June’s Steam Next Fest is Under Way
As if the weekend of showcases wasn’t enough, Steam’s June Next Fest just kicked off. Next Fest is a week-long event on Steam where developers release a free demo of their game. This means that there are suddenly tons of exciting new demos for indie games I’ve had on my wishlist for months that I might only have a week to check out. Fortunately, a lot of demos will stick around after the fest ends, so there might not be that much pressure. But I still want to highlight some demos that I’m looking forward to checking out sometime before June 17th, when the fest ends.
I will try to keep a focus on games that I didn’t get to try at Summer Game Fest or The Guerilla Collective Showcase because I plan to write about those separately. Here are some of the demos I’ll be doing my best to check out over the next few days.
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Developer: Microbird Games / Publisher: Curve Games / Steam Page
I missed my chance to get into the closed beta for this action-adventure fantasy RPG, and I don’t plan on missing a chance to try the demo now. The cel-shaded art style immediately catches my eye and the fantasy world looks like it will be fun to explore. Dungeons of Hinterberg has announced a release date for next month, so it will be great to know if this is one worth keeping on my radar.
Wild Bastards
Developer: Blue Manchu / Publisher: Maximum Entertainment / Steam Page
Excuse the language, but this rogue-like strategy FPS has everything I look for in a shooter. A cast of strange characters with powerful abilities, and a vibrant and colorful world to explore. It looks like a great game to jump into quickly and have some fun.
Wizard of Legend 2
Developer: Dead Mage / Publisher: Humble Games / Steam Page
While this demo is only single-player, Wizard of Legend 2 plans to be a four-player co-op action roguelike. Exploring different biomes and casting powerful magic looks fun, but ultimately, I need to know if this will be a fun game to jump on with some friends when it eventually releases.
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus
Developer: Squid Shock Studios, Christopher Stair, Trevor Youngquist / Publisher: Humble Games / Steam Page
The Japanese aesthetic and fox-like protagonist is what initially drew me to Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus. The intense action and gorgeous world to explore might be what keeps me around. The Steam page also has it tagged as “souls-like” but hopefully I’m up for the challenge.
Sea Chronicles
Developer: Madi Abdykarimov / Publisher: Bomi Games / Steam Page
This strange comedy game takes place on a boat. The game is mostly black and white, save for a few talking sea creatures and a few objects. I don’t know what to expect from this one, but still curious to see what the demo has in store.
Aerial_Knight’s We Never Yield
Developer: Aerial_Knight, BetaJester / Publisher: Headup / Steam Page
I actually ran into Aerial_Knight, the developer of this game, while in LA for Summer Game Fest. He told me about his game, We Never Yield, and I had to check it out. This fast-paced action adventure stars two brothers (meaning it can optionally be experienced co-op), who are returning to their lost kingdom. Aerial_Knight’s We Never Yield has a release date set for next month, so now’s the perfect time to try the demo and see if it’s for you.
The Crush House
Developer: Nerial / Publisher: Devolver Digital / Steam Page
The Crush House is a game where you film and produce a reality TV show. Select a cast of characters, keep the audience happy, and uncover sinister secrets at the heart of it all. Ultimately, I have to know how this game works because I’ve never heard of anything like it.
Constance
Developer: btf Games / Publisher: btf Games / Steam Page
This 2D metroidvania caught my eye thanks to its use of color and paint. The protagonist, Constance, wields a giant paintbrush which she uses to defeat enemies, but also to bring some color to dreary parts of the world. I’m very curious to see what kinds of puzzles and abilities this game taps into.
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Here’s another quick list of some games I’m planning to check out (and recommend you do too), but have also had the chance to try elsewhere already (either at Summer Game Fest or elsewhere). I already had plans to write about these games so expect those impressions soon! In the meantime, they have free demos for you to try.
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure
Fallen Aces - already wrote about this one here!
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Thanks for reading! Are there any other games you plan to try during this Next Fest? I’m always excited to hear about cool new indie games, so feel free to leave me a comment below!