If you haven’t already noticed, the latest Steam ‘Next Fest’ has started and will run through to 12 February giving PC players a huge number of demos and trials to play for upcoming games. There are hundreds of games to try out, from cute and cosy simulators to the next horror that will scare your pants off.
We’ve gone through lots of the ‘Next Fest’ game trials to bring you some picks of the litter, the ones you should absolutely make time for before they disappear. Remember, you can help support these games by not only playing the demo but also adding those you enjoy to your wishlist.
Pacific Drive
This supernatural adventure does enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, but its gameplay is a bit left-field what with it being a survival game focused on driving. This means keeping your car fit for purpose via upgrades and improvements while exploring the ‘Olympic Exclusion Zone’ and steering clear of dangers. With a surprising amount of depth, Pacific Drive is one of those games that scratches an itch you didn’t know you had, plus it has a killer soundtrack.
INDIKA
Alternate Russia is our setting for INDIKA, a survival horror game that sees a nun setting off on a journey of discovery with the devil in tow. It’s an unsettling one that gave me the creeps several times while playing. What really stands out the most is the backdrop of Russia which makes you feel somewhat isolated, like something is just behind your shoulder, throughout the demo. The balance between theologies is an interesting concept and this mirror of good and evil always delivers.
Balatro
As someone obsessed with deck-builders, Balatro is looking like my next fix, and if you’re the same as me, you have to give this a go. Balatro uses Poker as its base and from here expands the game beyond anything you’ve ever seen before, creating illegal hands and silly combos. It being a roguelike means there will be endless replayability - I’ve played through the demo a lot - and you’ll always find something new due to the Joker cards and the way they alter the game with certain effects.
Star Trucker
Do you want to play a truck simulator but find Earth a bit mundane? Star Trucker is taking cargo hauling to outer space and allowing players to travel through galaxies while making deliveries. Just the truck customisation is worth the time here - you can’t beat adding thrusters to a truck cab - and beyond that is this weird mix of simulator and off-the-wall design that just does everything right. Trekking through space to then drop off goods and spend hard-earned money on some new decals is sheer brilliance. Perhaps 2024 is all about vehicles in odd situations or backdrops?
Crypt Custodian
If you can move on past the adorable cat main character, which is cute enough to stop you in your tracks, you will find a charming MetroidVania built from gorgeous paintery art. Who wouldn’t want to play the game from this elevator pitch of “Cat is sent to the afterlife to become a janitor”? The combat is so smooth and the same can be said for the various moments of platforming which don’t just exist on a horizontal plane as with some MetroidVanias, but move with much more verticality. Aside from Hollow Knight, has there been a game as gorgeous as Crypt Custodian in this genre?
Coffee Caravan
I played this for far too long given it’s another stab at the ‘cooking sim’ genre. Coffee Caravan is, on the surface, incredibly cute, but underneath is a sometimes brutal cooling game that borrows elements from genres you wouldn’t expect. The gameplay is familiar - prepare ingredients and make an order, in this case coffee - but outside of that you’re given a roguelike board to move across that serves up tougher customers, upgrades to your caravan, extra recipes, and ingredients. It’s equal parts chill and engaging.
Pepper Grinder
This might be my favourite demo of them all. Pepper Grinder is utterly engaging and captivating. It’s a 2D platformer where movement plays out fluidly by using a honking great drill to dig through substrate and dash about the area. It’s almost balletic in how you plow into the ground at speed to burst back out and soar through the air. Everything screen brings large amounts of happiness as you collect items, defeat enemies and explore just by having the zoomies. There’s some standard platforming here too, which is equally great, but oh my, just give me the drill.
Hauntii
Some games can pull you in just from a visual. Hauntii is so pretty, any screenshot could be a print for your wall. Areas in this twin-stick shooter are displayed in monochrome, often using black quite heavily and utilising a single colour to convey emotion. It’s perhaps the most beautiful game in ‘Next Fest’ this time around and the game underneath it all is dreamlike. Hauntii is “A beguiling adventure in which you uncover the secrets of an expansive and mysterious world.” The action is tight, with the shooting feeling like it has heft and power.
Southfield
Our central character here is very sweet - a big blue creature that echoes the comfiness of Disney’s Baymax. Southfield is capitalising on the physics-based chaos we’ve seen so much over the past few years, giving players a character who feels like a drunken toddler. The idea is to establish a farm of ‘chaotic crops’ using ‘playful machinery’. It’s laughably ludicrous as I stagger to a tree that needs chopping down, waving an axe around before the trunk falls haphazardly to the ground. It’s weird, it’s charming, and it can be played with friends which will bring even more laughs than a solo playthrough.
Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip
Surprise! We’re back to another game about cars! This time we’re launching one into space. Well, Terry is, at least. It’s his dream. This game seemingly has it all; a bonkers story, a cast of unique characters, a densely-packed open-world, and brilliant vehicular movement. Terry can just about do it all in the world of ‘Sprankelwater’ and it’s all with the goal of taking his beloved car to places unseen. I fell in love with the characters here along with the bold designs of everything from the buildings to Terry himself. An extraordinary adventure awaits.
Featured Image Credit: Raw Fury, ValvaTopics: Steam, PC, Free Games