Steam Next Fest February 25 Roundup

Crazy deliveries, tundra adventures, and sentient meat: 32 game demos tested.

Feb 26, 2025

The first Steam Next Fest of 2025 has arrived! There are thousands of demos to try, so this newsletter will help you get a head start.

AIIG’s Next Fest roundup has changed a little. There will only be one newsletter for this edition of Next Fest, covering 32 games. But each entry features the Steam synopsis along with impressions from playing the game demo.

Deliver At All Costs (Steam link)

Genre: High-stakes delivery

Deliver At All Costs is a thrilling action game where destruction, absurdity and intrigue collide! Step into the shoes of Winston Green — a down-on-his-luck courier with a fiery temper and a mysterious past — as he delivers highly unconventional cargo, leaving a trail of havoc and chaos behind him.

AIIG’s take: A stylish game with nice visuals and a retro soundtrack, Deliver At All Costs goes all-in on physics gameplay, which can be very thrilling or super frustrating, depending on your tastes.

The King is Watching (Steam link)

Genre: Roguelike city builder

The King is Watching is a roguelite kingdom builder. Rule by the power of your royal gaze! Decide between producing resources, training armies, or balancing both while adapting to unique events every run.

AIIG’s take: Build city squares to produce resources and churn out soldiers to fight waves of intruders. But you can’t look everywhere at once, and only the squares under your gaze will produce. The King is Watching is not easy, but has a lot of tactical depth to help strategy fans survive the onslaughts.

Streetdog BMX (Steam link)

Genre: Arcade sports

Get ready for massive tricks, high scores, and gnarly slams in Streetdog BMX. Carve your way through six huge maps featuring hidden spots, handcrafted challenges, and flowing lines!

AIIG’s take: Hit the streets and do tricks with your BMX in this very slick and polished arcade game. The controls are a bit tricky at first. But Streetdog BMX feels well-made and should be a hit with fans of extreme sports games.

Kaisa: Resurrection (Steam link)

Genre: Hack & slash roguelike

After the sun sets and the clock strikes midnight, your task begins: you must feed your master before the first light of dawn. How hard can it possibly be to survive the night? What happens during the day?... Well, that's another story.

AIIG’s take: Fight at night to feed a god, then use the day to figure your way out of the situation. Kaisa: Resurrection is a unique, fun, and fast-paced arena roguelike about sentient meat with some interesting ideas and twisted pixel art.

Home Cleaning: Cozy Baby Cleanup (Steam link)

Genre: Point-and-click hidden object puzzle

Home Cleaning is a cozy, family-friendly game where you tidy up a baby’s messes in a playful environment. Use various cleaning utensils to clean rooms, and enjoy the satisfaction of a sparkling home!

AIIG’s take: Clean up a variety of homestead scenes by brushing away cobwebs, cleaning messes, and putting things back in their place. Home Cleaning is a fun and cosy scene puzzle game that takes ideas from hidden object games, with a dash of progress as you pull each space together.

Bob Don't Sleep! (Steam link)

Genre: Hardcore precision platformer

You are Bob, when you wake up, your memory is gone, and the room is pitch dark. Using your quirky yet surprisingly useful big head, embark on an adventure. Find four batteries to light up four lamps and uncover the hidden truth. Puzzles, traps, and mysteries await. Don't sleep now, Bob!

AIIG’s take: Bob Don’t Sleep! is a pedigree precision platformer: attempt fast runs across levels filled with spiked, bottomless drops, and other hazards. Timing and landing well is everything, and while the game might look very rudimentary, genre fans will enjoy it.

Tall Trails (Steam link)

Genre: Open world 3d platformer

A chill exploration game with super satisfying movement! You play as Alp, an indestructible little golem on a quest to find his purpose. Blast yourself into the air with your rocket boot as you explore a weird and wonderful world!

AIIG’s take: An impressive game from a solo developer. Tall Trails is as simple and childlike as it looks, yet that doesn’t stop it from being a very enjoyable if casual exploration game.

Cold Abyss: Directors Cut (Steam link)

Genre: Retro walking sim

Cold Abyss is a relaxing and atmospheric exploration game where you repair internet cables on the bottom of the ocean. There are no enemies or other forms of danger down there. Just you.

AIIG’s take: An avant-garde walking sim, Cold Abyss is atmospheric and claustrophobic, yet not a horror game. The distorted retro graphics add to the tension, making this feel like a fever dream.

Atomic Exile (Steam link)

Genre: Post-apocalyptic extraction shooter

Atomic Exile is a top-down post-apocalyptic extraction shooter set in the desert wastelands of near-future America. You will visit enclaves, explore devastated ruins, and encounter NPCs such as other survivors, raiders, mutated beasts, and rogue machines.

AIIG’s take: The idea of playing an extraction shooter can turn some people off. But Atomic Exile is a strong demonstration of how the gameplay mechanic turns a top-down shooter into an interesting and intense adventure. It’s still about scavenging loot, but that works well in a post-apocalyptic hellscape.

Rusty Rabbit (Steam link)

Genre: Metroidvania side-scroller

Stamp, a cute rabbit with an old soul, pilots his trusty mech "Junkster" through the giant ruins of a frozen world in this Side-Scrolling Action Adventure. Explore levels full of junk, uncovering new areas and fighting junk monsters.

AIIG’s take: Rusty Rabbit doesn’t reinvent metroidvania games, but it’s fun and looks nice with an interesting hero and a lot to explore.

Isopod: A Webbed Spin-off (Steam link)

Genre: Open world 3d platformer

You're a tiny pill-bug in a big world! Roll, zip, and slam your way through the gorgeous landscapes of the Australian bush, unite your fellow bugs, and fight back the greedy Fire Ant Conglomerate!

AIIG’s take: A fun and fluid platform game with some interesting gameplay mechanics. Isopod is very much an indie game with the equivalent production values, but it looks good and plays well for its ambition.

Starless Abyss (Steam link)

Genre: Sci-Horror turn-based tactics/deck builder

Earth has fallen. Science and the Occult have united forces to brace for the arrival of the Eldritch. But will the efforts against this strange, alien race be enough? Play as one of many Proximae used to help defend humanity in this turn-based, roguelike, intergalactic deck builder.

AIIG’s take: Space pilots fight elder gods in this fun tactics game, featured in striking pixel art graphics. Win space encounters, earn credits, and cosy up to factions to unlock more cards and end the Eldritch menace to humanity.

The Northern Path (Steam link)

Genre: Open-world exploration

Embark on an adventure through the vast northern wilderness, where survival depends on your skills and instincts. Experience story-rich exploration as you dredge through untamed lands, face below zero temperatures, and uncover mysteries hidden in the snow. A journey into the long dark awaits!

AIIG’s take: The Northern Pass is an interesting and unconventional exploration game. Time moves only when the player travels. Nights can be lethal, so when and where you move matters. Yet, the vibe is also very relaxing, and death isn’t permanent.

Nitro Express (Steam link)

Genre: Action side-scroller

Nitro Express is a 2D side-view gun action game where pixel-art girls shoot assault weapons with 360° free aiming in the streets of Japan!

AIIG’s take: This short and mostly Japanese-language demo drinks deep from the well of classic side-scrolling arcade shooters, rounded off with excellent neo-retro pixel art and very intense gameplay.

BRUTALISTIKA (Steam link)

Genre: Sci-fi liminal space

BRUTALISTIKA is an immersive and contemplative experience. In this walking simulator, explore mysterious and intriguing liminal spaces with neo-brutalist architecture at your own pace, filled with serene pools and interactive works that invite you to be aware of your emotions.

AIIG’s take: It’s refreshing to see a liminal space game that isn’t grounded in horror. The graphic and control settings need some attention, but BRUTALISTIKA looks good and has a strong atmosphere.

Rise of Industry 2 (Steam link)

Genre: Deep Management

Navigate the competitive industrial landscape of vibrant 1980's USA! Make strategic manufacturing decisions, optimize production chains, acquire technologies, and expand your global business network with key contacts. Opportunities await those savvy enough to capitalize on them!

AIIG’s take: In the demo’s tutorial, you must manufacture video tapes. To do that, you need plastic, and to get plastic, you need oil, mined through a complex of several buildings. You must also connect the power, water, and roads. See where this is going? Rise of Industry 2 is a very in-depth industry management game that plays well and looks good.

Desperate Place (Steam link)

Genre: Tower defence auto-shooter

Desperate Place is a strategic tower defense game where you play as a crew member who wakes up early on a damaged colonization starship. Stranded on an unknown planet, you must gather resources, repair the ship, and defend against waves of alien monsters to survive and escape.

AIIG’s take: A nice blend between basic tower defence and built-heaven auto-shooting, Desperate Place looks good and has that factor that makes you keep trying.

City of Rampage (Steam link)

Genre: Precision brawler

City of Rampage is an intense 2D action-brawler inspired by "Comix Zone" and "Streets of Rage", featuring advanced fighting mechanics, with tough enemies and even tougher bosses. With hand-drawn graphics and dope soundtracks you will enjoy every moment of your struggle through City of Rampage!

AIIG’s take: If you feel unchallenged by the button-bashing of other brawlers, City of Rampage will give you a real challenge, expecting well-timed attacks to avoid enemy blows and give them a beat-down. The lovely graphic-novel art is a nice bonus.

Shrink Rooms (Steam link)

Genre: Sokoban puzzle

Shrink Rooms demo is a round-based puzzle game. You need to solve a series of pushing box puzzles within a limited number of steps to escape, otherwise you will be crushed into a puddle of meat by shrinking walls of the level.

AIIG’s take: Push boxes and activate switches to reach an exit before the room shrinks. It’s a simple idea, but quickly becomes complicated.

Asgard's Fall — Viking Survivors (Steam link)

Genre: Bullet heaven

Embark on an epic saga in Asgard's Fall, a norse Survivors-like Roguelite. Fight your way through hordes of creatures and let the gods feel your relentless wrath. How will your saga unfold?

AIIG’s take: Asgard’s Fall focuses on intensity with liberal and powerful power-ups to fight pretty intense hordes. The pixel art is nice.

Moroi (Steam link)

Genre: Horror hack-n-slash

Moroi is a grimdark fairytale with an even darker sense of humor. Experience frantic combat, perplexing puzzles, and a twisting narrative anchored by a bizarre cast of characters. Can you break free from eternal madness?

AIIG’s take: Moroi is truly grim and dark, but also strangely captivating and steeped in interesting art. The mix of exploration and basic combat should appeal to action-arcade fans looking for something different.

Graze (Steam link)

Genre: Clicker

Grow your herd while protecting them from dangerous forest creatures. As your flock grows so does their power, upgrade them to be better, faster, and stronger. Unlock new creatures to aid you in your goal of having the largest group of grazers!

AIIG’s take: Graze is not a deep game, but it shows that a simple idea can still find a great expression in the hands of a good developer. Though not very difficult, it’s worthy trying if you crave a lot of distracting reward for little effort.

You Die Today (Steam link)

Genre: Turn-based dungeon crawler

Combine deck-building and dice-rolling in this tabletop-inspired roguelike dungeon crawler! Roll D4s, D6s, D20s, and more to activate powerful card abilities and conquer dynamic encounters.

AIIG’s take: You Die Today is simple but compelling. Fight monsters represented by cards with dice rolls, buffing up with weapons and powers bought through merchants. It’s very simple, but you just want to play one more turn.

Cubic Odyssey (Steam Link)

Genre: Light survival game

Embark on a galactic journey in Cubic Odyssey, an open-world adventure where you explore vibrant planets, craft tools, build vehicles, and fight the Red Darkness. Uncover ancient mysteries, and shape a universe full of life, danger, and limitless possibilities!

AIIG’s take: Like many games before it, Cube Odyssey sticks very close to the granddaddy of survival games, Minecraft, such as mining a world made of large blocks and fighting creatures that come out at night. But it adds a sci-fi twist, including traveling to other planets. It’s ambitious, but the polished demo suggests it can pull this off.

Dragon Spot (Steam link)

Genre: Cosy level builder

Who loves dragons?! This is a meditative strategy game about creating dragon islands without timers or stress. Just build and watch as the inhabitants raise their toothy pets.

AIIG’s take: Dragon Spot is relaxing and fun. It could use a little more polish, but still very playable.

Machine Mind (Steam link)

Genre: Action exploration with RTS

Machine Mind is an action game in a post-apocalyptic setting with elements of survival and RTS. You will fight, craft modules, build your transport, develop and protect your base. You can control other vehicles to automate operations. Discover all the secrets of the destroyed world!

AIIG’s take: The controls are a bit strange and the design needs some tightening. But Machine Mind is a fun romp through a post-apocalypse hellscape.

Kaya's Prophecy (Steam link)

Genre: City builder card game

Kaya’s Prophecy is a unique village builder where you use cards to establish your tribe, gather resources, and craft tools and buildings in a vibrant world. Explore and combat various challenges and other tribes in this colourful, deck-builder roguelite while appeasing your god to earn his favour.

AIIG’s take: Appease an angry god by playing cards to ensure it has food after each night. Kaya’s Prophecy blends a tabletop experience with resource management, and throws in some turn-based combat as well. The intriguing art style and Amazonian soundtrack round things off nicely.

7th Floor (Steam link)

Genre: Survival horror

Find your missing daughter in the Hospital of Madness. Collect items, fight enemies, and do whatever it takes to reach her!

AIIG’s take: 7th Floor has a creepy atmosphere and a propensity for jump scares. Even the neo-retro graphics add to its grimy and musty world. An intense and surprising rough gem.

Neongarten (Steam link)

Genre: Puzzle city builder

A minimalist cyberpunk city builder inspired by Islanders and Luck Be a Landlord.

AIIG’s take: Build a futuristic block of homes and shops, stacking them on the sides and on top to create income multipliers. Just make sure you earn enough before the tax day arrives. Visually pleasing and with a nice soundtrack, Neongarten is fun to play, starting cosy but starts to become challenging as you try to select the best buildings to boost your income.

Into Death and Beyond (Steam link)

Genre: Immersive horror FPS

Into Death and Beyond is a gripping first-person survival horror game set on the hostile planet XB32-ENT. As bounty hunter Mark Helkins, scavenge for resources, solve puzzles, and confront terrifying mutants. Unravel dark secrets and capture a rogue alien before it hunts you down. Will you survive?

AIIG’s take: Into Death and Beyond has the potential to be a fun survival horror shooter. A lot of love and attention went into its design, which while retro also has modern touches. The developers clearly poured their passion into this game, which is clear from the attention to detail and overall polish.

Demon Tides (Steam link)

Genre: 3d platformer

Explore the beginning area of this open world, expressive 3D platformer adventure! Meet the cast, find some juicy gear and compete with other players online!

AIIG’s take: Indie 3d platformers are still a rarity, and it’s nice to see that Demon Tides brings its best with responsive controls and an interesting move set for the main character. The character design also looks good, and the environments have a retro feel to them. It’s not the most impressive platformer you’ll have played, but it has a lot of charm.

Centum (Steam link)

Genre: Surreal narrative adventure

Every why has a wherefore. You are trapped, and you must escape. But is that really the goal? Centum is an unreliable narrative-driven adventure where everything may be a lie.

AIIG’s take: Centum plays like a static-screen adventure game, rendered in a rich pixel art style. Yet, most of your choices emerge through narrative decisions, which is very interesting because this game is wild. You are trapped in a cell, and every morning, a strange judge interrogates you. Then you poke at the weird stuff around you. But you are also someone working on a computer. It defies explanation, but worth checking out.