Steam Next Fest is a weeklong event full of developer live streams and playable demos of hundreds of upcoming games. Now is a great time to hop in and get an early look at some promising upcoming titles and even add a few to your Steam wishlist. Here are 5 game demos we had a lot of fun playing and will be keeping an eye out for in the future.
Ultros
Ultros is a 2D Metroidvania that has a distinctive art style that appears to emulate what a video game engine that’s tripping on acid might look like. It’s vibrant, it’s weird, it’s sci-fi in all the right ways. It has a focus on melee combat and from the few unlockable abilities in the demo including dropkicks and enemy juggling, it seems like you will be able to pull off some satisfying moves during combat. The best part is we don’t have to wait long because Ultros is actually launching on February 13th. Metroid fans should definitely keep this on their radar.
Pepper Grinder
I’m a self-professed Devolver Digital stan, and Pepper Grinder is one of the publishers upcoming releases. Pepper Grinder is a drill-based platformer where the titular Pepper uses a handy drill to burrow underground and fly through the air collecting treasure and dodging deadly obstacles. Everything in this demo feels satisfying from the sounds of collected treasure to the speed and control you have when using the drill. The game has a retro feel from its amazing pixel-art visuals to its stage based layout. There are secrets to discover, interesting puzzles to solve, and overall the demo is a fun time. This one looks like yet another Devolver banger.
Children of the Sun
Continuing with the Devolver fan train, there is a demo for the recently announced Children of the Sun. This one may be best described as a puzzle-sniping game, you have to take out a bunch of creepy golden cultists with a single shot fired from a rifle. What makes it interesting is that you are able to control the trajectory of the bullet between each target. Figuring out where to position your character and how to chain your bullet to each target is where the puzzle-solving elements come into play. Children of the Sun is shaping up to be a unique experience and definitely one to keep an eye on.
Mullet Mad Jack
Mullet Mad Jack is a rogue-like first-person shooter that’s over the top in nearly every way. You play as Jack, a person that’s been looped into a dystopian livestream game where he must save an anime princess, and he only has 10 seconds to live. Killing cyborgs and drinking energy drinks replenishes your time, but speed is the name of the game. Honestly, this game has so much happening on screen and runs so fast that it was starting to hurt my eyes a bit. But for those looking for an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride, give the demo to Mullet Mad Jack a ride.
Harold Halibut
Harold Halibut was revealed a number of years ago and immediately stood out due to its interesting stop-motion visuals. All of the assets were created with real physical models and scanned into the game. While it’s not the first game to have stop-motion visuals, it’s certainly had a lot of time to get in front of people over the years. Harold Halibut is a classic adventure game similar to old Lucasarts games like Grim Fandango. You are a dimwitted handyman helping out people on a spaceship that has seemingly crashed under the waves of an alien planet. The visuals and art direction are the star of the show here as you explore the different areas of the ship and perform tasks and partake in little minigames in between talking with the other members of this society that has formed. It’s been a long time coming but Harold Halibut is shaping up to be a real treat for old-school adventure game fans.
Those were just a handful of demos we enjoyed taking for a spin during Steam Next Fest, but there are hundreds of others available to download and play all week long. Be sure to give these games a try, tune into any developer live streams they may be holding, and if you like any of the demos, be sure to add the games to your Steam wishlist as that is a helpful tool that developers can utilize.
