Valve has launched Steam Next Fest, another good opportunity for you to jump in and test some upcoming games that runs through until March 3rd. You'll be able to download demos, watch developer livestreams and more.
Direct Link
Thanks to Valve's Proton, most of the demos should run on Linux without you even needing to check. Unless they have some kernel-level anti-cheat forced on them or other strange Windows behaviour not implemented in Proton yet.
Personally, I was quite excited for Mecha BREAK but the anti-cheat is problematic with how it blocks Desktop Linux. Although it does allow people to play on Steam Deck. RoadCraft is another I was excited about but it's sadly broken across Steam Deck and Desktop Linux.
Another I checked out early was Spray Paint Simulator. It's like the direct opposite of PowerWash Simulator and worked perfectly with the latest Proton 9.0-4. Instead of cleaning up you're preparing with tape and papering over things you don't want painted, to then make a big mess everywhere. Something about it is just incredibly therapeutic and I want more of it — a lot more.
Pictured - Spray Paint Simulator on Linux
At the complete opposite end of the genre spectrum is The First Berserker, a hardcore action RPG souls-like. It's a lot more demanding of your attention and the demo runs beautifully too. So much so that it's gained a Very Positive user rating on Steam. This is not usually a genre I would go for but the visuals and the world really do look great, and it's impressive from a performance look as well with it being silky smooth. Definitely worth a shot if you're in the mood for some sword swinging with good visuals.
Pictured - The First Berserker on Linux
Another shout out for Adventures of a Cat in Space (Native Linux) because it's really sweet. If you love point and click adventures, it's one for you. Just don't blame me if the theme song gets stuck in your head. It randomly pops into mine at least once a day since testing out the demo previously.
Pictured - Adventures of a Cat in Space (from the Steam page)
Being a big fan of the original extreme sports game Descenders, I think Descenders Next could turn out to be another great one. This time with the addition of a few different board sports in addition to bikes, it's a whole lot bigger and better. So far it runs great on Linux too (and they just announced a release date with it getting Steam Deck Verified). They need to fix the demo launch options right now though.
Pictured - Descenders Next on Linux
Another pick for those who like things a bit more chill is Mudborne: Frog Management Sim (Native Linux). A game about running around capturing and breeding frogs. From the developer of beekeeping sim APICO, this is high up on my list of wants.
Pictured - Mudborne: Frog Management Sim on Linux
I personally find these big events more than a little overwhelming. I fear I'm missing out on so much because masses of developers choose to only have their demos up for such a limited amount of time. I'll continue highlighting games and demos during the event, just like I do every day if there's some I spot that are particularly interesting. Check out the Demo article tag for any previous and future coverage.
Be sure to also join us on Discord to easily share more games you find.
Check out Steam Next Fest. The event runs through until March 3rd.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
I personally find these big events more than a little overwhelming. I fear I'm missing out on so much because masses of developers choose to only have their demos up for such a limited amount of time.It is disappointing that devs are so stingy with their demos, but I am grateful to the Next Fests that we get demos again at all.
TimeFreeze 2 days ago
"Lets build a demo and then throw it away after a week or so"
I personally find these big events more than a little overwhelming. I fear I'm missing out on so much because masses of developers choose to only have their demos up for such a limited amount of time.It is disappointing that devs are so stingy with their demos, but I am grateful to the Next Fests that we get demos again at all.
It's actually quite murky. Some demos vanish right away when the event ends, some linger for a while after that and quite large number of them stay.
Problem is that only way to be sure which category game belongs to, is to ask the developer. Only rule of thumb I have found is that the AAA and AA studios pull their games fastest.
I managed to play two demos today. As I have played some casual games lately, Steams algorithm recommended me some more of them.
Spire Blast is a puzzle game where you collect things while destroying a tower. It's fun at least for a while and demo manages to introduce few mechanics. Gamepad controls are bit messy and when I managed to mouse controls working, the most of the frustrations were gone. Idea has potential, though maybe more varied buildings could provide variety. Also it feels in some ways like a mobile game.
A Building Full of Cats 2 is part of many games in the series and I'm not sure if it brings much new. Not that it absolutely needs to, clicking hidden cats is fun as is.
"Lets build a demo and then throw it away after a week or so"
Funny thing is that most demos are just delisted. Generally you can go to the SteamDB page, click install and it'll work just fine.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2506090/Twisted_Tower_Demo/
Last edited by kernelkid on 25 Feb 2025 at 3:28 am UTC
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2860990/Nautical_Survival/?curator_clanid=44986110
The planned release date is April 2025. The description of the game reads as follows:
Captain an armed sea vessel to fight off hordes of oceanic terrors! Explore the seas, upgrade your seacraft, equip it with weapons and hire crew members to your aid in this roguelite auto-shooter.The setting for the game, of course, is the ocean; which adds an interesting twist to the the typical Bullet Hell gaming experience.
The developer and publisher is Idan Rooze. This will be the third game he has published on Steam. He also publishes his games on itch.io. His itch.io profile can be found at:
https://idanro.itch.io/
Idan's itch.io profile states he is an "...indie game developer and a Game Design lecturer at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design." He has 15 games published on his itch.io page. At the bottom of the page he also lists 21 games that are published by his students.
I have played Nautical Survival on the SteamDeck and it works very well. I consider the game demo to be generous and highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys this type of game.
Sizebound (Native) - Portal without the portals but plus size-changing blocks. Basically put block on button in various ways. Boxes have very frustrating physics, if occasionally funny, and game is set to stomach-churningly low FoV with no setting to change it. MAJOR negative points there. Also tutorial screens have text that starts when you're too far away to read them, but won't pause or restart. So you better move toward them quick.
Lored (Native) - Clicker/Idle game with animated stick figures, which I suppose is nicer than just watching numbers. Does a poor job at indicating what you're supposed to do right at the start, but it gets more straightforward. There's dialogue you can have with the stick figures, which is....competently written by RPG standards. Not really taken with it tbh.
Vespia: Shield of Aberration (Native) - Deckbuilder Tower Defense with a somewhat puzzling interface and pixel art that's chunky in a way that it's hard to really see what's going on. I think there's a good game in there mechanically, but the feel is off. Also very loud by default.
Taming Yore Dragon (Native) - Doesn't download an executable.
Solarpunk (Steam Play) - Fairly by the numbers first person survival crafting game, but it apparently has airships and solar panels and stuff as you go along. Runs pretty well, the ambiance is nice, and the early crafting isn't too annoying. Nothing especially groundbreaking though.
Cubic Odyssey (Steam Play) - Actually played this a couple days ago, but since it's in the Next Fest I'll comment on it here. Pretty good No Man's Sky-like but with blocks. Very pretty, although it can be hard to see threats in the visual clutter. Crafting feels decent, and resource gathering isn't a chore. My framerate dips pretty bad at times, particularly anywhere near water. I'll never understand why voxel games insist on lovingly rendered water. Generally a good time, although I'd like there to be a bit less combat focus.
OrbHand (Supposedly Native) - Has a Linux icon but only downloads a .exe file. Which doesn't work.
Inconceivable Rat Endeavour (Native) - Simple hex puzzle game where you unite rat with cheese, as nature intended. Nice style, pretty good music, puzzles are clear and intuitive. A good time.
The Ogi: Cycles (Native) - Intriguing exploration game about a tribe of cat people besieged by supernatural forces changing their environment. Seems pretty fun.
Hidden Skulls (Native) - A Hidden Object game. With skulls! Who are you to say no?
Seeds of Calamity (Steam Play) - Stardew-like, plain and simple. This time you're in a fantasy world recovering from a cataclysm, although honestly there's very little sign of said cataclysm any more, so it's basically fantasy gardening and dungeon diving. Still worth playing, but I'd like it if there were a few more present signs of the disaster still lingering. The villagers could use a hair more personality too, they're a bit on the bland side compared to original Stardew.
Grimoire Groves (Steam Play) - Action game about a very energetic apprentice witch restoring a magical garden. Fast-paced and quite fun, runs wonderfully on my system. Takes a bit to get the hang of the mechanics, but pretty rewarding once you do.
Punch A Plant (VR)
First person tower defense with punching mechanic. I guess the biggest problem is that punching doesn't really feel satisfying as enemies are tanky. There's hint though that punching them off the platforms is way to go. Didn't have patience for learning that though.
Shinobi Match
Sort of match three game. What makes it special is that there one type of tile that represents people who need to save and rest you shouldn't let escape. Saving and escaping works by the match three mechanic. Though instead of switching tiles around, you use weapons to destroy them.
Quite satisfying level of complexity.
Is This Seat Taken?
As the name suggests, the game revolves around seating people. Puzzle element is that people have different demands you need to fulfill. For example some people have forgotten to shower and they spread the bad smell around them. Some people don't like bad smells. There more of demands like that and them make the game mildly complex.
Problem is that the demo doesn't ramp up the difficulty that much. It plays bit like simple Sudoku and you'll shortly get perfect solution.
Monster Train 2
Fusion of few game ideas like the first one. Basically you defend pyre by placing monsters. You defeat enemies by playing cards. There's also map that has slight branching and branches usually have different set of rewards. You have some kind of idea how the game plays if you have played Slay the Spire or Legend of Keepers.
It's radically different from the first one. Clans have been remixed and now it's mix of heaven and hell. Effects are also bit different. Still had good fun, though I could maybe play the first one instead to get my fix.
Ryua: Ascension
Also bit more complicated match three. This ones is actual puzzle game. After some simple puzzles showing how the game is played, the puzzles start including drawing patterns and dropping blocks. Slightly frustrating, but puzzle fans probably get something out of it.
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