Welcome to the June 2023 edition of the Steam Next Fest. A hushed reverence fills the air, echoing the poignant whispers of untold stories waiting to be discovered. Within this virtual tapestry, hidden gems and artistic endeavors await your discerning gaze. They are fragments of future worlds, fragile echoes of what is to come. So step softly, for each demo you encounter holds within it a fragile spark of innovation, a flickering flame yearning to be kindled. Together, let us unravel the Steam Next Fest and explore the depths of the best demos.
Wow, ok. I don’t exactly know where that came from but let’s talk about the best demos I’ve played during June 2023’s Steam Next Fest in no particular order. This Steam Next Fest runs until 26 June at 10:00 Pacific. So if you want to try these demos too, you better get on it quick!
Broken Roads
- Developer: Drop Bear Bytes
- Publisher: Team17
- Genre: RPG
- Expected Release Date: 2023
Broken Roads is a narrative-driven RPG that brings exploration, strategic turn-based combat and meaningful philosophical choices to an all-new Australian post-apocalyptic setting.
Broken Roads Steam Page
As a sucker for RPGs in general and isometric RPGs in particular, I’ve had my eye on broken roads for a good while. The demo just confirmed what I was already suspecting from all the coverage of the game I saw so far: Australia is perfect for a post-apocalyptic setting and we might have a new great isometric RPG on our hands.
Gord
- Developer: Covenant.dev
- Publisher: Team 17
- Genre: Adventure, RGP, Strategy
- Expected Release Date: 8 August 2023
Gord is a single-player adventure strategy. To survive, you must build, but to prevail, you must conquer the darkness beyond the gates. In this dark fantasy world, you must complete quests while managing a populace whose personal stories and well-being decide the fate of your tribe.
Gord Steam Page
A fantastic setting coupled with a mix of adventure and survival city builder? Yes, please! Be ready to make some morally questionable choices in order to survive. But who doesn’t love that?
Homeseek
- Developer: Traptics
- Publisher: The Iterative Collective
- Genre: Strategy
- Expected Release Date: 20 July 2023
Homeseek is a post-apocalyptic survival strategy game set on a dystopian, resource-strapped Earth at the beginning of the next century. In a dried-up wasteland where water has become the new gold, every choice becomes life or death. With your guidance, survival just might be within reach.
Homeseek Steam Page
Homeseek is another entry in the growing sub-genre of survival city builders. The twist is a post-apocalyptic arid world with a focus on water management. The developers described the game as Frostpunk meeting Mad Max on Reddit and I think that’s very fitting.
Let’s hope Homeseek is not an actual look into our future and just turns out to be a great city builder.
Laysara: Summit Kingdom
- Developer: Quite OK Games
- Publisher: Quite OK Games, Future Friends Games
- Genre: Strategy
- Expected Release Date: 2023
Build and expand your very own settlements in high mountains! Carefully plan production chains and satisfy various needs of your three-caste society while dealing with mountain hazards such as weather breakdowns and avalanches. Are you skilled enough to make your town thrive?
Laysara: Summit Kingdom Steam Page
Can you already tell that city builders are kind of my jam? Laysara: Summit Kingdom is not a survival city builder though. Instead, we are going vertical and building a city on scattered mountain slopes which brings its own difficulties. How do we connect people on the south side of the mountain to people on the east side of the mountain? How do we connect the people on the same side of the mountain but at different altitudes? How do we … OH GOD THERE’S AN AVALANCHE!
New Cycle
- Developer: Core Engage Software
- Publisher: Core Engage Software
- Genre: Strategy
- Expected Release Date: Q2 2023
Build a new civilization out of the chaos of an apocalyptic solar flare as you grow your House from a lone shelter to an industrial metropolis. Take on the burden of preserving life itself and help your people realize their aim: “A future beyond survival.” Lead the world of New Cycle.
New Cycle Steam Page
We are back to post-apocalyptic city builders, although with a different twist. New Cycle is more focused on the re-industrialization of your society so its scope is a lot different than that of the other city-building entries on this list. It is not only about survival, it is very much about creating an industrial powerhouse in a devastated world.
Norland
- Developer: Long Jaunt
- Publisher: Long Jaunt
- Genre: Strategy
- Expected Release Date: TBD
Norland is a medieval kingdom sim that generates stories. Manage your noble family and face with class society, crime, slave revolts, religious conflict, economic issues, personal relations, treachery, secret murders, and spectacular battles.
Norland Steam Page
With sprites that remind me of Rimworld and Battle Brothers comes the city builder and management game Norland. The very interesting aspect about it is that your personal influence is limited to your noble family. You cannot directly control your citizens but instead task the members of your house with the management of buildings which prompts them to give instructions to the peasants. If your nobles didn’t have enough time to give these instructions, the work simply won’t be done and your peasants remain idle.
This is combined with both city and kingdom management aspects in what calls itself and shapes up to be a story-generating simulation.
One Lonely Outpost
- Developer: Aurorian Studios
- Publisher: Freedom Games
- Genre: Strategy
- Expected Release Date: 26 June 2023
An alien world sometimes needs a farmer’s touch to bring it to life. In this sci-fi, colonization-life sim, terraform a barren world: turn wastelands into verdant landscapes while exploring, farming, building, and unlocking all the mysteries of this strange new planet.
One Lonely Outpost Steam Page
We are all thinking of Stardew Valley in space, right? And we’re all somewhat correct with that assumption. One Lonely Outpost is a farming sim at heart but where Stardew Valley dropped you in an existing society, this game tasks you with the establishment of an outpost and the creation of a society revolving around said outpost.
In the beginning, it will just be you and you have to establish the necessary prerequisites to make the planet more habitable and allow more people to join your outpost. At this point, One Lonely Outpost branches out into more RPG aspects.
The best part? One Lonely Outpost releases right at the end of this Steam Next Fest.
Cataclismo
- Developer: Digital Sun Games
- Publisher: Humble Games
- Genre: Strategy
- Expected Release Date: TBD
The Cataclismo left us broken. Construct fortresses and defend against waves of Horrors in this mix of tower defense and real-time strategy. Lead an expedition beyond the gates of the last city, and reclaim mist-shrouded ruins as you rebuild humanity—stone by stone.
Cataclismo Steam Page
I already had Cataslismo on my list of the most promising games of this year’s game conference but after having played the demo, it deserves its spot on this list too. It’s an intriguing mix of city builder, real-time strategy game, and tower defense.
And there you have it, our carefully curated list of the best demos you should get your hands on this Steam Next Fest June 2023. What are your favorite demos and most anticipated games?
