In case you haven’t noticed, Valve is currently running Steam Summer Next Fest 2022. This semi-regular event features hundreds of demos, developer livestreams, and interviews for upcoming games, most of which are from indie devs or AA publishers.
Considering there’s literally over 600 games participating, it can be pretty overwhelming figuring out where to start. Browsing the Popular Upcoming section will give you a nice selection of demos to sample, but you may miss plenty of hidden or obscure gems you might not even be aware of.
It’s with this in mind that I wanted to compile a short list of a few interesting games to try out during Steam Summer Next Fest 2022. This is obviously by no means an exhaustive list, but it will still give you plenty of ideas for how to spend the weekend.
Here is a list of 16 demos to check out before Steam Summer Next Fest 2022 ends on the 20th.
Trepang2
Developer: Trepang Studios
Publisher: Team17 Digital
Trepang2 has been featured in multiple previous Steam Next Fests, and it’s still a very promising FPS you should keep your eyes on. Trepang2 can best be described as the spiritual successor to the F.E.A.R. franchise. You play as some sort of genetically modified super soldier that can cloak and slow down time, and your punches and kicks can shatter bones. The ragdoll physics are hilariously over-the-top, and enemies tend to explode into giblets when shot in the face. This new demo includes a bit more about the game’s storyline, as well as new mechanics like dual wielding.
Ghost Song
Developer: Old Moon
Publisher: Humble Games
Ghost Song is another indie game that feels like it’s been in development forever, and has been featured prominently in previous Steam Next Fests. Set on the remote and desolate moon of Lorian, Ghost Song is an atmospheric 2D Metroidvania about self-discovery and learning the truth behind ancient cosmic horrors. Explore a beautiful and haunting alien ecosystem as you acquire new weapons, upgrade your abilities, and defeat dangerous foes.
Metal: HellsingerÂ
Developer: The Outsiders
Publisher: Funcom
Metal: Hellsinger is a highly anticipated upcoming rhythm-based shooter. Featuring vocals from nearly a dozen metal icons, Metal: Hellsinger has players slaughtering demons to the beat of the music. Timing your shots to the beat increases your damage output, and raises your modifier. The higher the modifier, the heavier the music gets, and the greater the damage you deal. If you enjoy your time with the Metal: Hellsinger demo then you’ll be happy to know that the full game finally releases on September 15th.
Gloomwood
Developers: Dillon Rogers, David Szymanski
Publisher: New Blood InteractiveÂ
Gloomwood is the next game by the people who brought us DUSK, and like its predecessor, it’s another retro-inspired PC game full of ’90s-style concepts. Gloomwood is a mixture of stealth game and survival horror, and has you trapped in a Victorian city overrun with strange creatures and cultists. While you have access to a wide range of esoteric weapons like a sword cane and harpoon launcher, Gloomwood is primarily a stealth game where you want to avoid unfavorable battles as much as possible.
CULTIC
Developer: Jasozz Games
Publisher: 3D RealmsÂ
Another cool ’90s-inspired game with a demo is CULTIC. Left for dead in a mass grave, you must take revenge on a deranged cult deep in the mountains. Slaughter cultists and their undead underlings with an arsenal of handguns, shotguns, rifles, and dynamite. You can also use the environment by throwing lanterns to start fires, or blowing apart an entire group of cultists with a carefully aimed explosive barrel.
Selaco
Developer: Altered Orbit Studios
Rounding out the list of retro boomer shooters with demos is Selaco. The game runs on GZDoom, and promises to offer Doom-inspired combat with a lengthy storyline. You play as Dawn, a security captain in Selaco, an underground facility that houses refugees after the destruction of the Earth’s surface. Selaco is suddenly attacked by unknown soldiers, and now Dawn must fight her way through hostile forces to uncover the truth behind the facility’s shady origins.
Terra Invicta
Developer: Pavonis Interactive
Publisher: Hooded Horse
Terra Invicta is a 4X strategy game by the creators of the incredibly popular Long War mod. The game is set in the near feature, after humanity becomes aware of an alien fleet entering our solar system. This revelation throws Earth into chaos, dividing humanity into 7 rival factions with different ideas of how to handle first contact. Lead your faction of choice to victory on a massive strategic map that includes both Earth and the solar system. Use a mixture of political negotiations, espionage, economic supremacy, and military might to achieve dominance before the aliens arrive.
Anger Foot
Developer: Free Lives
Publisher: Devolver DigitalÂ
Anger Foot is a funky FPS by the developers of Broforce. Use the world’s strongest feet to kick your way through grimy, run-down apartments full of gang members and criminals in the caffeine-fueled fever dream of Shit City. Anger Foot‘s levels are quick and designed to be played repeatedly to optimize your route and score. While you can use your foot to send enemies and objects flying, you can also pick of a variety of guns from fallen enemies.
Potion Permit
Developer: MassHive MediaÂ
Publisher: PQube
Potion Permit is an RPG life sim where you play as a chemist trying to bring the wonders of modern medicine to a remote country town. You will have to diagnose the illnesses afflicting the local villagers, go out into the wilderness to gather ingredients, and brew miraculous cures in your cauldron. As with most life sims, you’ll also get to befriend the locals, upgrade the town, and participate in various side quests and minigames with your faithful canine companion.
Cult of the Lamb
Developer: Massive Monster
Publisher: Devolver DigitalÂ
Cult of the Lamb is the next cutesy-yet-disturbing top-down roguelite dungeon crawler that everyone seems to be talking about. You play as a little lamb that was saved by a mysterious stranger, and decide to dedicate your life to cultivating a fanatical cult in the wilderness to honor your savior. Grow your flock by spreading the Word, perform twisted arcane rituals, and delve into procedurally generated dungeons to smite the non-believers. Cult of the Lamb is another game that isn’t too far away, and will get a full release on August 11th.
Destroy All Humans! 2 – ReprobedÂ
Developer: Black Forest GamesÂ
Publisher: THQ NordicÂ
After the success of the previous Destroy All Humans! remake, Black Forest Games and THQ Nordic are tackling the sequel with Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed. Much like the first remake, Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed updates the beloved cult classic with Unreal Engine 4, modern visuals, and gameplay tweaks, all while retaining the core game’s content and tone. Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed is also coming pretty soon, and releases on August 30th.
Fabular: Once upon a Spacetime
Developer: Spiritus Games
Publisher: Prismatika
Fabular: Once upon a Spacetime is a top-down action-roguelite set in a world where knights battle for the throne in a distant space kingdom on the edge of collapse. The game features physics-driven melee combat in bizarre steampunk medieval starships equipped with a variety of swords, axes, flails, and shields. Upgrade your knightly vessel with loot dropped from rivals, and monitor your resources closely to avoid getting stranded in space.
Beneath Oresa
Developer: Broken Spear Inc.
Beneath Oresa is the latest game to tackle the popular roguelite deckbuilder genre. Build a team of two heroes and delve into the depths of the ancient ruins of Oresa. Upgrade your deck with cards that feature branching enhancement paths, as well as ancient artifacts. Beneath Oresa is also a tactics game, placing an emphasis on character placement and ranges during its turn-based card battles.
Glimmer in Mirror
Developer: MapleDorm GamesÂ
Publisher: CubeGame, Pleasant RainÂ
Glimmer in Mirror is a 2D action-platformer featuring some gorgeous environments and animations. You play as Shiro, a small girl that finds herself trapped in a collapsed world within a shattered mirror. Explore the mysterious mirror world, meet new friends, uncover the truth behind the world’s collapse, and make difficult choices that can lead to multiple endings that determine the world’s fate.
Beneath the Mountain
Developer: Omnis Reactor StudiosÂ
Publisher: Gameclaw StudioÂ
Beneath the Mountain is a strategy management game about building a new dwarven civilization in an uncharted mountain kingdom. Dig through the thick rock of the mountain’s cavernous depths to expand your budding empire and mine valuable precious metals. You’ll also have to contend with invasions of orcs and other creatures living in the mountain that aren’t too happy about their new neighbors.
Hard West 2
Developer: Ice Code GamesÂ
Publisher: Good Shepard EntertainmentÂ
Finally, we come to Hard West 2, a tactical turn-based RPG set in a supernatural Weird West world. Assemble a posse of outlaws to hunt down the mysterious Ghost Train and confront the Devil himself to reclaim your stolen soul. Upgrade each of your outlaws with new gear, skills, and traits as you battle rival gangs and supernatural enemies. Make choices on your adventure that can strengthen or destroy the bonds between your posse.
Which demos have you been playing during the Steam Summer Next Fest 2022? Which games are you looking forward to after sampling their demo? Tell us in the comments below!
