The Next Era of Game Makers
Steam Next Fest 2024
The future of the games industry is up for debate, but that does not mean it will stop any time soon. Nothing could highlight this better than some of the incredible game demos I played during this year's Steam Next Fest.
Whether you're looking for this year's next big indy hit, a brain-bending puzzle game, or a relaxing farming simulator, they are all here, and all show promise with innovative new titles in the industry.
You have a couple of days left to give these a shot, and the weekend is now. Here are some of the standout demos I played this year. - Remember to add them to your wishlist if they captured you as they did me.
Mullet Mad Jack
This game is a first-person 80s-style time attack roguelike. The visual language is crazy and vibrant with those Miami Vice colorways. The gimmick of the game and the story all play into each other. This game is pure, unadulterated dopamine, violence, and an unrelenting countdown to your death after 10 seconds. It's extreme fun, but understanding what’s happening is difficult. Weirdly, though, that also feels like the point, and it makes you want more.
Children of the Sun
This game is a sniper puzzle game. A pretty interesting concept of revenge through sniping enemies by “bouncing” a bullet through targets to clear levels. A creative and atmospheric game that is dark and spooky. I imagine that this one would definitely scratch the itch of people who like creative solutions in games as you work to stalk your prey.
Lightyear Frontier
Lightyear Frontier is top tier! This a charming little farming game similar to games like Stardew Valley. The catch here is that instead of using your hands to chop trees and water plants, you use a massive mech. The game does a great job of showing off the weight and power of your mech while still giving you some reasons to hop out and run on foot for a bit. I’m looking forward to playing this with some friends when it comes out!
Star Trucker
Grab your HAM radio and turn to on your favorite 60s Country hits for this one. If you like Eurotruck Simulator, you will definitely love this one. You play a red-blooded American trucker whose semi-truck can travel the stars in this relaxing space-hauling game. Definitely give it a look.
Emberward
In this tower defense game, you both gain upgrades over the course of your playtime, just like any other roguelike game of recent years, but you also get to build your own maze of blocks for the enemies using tetrominoes of various shapes to slow the enemies down.
The game is a joy to play, and the towers provide excellent variety as you build up your defenses against hoards of enemies.
Helskate
This game combines the gameplay of Hawk Pro Skater and the fighting of a roguelike-like Hades. This game brings that classic late 90s, early 2000s skate gameplay with tricks that alter your gameplay and make you think while you pull off sick moves. Really excited to play the full version of this game.
Stellar Initiative
A charming 2d roguelike tower defense game where there is a major delay between paying for a tower or a wall and it actually landing on the field. It creates an interesting play pattern where to play effectively, you really have to take into account the timing of your towers. I think that this one could definitely satisfy a tower defense itch if you're looking for something to fill that void.
Toree Saturn
3D sonic-like platforming speedrun game. I really enjoyed the simple mechanics of this game that would lend itself to becoming a game that you could spend a lot of time mastering. The graphics are a bit too cutesy for my personal taste, but I didn't find it offputting and personally enjoyed the change of pace!
Maniac
This game is a spiritual successor to the older top-down perspective Grand Theft Auto games. Mayhem is the name of the game, and this game provides it in spades. If you like games that take tips from an older style of game but iterate on them to create newer experiences, this is a great place to start.
Kitchen Crisis
Often, I think that the tower defense genre can't be iterated upon further, but Kitchen Crisis does it excellently. Here is a cooking tower defense game - instead of creating a maze for the monsters, you create a maze for your kitchen workers to help increase cooking efficiency, a totally interesting twist on a classic formula. It makes for a great time.
Antipaint
Fun roguelike where you play as a paintbrush fighting against various enemies that represent colors. You play atop various canvases and when you lose, you get to see the canvases that you painted over the course of the game. This definitely is a charming entry to check out!
Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers
It's interesting that a roguelike blackjack game cropped up right around the same time that another game (Balatro) popped up for poker. People love gambling. It strikes an itch that sometimes you can't scratch elsewhere. You can do it risk-free here for a couple of bucks and with interesting twists that make beating your opponent in blackjack more interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops!
Entropy Survivors
A vampire survivor-like game that has a lot of goofy upgrades and weapons. I enjoyed the short time I played as the dopamine hit that this style of game is known for was just as strong here. Definitely give this demo a try if you've enjoyed a Vampire Survivor-esque game before. I think this game is definitely promising
Diceomancer
One of the most innovative deck builders I have played in recent memory. At first, this game strikes you as a charming game with fun hand-drawn art, a normal deck-building system, and a classic energy system for taking turns. Then, it takes a sharp turn as the main mechanic of the game gets shown off, and you realize what you're playing is something else entirely.
What's shown off is the ability to "reroll" quite literally any number you see on the screen.
CivIdle
I personally love Idle games. Watching numbers go up on a screen is definitely an enjoyable experience. What I enjoy about this game, in particular, is that it scratches the itch of that "one more turn" type game like Civilization while also holding on to a bit of the mechanical depth that type of game promises. I'm looking forward to seeing what the full release of this game gives.
Backpack Battles
This game appeared in my year-in-review for last year. I continue to love the complexity of the options available in this autobattler. The goal here is to fill up your character's backpack with various items that activate automatically in hopes of defeating your opponent. You look to get stronger each round. I find that there are a ton of great options in terms of creative pathways to victory here. Definitely give this a look if you like games like Teamfight Tactics.
Rotwood
Rotwood reminds me of a mix of Castle Crashers, split-screen co-op games from the early days of Xbox, and the more recent game, Cult of the Lamb. I found that partying up with a couple of my friends to venture through dungeons and fight enemies was a ton of fun. The combat here has surprising depth for a game like this, and the powerups and weapons provide a good amount of variety between each run. The developers here have a good history with their past games, and it's clear that they are flexing their knowledge of game design to make for a good time. Definitely give this one a look with some buds.
Synergy
A fun city builder about migrating from a post-apocalyptic planet to a new planet where the water is toxic and the landscape is barren. Your goal is to manage your people to help them adapt to the landscape and make a city fit for living. It follows that you work to live sustainability in the wasteland you exist in, studying the environment around you and how best to utilize it. The art style is charming and unique, the tiny people in your town are full of character, and the mechanics are easily understood. I think this is promising to be a great entry into the city management genre.
Pacific Drive
Now, I would be lying if I said I actually played this demo. I have not. But of all games shown off this week this is one that I am the most excited for. I avoided the demo to keep the game fresh when I get to play it in full in a couple of weeks, but that doesn't mean you should.
This game is about a man and his car and the brain-bending adventure you get taken on as you drive through the scenic woods of the Pacific Northwest. Though I believe you get pulled through a scary eldritch portal first. This means you encounter strange otherworldly things that try to halt your progress as you try and escape this "upside down" dimension you are trapped in. I am very excited about this game, and you should check it out if it even catches your attention.
Special Mentions - Games still to try
I tried a lot of demos this week. The above list is just the ones I really liked and wanted to share. But there are hundreds of them, and I want to try more! Some other demos I am very excited to try out are as follows:
\#BLUD - A charming Saturday cartoon-style game where the main character is obsessed with social media, and you are taken on a whirlwind adventure to solve a strange mystery in your town.
Cryptmaster - A typing game with an interesting art style that isn't necessarily about speed but more so about what you type.
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami - A clicking game where you play a hardened duck detective trying to solve crimes in your town. The voice acting and humor definitely seem like highlights here.
The Land Beneath Us - A turn-based strategy game with an interesting art style and a lot of mechanical depth. Not much to share beyond that, but it definitely caught my eye.
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU - This is a Metroidvania-style game set in Africa. I love this genre of game and the story (which is an homage to the creator's father) seems powerful here. I'm excited to give this one a look.
These games get me excited for the future and the rest of the year! Give some of these demos to try and let me know what you think! And sign up below to hear more from me in the future.