We’ve reached our fifth and final part of our Steam NextFest coverage, selecting fifty games out of hundreds. It wasn’t an easy task, but the goal wasn’t to represent the best of the festival. Instead, we focused on variety, picking games that look and sound good based on their Steam profiles.
Some are still far from being released while others are hitting retail soon. But they all stand out for some reason, and we hope you enjoyed reading these lists as much as we did creating them. It’s amazing to see so many original and creative games out there, particularly in the indie PC game world. Hopefully you have a few new additions to your wishlist…
Did we miss anything? Say so in the comments!
Arto [Steam Link]
When Arto calls itself a colourful hack-and-slash RPG, it means business. The world has lost all its colour, but you can bring it back as you travel to different biomes and fight bosses. Create colour as you run around, exploring a variety of art styles ranging from typical game graphics to scenes reminiscent of a pop art painting. At the same time, Arto aims to be a serious action RPG with many enemies, boss fights, skill trees and even multiple endings.
A Hero’s Rest [Steam Link]
They say that if you want to be rich during a gold rush, don’t go looking for gold. Sell the shovels. In this management game, the king has ordered you to tackle threats to the kingdom that only hero adventurers can handle, and put a fantasy town at your disposal. Build taverns, blacksmiths and other shops that help equip the heroes you recruit, boosting your town’s popularity to grow and do more. It’s definitely an exciting spin on city building and management.
Rubber Brawl [Steam Link]
Somewhat reminiscent of the 2010 comedy horror movie Rubber, control a car tyre and combat your opponents in 32-player contests. Rubber Brawl adds elements of racing, stunts and battle royale to the art of rolling a tyre down a hill. Knock your opponents over to eliminate them, using boosts and arcade physics to your advantage. But if you lose momentum and fall on your side, you’re out!
Venice 2089 [Steam Link]
There is something hypnotic about Venice 2089. Maybe it’s the free-flowing soundtrack or the bold art style. The experience of floating along on a hoverboard certainly adds to the sensation. But there are more than good vibrations under the hood of this exploration adventure title. Chat with characters and find interesting places in a slowly sinking city, which constantly changes what areas you can access.
Superfuse [Steam Link]
Heroes with magical charms are fine. But if you really want to bring the pain in a hack-and-slash game, nothing beats the godlike power of superheroes. Usually, you’d pick an archetype from the superhero hall of fame that represents a specific set of abilities. But in Superfuse, you fuse different powers into a superhero build of your design. Yup, that’s why it’s called Superfuse. Then tear your way through hordes of enemies with up to three friends.
Floodland [Steam Link]
What’s with all the apocalyptic city builders lately? Are we preparing for something? If it’s a cataclysmic global flood, Floodland has us covered. Run a settlement of a few refugees into a large community, expanding into new areas and attracting survivors. But watch out – not everyone out can be trusted. And resources are scarce, so decide on the laws and development that will keep your community alive.
The Forest Quartet [Steam Link]
A band’s lead singer has died, throwing the remaining members into depression. But she’s not entirely gone, and her ghost can help them find new meaning after the tragedy. The Forest Quartet is a beautiful-looking game that mixes exploration and puzzles with music and discovering sounds. Help each band member by entering their creative worlds and solving specific quests to return colour and light.
Paper Cut Mansion [Steam Link]
The first thing you notice about Paper Cut Mansion is what the title implies: a world that looks made of hand-crated paper sets and characters. Escape the hellish multi-dimensional mansion in this roguelite, starting from the beginning if you fail. But you can unlock new abilities for custom starting builds and skills, and find temporary perks through quests in the procedurally generated levels.
Forever Skies [Steam Link]
If the idea of Subnautica in the sky sounds interesting, read on. You explore Earth years after a major ecological disaster, looking for a mystery cure. The surface is still hazardous, but you fly above it in a high-tech airship. Survive and explore, scavenging materials and blueprints to improve the airship. You will find ruined cities, lost compounds and plenty of things that wish to eat you.
DarKnot [Steam Link]
DarKnot is a survival horror game that drinks deeply from the well of the most excellent horror game ever made, Silent Hill 2. Explore the foggy streets and dark buildings of an abandoned city, fighting or avoiding the monstrous things that lurk around. But while SH2 inspires it, this game is much more open-ended, including vast levels and different character classes that change how you survive.
