10 Steam Next Fest Demos You Have to Try – June 2023 Edition

The best of the fest .

Believe it or not , Steam Next Festevents are great for finding a short ton of new games to throw on your wishlist . If it were n’t for the event , I would ’ve never heard ofSevered Steel , a game that is the literal definition of gun - fu . The hardest part of these case is undoubtedly the fact that there are hundreds of demo that you have to sift through . That ’s why I ’ve done the heavy lifting for you . Over the past few days , I ’ve played 75 different demos , enjoyed roughly half of them , and narrow it down to 10 demonstration that I recall merit the spotlight as the best Steam Next Fest offerings . Here they are !

Loddlenaut

This small indie gem first appeared at a late Wholesome Direct and , after a round of funding through Kickstarter , in the end released a demo!Loddlenautsees you make for as a niggling spaceman who ’s amount across a immense subaqueous planet , only that planet is full of all sorts of debris and pollutant left to damage the local brute . Thankfully , you ’ve make out fit with the tools to fix that . Using your trusty prick , you ’ll suck up leftover bottles and six - pack band , while destruct any Georgia home boy plough this once lifeless ocean bed into a life - filled ecosystem . I knew I ’d love this secret plan ’s chill vibes the second I saw it , let alone the cute “ loddles ” you could feed and make happy along the direction , and it sure did n’t let down .

Viewfinder

Were you a fan of the perspective puzzlerSuperliminal ? Did you findThe Witnessa cool biz , though far too ostentatious ? Well , Viewfinderputs a unique twist on the former while correcting the mistakes of the latter to bring a new perspective to portraits . As you play , you ’ll take photo of the environment while using those pic and twisting them to appear as part of the plot existence , allowing you to track unreached areas and progression . All of this is underscore by an interesting look into dream and ambition worlds . Like the two games cite before , Viewfinderseems to be the next big puzzler a circumstances of people will be talking about , as will I.

World’s Worst Handyman

earth ’s bad Handymansees you playact as the medium Joe , working at the local fauna shelter before it come under financial laying waste . gratefully , your skills ( or lack thereof ) in being a proud Handyman can arrive to apply . Taking odd business as they make out up , you ’ll beat the infernal region out of clotted bathroom with plungers , slip keys of your client when they are n’t front , and only get caught about twelve clock time in auniquely airheaded take on the stealth literary genre . There are even cute volaille , and who does n’t love cute chickens ?

Sea of Stars

Fans of authoritative RPGs likeChrono Triggerare going to require to keep a close-fitting optic onSea of Stars . This new RPG from the creators of The Messenger land that classical gameplay into the spotlight with a new story , modernized automobile mechanic , beautiful visuals , and fluid animations . I rarely dabble in number - ground RPGs , yet I ca n’t aid but finger the charm ofSea of Starswill quick have me drowning in its beauty .

Echo Point Nova

It ’s peculiar I mentionedSevered Steelearlier , as the developer ’s next gameEcho Point Novais part of this variant of Steam Next Fest . Similar to that secret plan , your goal is to move around as rapidly as potential , shoot as many enemy as you could , and ride a goddamn hoverboard . Yes , a first - person shooter with a hoverboard . Leaning less on boring - motion decision - devising and more on destroying massive waves of foes , Echo Point Novais a fantastic feeling FPS for you and your friends . Be sure to try dev MattWLA ’s other game while you ’re at it , even if it does n’t have carbon monoxide gas - op .

El Paso, Elsewhere

afford the popularity of theMax Paynegames , it ’s shocking so few game have essay to replicate its style ( let alone well ) . Thankfully , El Paso , Elsewhereseems to be continue that with some very standardised shootout , only leading much further into its dire dream episode . I was shocked to see such gravid writing too . This is one of the few demos on this list where I contain early as to not break the full experience for myself , so Ihighly indicate dive in yourself . Or dive backward , either work .

Laika: Aged Through Blood

confessedly I think this plot might interest me a little without earn a spot on this list , though it was a very welcome surprisal . Laika : AgedThrough Bloodsees you play as a mother coyote whose kin shine under flack by a hostile bird clan , igniting a war for vengeance to take back what ’s been lost . All of this , with a lone throttle and a bicycle . Thanks to some refreshful mechanics and great wasteland vibes , Laika : Aged Through Bloodstands as an adventure where its demo is merely revving up for what to gestate . Even if you do n’t play it , check out the excellent independent theme .

Cataclismo

One of the ground I have n’t play many biz likeCataclismoin late eld is due to that unvarying focus to amend the lives of your citizen with only a small portion of time put toward actual combat . Cataclismo flips it on its head , putting agency more centering into building defense and constructing a small USA to defend your home , and rebuild civilisation . There ’s effort put into tactical yellowish brown , payoff for positioning forces based on their force , and a lot more . Coming from the team behindMoonlighterand publisher Humble Games , Cataclismois a game you ’ll need to keep a keen eye on .

Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles

Astrea : Six - Sided Oraclesholds a singular place on this leaning of being the one game here that was paint a picture to me through Twitter , have alone by the developer . Given my apprehension towards game centered around dice after my experience with the drastically overratedDicey keep , I would ’ve likely dodged it otherwise . Through heavy surprise by me though , it was one of my favourite of the fest . It manages to keep its focus on the “ six - sided ” aspect with dice but holds enough scheme elements in there that the haphazardness of it all never feels like it take too salient a role . The simplicity of the artistic creation and the peach of it all arethe cerise on top .

En Garde

WhileEn Gardesells itself on its satirical nature and the fatuity of its characters ( trust me , there ’s mountain of that ) , where En Garde sincerely shines is in its fluid , unmanageable , and rewarding fighting . As the main character Adalia , you ’ll be doing everything from simple jabs , to clean counter , to even complain box at enemy . The sandbox of the game causes it to glitter , deform seemingly unacceptable odds into a dance of blades sheerly through acquisition . It had so many way it could ’ve fail , butEn Gardestands tall as a sharp , witty , and white fence hero . Related : How to Play the Lies of P DemoIf you have time for more than 10 demos , here are a few more games that did n’t quite make the cut but are still well worth your time :

While we ’re on the subject of demos , check outour thinking on the demo for Lies of atomic number 15 , a soulslike that nurse a coloured motif in the good of ways .

Steam Next Fest