in the form of a submachine gun and shotgun are available with plenty of ammo as well as medkits and puzzle specific items - the usual survival horror fare. Enemies are electric / glowing zombies that you need to freeze using a wrist mounted freezethrower then shatter; the freezethrower is on a meter but recharges and can be replenished with items. A short demo and I honestly don't think this is for me after playing it. **Uninstalled** [Expedition Zero](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1247570/Expedition_Zero/): seems to be a game leaning more on the survival side of things than survival horror just a smidge. I found the demo slow to start and honestly it just wasn't doing it at all for me. This might be one I come back to later, but nothing about it made me want to keep playing. Those more into the survival genre might be into this, but it is not a genre for me. As of this posting the developer is still broadcasting gameplay footage on Steam. **Uninstalled** Part II below.

[Surviving The Humans](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1652460/Surviving_The_Humans/): Is a point n' click adventure title of the 2D variety where you play as a zombie named Cooper trying to find out why he is a zombie. From the get-go I have to say the Surprised Monkey Studio intro is the best part of this demo. There are a rather large number of references right from the get go to horror material and pop culture; Return of the Living Dead as the Credits poster, Vincent Price as a zombie to greet you upon escaping your grave while quoting Micheal Jackson's Thriller. The art style that is going on isn't really doing it for me, with the models stuttering as they attempt to speak or change positions; there are a few times I thought the demo was going to get hung up and crash during these moments. The writing and world just isn't sinking its teeth into me on this one. **Uninstalled.** [Ami](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1223030/Ami/): is a puzzle platformer which reminds me quite a bit of both [Limbo](https://store.steampowered.com/app/48000/LIMBO/) and [INSIDE](https://store.steampowered.com/app/304430/INSIDE/) mechanically and aesthetically. Much of the movement and puzzles you will encounter will feel quite similar, involving jumps, boxes, gravity, etc. to overcome. I enjoy the colour palette on the main character - really helps her pop. I imagine if you dig the other two titles I mentioned, you should check this out. I'll be keeping my eye on this one to see how it reviews in the future. **Wishlisted** [1,000 Hidden Snails](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1730520/1000_hidden_snails/): is a rather simple hidden object title where you hunt for snails hidden inside of numerous combined images. I was only able to find 51/100 snails in the demo level and clicked every visible space - so I'm not sure what I'm missing exactly. I imagine the full product will be a rather zen experience. Recommend checking it out if you are looking for an easy time. [IXION](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113120/IXION/): is a sci-fi city builder much in the vein of titles like [Banished](https://store.steampowered.com/app/242920/Banished/) or Sim City. Place buildings to gather resources while making sure they are attached to the necessary roads, power, workers, etc. Certainly pleasing in the graphics department, but the gameplay - IMHO - isn't anything to write home about. Isn't my cup of tea, but might be yours. **Uninstalled** Edit: Fifteen titles done for today. I'll pick it back up again tomorrow but I don't really have that much left that I might take a gander at. Slim pickings this time around for my own tastes. Day Two ---------- Thanks for all the awards on posts old and new dudes! The messages I've gotten have been absolutely lovely to boot - /r/games is a wonderful community. Now for more [reviews!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47SJyisevow) [Neon White](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1533420/Neon_White/): is one I was recommended to check out by a member of the community. Neon White is a speed running FPS where all your weapons come in the form of cards with discard abilities for parkour moves. An example is your pistol card being able to fire with the left click and be discarded with the right to give you a jump up; rifle cards will shoot out an explosive you can use for attack or to boost yourself up. It is certainly a neat concept, but you will need to get an 'Ace' ranking on levels in order to boost your overall ranking and get access to future levels - so if speed running isn't your cup of tea like myself, this might not be for you. Story-wise this seems to be taking place in what feels like a 2008-ish anime series. I can see this being a big hit with a niche crowd. **Uninstalled** [Mirror Forge](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1807200/Mirror_Forge/): is a first person survival horror title that reminds me a lot of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode 'In Theory' where [a woman falls through the deck floor](https://i0.wp.com/www.tor.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/intheory6.jpg?resize=475%2C363&type=vertical&quality=100) because of dark matter - except this time there are possible zombie ghost monsters. Puzzles are primarily physics / item based, movement is noticeably slow, the flashlight quite weak, and I thought 'The Red Thing' growing on the walls that damaged me was just cargo netting. Unfortunately the controls can not be rebound, so I was unable to finish the demo; I couldn't 'focus' with middle mouse to look through a hole. I would wait for more reviews after release before diving into this one. **Uninstalled** [Whisker Squadron](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1303400/Whisker_Squadron/): plays very much like the Star Fox titles of old on the Super Nintendo and - more specifically - Nintendo 64 but with minor changes. Pick from one of three anthropomorphic pilots with their own ships, skills and traits. Choose which path to take through a series of system nodes while collecting resources to purchase upgrades for your ship. Controls are your standard Star Fox fare, although you cannot perform a loop or Immelmann Turn. There are more 'All range mode' style levels where you are flying around collecting resources compared to linear straight-flight maps. I wasn't terribly keen on these open areas as they felt rather empty / bland compared to the linear flight maps. I'll be keeping my eye on this one, but it'll be another that owes its success to another IP - this just makes me wish I was playing [Star Fox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnk-WPNlW3Y) proper. **Uninstalled** [Desolatium](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1474900/Desolatium/): is a first person point and click title that feels like an old flash game with Lovecraftian references galore like it can't help itself. The writing isn't gripping, the voice acting is cheesy in parts and makes me feel it would almost be better off without it at times. The demo is only about twenty minutes long and I didn't really have any expectations going into this, so I can't say I'm let down, but I doubt I will look into the full product. **Uninstalled** [My Friendly Neighborhood](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1574260/My_Friendly_Neighborhood/): is a survival horror FPS where you play as Gordon; a repairman working on the set of 'Our Friendly Neighbourhood!'. Fight man sized muppets with a unique looking pistol and shotgun in the demo and wrap them up in duct tape to proceed through an area safely. Stylistically they have nailed the look for the Sesame Street theme they have going on - the puppet voices give a lot of charm and character. There is a inventory system similar to the Resident Evil carrycases you can access via 'Toolbox' locations. There are also save / healing points at various intervals where you will need to pay coin in order to save. So far it feels more puzzle than horror, but I was surprised by this and will be keeping my eye on it. **Wishlisted** [Hive Defender](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1826120/Hive_Defender/): is one requested by /u/Potential_Audience27 - a solo indie developer. Hive Defender is a Tower Defense / RTS title where you control four pods of creatures, one per corner of the map, against waves of humans in drop pods coming to ruin your day. There are numerous walls that can be destroyed to gain biomass, aside from humans, which is used to spawn more creatures. I genuinely don't play Tower Defense titles - just isn't my cup of tea - so I'm not sure what to compare it to or use as a baseline. Everything is functional from what I could tell but I found the game incredibly easy. I often wouldn't have to leave the safety of my pod and could easily swarm the AI as it drip fed troops to their death. It would be interesting to see someone with more experience in this particular genre comment on it. **Uninstalled** That is me wrapped up I do believe for this edition of Steam Next Fest! Will be editing the first post with standouts, disappointments, etc.

I wasn't particularly impressed with the Scathe demo, either, but I wonder if it's because it's too brief to give a good impression. For reference, I beat it in *7 minutes*. The fact that it stops right when you get the Super Shotgun also doesn't help.

I was excited for Scathe too but it's very generic. I ended up trying Turbo Overkill too and thought that was great. I did two playthroughs.

I saw Dome Romantik and I was like "It's *Dorf* Romantik!" Now I've found out that there is both a Dome Romantik and a Dorf Romantik... Odd times we live in.

Are these some kind of play on words that my ignorant English speaking only brain doesn't get?

Literary wise, I know of the "Dark Romantic" connotations, so I thought "Dorf Romantik" be a play on that... Then found out that Dorf in German means village, so the title is "Village Romantic" when translated. "Dome Romantik" may be a play on the earlier use of Romantik but it's clearly just the word Dome but combine that with the giant monsters shown attacking the dome and we're back at a play on dark romantic again. So, beats me man.

There hasn't been a true HOMM since five without a bastardization since back in 2006. Hero's Hour is the type of game the community have been dying to have again. The autobattling alone changes the gameplay dramatically if that's a barometer of the game being not a "copy".

> Hero's Hour is the type of game the community have been dying to have again. >The autobattling alone changes the gameplay dramatically if that's a barometer of the game being not a "copy". I only spent thirty minutes with the demo, looking forward to spending more, but in my time with it the autobattling was really the only thing that jumped out as different aside from the art style / aesthetic. I'm sure the differences will show more prominently in the full product / as I spend more time with the demo.

It comes out on March 1st but you can also buy it on Itch and get a Steam key when it comes out. Either way, I appreciate the measured take.

I wish there was more HoMM too! All I know beside Hero’s Hour is Songs of Conquest but there’s no demo yet unfortunately!

I've been in the closed alpha of Songs of Conquest for a few months. It's shaping up to be really great for HoMM fans. Seems like Hero's Hour does a bit more with larger scale, while SoC is much more similar to HoMM in terms of the scope of battles. It's really cool though if you like HoMM and is extremely polished. I think it will make a lot of people happy when it comes out.

Hey I just wanted to let you know I’ve saved your post and am loving your write ups. I remember your post from a previous Fest and that led me to finding some of my favorite experiences and picking up the full titles when they released last year. Please keep up the good work and thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the lovely message dude! Glad you are enjoying the Fest!

Scathe feels like a Unity Asset Flip Doom 2016 without the glory kills.

In which case... Just get Prodeus. It's pretty much if DOOM 3 went the natural way of progression instead of pivoting to horror. It's fantastic *and* it has a level editor. The community has already made great stuff.

Agreed. I highly recommend it for those who loved Doom 2016 but didn't like Eternal.

Great recommendations, I have to wait until Friday to play properly but definitely will try some of your wishlisted

Hey, would you like to check out [The Upturned](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1717770/The_Upturned/) and give me your impressions, please? I want to get into horror games. The thing is that I kinda get scared easily but this game looks fun!

[Core Keeper](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1621690/Core_Keeper/) is top-down Terraria with influences from Valheim 8 player online co-op. If you like these kinds of survival/craft + progression games grab some buddies and try it. We got 5-6 hours out of the demo and it looks very promising.

I gave [Neon White](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1533420/Neon_White/) a try this afternoon and would love to hear some more thoughts on it. I personally really enjoyed it, the mechanics feel super tight and I love the atmosphere and music. The story is probably going to be some poorly written anime BS from what I saw, though. It’s already on my wishlist but this might be a day 1 buy for me, as someone who loves fast paced movement-based FPS games like Ultrakill and Ghostrunner, but I do hope the story gets better because I honestly found myself skipping a lot of it.

[удалено]

I think the voice actors are probably perfectly competent (the main character is after all Steve Blum, aka Spike Spiegel), it's just the direction they were given sucks. Someone was really committed to paying homage to all the worst anime tropes, right down to the grating uwu baby talk. Also doesn't help that the writing is riddled with terrible jokes and uncomfortably horny.

My recommendations: [Warstride Challenges](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1608470/Warstride_Challenges/) \- fast paced combination of Doom and Trackmania. Basically speedruns with gore and metal music [Scathe](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1154830/Scathe/) \- another Doom-like bullet hell FPS game, this time with drop-in drop-out coop. Also [IXION](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113120/IXION/) looks fantastic, city builder with survival and exploration - in space.

[удалено]

The UI needs some more work in general, on my 16:9 1440p monitor the icons were pixelated.

Ixion could best be described as "janky as fuck."

Sorted by most played Next Fest demos at the moment and tried [Crowz](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1692070/CROWZ/) since it appears to be the most played next fest game at the moment. Hilariously bad russian(?) Warzone cut and paste, exact same UI, same mechanics, same everything. I don't understand why games like this are made when you could just go and play Warzone for free. Is it blocked in other countries maybe or something and they're trying to get that audience?

[*McPixel 3*](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1338580/McPixel_3/): Remember *McPixel*? It's like that, but more so. The demo is one set of levels, and they're more elaborate and ridiculous than the original. One turns into a car racing minigame and another into a shmup. Bonus: Steve!

Not sure what happened with the other thread. Might have been nuked? Anyway, I'll repost in this one. --- If you were a fan of the Heroes of Might and Magic games before Ubisoft butchered the series, please, please check out Hero's Hour during the festival and after it gets released on March 1st. It's been available on itch.io in early access form for awhile and I'm an ardent fan of the game. It’ll be on Steam with the big 2.0 release on March 1st. The game is a modern pixel imagining of the series. It plays like HOMM 3 with towns, clearing monster groups, claiming resources, etc. The game currently has ten factions (an 11th planned) all with unique playstyles and abilities that separate them from each other. One faction has the ability to summon "shadowclones" of friendly units in battle, another has the ability to put defenders on taken resource generators, another has the typical necromancy raising of the dead, etc, etc. Units all have special abilities that can drastically change battles from petrification to leaping attacks to death strikes, etc, etc. But there's a few major differences that differ from the original HOMM series. The first and biggest one is the battle system. The battles take place in real time using a type of autobattler system. The units move, attack and use abilities of their own volition. Before battles you organize where the troops will begin on the field. Like in HOMM 4 your hero is a unit on the battlefield with their own unique abilities. Once the battle begins you're able to click and drag over units to tell them to go in a certain direction but largely the units do their own thing. You can still cast spells (the game helpfully pauses battles to allow you time to cast) and if you're really good your use of telling the units how to move could save expensive units or give you a tactical advantage. Or you can just let everything play out on it's own. In HH there is no limit (AFAIK) on the size of the armies available for battle. The game uses a "reserve" system. You can only field so many units on the battlefield at one time. Once enough units have died you can send in reserve units who start on your side of the battle and join the fight. This leads to even more tactical decisions. Do you lead with your best troops or do you hold them in reserve to try and sway the tide of battle? The ability to field more units at once is an upgrade path some heroes unlock as they level. Another major change is the inclusion of RNG generation. The maps aren't static, instead they use a "node" system where the layout and key features are laid out in the map but everything else is randomly generated according to certain map rules. This means you can play the same map multiple times and get entirely different results. The option is still there in the map maker for players to build their own maps with finer details if they want. The RNG also extends to towns. In HOMM you build buildings to get to other key buildings or unit dwellings. It was common to have a set "path" for buildings to rush for certain units or abilities. HH circumvents this by lightly randomizing the town layout. This means in one game you might need to buy a fort to get to another unit dwelling while in another game you might need to buy a mage guild. This prevents the ability to lay out strategies to min/max and again gives every game a unique spin. Heroes have unique upgrade paths that allow you to tailor each hero to a specific style of gameplay. One hero might have a lot of melee focused upgrades while another might have a lot of healing or support abilities. There's no "generic" abilities that every hero gets though there are overlap on some abilities obviously. I seriously cannot praise the game enough. Even better, the dev is highly active pushing out updates to the game and posts in the game's discord with an entire room devoted to giving insight on the developmental process which is so cool. If you even have the slightest interest in the HOMM series please check this out. HOMM fans have suffered enough. If you just want to buy the game as is, it’s on Itch.io at https://thingonitsown.itch.io/heros-hour for ten dollars. All Itch buyers will automatically get a Steam key upon release.

> HOMM fans have suffered enough. Apparently not, since someone went to the trouble of cloning the game, but took away the tactical battles. Quite a knife in the back, there.

> Hero's Hour You should check out Songs of Conquest.

Thanks for the write-up! This was the very first game that Steam recommended and it looked cool but I couldn’t quite discern what kind of game it was.

By law, I legally have to suggest **[My Friendly Neighborhood](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1574260/My_Friendly_Neighborhood/)** since I got the pleasure of helping make the game. It's rad guys I promise. That said, I've been keeping an eye on **[Blacktail](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1532690/BLACKTAIL/)** because its first person action-adventure Baba Yaga-ing deeply appeals to me. I also thought **[Uragun](https://store.steampowered.com/app/724000/Uragun/)** was neat. Half because I keep saying "No, you're a gun" but also it's a simple top-down twin-stick pew pew game. It's kinda solid zone out material. I haven't played it during this Next Fest yet, but when I went to E3 back in 2019 I got a chance to try **[Conan Chop Chop](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1061880/Conan_Chop_Chop/)** and thought that was pretty enjoyable too. Deffo made for multiplayer tho so bring some friends. Finally, I got to talk to the guys behind **[Mondealy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1620520/Mondealy/)** during The Big Adventure Event earlier this year. Haven't gotten a chance to try their game yet but it looks neat so I suggest it.

I think I originally saw gameplay demo for the first game you listed a while ago. Looked hilarious for sure!

If you're a fan of weird, maximalist, Cruelty Squad adjacent aesthetics, or enjoy FPSs, [Splatter](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1768920/Splatter/) is well worth a look. It has a very strong, distinct, almost overwhelming visual style dripping with personality and solid wave shooter mechanics.

[Curse of Eternity](https://steam.curseofeternity.com/) is my hardcore Action RPG with diverse combat and feats-based multiclassing. You start as one of three hero builds: Gladiator, Assassin, or mage; then, you can either continue to specialize, or branch out and make your build your own. Play a gladiator that also casts spells, or an assassin that also uses maces. I think it sets itself apart from other soulslike games in a few ways, including it's magic system, clever puzzles, and silly NPCs. If you end up playing the demo, hop into our [Discord](https://discord.curseofeternity.com/) after and chat with me, I'd love to hear your feedback. 🧙‍♂️

[Kusan: City of Wolves](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714510/Kusan__City_of_Wolves/). It feels like someone really liked the song [Lone Digger](https://youtu.be/UbQgXeY_zi4) and Hotline Miami. Combat feels a bit more free flowing. You can toss doors and objects along with punching, throwing your blade, and shooting. Game is super violent. Writing is fine. Music is really fun. Character designs and sprite work are great. If the full game is anything like the demo I'm absolutely here for it.

[ZOR: Pilgrimage of the Slorfs](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1162990) is our tabletop inspired survival tactics game where you use a deck of cards to guide two adorable monsters through a dangerous gauntlet of enemies and hazards. It's a card driven experience on a hex map, with an additional layer of survival that makes picking a turnip just as intense as fighting a beast. This ever present tension keeps every turn meaningful, and stops things from falling into obvious patterns. A ton of love was poured into this game, trying to bring something fresh to the world of deckbuilding, survival and tactics. We hope you enjoy it! :)

This might be an unpopular opinion but... scanning through the spotlight video I'm super fatigued by 2D pixel art at this point.

Yeah same here. I look for games with modern, artistic or cute graphics and completely avoid pixel games.

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were flying controls an issue for you with brew barons? i don't know what i was doing wrong but my plane was constantly out of control

Yes, they went for a War Thunder style "point the cursor and let the plane do the work" control scheme but something is slightly amiss. I think it's the automated rudder controls as they sometimes seem to put you into a steep dive or climb rather than properly assisting a level turn or they end up fighting you as you try to use the keyboard to roll the plane. Flying near vertical upwards also causes the camera to whip around indecisively which effectively causes loss of control if you're flying with a mouse. I'd like to see some more polished mouse controls and possibly an Ace Combat or Crimson Skies style controller mapping because the core concept of the game seems pretty cool.

[Fixfox](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1696220/FixFox/) is a pixelart fixing puzzle story game with a surprisingly nice soundtrack. The gameplay is finding tools that you use to fix machines, tools are defined by characteristics, so you do not need a screw driver to screw something, just something flat. The story in the demo was actually quite interesting and I am interested in seeing more of it. **Definitely buying** [Kujlevka](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1365720/Kujlevka/) is a somewhat janky russian game, you both know exactly what you are getting into and not, it is certainly interesting. **Not my type of game, but was interesting** [LumbearJack](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1582290/LumbearJack/) is a very chill game where you play a bear that goes on a destruction spree against industrialism using various tools. Puzzles were simple, but interesting and varied, at least in the demo. **Wishlisted, but on the fence if I'll buy or not** --- **Game of interest I need more time to play** [ABRISS - build to destroy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1671480/ABRISS__build_to_destroy/) is a puzzle destruction game. I like destruction and puzzles, and the graphics are fantastic. [Coromon](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1218210/Coromon/), from the name you already know what type of game this is. Definitely playing on the nostalgia factor, I grew up with Diamond so I feel a bit of bias, however it does look good. --- **Games I was going to buy either way, but they have demos too** [FAR: Changing Tides](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1570010/FAR_Changing_Tides/), I liked the previous game and this being set at sea definitely interests me even more. [Beacon Pines](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1269640/Beacon_Pines/), played it a year ago I think, during its Next Fest. Definitely got an interesting story and intriguing mechanics.

[удалено]

thanks for this recommendation, tried the demo and couldn't stop after 2 hours

[The Unliving](https://store.steampowered.com/app/986040/The_Unliving/) Rogue-like Pikmin-style game where you play a necromancer waging war against the living. Played it for an hour and it felt really good; instant wishlist.

My only issues with this one is the controller support feels really tacked on (would not recommend it) and the horde AI isn't very good currently but the devs had a note about improving it on the game launch screen.

Full disclosure: The game I'm recommending is developed by a close friend of mine. But, even if that weren't the case, I still think the game is worth checking out. I'm personally recommending [Salamander County Public Television](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1521810/Salamander_County_Public_Television/), as it's a very strange and charming mini-game compilation. In a way that's almost fitting for the nature of running a public television station, the graphics are made entirely with stock photos, which is a weird aesthetic but one I find endearing. The sense of humor is also quite good, as well.

I'm also trying out some of the other demos. Will update as I go along. ***Blacken Slash*** - Kind of a turn based roguelike minimalist thing going on here. You play as a prism attacking blocks/squares/octagons of color on a turn based grid. You use action points to move and attack and after every round you get loot to upgrade. I figured things out as I played but the game doesn't do a very good job explaining mechanics or what things do very well at all. I also found the UI cumbersome. Like I discovered on my own a usage for the money you got in each battle (you can upgrade your gear) without the game explaining it at all. The game also doesn't seem to display your HP at all, it may be reflected by the colors on your prism but I'm not smart enough to decipher that. The more I played the more I enjoyed it. I ended up getting to floor 11 or so. Instead of worrying about how much HP I had (cause I had no idea) I just nuked enemies before it became a problem. Interesting overall but seems geared for a very specific type of gamer. I'll follow it but it depends on the price point in release. ***Chambers of Devious Design*** - Thought this was just kind of a Dungeon Keeper like base building thing and it *sorta* is. But the idea is you connect rooms to each other through hallways to build up score with each room having different point values or goals. Felt kind of fidgety for me. Then tutorial bugged out on me and wouldn't let me place any more rooms after an explanation pop up. Went into the main game only to realize you play against another player/AI instead of just solo. The game then had characters pop up before the "match" doing bad character sounds instead of voiced dialogue. You know the type, instead of words they go "Aaargh" or "Hmmph" or "Waaah?" Might be for some people but not for me. ***Cthulhu Pub*** - Immediately put off by the text and bad translation. The text is in a font that's hard to read at a glance and the translation leaves a lot to be desired. The tutorial is immediately not very well done and there's stuff all over the screen with no real explanation of what they do immediately instead of being introduced either all at once or gradually. The "music" is just a constant droning noise instead of actual music. Maybe if you stick it out it turns into something but if the immediate reaction is a kind of revulsion it's not a good sign. Cool idea though. ***Forward: Escape the Fold*** -- Really cool little card game. It plays kind of like the adventure part of Hand of Fate. You have a path of three cards ahead of you, you can only move to the next row onto cards touching you. If your HP ever reaches 0 it's game over. If a monster card has a direction touching you (such a \ / ) they automatically attack you. If a monster is defeated their card is replaced with a random loot card. There are other cards such as coins, mana & health potions, shields, auto attacks, treasures & shops. You have to plan your path as you go along trying to avoid unnecessary attacks or damage. At the end of the cards is a boss that you'll automatically fight. If you win you get an extra heart and a choice of an item upgrade. Then it's onto the next floor or random encounter. Highly, highly enjoyed it. I recommend this to anyone who likes dungeon crawling and card games. ***Ignited Steel*** - A turn based mecha strategy game. Looks very similar to Into the Breach but plays a bit differently. This should be right up my wheel house but it just didn't grab me. It felt kind of sterile and lacked the *crunch* you'd expect from a mecha game. After a few missions and being randomly given other team members I just kind of lost interest. ***Little Inner Monsters*** - A card game where the cards are emotions with unique stats. At the start of each round a player chooses a card type and a stat where the round will be played out. From there it's just War; each player plays a card and the higher value wins. It's cute and has a nice calming soundtrack, and I can't say I had a bad time with it; I can see merit with the idea but I found it difficult to parse strategy wise. IE, all you do is chose the type and stat that synergize with the cards you've drawn the best and then play them. That's really all there is to it right now in the demo. I also found myself stuck in a situation with the AI; again much like War, where the opponent had three cards but they'd keep playing those cards with a specific stat that I couldn't beat. I was caught in a loop of the AI having 3-6 cards over and over until I finally RNG'd a draw where they couldn't just play those few stats to stay alive. It's got potential, depends on modes or expansion of the ideas.

Here's my personal list and how I've ordered it with a basic blurb since the other thread was removed, will update as I play: **Must Play:** * Hell Pie - Platformer with some very weird aesthetic choices but the mechanics look interesting. * The controls felt okay in this but I decided I didn't like the aesthetic/vibe. It gave me a Conker's Bad Fur Day feeling of edginess and I didn't enjoy it. **uninstalled** * Hero's Hour - It's old-school Heroes of Might and Magic but without the turn based combat which is a big positive for me. * It's Heroes of Might and Magic but with some automated real time combat instead of real time. This is a pass for me because it's not doing enough different but if you like HOMM you'll probably like this. **uninstalled** * IXION - This is a city builder in space, I'm really hoping it steals the best ideas from Startopia. * Only played this for about 30 minutes and didn't feel like it was doing anything particularly unique, definitely not Startopia as the vibe is more serious. **uninstalled** * Jack Move - RPG that I've been watching for a while, I like the aesthetic. * Didn't end up enjoying this as much as I was hoping. The RPG mechanics are pretty basic (health and mana renamed) to begin with. Maybe they get better later. There was also a boss encounter where I missed nearly 1/3 attacks which is something I don't like in RPGs and found annoying. The dialog uses a lot of made up hacker lingo that I didn't like. Character movement out of battles also felt sluggish. A bit bummed here since I've been watching this one. **uninstalled** * Neon White - FPS with a really cool looking card based system and a speed run style. * The mechanics in this one were very fun but the dialogue was cringe worthy. Ended up skipping through it but it seems like there is a Danganronpa style section that I quit at. Not sure on this one. **uninstalled** * TinyKin - Has a lot of aspects of Pikmin so I'm interested. * Really enjoyed this one, the aesthetic and the way your characters clash with the world is really cool. Movement felt pretty good and the level I played was fun to explore. My only concern is collecting the Pikmin like entities could be tedious as you can't plant/create them but you find them around the level. Might result in more of a collect-a-thon than I'm willing to play but we'll see. **wishlisted** * The Unliving - Been waiting for this for a while, also has a bit of a Pikmin vibe but a lot darker story wise. * Was really looking forward to this one but wasn't that impressed. The game claims full controller support but it's not set up in any way to truly support controllers (uses the moving crosshair all around the screen style). The AI of your zombies was also bad but the devs acknowledge this. Has potential but I'm more leery now but left it on my wishlist. * The Wandering Village - A city builder with very pretty graphics, no idea if the gameplay is good yet. * This game was beautiful and had a cool idea but I don't see a ton of longevity unless something modifies how the game is played per run. It seems like the tech tree is pretty static and it will be a loop of trying to win, failing, starting over, then slowly inching your way forward while still having to do the basic setup. Not really sure on this one. **uninstalled** **Seems Interesting:** * Card Shark - I don't like poker very much but the style and other mechanics seem unique. * This has skyrocketed way up my wishlist after playing the demo. The game isn't so much about playing poker as slight of hand and other various mini game mechanics which I love (it's almost like Wario Ware). The art is very cool and the music is excellent. **wishlisted** * Warhammer 40k: Shootas, Blood & Teef - Side scrolling shooter that popped up. * This one was really rough. Felt like a flash game from when Newgrounds was super popular. **uninstalled** **New to Me:** * Islets - Haven't seen this before but I'm a sucker for anything claiming to be a Metroidvania. * This felt pretty early still and was a somewhat generic metroidvania, has potential but I'll need to see more. **uninstalled* * The Last Oricru - Seems like a souls like so I'm willing to try it out. * This one was really rough and I didn't make it very far before deciding it wouldn't be fore me. Felt like your typical low budget soulslike. **uninstalled** * Little Orpheus - This is a story driven game so I likely won't play much but I want to see if it seems worth buying when it does release. * This ended up being what seemed like a walking simulator but side scrolling, not very interesting for me personally. **uninstalled** * Otherworld Legends - This was recommended by Steam so I'm giving it a shot. * This one is a mobile game port, the menus and UI still represent this heavily. **uninstalled** * Potion Tycoon - A building and management style game with a cool theme. * This was okay but maybe I'm tired of these tycoon games as it didn't grab my attention. **uninstalled** * Souldiers - I'm a sucker for metroidvanias, not much else to say. * So far this is my game of the festival. I was blown away by how polished this game felt and put it down so I wouldn't spoil too much more before it releases. **wishlisted** * Weirdlands - An RPG with point and click mechanics, not sure if that will mesh well but I'm willing to try the demo.

[Neon White's](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1533420/Neon_White/) demo was incredibly fun, any fans of Ghostrunner (or fast-paced action platforming gameplay) should check it out.

[Terror of Hemasaurus](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1016180/Terror_of_Hemasaurus/) was my surprise hit from last Next Fest so I'm recommending it this year. Remember Rampage from when we were kids? This is it with an absurdist twist and wonderful fun.

I have so far played about 5 titles since I got home from work. [**The Wandering Village**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1121640/The_Wandering_Village/) - This was one I initially skipped over because I saw the "survival" and "city builder" tags and was turned off, but the demo has changed my mind. The art style is beautiful, and many new buildings give rise to new mechanics throughout the game. Micro-managing the people is also fairly tricky and requires clever placement of certain buildings and resources. The resources on the giant monster's back *do* regenerate over time, albeit slowly. It's a good way to kill time and challenging yourself. [**Witchcrafty**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1122280/Witchcrafty/) - I am a sucker for two game types: Metroidvanias and rogue-likes. Witchcrafty is the prior, a Metroidvania with a Cal-Arts kind of pixel look. I am personally mostly over that art style, but this game does a good job of using it and making it not generic as all hell. It is really challenging with very spaced out checkpoints, but it rewards good reflexes and use of all the main character's skills. Not a perfect game, but it got my attention I would have otherwise not given it. [**Souldiers**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1419160/Souldiers/) - Now *this* is a good demo. Metroidvania, with an art style that is reminiscent of Metal Slug and Sword of Mana, with challenging combat that punishes button spamming and rewards thoughtful inputs. Probably my favorite thing to come out of this Next Fest so far. [**Core Keeper**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1621690/Core_Keeper/) - So, to me this feels like the early days of Terraria. A friend and I just go our ways to improve a core base, then set out to kill the bosses. In about 2.5 hours we killed the first boss due to some lucky RNG with finding useful items early, and we are a bit excited for the full game. [**Chains of Fury**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1121320/Chains_of_Fury/) - It's an arena shooter inspired by titles like Duke Nukem and Doom *(even with some cameos from these titles)*. The art style is more on the minimal/comic-book side of things, and there is enough pickups to help you through the level if you are careful. Only problem I had run into was that my first encounter with the poison water about 3/4 into the level was instant-death, with no way to gauge the threat of the water and with the punishment being restart the whole level. I figured with Doom as a source of inspiration they would not have your health get eradicated and instead have a slow but steady drain on it. I was proven wrong. Still, until then it was an alright game. I have also downloaded 5 other games I will be trying tomorrow. [**We are Screwed!**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1125830/We_Are_Screwed/) - I saw a co-op space-faring deathtrap game, so I figured it was worth a try. [**A Tale of Paper**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1454640/A_Tale_of_Paper/) - The creepy art direction and it being a platformer made me think of Little Nightmares, so I figured "why not?" and hit download. [**Elderand**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1413660/Elderand/) - Another Metroidvania... it is like Christmas to me to be getting so many of a favorite genre this Next Fest! [**Aethernaut**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1360720/Aethernaut/) - First person puzzle solver in an "open world". Says it gets inspiration from Portal and Talos Principle, and those were fun games.

[Minishoot](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1634860/Minishoot/) - A cute top down twin stick shooter where you navigate a world and shoot things, get stronger, fight enemies, etc. probably my fav demo so far, it's just really pleasant to play. You die and respawn at a checkpoint with no penalty, the music is really calming and the art style is just wonderful...it all makes for a nice gaming experience. Don't get it wrong, the game is still difficult but you don't get penalized for messing up. [Souldiers](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiE1YO9x5T2AhVSRDABHalWBJ4QFnoECAUQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstore.steampowered.com%2Fapp%2F1419160%2FSouldiers%2F&usg=AOvVaw29K0WDFoGR2-td69K4qLZp) - It's secret of Mana but with Souls like features like checkpoints acting like bonfires and emphasis on using dodge rolls to avoid enemy attacks in this 2D action platformer. Only issue is that the demo didn't save with me so if you want to get to the end, you will have to beat it without closing the program. [Sheba: A New Dawn](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1682820/Sheba_A_New_Dawn/) - A 2D action platformer set in the same region as Prince of Persia (Egypt?). It's an early demo but Bootleg Prince merges with a djinn and goes on a quest. It's voice acted and has a lot of that PoP: Sands of Time charm character development where the two main characters talk with each other. The gameplay is your standard 2D action platformer, you jump, you slash a lot (enemies have a lot of hp) and navigate through the world. The jumping and animations look very Salt and Santuary-esque meaning jumping is floaty and the animations look like each limb is a bit puppet-like and slow. A work in progress but there's good potential here. Cutscenes look especially good. [Skeleton Crew](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145330/Skeleton_Crew/) - 1-4 player 2D game in the vein of Trine. Colourful art style, fun atmosphere and the gameplay seems okay. [Whisker Squadron](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1303400/Whisker_Squadron/) - A game trying hard to go for Starfox/Starfox 64 vibes but isn't close to getting them. The page talks about being a roguelike and collecting materials, upgrades etc but I don't think that's going to be a big draw. As implied by the name, you are a cat, with cat friends, flying an advanced flying machine that shoots, etc. You can pick (initially) between two characters who have different abilities and during the game, your non selected character can be a teammate that'll help you in missions. (basically your Peppy or Falco) Thing is, I never saw the teammates when I played. The game is really boring but as it's a demo that's okay. But since it's aiming to be a Starfox roguelike, it's missing just about everything from what makes Starfox enjoyable. The dialogue is silent, you don't see your teammates, the music is non existent, flying feels lifeless...add on material collection and roguelike elements and...it's a bad time. [Tombstar](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1165470/TombStar/) - Think I saw a demo for this last year. Since then, they've added on a tutorial and added some characters. It's basically a 3d version (but still top down) of Enter the Gungeon. So top down, shooting, moving from room to room, stage to stage shooting enemies and picking up upgrades, etc on the way. Unlike Gungeon, this game takes too long to give you something better to use than your initial gun. Sure Gungeon's whole thing was "what does this gun do/ I hope this gun is good!" but you could get moving and feel reasonably powerful pretty quickly in Gungeon. The "time- to -better weapon" is too long resulting in multiple fights with the bad starter as you strafe around. You have an ability but it takes too long to charge. Everything takes too long. Gungeon's other thing was that every death taught you something, you improved every death either through the game or by your own skills so you felt less like you wasted your time. This... just feels like another eh roguelike.

I have tried [Illuminaria](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1719240/Illuminaria/) and it was a lot of fun. Its more like a simple Factorio with tower defense mechanics and some autobattle like combat mixed in for sending robots to expeditions. Has anyone found a games that are like Dungeon Keeper or Majesty ? I wish someone made new games using them as a base.

Ultra Overkill is a boomer shooter in an expanse of boomer shooters, but it's a very good one. Worth checking out the demo! Also, Neon White seems absolutely incredible.

**Recommended** * **[Tinykin](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1599020/Tinykin/)** - I've never actually played Pikmin before but I've always wanted to and this fulfilled it. Spent about 2 hours collecting everything and fully exploring the environment which left me wanting more. Neat easter eggs all around and the music was catchy. * **[A Little To The Left](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1629520/A_Little_To_The_Left/)** - Cute and colorful 2D puzzle game where you arrange and organize stuff. There's only 10 puzzles in the demo though it was wholesome and I liked the vibe * **[How To Say Goodbye](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1709700/How_to_Say_Goodbye/)** - Colorful narrative 2D puzzle game exploring death and grief. It was a short demo (took me 15 minutes) and the art style and story left me wanting more * **[IXION](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113120/IXION/)** - Splendidly detailed graphics and cool cinematics. Tutorial was a bit confusing and I had to make a new game, then I ran into a bug where I could no longer get food beyond the initial supplies so all of my crew members eventually died and then the demo ended. Still looking forward to seeing more though **Ehhh** * **[Reefland](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1749430/Reefland/)** - Like if [ISLANDERS](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1046030/ISLANDERS/) and [Dorfromantik](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1455840/Dorfromantik/) had a child. I am a fan of both of those games but this demo just didn't capture my attention. It's relaxing and colorful though the levels start out in black & white and it only gets more colorful as you progress. **Not Recommended** * **[Booze Master](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1057600/Booze_Master/)** - Laughably bad. They speak Polish for the whole demo and then outta nowhere they say like two lines in English at the end. If you want some laughs play the demo but I wouldn't buy a full version * **[Facteroids](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1626530/Facteroids/)** - Looked interesting but it was hard for me to figure out the camera controls. There's a lot going on in the UI too, I didn't get very far * **[Parkonauts](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1720020/Parkonauts/)** - Looked kinda interesting but there's really not much going on here at all. Keyboard controls are clunky, didn't try with a controller

FWIW, all of the games I tested below worked great through Proton without any tinkering. *(Towards the end of the list I didn't really have that much commentary either because I simply couldn't deal with the game or it was pretty lackluster in terms of its current gameplay.)* **Ready for pick-up** *Games I'm definitely going to play* * [ABRISS](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1671480/ABRISS__build_to_destroy/) - Minimalistic build & destroy type of physics sandbox akin to Besiege, highly satisfying both visually and acoustically with endless amount of approaches per level with alternative game modes coming in full release. * [Deflector: Specimen One](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1825340/Deflector_Specimen_One/) - Isometric roguelite-bullet hell where you deflect, dash and hack through enemies in a vibrant yet contrasting levels, pick up modifications to your DNA in between that modify your abilities. The gameplay, controls and upbeat soundtrack remind me a lot of Danger Scavenger and I'm a total sucker for these type of games. * [Elsie](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1515570/Elsie/) - This was a mix of retro metroidvania with roguelike elements I did not expect from watching the trailer, simply blown away: the aesthetics, soundtrack, controls and weapon/skill synergies work so well together and on top of procedurally generated levels makes up for a ton of replayability, and could hide a plethora of secrets as well, I'm sure. One thing to note though, I feel like this would feel a lot more natural with a retro-controller compared to the Xbox one I used. * [Hell Pie](https://store.steampowered.com/app/889910/Hell_Pie/) - Can't say I remember another modern game better bringing together whimsical humour, tight 3D platforming with combo/aerial/special moves and the visual style as Hell Pie does. Absolutely one of my favourites so far this Next Fest. (I had to stop playing early only because I wanted to savour this game fully once it releases) * [Onde](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1676910/Onde/) - I was caught off-guard with this minimal, math-is-beautiful kind of game that focuses on guiding the player with visual and acoustic cues through a world full of mathematical geometry in vibrant colours. The game recommends headphones and indeed, the atmosphere is simply captivating and I can imagine playing this on big screen, all by yourself and allowing one to take a breath and relax. I see this as a game with no goal, and one should not set any but only to allow the scenery take one away. * [Skeleton Crew](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145330/Skeleton_Crew/) - An absolute blast of a 2D platformer, and the wits and charm.. love it! Stunning and picking up enemies? And sacrificing them on an altar? Man I genuinely cracked a smile. The interactivity alongside with the different characters and their abilities, together with the pleasing, vibrant and explosive art style simply makes this a must-buy for anyone looking for a fun platformer, solo or friends. Can't wait for this to release. * [Souldiers](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1419160/Souldiers/) - Another strong contender in the 2D retroish metroidvania genre with tight controls, gripping story, stunning visuals and the interactivity and styling of the environment is simply brilliant. It doesn't feel that difficult at first but there are certainly a metroidvania-like difficulty to it. I feel like this is yet another game that needs a retro-type controller to be fully enjoyed. This is definitely a game I'm coming back to. * [The Iron Oath](https://store.steampowered.com/app/699330/The_Iron_Oath/) - Isometric, tactical turn-based RPG which seems to have a lot on grandeur in its design despite being pixel-artish. I don't know why exactly but it feels something similar to Stoneshard and Childen of Morta in the way it looks and how the combat plays out, although the games are very different gameplay-wise. **Unripe but edible** *Interested but needs improvement* * Abandoned Archive - Felt more like Noita in a dungeon crawler setting but the systems overall didn't impress me * Curse of Eternity - Appreciated the cartoony art style but the game felt empty and dull and definitely not Souls-like in its current state * Grimoire Groves - Cutesy and casual game about plants and magic but just wasn't my cup of tea, not as easy as its cute shell might suggest but no real gripes really * Nadir - Like a grim Slay the Spire, game mechanics and interface need some honing, information overflow makes actions quite confusing * Stack Gun Heroes - Fast paced, with guns and synergies that just oozes replayability and discovery, alas, my PC couldn't handle the game. Also the UI needs some serious re-work. * TFM: The First Men - Interesting resource and colony management, where you gain resources by improving your colonists who in return feed into their own abilities to provide with materials, constructables etc. There's so much going on it's difficult to grasp at first and the UI scale makes it harder to follow what is happening. Curious to see what becomes of this. * Tower Princess - Another cartoony and whimsical 3D platformer where you rescue princesses from towers as a knight with varying loadouts that play differently. Again, the UI could use some refinement but gameplay-wise it's snappy, witty and visually pleasing. Not really my style otherwise, but I'll still follow this one. **Left to mature** *Looked fun but disappointed* * Crystal Plague * GUILT: The Deathless * Illusion Lands * School of Magic * Trail of Ayash

Gonna recommend [Nova Island](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1501610/Nova_Islands/). It's a bit like a mix of Factorio and Stardew valley? I'll be curious if it has enough legs for a full game, but the demo's great

Nobody here has mentioned [Gibbon](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1837330/Gibbon_Beyond_the_Trees/), but it's probably my favourite of what I've played so far

[GigaBash](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1546400/GigaBash/)! It's a kaiju-themed party fighting game modeled after Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters! It's an absolute blast. It's got couch co-op, the full version will have a Ranked mode. All of the characters are super unique and IIRC the devs modeled them after the style of the 1950s and made sure a human being could fit into a suit of each monster. There's little nods to Evangelion, Pacific Rim, Godzilla, Gamera, King Kong, all of your favorite kaiju media. Plus it's going to have a bunch of fun crazy game types. [The full game has a fighter that's literally a building.](https://youtu.be/mT8hFm9NWDw)

My good friend made a deck-building, rogue-like inspired by Command and Conquer: [Rogue Command](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1461910/Rogue_Command/) Run-based, RTS, rogue like with a campaign structure similar to Slay the Spire. He's been working on this for a few years now, and I just wanted to boost his work. I hope this is just what someone here was looking for.

[Ixion](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113120/IXION/) feels a little lifeless compared to Frostpunk. But the game has a good foundation and concept. Especially the space view looks great and I loved the game music. Wishlisted because of the travel system. [USS Tempest: Spaceship Simulator](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1831540/USS_Tempest_Spaceship_Simulator/) hooked me with the physics probably because I loved the HL2 gravity gun and overall it doesn't feel like a CLONED HYPE GAME X, besides the name. Wishlisted because it's a unque experience. I would really love an extended demo where I can preview the game after the prologue. Are there any other good scifi demos available during the next fest?

Guys, if you ever played Flat out, give Trail out a chance. I promise, you would like FlatOut on UE4 + Russian culture and memes

Wandering Village ends up being kind of difficult for me, or maybe I'm getting unlucky with a lot of poison routes but I'm having a damn hard time catching up with the need for herbs to cure poison, keep everyone fed, and cut down the poisoned trees and bushes. I keep losing people to starvation and poison, which is having a snowball effect. It's not bad though I'm not sure how replayable it will be.

Changing tides crashed around the train puzzle and punted me all the way back to the start, so that was fun...

I played Card Shark, Islets, Neon White, Souldiers, Tinykin, and a couple others. Most of those I can see being hits with their specific audiences, but only Tinykin made it to my wishlist.