With over 2,500 demos, Steam Next Fest is busy, and the June showcases happen right during the middle of Summer Game Fest. I know it can be overwhelming, so just like I did in February, I’m here showing 10 of the best demos I tried out over the past two weeks.
Give these games a shot if they seem like they might interest you, or keep an eye on them for something different. The only thing it will cost you is a bit of time, and you might just find the game you were looking for that you might never have heard of.
Brought to you by some of the former people at Telltale Games, Dispatch aims to capture the spirit of the best of Telltale with some added actual mechanical functions to it.
In what is essentially a playable superhero workcom, you are a dispatcher for a list of C-list villains and misfits who are in a second chance redemption program, and send them to put out fires, rescue cats from trees, and other do-gooder deeds.
You need to mix and match your team to send them to problems based on their skills and personalities, while protecting your town in a funny and compelling experience.
A stylish high-octane rhythm beat-em-up, Dead as Disco is a really fun game to play, and is one of the trend of rhythm games that reward hitting on beat but don’t require it. Being more accessible in that way, it’s easy to recommend, as even if you don’t hit perfectly, you feel great fighting foes, including in the set-piece battles that are showcased in their alpha stage like in the middle of a subway line.
The inclusion of a music importer for your own songs means this is going to be a game with almost infinite replayability beyond the core stages the developers are making.
There are many games that claim to be 16-bit inspired, but few manage to really capture the spirit of the generation as well as Shrine’s Legacy.
Showcasing the best of action RPGs of the era, it feels like a game that was almost unlocked and given a few touchups with visuals, music (including chiptune versions of songs), gameplay, and even story that nail the feel of the classics in the genre. It brings co-operative play as well, and the whole experience was like cuddling into a nice warm blanket on a cold winter day.
From the creators of the brilliant but overlooked Battle Chef Brigade comes a visual novel/deckbuilder with a ton of heart and mechanical depth. With cards representing the different mechs at your command, the battles play out with positioning, various energies to consider, and drones to deploy for satisfying gameplay that isn’t a roguelite like many deckbuilders.
A colorful cast, intriguing premises to be explored, voice acting, and wonderful music, Battle Suit Aces is shaping up to be a big 2025 hit.
For a lot of people, Planet Coaster 2 was a miss, as the waterparks failed to impress, and I present to you a smaller, lower-budget alternative that might be what you’re looking for. Aquapark Tycoon is another game that follows in the style of Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, with a focus on creativity and design in park management, but this time it’s all put to work in running a waterpark – whatever that means to you. It’s pretty chill and has co-op for you to work with friends, though the demo’s play space is limited.
Mapping is something that we almost forget about often, as the computer automaps things for us in our games. Map Map is a game that defies that and instead makes navigation and cartography the core of its gameplay.
A cozy puzzle experience with optional challenges and things to discover as you piece together the mysteries of a lost civilization, you’ll make maps of various islands that you explore. Map Map leans into the creative side, as you can decorate your maps in a lot of ways if you choose, or keep strictly to business on what is shown on your map.
It could be perhaps a touch more challenging on when it accepts answers or letting you retry them, but the game was fun, and it prompts you to think about the world you’re exploring.
If you were starting to wonder if I was only recommending cozy games, let me put that thought to the rest. Death Howl is anything but cozy, as a dreary- and moody-toned game about death.
You play as Ro, trying to reach and revive her recently deceased son. The spirit world is dark and full of terrors that you confront in tactical battles with your deckbuilding-based actions.
You build your deck from the resources you gather while fighting and exploring the world, a choice that is key to the atmosphere and sets it apart from many deckbuilders. The narrative is intriguing, the characters are compelling, and it looks to be another hit from publisher 11 Bit Studios.
This is an odd little adventure where you are on an almost-abandoned island and deliver packages and mail to the people who remain there, serving as courier and postman both. It features an idea of the ‘rural simple life’ but it is willing to interrogate the concept unlike many games that go down that route, while the story also hints and shows mysteries to be uncovered on this island.
The characters are distinct and well realized it seems, and the gameplay featured involves stuff like inventory puzzles, minor obstacles (like balancing on a log over water), and figuring out the best routing for the limited time and energy you have.
A charming action-adventure RPG with a quirky cast of misfits dealing with a mystical miasma of loneliness, while engaging in self-discovery and exploration. Solve puzzles and battle enemies in a game that captures the feel of the old 3D adventure RPGs with its own quirks and takes on things.
A narrative-focused RPG timeloop game, Rue Valley puts a lot of focus on player agency from what we see in the short demo. There’s a mystery at the core of the plot here, and you examine it from different angles. A theme of characters with psychological problems is present in it, and there’s a very nice comic-book aesthetic to tie it all together with some interesting ideas.
