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Not that I’ve ever tried to hide the fact, but I love Steam Next Fest.
It’s the perfect opportunity to get a small glimpse, and even a small taste, of games just over the horizon’s edge that perhaps don’t get that AAA spotlight on them. Without hyperbole, my personal Game of the Year has tended to begin its marketing run with a feature during Steam Next Fest.
In fact, Dispatch played a big part in the mid-year crop from last year.
And with a couple of games that I’m salivating at the thought of, including the likes of Replaced and Zero Parades, the spiritual follow-up to Disco Elysium, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this year’s Game of the Year emerges from this list like the sleeper agent it is to shoot down Grand Theft Auto VI against seemingly insurmountable odds.
Here’s a small helping of the games that caught my attention during February’s Steam Next Fest, along with the links to their playable demos, if applicable.
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies
From the creators of Disco Elysium – The Final Cut comes ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies – an espionage RPG. You’re a brilliant but tormented operant on one final desperate assignment. Gather your broken network, untangle a web of lies, and prove yourself on the world stage – or blow it all up again.
Click here to check out the demo.
Wild Blue Skies
Wild Blue Skies reimagines the classic on-rail adventures of the ’90s. Join Bowie Stray and the Blue Bombers as they soar through the skies on a mission to save the world in this action-packed, nostalgic journey!
Click here to check out the demo.
The Eternal Life of Goldman
In this breathtaking platformer adventure, explore a vast hand-drawn Archipelago, inspired by ancient fables and depicted in classic frame-by-frame animation, and defeat a mysterious Deity.
Click here to check out the demo.
Replaced
Expose the sinister secrets of Phoenix Corporation as R.E.A.C.H., an AI trapped in a human body. Set in an alternate 1980s America scarred by nuclear catastrophe, navigate a dark cyberpunk thriller in this narrative-driven 2.5D platformer blending cinematic exploration with fluid, free-flow action.
Click here to check out the demo.
Vampire Crawlers
Deal world-ending combos and blitz through infested dungeons! Vampire Crawlers: the turbo wildcard from Vampire Survivors is a casual, turn?based deckbuilder with roguelite elements. Master the Turboturn™ with your own hand of cards!
Click here to check out the demo.
Pro Jank Footy
Pro Jank Footy is an over-the-top arcade comedy-sports game. Score goals to unleash game-changing power-ups, build a deck of absurd abilities, and tackle a season where no two matches are ever the same—solo or with your mates.
Click here to check out the demo.
Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf
As greed and power divide the tribes of their home planet, Lana and her little companion, Mui, must stand together against the forces reshaping their world – struggling not just for survival, but for the soul of their home.
Click here to check out the demo.
Echo Generation 2
Embark on a sci-fi deckbuilding RPG odyssey. Gather your crew, craft powerful decks, and battle across the stars to find your way home. Deal the cards. Defy the cosmos. Embrace the adventure.
Click here to check out the demo.
ADMNOR
A puzzle-roguelite where you sort a bizarre variety of items, from a coin-sized black hole to a giant inflatable duck. It doesn’t need your brain to overthink, this ritual demands pure intuition. Embrace the absurdity. It simply wants to be ordered.
Click here to check out the demo.
Shutter Story
Examine a family’s photo album to reveal signs of the paranormal, as the horror unfolds in the house around you. Their fate is in your hands.
Click here to check out the demo.
Birdwatching Notebook
Build cozy birdwatching spots on balconies, docks, cliffs, rainforests, or deserts, and wait for lovely birds to visit. A gentle desktop idle game—like tiny postcards on your screen, where beautiful scenes and cute birds accompany your quiet moments.
Click here to check out the demo.
Soda-Powered Penguin
Control a soda-propelled penguin in this fast-paced precision platformer!
Click here to check out the demo.
Thank You For Your Application
Thank you for your application. After 15 rounds of interviews, you do not match our requirements for the position. You are transferred as a Junior Interviewer to review the candidate’s resume according to the company’s requirements and send appropriate thanks letters.
Click here to check out the demo.
Minos
Minos is a maze-building roguelite where you, the fabled Minotaur, must defend your sanctuary from bloodthirsty adventurers. Design and re-design deadly labyrinths, set traps, and turn every brave fool into your next victim.
Click here to check out the demo.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War
Lock and load into the Starship Troopers universe and join the Mobile Infantry in the most realistic depiction of war ever made! Experience an original story in this action-packed, first-person retro shooter. Would you like to know more?
Click here to check out the demo.
Coffee Talk Tokyo
Coffee Talk Tokyo is the newest instalment of the beloved coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator. It brings the warmth, heart, and delicious drinks from the previous games to an all-new café in Tokyo where humans and yokai alike share their stories.
Click here to check out the demo.
Buenos Aires Mirror Line
Carefully observe your surroundings and come back to your reality by finding what doesn’t fit. If something’s wrong, take the bus back from across the street. A game situated in the haze of Buenos Aires.
Click here to check out the demo.
Subjectivation
Subjectivation is a first-person horror adventure game set in a snow-covered town frozen in time. Solve puzzles, manage your body heat, and defend yourself from the warped inhabitants of the frostbitten city. Explore the town’s past – and shape its future with your actions.
Click here to check out the demo.
I’m Making A Monster
Click here to check out the demo.
Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts
Make and share the most beautiful and bizarre medieval art imaginable! Manage and grow your manuscript workshop by illustrating manuscripts, using friendly tools, and a massive range of drag-and-drop artworks from the deepest reaches of history. Welcome to your very own Scriptorium!
