This year’s first Steam Next Fest has a fantastic selection of indie games. I’ve played several demos, and I’m here to highlight my top favorites. Demos that left a big impression on me. Do yourself a favor and check these games out as soon as you can.
Hypogea
by Charlie Wagner
This is an atmospheric, no-dialogue game about a robot who finds himself in an abandoned place alongside other robots. It’s an exploration platformer that feels straight out of the Playstation 2 era. This demo was short, but everything here, from its presentation to gameplay mechanics, was well polished.
It also featured a narrative told through short, non-dialogue video recordings of dead robots. These bits and pieces were evocative and engaging. It’s become one of the games I’m looking forward to most.
Nubby’s Number Factory
by MogDogBlog Productions
An odd game about adding numbers. But I promise there’s no difficult math involved. You basically have to shoot a ball named Nubby towards numbered balls. To pass each stage, you must hit enough balls to hit a numbered total. If you don’t, the sun will explode. It’s a simple, high-score-based game.
The game also has roguelike elements to make each playthrough different. Passive and active items to help make collecting numbers easier. It has this lovingly old-school PC flash game, edutainment style, and soundtrack, which I vibe with.
I look forward to playing the whole game and doing my best to prevent the sun from exploding.
Check out Nubby’s Number Factory on Steam.
Labyrinth of the Demon King
by J. R. Hudepohl
This game is not for the faint of heart. It demands you to play within its terms. Be methodical and correctly time attacks and blocks. Its combat is weighty and visceral, but punishing as well. You also have to properly manage your stamina to get through each fight. Limited healing items hearken back to old-school survival horror games. A foreboding, dark map creates a claustrophobic experience.
All that wrapped around a gritty, grimy, low poly style. This game made it curious to see more. This one is one to keep an eye on, it feels very promising.
Check out Labyrinth of the Demon King on Steam.
Twisted Tower
by Atmos Games, LLC
As far as first-person shooters go, this one stuck out to me the most. This game feels very much inspired by Bioshock if it took place in some twisted amusement park. It features a rich atmosphere and offers plenty of campy horror vibes. Its gameplay is more focused on combat instead of narrative.
But the bits of narrative here are interesting, and the combat is fun. Some randomized, hand-crafted locations promise to make each playthrough feel different. It’s ambitious, and hopefully, the whole game will be a winner. This one left me entertained and eager to see more.
Check out Twisted Tower on Steam.
Demon Tides
by Fabraz
As someone who grew up playing 3D platformers, I know that it can be a tricky genre to nail. Movement has to feel good, and level design has to be fun to traverse. Thankfully, Demon Tides is an inspired, fun game that nails these core aspects of a 3D platformer. Platforming feels smooth, with plenty of fun mechanics to experiment with and master.
Its demo had an ambitiously sizable map with plenty of bite-sized locations to explore. I also liked its colorful art style, matching its fun characters.
Looking forward to playing the full game when it releases.