My Best of Steam Next Fest: June 2024
I played 15 demos and I can't wait to share.
Another Steam Next Fest is here! I combed through maybe dozens to hundreds of the nearly fifteen hundred demos on offer this year, and played 15 of them. Most demos in the Next Fest will disappear by the morning of June 17th, which is frustrating. At least this year I’m publishing in the first half of the event this time.
I AM YOUR BEAST (Strange Scaffold)
I AM YOUR BEAST is a completely unexpected breakout hit for me. Strange Scaffold is clearly one of the most prolific Indies in games: IAYB will be their eleventh release since their entry in 2020’s DreadX collection, according to Steam’s developer listings. Studio lead Xalavier Nelson Jr. (one of the coolest people in game dev) says it’s the company’s most successful prelaunch game yet.
It’s a speed running action revenge thriller that is very good. Do yourself a favor and play it, play it now, play it again until you beat every challenge the demo has to offer, and then maybe even play it some more to compete with the fastest times online. It’s an expressive first person shooter that delivers an awesome fantasy, and all I can think when playing it is it makes me into the killing machine from SUPERHOT while still keeping the action high octane the whole time.
As people have pointed out online, you can feel this game’s scope, shaved down and polished until it shines like a gemstone. It is exactly what it needs to be and nothing more, and that’s made obvious by its narrative carried by “tapes” made of only big action movie title cards and some downright stellar schlocky voice acting. When you go through the tutorial the game shows just how expressive the gameplay and characters can be, and it’s oh so good.
If the game gets a leaderboard to compare your times against your friends (and some cleaning up of the enemy bark system and level geometry) it’s going to be a sensation. In the mean time between now and its release on August 15th, you can satisfy any other kinds of cravings you might have with the rest of Strange Scaffold’s varied library, where there’s something for everyone.
Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)
Tactical Breach Wizards is still my most anticipated game, having enjoyed Tom Francis’ last two defenestration-focused endeavors, Gunpoint and Heat Signature. TBW continues to have hilarious writing, awesome character designs, and a stellar premise: what can you accomplish with a Navy Seer, a Freelance Storm Witch, a disgraced Necromancer, and a Riot Priest? The answer is mostly throwing people through windows. The game deftly walks the line between allowing the breach and clear cop fantasy while still keeping its characters as not cops who are actually likeable.
TBW’s pitch is completely opposite to other tactics legends (and some of Francis’ previous work) by almost completely removing the emergent narratives X-COM was famous for, in exchange for an immaculate tactics game with a gripping linear narrative that encourages you to find the perfect strategy, without any pressure. Wizards is tuned very well, and I’ve been looking forward to it for years. If you’ve ever been curious about tactic games, TBW is shaping up to be an excellent place to start on August 22nd.
Blue Prince (Dogubomb)
Blue Prince takes the tile laying exploration from Betrayal at House on the Hill and reimplements it into a single player puzzle adventure to discover the secrets of your great-uncle’s manor. Since the house resets whenever the day ends, you spend your time following specific leads as far as your wit and the random layout of the house will take you before your resources or opportunities run out.
It has a steady rhythm of pushing forwards to the end, and then hedging your bets and getting setup for your next run. The game even encourages you to keep a handwritten journal of your discoveries in the manor, that way passwords, clues, and the use of items doesn’t fall out of mind between runs and sessions of play. Any game that gets you thinking and keeping notes is fun in my book.
Blue Prince really feels like a classic adventure game as you’re always excited to see what’s behind the next door, but it maintains that pace with its run-based elements; even when you aren’t seeing something new, you’re still planning ahead and problem solving at every turn. I’m personally excited to pick it up and see everything the estate has to offer when it finally releases.
Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)
Tiny Glade is a gorgeous building game focused completely on discovering the interactions between what you place, and taking amazing tilt-shift photos of ruins, castles, villages, and gardens. There’s nothing I can say that can better sell the game than actual footage, so here you go.
You deserve to build a little old castle on a hill, or a friendly witches’ cottage, or some ruins that are a kid’s favorite place to play, sometime in Q3 2024.
Parcel Corps (Billy Goat Entertainment)
Parcel Corps is BMX successor to the likes of the old Jet Set Radio games, where you play as a stylish bike courier delivering packages across the city with speed and style. Bounce off of cars, grind rails, and wall ride to and from delivery locations with all the frenetic energy of a Crazy Taxi driver, using a unique control scheme that has serious potential for mastery. Plus the game looks great, and is full of cool and fun character designs.
The satire of the gig economy and the totalitarian police knocking down bike couriers is a little too exaggerated for my taste, but it’s got some funny jokes in-between sick stunt lines. What matters most is that riding the bike is fun, and I’ve got a good feeling it will be on September 3rd.
Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers (Purple Moss Collectors)
Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is a blackjack roguelike where you delve into mysterious tavern full of patrons who can’t help themselves. I’ll never forget the time I lost a run because the dealer pulled out a 21 of clubs on his very first draw, and my deck was completely unequipped to stop him. The card variety feels fun and frantic, and the little touches of character and narrative help separate D&DG from other games in the genre.
That being said, it is simply impossible not to compare this game to Balatro, which has rocked sales charts since its release this last February. I’m happy to say D&DG has its own charm, with a haggard, worn pixel art aesthetic, and it’s willing to push the envelope for what a single card can do. Where Balatro is a refined, magical video poker machine that is almost hypnotic in its execution, D&DG is a grungy, meatier rpg of a deckbuilder willing to step outside the box for a crunchy experience.
If you happen to have room in your life for not one but two roguelike deckbuilders, try out D&DG later this year.
The Alters (11 bit studios)
If the thought of playing out 2015’s The Martian on a more alien planet with a grungier sci-fi survival game sounds like all you’ve ever dreamed of, you should play The Alters demo while it’s still available, and go in as blind as possible. The focus on narrative production here is unmatched, especially outside the AAA video game space. 11 bit studios’ previous work, This War of Mine and Frostpunk 1 & 2, prove you’re in good hands here. I was rocked by how good this game looked, and what the implications of the demo were.
It’ll take some refining to get the gameplay gliding as smooth as some of their cutscenes, but The Alters promises a gripping, tense experience for any astronauts willing to rise to the challenge of survival when it comes out later this year. Maybe you’ll have your jaw drop just like mine did during the demo.
Other Demos I Played:
Glyphica: Typing Survival (aliasBlack)
A typing survival game where you upgrade your weapons to keep up with a horde of geometric enemies constantly pressing in. A good time, but I’m partial to typing games.
Mind Over Magnet (Game Maker’s Toolkit)
Mark Brown’s puzzle game that he’s been sharing developer updates on over at GMTK. It’s fun and well made, but I get frustrated with puzzle games very quickly. It’s especially fascinating to follow a game’s development from the start and then getting it in your hands.
Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age (Maximum Entertainment)
A 2v2 fighting game directly inspired by old arcade beat em’ ups. I haven’t gotten the chance to play much of it yet, but it’s definitely unique in the genre, and it feels like it has learned a lot from other great indie fighting games before it.
Thought Experiment Simulator (HoHo Game Studio)
A comedic point and click game prompting you to explore famous thought experiments across philosophical history. It also smuggles in some intro to the history of philosophy before each level which is very cool. Cute, if a little tedious.
Goblin Cleanup (Crisalu Games)
A cleaning game about restoring a dark lord’s dungeons after the latest crop of adventurers have come through. It’s a neat multiplayer race against the clock, but cleaning games tend not to be my cup of tea.
Metal Slug Tactics (Leikir Studio)
I don’t have any emotional attachment to Metal Slug, but I’ve always admired its gorgeous pixel art. It’s got some fun systems, namely chaining attacks together by positioning your units just right so they all combo together as much as possible. If you want to play this, you already knew off the title alone.
Supermoves (Makea Games)
Supermoves is a parkour racing game with multiplayer events going up to 40 players. It’s like Fall Guys with less focus on physics based antics. It’s a little janky, but it’s launching with a level editor and the option to share tracks online.
DEATHGRIP (Reclaim Interactive)
It’s pod racing, with weapons and a host of customizable upgrades. It’s got a ways to go till it really sings, but if you miss the N64 game, this might be what you’re looking for.