It’s time for Steam Next Fest! Valve’s seasonal celebration of upcoming titles on Steam including a massive drop of new demos and information.
This latest event features dozens of games set to come out in the coming weeks and almost all of them have playable demos throughout the course of the event.
Here are some of our top picks for games worth checking out during the Steam Next Fest for February 2023.
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Dark and Darker
Developer: IRONMACE
Publisher: IRONMACE
What if The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Escape From Tarkov had a baby? That’s where Dark and Darker comes in.
In Dark and Darker players choose from a variety of classes and enter a randomly generated dungeon. Players get to keep any loot and treasure they manage to leave with, but if they die they lose everything.
To keep things interesting there’s a circle similar to the ones in battle royale games slowly closing in to deal damage. As time goes on, players are funneled closer and closer together in the middle.
Dark and Darker is “coming soon” with no firm release date. You can check out the Steam Next Fest demo here.
Plan B: Terraform
Developer: Gaddy Games
Publisher: Gaddy Games
Plan B: Terraform takes city-building to the next level. Channel your inner Elon Musk and colonize a distant Mars-like planet all the way down to its very atmosphere.
Players will start small, creating a barely sustainable encampment but as time goes on the impact of humanity on the planet will begin to express itself in myriad ways.
In order to make the planet more inhabitable, players will cultivate vegetation and a more tolerable atmosphere. These effects won’t just be seen around your city, but they’ll spread planetwide.
Plan B: Terraform is expected to launch on February 15. You can check out the Steam Next Fest demo here.
Darkest Dungeon II
Developer: Red Hook Studios
Publisher: Red Hook Studios
Not exactly a new title, but Darkest Dungeon II has been locked away on the Epic Games Store as an Early Access title since October 2021.
Now, with the full release on the way Steam players will finally be able to get their hands on the long-awaited sequel.
The Darkest Dungeon franchise has players manage a stable of adventuring heroes who plumb foreboding locales in search of eldritch and profane evils.
Death and madness can be postponed, but it lurks around every corner in this turn-based RPG series.
Darkest Dungeon II is expected to fully release on May 8. You can check out the Steam Next Fest demo here.
Fabledom
Developer: Grenaa Games
Publisher: Dear Villagers, Doyoyo Games
Fabledom touts itself as an “ideal laid back city builder”, and we believe it just by looking at the screenshots and trailer.
Players take on the task of building up a whimsical fantasy kingdom complete with princesses, pastel colors, and cute little monsters.
The developers seem to pride themselves on trying to create a city builder that doesn’t require “optimization” or “spreadsheets”. Instead their goal is seemingly to empower players to just do what seems fun.
Fabledom doesn’t have a concrete release date but is expected in the first quarter of the upcoming fiscal year. You can check out the Steam Next Fest demo here.
I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival
Developer: Mandragora
Publisher: tinybuild
I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival is a comfy base building game where players make the most of a situation atop a skyscraper in a flooded city.
Players will explore and dismantle whatever they can find and repurpose the materials into upgrades for their base.
Along the way, you’ll need to prepare to protect your new home from mutated animals and plants. All the while you’ll be building your own automated infrastructure with drones and other robots.
Ultimately you’ll be able to explore beyond your lonely rooftop and maybe figure out what happened to make everything go so wrong.
I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival is expected to release on May 18. You can check out the Steam Next Fest demo here.
Sons of Valhalla
Developer: Pixel Chest
Publisher: Hooded Horse
Sons of Valhalla is a 2D base building game with elements of siege combat. The comparisons to Terraria and Starbound are obvious so it’s important to look at what’s different.
Rather than some random setting or sci-fi, Sons of Valhalla is firmly rooted in a historical aesthetic. Players can literally hop aboard their longships and raid English settlements.
The core gameplay loop emphasizes building up a base, training up units, and sieging enemy fortresses for plunder and land.
Beyond just managing their own units and holdings, players can get hands on and master different fighting styles and weaponry.
Sons of Valhalla is expected to release sometime this year. You can check out the Steam Next Fest demo here.
Mika and The Witch’s Mountain
Developer: Chibig, Nukefist
Publisher: Chibig
We’re not sure about you, but A Hat in Time wasn’t enough for our 3D platformer fix so Mika and The Witch’s Mountain has arrived just in time.
Mika is a young witch who’s been ousted from her master’s home atop the mountain with one goal: prove you’re a real witch by climbing back up!
However with a broken broom and no money, Mika gets a job as a courier to try and upgrade her broom and fly home.
Along the way she’ll encounter colorful characters and platforming puzzles that make use of the game’s fun flying mechanic.
Mika and The Witch’s Mountain is expected to release sometime this year. You can check out the Steam Next Fest demo here.
Dungeon Drafters
Developer: Manalith Studios
Publisher: DANGEN Entertainment
Dungeon Drafters combines the deckbuilding and roguelite rpg genres into something all its own. Players will travel randomly generated dungeons in search of rare cards to power up.
Each dive into the dungeon is a new opportunity to find new spells and powers. Players that dive too deep risk losing all their treasure so players will have to choose between returning to town or risking it all.
There’s few limits on deckbuilding and players are encourage to find and use broken combos using all the tools at their disposal.
Dungeon Drafters is expected to release in the second quarter of 2023. In the meantime, you can check out the demo here.
Lakeburg Legacies
Developer: Ishtar Games
Publisher: Ishtar Games
The power of love is a curious thing, makes one man weep, and another man… marry so their babies will become master blacksmiths.
Lakeburg Legacies is a city-builder with a unique twist; in addition to stone and lumber, love is a resource too. Players will not only organize their village but play matchmaker among the populace.
However you’ll soon learn that love can’t solve everything and players have to strike a balance between sanctioning marriages for love, or to create skilled households.
The game features comfy 2D artwork and an isometric landscape that evolves through the course of the game.
Lakeburg Legacies is expected to release in the second quarter of 2023. In the meantime you can check out the Steam Next Fest demo here.
WitchSpring R
Developer: KIWIWALKS
Publisher: KIWIWALKSLast but not least, WitchSpring R is a new JRPG complete with cute characters, turn-based combat, and overworld puzzles to solve.
Control Pieberry, a bunnygirl witch whose growth you control. You can train her up and various skills and make your own playstyle.
Along the way, explore Pieberry’s world and the history of the kingdom by dressing up as a human and sneaking into the village.
WitchSpring R is “coming soon” with no official date. You can check out the Steam Next Fest demo here.
Are there any demos from above that you tried out or are planning on trying out? Are there any that we missed that are worth checking out? Sound off in the comments below!
