Next Fest October 24 Roundup #3
Rebel toads, relaxing road trips, toy shop capitalism, lost potatoes, and evil elder gods—ten more game demos that deliver.
It's day three of Steam Next Fest, and the top games are starting to surface. There are at least two ways to find some gems. One is to read roundup articles (like this one!). The other is to hop onto the live streams, one of the highlights of each Next Fest. Steam placed them under their own tab for this event.
The streams show unedited gameplay performed either by one of the developers or a third party, and they are the most genuine expression of a game other than playing the demo yourself. Developers pull demos because it takes resources to maintain them. But it would be great if the streams got a permanent home on game pages and maybe even a dedicated Steam section.
AIIG has one more newsletter due tomorrow. On Friday, all email subscribers will get a list of all the games considered for these articles. If you are not yet an AIIG subscriber, sign up for free!
AIIG's impressions are based on gameplay footage and descriptions, not playing the demos, and actual experiences may vary. There may be bugs or undercooked ingredients.
Overthrown (Steam link)
Part city builder, part action-arcade fighting game, Overthrown looks like a colourful and over-the-top experience. Build your little community into a kingdom, and defend it from marauding bandits and monsters. But that shouldn't be a problem thanks to your wild abilities and powerful attacks, plus up to six people can play and defend together in online co-op. You can also lift and move anything, which has some interesting applications (like moving a monster spawn close to a bandit camp so they'll fight each other).
Following Seas (Steam link)
Take to the seas of a collapsing empire and run cargo between island communities in the sailing sim Following Seas. Set in a slightly distant past, you pilot a sailing ship, facing the dangers of the oceans in a vibrant open world. Manage the ship's tack, navigate the winds, track your position with classic navigation equipment, survive storms, and watch out for mistakes that could capsize you in the simulated seawater. The game avoids being too complex, but there's still enough detail to make you feel like a salty sea dog.
Second Sun (Steam link)
A civil war has erupted as the empire falls apart, and you are a special soldier sent to defend it at all costs. But will you? Second Sun is a bold mix between a boomer shooter, a role-playing shooter, and a dungeon crawler. Improve your arsenal through enemy loot drops, which you encounter while exploring the large hand-crafted world that also incorporates procedural features such as enemy and dungeon spawns. Boomer shooters are still often typical of the classic Nineties and early 2000s FPS games they admire. It's nice to see a more expansive and deeper shooter join their ranks.
Toy Shop Simulator (Steam link)
Dozens of shop simulator games have either been released recently or are on their way. They all follow a similar approach: run a shop by buying products, placing them on shelves, setting the price, and selling to customers (and create the game's title by adding the game's setting to the word "simulator"). Spend your profit to upgrade your product list, add more items, grow your operation, and buy more stuff you diligently pack onto shelves. It sounds very repetitive, yet is very satisfying in a raw capitalist way. And Toy Shop Simulator's bright visuals and interesting products make it look like a guaranteed hit for the genre's fans.
Keep Driving (Steam link)
Hit the road and head out to a festival on the other side of the country. What roads will you take, how will you keep your car going, and who will you meet along the way? Keep Driving is an easy-going driving-meets-management game. Travel along 2D roads in a procedurally-generated pixel world, doing odd jobs, upgrading your car, and meeting hitchhikers. Follow the flow to one of four different endings, enjoying the road trip. This looks like one of those special and unique games that only the indie game scene can summon. Get behind the steering wheel and remember: it's all about the journey.
Toads of the Bayou (Steam link)
The evil Baron Samedi has tricked you and your toad friends, trapping you in a cursed bayou filled with evil creatures. But these toads aren't going to roll over and croak. They band together and fight back, destroying the baron's minions in this animated mixture of turn-based tactics and deck building, Toads of the Bayou. Play with three different toads with unique abilities, directing the action with movement and battle cards. Battle through lush arenas, crushing monsters and facing the game's ten bosses. But die, and you start again, though you can upgrade the toads' tavern for permanent buffs.
Usual June (Steam link)
June was hoping for a calm summer break. But fate has other ideas as she stumbles into a mystery that takes her into the darker side of her hometown. Fortunately, June can talk to ghosts, helping her figure things out and stop the end of the world (there goes her vacation plans!). Combat and exploration take centre stage in Usual June, an atmospheric third-person action adventure that looks like a fun throwback to classics of the genre. But it's also clearly modern, with interesting art, environments, and vibrant visual effects.
SOPA - Tale of the Stolen Potato (Steam link)
How can one chore become such an adventure? Miho has to get a potato from the pantry, but he discovers it's a door to a magical kingdom. More specifically, a toad from the magical realm has stolen the last potato, and Miho has to track him down! This crime kickstarts a grand adventure, created in beautiful, warm artwork and cartoon characters with lively animation, creating an inviting casual adventure. There's a very rich quality to SOPA - Tale of the Stolen Potato, and it feels as much like an animated show as a video game.
Worshippers of Cthulhu (Steam link)
While most city builders blatantly ignore the inclusion of Eldritch horror, we finally have a game that asks: what is it like to run a community dedicated to worshipping the ancient ones and all the evil that goes with that? Play with madness and run your own elder gods cult in Worshippers of Cthulhu, a unique city builder where appeasing the bloodthirsty evil gods goes alongside deciding where to put the main road. Assign followers to different tasks, helping you spread cities to other islands while performing dark Lovecraftian rituals and human sacrifices. Just make sure you don't go insane or, worse, fail to satisfy your dark masters.
The Void Between (Steam link)
A dream holiday almost immediately turns into a bizarre nightmare the minute our hero steps through the front door of his rented cabin. Feeling tired, he falls asleep and wakes up to find reality has turned upside down. He has to find several keys that unlock a magic door; at least, that's what the mysterious creature that looks like him says would happen. The Void Between is a creative spin on classic adventure and puzzle games, using full-motion video to create every scene. Find ways to unlock more rooms and discover new realms, and you try to distinguish fantasy from reality.