Okay, it’s that time of year. We are already in the second month of 2024, and the Steam Next Fest in February 2024 has come and gone. I planned to limit the number of demos I looked at. I resolved to do so many demos every day, a mix of live streams and gameplay footage, and before I realized it, I’d covered 50 demos. So I decided to share my impressions of each demo I played. Because there are 50 demos, I’ll attempt to keep them to at least a small passage per game. Also, to avoid one long article, I am splitting it into seven articles. So, let us continue our adventure through the 50 demos I played during Steam Next Fest.
| STEAM NEXT FEST DAY 6: FEBRUARY 10, 2024 |
| Game Name |  |
| Developer | orangutan matter |
| Publisher | orangutan matter |
| Genre | Puzzle Platformer |
| Release Date | Mar 27, 2024 |
| Platform | PC |
When all seems hopeless, a kid is roused by the whispering of the last leaf and transported into an imagined world. Unleaving immerses the player in a narrative-driven puzzle platformer, with each task taking place within a hand-painted setting that explores perception and meaning.
I was initially pulled in by Unleaving’s stunning art style, and I was much more captivated when I discovered that it was hand-drawn. However, when I first started playing the game, I discovered several flaws with the controls. You are supposed to be able to play with either a controller or a keyboard, but the controller did not work during the demonstration. Now, I’m not sure if it didn’t function since I was using a Dual Shock, but I am aware that not all games are programmed for Dual Shock. So it would be wonderful if developers considered other controllers as well. Because of this, I was forced to play with a keyboard, which I found challenging.
I hope the controls can be figured out because the game seems fantastic, and I would really like to play Unleaving again because it is very beautiful and, if you can get into it, has a pretty good story.
| Game Name |  |
| Developer | Paul Hart, Lee Williams, and Akupara Games |
| Publisher | Akupara Games |
| Genre | Typing Dungeon Crawler |
| Release Date | 2024 |
| Platform | PC |
In Cryptmaster, you can say almost anything in this strange dungeon adventure where words rule everything. Fill in the blanks with text or speech to discover forgotten abilities, complete bizarre quests, and participate in surprising mini-games. Use your words to conquer the crypt and unleash an entirely new type of “spell casting!”
Initially, Cryptmaster was not on my radar for games, but when one of my other demos fell through and I was looking for games, Cryptmaster popped up, and when I realized it was a typing game, I knew I had to download it and test it. You don’t see many typing games, therefore, every time one appears in my presence, I feel compelled to play it.
Although I am not a big fan of dungeon crawlers, I decided to test Cryptmaster because it was a typing game. However, as I started playing the game, I realized that if other dungeon crawlers were like this, I would play them more often. I like how they balanced out the typing and dungeon-crawling components of the game. You can regain the powers of the party members by playing mini-games. The game also provides a warning at the start, and for science, I didn’t want to heed it, but my boyfriend persuaded me not to test it.
If you are brave enough to disregard the warning at the beginning, please let me know what happens. If you’re interested about the warning, download the Cryptmaster demo and give it a shot for yourself; the game is a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it.
| Game Name |  |
| Developer | La Moutarde |
| Publisher | Dear Villagers |
| Genre | Turn-Based Adventure |
| Release Date | Spring 2024 |
| Platform | PC |
In Terra Memoria, a scarcity of magical crystals and the unexpected awakening of ancient robots send six new friends on an extraordinary journey around Terra, a cozy and wonderful environment that merges 3D and pixel art.
When I cover games at Steam Next Fest, I always try to include at least one RPG title. For this Steam Next Fest, I came across the game Terra Memoria, and based on the art design and gameplay, I decided to try the sample. I was initially impressed by the art style, but once the game started, I was a little upset by how slowly Moshang moved, and I will admit that the portion with the barricade baffled me until I realized it was more due to user error. When Syl appeared in the game and the game told me how to make my character run, I became more interested and invested in the game.
I enjoy how the game deviates from the traditional RPG style of play. For example, when Alto [a bard] joins the party, he is not a party member but rather a supporting character who attaches himself to a random character at the start of the combat. Overall, I found the tale engaging and the gameplay enjoyable, and it was difficult for me to quit playing the game.
I’m looking forward to Terra Memoria’s release since I enjoyed what I got to play of it, and if you’re into RPGs, I recommend testing it out and adding it to your wishlist.
| Game Name |  |
| Developer | KORO.GAMES |
| Publisher | KORO.GAMES |
| Genre | Tactical Turn-Based Roguelite |
| Release Date | 2024 |
| Platform | PC macOS |
Necro King is a turn-based tactical roguelite in pixel art style. You play as a Master of Necromancy. Build your sculls deck, raise skeletons and other scum to defeat settlements desecrated by life…
Although Necro-King is classified as a tactical roguelite, I prefer to call it an auto-battler deckbuilding roguelite game. In the game, you play as the Necro King and must raise your armies to fight throughout the land to reach the castle. Unlike other roguelite/roguelike games, the world is in a grid shape rather than a linear map that allows you to view everything. When you navigate this map, it expands as you go since it is blacked out until you reach a specific tile, which then opens up the tiles around it.
I enjoy how you can explore the map freely, which makes it unique. I’ll even admit that the gameplay was fun. I did manage to get to a mini-boss, and it could have been my fault for going to the boss area too soon, but the difficulty increased substantially with the fight, and by the time I figured out a plan, I was already overtaking, but I still enjoyed the game a lot.
If you’re looking for a unique roguelite deckbuilder game, I definitely recommend Necroking and if the demo is no longer available, be sure to wishlist it.
| Game Name |  |
| Developer | Whatnot Games |
| Publisher | Whatnot Games |
| Genre | Racing |
| Release Date | Coming Soon |
| Platform | PC macOS |
Soar over concrete and space in Star Racer, a retro-infused combat racer. Drift through dangerous pavement, defy gravity and glide through the stars, and crush the competitors with all means required!
So the graphics of Star Racer reminded me of F-ZERO, and since I enjoy racing games, I was quite thrilled to play it. The demo allows you to play with four distinct characters. I tried the single race option but was a little confused because it’s not your typical racing game. I didn’t know I was losing energy and didn’t finish my single race, so I chose to try Death Race.
Death Race was entertaining once I remembered that the goal is to blow up and destroy the other cars in order to win. So I drove around the track for about 2-3 minutes before it occurred to me. Once I realized what the goal of Death Race was, I began destroying the other cars. I had to experiment with the controls to figure out what the capsules did because they weren’t on the control list. They are shots or shields that can be activated by hitting R1 or R2. After nearly ten minutes, I completed the Death Race.
For me, I’d like to have more weapon options when it comes to destroying other cars in Death Race. It felt a tad repetitious after a time. In the single race, it was not demonstrated that you could use anything to bump cars, but drivers did use their shields to bump me. So adding that to the controls overlay in the corner would be very useful. Also, I never found anything to recharge my energy in the single-race mode, so it would be great if the tracks offered that as well. Overall, it’s a terrific start for the game, and with a few adjustments, I believe Star Racer has the potential to be a great racing game.
| Game Name |  OR  |
| Developer | Etherlight, Oatmello |
| Publisher | Etherlight |
| Genre | Dungeon Crawler Roguelite |
| Release Date | To Be Announced |
| Platform | PC macOS |
Dreamsweeper is a Roguelike combining Dungeon Crawler and Minesweeper mechanics, as well as a unique lo-fi acoustic experience.
When I noticed Dreamsweeper on my X (Twitter) feed and saw that it had a Kickstarter, I decided to try the demo. Dreamsweeper surprised me pleasantly. The 90’s child in me was thrilled to see that they had taken minesweeper and added new components to it. Growing up, I had no idea how to play Minesweeper, but now that I’m an adult, I understand better. I enjoy how the game doesn’t simply focus on Minesweeper. There are mini-games to combat the baddies in the game, which reminded me of Dance Dance Revolution, and now I can’t help but wonder if I am telling my age.
I like the game; however, I believe it would be interesting if the goods you acquire for leveling up were more varied. If some of them could be interactive. It doesn’t have to be a full-fledged interaction; for example, if you acquire the game system for your room, it would be good to be able to interact with it and have it display a game on the screen, perhaps even as an idle animation or something. Overall, I like the game and recommend giving it a try. If you like it, please support it on Kickstarter, which had 15 days left at the time of writing.
