Steam Next Fest Deserves to be Two Weeks Long
I managed to play 33 demos during the festivities - here are some to keep an eye on
Shoutout to all the developers who drop their Steam Next Fest demos early or keep them up for an extended period once the event ends. As the event gets bigger with every iteration, you guys are the real ones. Steam: make the event longer!
Another Steam Next Fest has come and gone, leaving another exceptional crop of demos in its wake. It was much more difficult to pick a top group here than it was in February, which I thought was easily the hardest thing I’d done (video game-wise) in some time.
The Vigilante Diaries // Twitter/X @OutBlueGames // Steam
The Big Brother-esque American Arcadia was one of my favorite games of last year, so I had high expectations as I loaded up The Vigilante Diaries. It didn’t disappoint.
What I love about this studio is that they don’t have a formula. Call of the Sea and American Arcadia were two vastly different games in terms of storytelling and gameplay, and both were exceptional. They leaned into the diary aspect of The Vigilante Diaries, creating a riveting drama that takes place all in the pages of a notebook. The voice-over work is fantastic, and the art is perfect for what they’ve created. I love that you’re not a hero in this one, but through your diary, you decide what lines you’ll cross and how far you’ll go to achieve your ends.
Pyrene // Twitter/X @TwoTinyDice // Steam
File this one under ‘games I didn’t think I would like but ended up loving.’ This is a roguelike deckbuilder with a lot of charm, based on Basque mythology. That aspect made me overlook the card aspect - that mythology isn’t something I’ve seen in a game and I wanted to give it a fair shake. To my relief, the gameplay was straightforward, runs were varied, and I loved the visuals throughout, from the environments to the cards themselves. This was also one of the first games I played on my Steam Deck that utilized the trackpad, and it surprisingly felt good to play.
Closer the Distance // Twitter/X @OsmoticStudios // Steam
Game that stunned me the most goes to Closer the Distance. I should have known that the minds behind Orwell could make a game like this, but I was stunned nonetheless. I really hope this game finds a home for fans of Life is Strange, as the central themes of community, friendship, love, grief, and finding closure are similar between the two. I liked how the perspective shifted from person to person in the town of Yesterby, but overall was held together by Angela, the girl whose death is the catalyst for the game. This promises to be a very unique experience, and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the full release. (Sometime this year.)
Midnight Ramen // Twitter/X @CointinueGames // Steam
I had no idea this was going to be in the vein of Coffee Talk and Tavern Talk when I downloaded it. In the demo, you play as Homura, a plucky apprentice at a ramen stall that’s only open late at night. You not only take orders and feed your hungry customers, but you help them deal with issues in their lives, from a toxic work environment to making life choices. (I need this place in my life.) There’s a bit of mystery and mysticism to it, especially when your boss tells patrons that they don’t need an address for the stall, that they can find it if they think about it hard enough. (Not to mention it’s really fun making all the tasty-looking food!)
Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers // Twitter/X @MossCollectors // Steam
After being the last person to jump on the Balatro bandwagon, I wasn’t going to miss this one. (It’s Balatro Blackjack, really.) Most of my D&D characters have a bit of a reckless bent to them, and I feel like this establishment would be right up their alley. It’s Blackjack with a twist; some cards can come into play and change card values, make it so you have to ante to 22 instead of 21, and a whole bunch more things I haven’t discovered yet. The game needs polish and balancing, but has big potential.
Blue Prince: Wild puzzle game. You’ve come to claim an inheritance, but the house is generated by the rooms you draw (choose) and you can run out of doors. I kept coming back for more.
Preserve: A cozy nature game where you create the world around you, with different biomes and ecosystems. So calm and relaxing, not to mention the visuals were gorgeous.
Prickle: Sometimes, you need a fun puzzle game in your life, even if it got a little maddening at times. (As good puzzle games do.) The hand-drawn visuals and background (you’re a father hedgehog trying to round up your kids), were really fun and made me smile.
The Quiet Things: This one is heavy, but it’s honest. (Full disclosure: the game contains discussion of self-harm, suicide, sexual assault/non-consensual sex, and childhood abuse.) As someone who self-harmed as a teen and dealt with a less-than-ideal family life, I immediately related to Alice and what she went through during the short demo. The story takes place through her diary pages, as well as interacting with objects in her environment. You, or someone you know, is Alice.
Selfloss: Was a little hard seeing some of the text on my Steam Deck (extremely small), but this offered major Arise: A Simple Story feelings. It has gorgeous art, a great soundtrack, and minimalistic gameplay that lets you focus on the world around you.
Tricky Madness: All my SSX homies out there, we’re back! I loved this. All the vibes were there. It took a few runs for me to feel comfortable using the controller scheme they had laid out, but 100% would recommend trying it out.