Steam Next Fest is going on this week and we’ve made a curated list of some of the most underrated games that can be tried! Once the festival is over many of these demos will get taken down so make sure to check them out sometime during the week of February 6th.
Minekos Night Market
One of the most unique-looking games that we found looking for games to try out. Mineko’s Night Market has been in development for many years at this point and was announced almost five years ago now. It’s safe to say that it was worth the wait! There’s so much love put into Mineko’s Night Market and it shows from the comfortable laid-back gameplay to the beautiful Japanese-inspired aesthetic.
VIVIDLOPE
A Dreamcast throwback from aesthetics to gameplay. We mean this in the most positive way too. Vividlope is an amazingly thought-out puzzle platformer with a sprinkle of QBERT on the top. Jumping from square to square and filling out the stage while avoiding enemies and strategically planning how to fill it out without jumping on an already colored square, it’s addicting.
Dust & Neon
A top-down twin stick cowboy rogue-lite shooter with a twinge of neon aesthetics and random loot. It’s a frenetic and engaging experience with a ton of polish. Definitely worth downloading if you’re into the more difficult types of games.
Dad by The Sword
Who’s stronger than dad? Dad by The Sword is a game about your dad killing epic monsters in a dungeon. The first-person action game is focused on a unique first-person swordplay experience that has a ton of room for experimentation. Not only does it allow your dad to do cool stunts but it also allows him to chop off the limbs of his enemies in real-time.
Planet of Lana
This is a heartfelt platformer that takes the style of Studio Ghibli and brings it into a video game experience. More so a narrative game than an action platformer, it’s a very engaging experience from the start. Physics-based puzzles are akin to those found in Limbo. No words can prepare you for how beautiful the game looks in motion, it’s jaw-dropping.
Mindhack
This is an off-the-beaten-path choice but it holds its own against many games on the list due to its solid aesthetic and unique story hook, you are an expert hacker that works at a facility that rehabilitates villains. An extra layer of interesting is the main character is also able to hack prisoners’ minds so you are tasked with turning the villain’s minds into flowers.
Sunnyside
The dream of buying a house and owning land is no longer a fantasy! Turn your empty plot of land into a farm, delve into dungeons, fish, make friends, and more! This is an interesting take on the farming simulator genre.
Shadows of Doubt
A first person cyberpunk noir detective story with open ended story telling and vicious murders. Explore a large sandbox game set in a sci-fi cyberpunk city. Slowly but surely making money doing side jobs and hoping to catch a serial killer.
Slave Zero X
This a 2D action side scrolling game with a twist, it plays like Devil May Cry and maybe a bit of Guilty Gear. Slave Zero X looks and feels like a game directly out of a late 90’s arcade.
Dark and Darker
Your friend who is obsessed with Escape from Tarkov has probably been talking about Dark and Darker since the first beta test came out. This is a fantasy first person battle royale in the vein of Escape from Tarkov, meaning you drop all of your loot on death and if you don’t escape. Each game of Dark and Darker places you as a solo player or with two other friends in a randomly generated dungeon with other players who have the same goal as you; survive.
Radio the Universe
For as long as I have been into the indie game scene, this game has been in development. That’s probably about eleven years worth of hype from me alone. Finally getting to play this game was a joy. It’s a weird top down action pixel platformer that leans more into the geiger-esque aesthetics of the sci fi genre. If you like games that are off the beaten path and a bit strange check out Radio the Universe.
Vagabond
A simple looking game with big ambitions. Vagabond is an open world RPG that randomly generates everytime you die or start a new file. Alongside the random nature there’s a relationship system, dungeons to explore and farming!
Voidtrain
Voidtrain is a first person survival game where you are apart of a crew that mans a train that rides through space, what kind of space is it though? Nobody knows! There’s a ton of interesting mechanics layered in this game that set it apart from its survival game predecessors, like being able to explore space with a whip while finding sources to upgrade your magical space train.
System Shock Remake
One of PC gaming most beloved titles is finally getting the remake treatment. This remake has been in development for a while now but the work is showing off beautifully in this most recent demo. It’s an interesting mix of survival horror and doom with a tinge of a dungeon crawler. It’s a classic for a reason.
Pixelshire
Pixelshire is a charming town builder, farming and life sim game coming out this year. What makes it unique in the genre is its leaning on combat, relationships and city building. As the relationship level with the towns folk increases they will eventually be able to travel with you and fight alongside, each civilian has their own abilities they bring combat encounters. The customization that Pixelshire allows is very unique and a welcome twist on the usual formula.
