From February 6-13, the next Steam Next Fest will commence. The semi-regular online event will see hundreds of game demos being available, some for a limited time.
It’s a great time to discover the next big indie hit, or the next indie game that you like but never was on your radar.
Here are some of the game demos that are available during Steam Next Fest February 2023 that we think are worth checking out.
The Last Starship
The next game from Prison Architect devs Introversion Software, The Last Starship is part-FTL-like roguelike and part spaceship builder. The FTL bits should sound familiar: you’re outrunning an anomaly that slowly gobbling up the sectors of the galaxy so you have a finite time to explore the various star systems, complete missions and get paid.
The other half of the game will feel like Prison Architect. All of the components that make a spaceship works like engines, thrusters, reactor, life support systems and the like have to be placed down manually on grid. And all of them require proper wiring and piping connections.
Not only that, but you can completely design your own spaceship, or should you have enough money, trade up into a different spaceship along your journey.
The demo should give you three sectors to explore.
Cook Serve Forever
The next game from Cook, Serve, Delicious! devs Vertigo Gaming skips the extra punctuations for this cooking adventure game. This time around, there’s a more focused story being told, and the mini-games are now designed with controller use in mind.
Xenonauts 2
This tactical strategy game is keeping the flame of X-COM, with the dash, alive. Set in an alternate world where the cold war rages on, the Xenonauts must face an expected alien threat, but they need to uncover what are these aliens in the first place.
Xenonauts 2 includes a human enemy faction, the Cleaners, war on the global scale as you progress and build bases all over the world, and a tough-as-nails combat system that can punish you by the moment you send a solider step out of their ship. Solider dying isn’t a reason to save-scum, it’s expected.
If you’re longing for another take on the old X-COM formula, Xenonauts 2 is here for that.
Sons Of Valhalla
Sons Of Valhalla brings a more active, violent take on the 2D side-scrolling strategy game. To the point that it’s sort of an action game. As Thorald Olavson, you travel to the distant land of England in search of revenge, and you’re given the blessings of the gods to aid your way.
Base-building and building up armies is a focus here, but you do get to contribute to combat yourself and play it like a hack-and-slash. Just don’t expect to last long solo, you need to build up your armies to raid the enemies and annex their lands.
Think Kingdom: Two Crowns but with more Viking and more war. And it’s surprisingly story-focused, with voice acting for key characters.
Tape To Tape
What if ice hockey gets turned into a roguelite? At this point any game can be a roguelike/roguelite and sports game is getting one with Tape To Tape.
Recruit a team, play simcade ice hockey (complete with face-offs) and keep winning to progress. But if you lose, you can head back to the Blademaster and permanently upgrade your gear to give you an advantage in the rink.
Techtonica
Underground Satisfactory, let’s go! Techtonica is an automation factory builder, where the goal is to create supply lines of machines that can turn materials into goods with the use of various contraptions and conveyor belts.
The demo should walk you through the basics of how the game works, before finally letting you loose in a huge, empty cavern that, if you like these sorts of games, can lose five or more hours in one sitting figuring out stuff like how the dam works or how to automate making ingots so you can craft items faster.
Deceive Inc.
This multiplayer game is one of the few titles that will only have the demo for this Steam Next Fest, as it’s releasing soon.
This is a spy vs spy multiplayer game about completing covert operations as a team of spies while another team of spies compete to do the same.
The demo for Steam Next Fest is a PC-only beta, but there will be another one closer to launch for all platforms.
Pixelshire
What if Stardew Valley with a bit more hint of Animal Crossing? Pixelshire lets you build and create your home and farm, but also the home of fellow townfolks.
The Magical Mixture Mill
Potions and alchemy.. as an automation factory builder? That’s right, The Magical Mixture Mill takes the suddenly booming theme of potion-mixing games and mixing in a bit of Factorio in its concoction.
Welcome To Goodland
If the idea of doing crimes, making alliances and dice roll checks are all your thing, Welcome To Goodland might intrigue you. You are roped into the underworld business and now in the money laundering business. Use your skills to negotiate deals and alliances and keep it all running.
Doomsday Paradise
Slay The Spire meets Monster Prom. Doomsday Paradise has you and a party of friends party up to save the world.. or go partying with the hottest monsters this side of Sunset Town. Combat is a turn-based RPG with some cards involved, and everyone gets to make decisions that will ultimately lead to 100+ different endings.
If you have a group of friends that are into D&D and attractive monsters, this might be worth your time to check out.