The most awaited time of the year is finally here. Steam Next Fest is finally live and brings with it hundreds of upcoming game demos to try and save for. Amidst all the developers competing for the top spot, some titles have really stood out and it’s time to give them the limelight. So with that, here are the best Steam Next Fest demos that got our fancy and ones you must try.
1. Void Sols
Even though soulslike isn’t my favorite or even my second favorite cup of tea, Void Sols was one of the first Steam Next Fest demos that really impressed me. Based on a simple top-down formula, the game puts you in the shape of an imprisoned arrow.
Well, that is until it is freed and given a sword to cut its way through them all. Void Sols focuses on basic shapes at its core and has you attack, dodge, gather souls, and obviously die repeatedly as you battle through its various levels. Give this different type of soulslike a swipe.
2. RevenBlade
While it may not have as high graphics as its AAA counterparts, Revenblade is a Steam Next Fest hero shooter on offer that gets up close and personal. This third-person experience offers a variety of heroes to choose from in either Sandbox or Bot match mode.
Each hero comes with its own unique abilities that focus more on close-range swiping rather than ranged combat. Despite the fact I found the map mostly linear, it was an amazing time playing Marcus and his Knockback Shell shot.
3. Blood Peace
Besides a few bugs and frame drops that I really can’t blame a demo for, Blood Peace proved to be a trippy and satisfying Steam Next Fest demo. Opening comically enough, the game is a nice cybernetic mashup of satisfying action combined with some intense parkour and a side of abilities. The game’s different biomes are as weird as the premise and ended up giving me a gameplay loop I’ll remember long after. Try this dungeon crawler and see how you fare.
4. Keep Driving
Who knew even driving could be turned into a micromanagement RPG experience? Enter Keep Driving, a Next Fest demo that aims to do just that. Focused on life on the open road, the game hands a procedurally generated pixel art world onto you and have you drive around to get to a festival.
Along the way, however, lie hitchhikers to pick up, inventory to manage, combat to engage in, and of course points on a map to plot. While the graphics might not be everyone’s cup of tea, most people will find solace in this peaceful yet intense game.
5. Delta Force
The world might have forgotten Delta Force but we, well, let’s be honest. Nobody forgot about this game. Featuring a comeback worthy of applause, Delta Force is an immersive tactical FPS focused on extreme chaos and teamwork.
Covering warfare across various combat zones, Delta Force has an assortment of weapons and vehicles to choose from along with an armament customization system. The Next Fest Demo comes back with various gameplay modes that are bound to satiate even the most action-hungry gamer out there.
6. Kletka
I never thought I would be playing a Steam Next Fest demo about an elevator eating me but here we are. Kletlka is one such old-style co-op horror game wherein a literal elevator is trying to eat you alive.
As such, you scramble through different floors while keeping this hungry elevator in check and feed it as you descend deeper into the darkness below. Even though the art style might seem old school, the eerie atmosphere more than makes up for it all.
7. Permafrost
Who doesn’t love a postapocalyptic scenario right? While Permafrost may remind you of Frostpunk, it spins its own take by making the game a pure survival simulator. Spread out into an unforgiving world, Permafrost had me fighting for my very life as I battled through the harsh cold while managing my hunger and HP.
While beautiful, the dense yet cold world was tough to manage and the game was made doubly interesting by its resource management and structure building. While not as good as the best survival games, Permafrost is one Steam Next Fest demo to try.
8. Watch Out For Goblins!
I have sunk hours upon hours into Humans Fall Flat and its ragdoll physics. So imagine my happiness when I came across Watch Out For Goblins! and its goofy goblin action. Based on the same ragdoll physics but improved this Steam Next Fest demo is the perfect time to spend with friends as you manhandle your fellow goblins, throw them onto structures, or just fly from one platform to another. While of course not as serious as some of the games above, it’s still a worthy one to try.
And these are the best Steam Next Fest demos you should try right now. Got even more recommendations for us? Drop them in the comments below!
