12 Steam Next Fest game demos you must play

With a new season comes another round of Steam’s Next Fest—and this summer’s crop of game demos includes some stunners.

If you’re not familiar with Next Fest, it’s Steam’s showcase of indie PC games coming to the platform within the year. Like previous rounds, you get just a week to try them out. With Monday, June 29 as the last day to play games, you can start combing through the lists now for some weekend play—or just start with the ones we tried and like. These are our top 12 picks this time around, in no particular order:

Davigo

Despite encompassing PC, console, and mobile hardware, VR is generally treated as its own platform. But in Davigo, VR and PC are united…well, in the same game at least. Four PC players run and swing around shooting rockets at a VR player, who takes the form of a giant “boss” trying to grab them and throw them into oblivion. The concept is absolutely brilliant, even if a concept is basically all it is. The bite-sized play sessions give me Attack on Titan vibes, but the real draw is that you don’t need a VR headset to participate in the fun. -Michael Crider

Viewfinder

In this spiritual follow-up to Superliminal, you can manipulate the world around you by bringing items from photographs into reality. The twist is that the 3D objects appear real-sized according to your 2D perspective, with some truly mind-bending results. (Watch the video to grok it, it’s hard to explain in text.) Puzzle fans who love unconventional approaches will dig Viewfinder. -Michael Crider

Venba

In the mood for something cozy and heartwarming? Then this cooking game might just be the right thing on the menu. You’ll spend your time following the story of Venba, an Indian mom who immigrated to Canada with her husband in the 1980s. Expect to learn something about cooking during this beautiful narrative game, all while feasting on visuals as sumptuous as the meals you whip up. -Alaina Yee

En Garde!

In En Garde, you play ’90s-era Antonio Banderas Zorro. Okay, not really: You’re Spanish instead of Californian, and you’re a noble lady kicking butt in her city overrun by an evil duke. Careful, parry-heavy combat relies on using the environment to control crowds, all while throwing out quips that the Dread Pirate Roberts would appreciate. Check it out if you want a game that mixes deep combat mechanics with a light-hearted world. -Michael Crider

Let’s Revolution!

What if Minesweeper had a surprisingly deep story, and tactics more complex than “count the adjacent tiles”? Let’s Revolution does that, tasking you to clear a hidden grid of enemies with special moves and skills. It’s an interesting mix of puzzle and turn-based combat, to say nothing of the adorably puffy 2D art style—fans of Steven Universe will feel right at home. -Michael Crider

Cosmic: A Journey Among Shadows

The dark is surprising comforting and cozy in this Metroidvania game, which features an intense contrast between light and dark. You start in the depths of a nearly pitch-black cavern, with only patches of bright spots to show your path. With such inky surroundings, you have to pay much more attention to where you’re going—especially given the game’s slippery mechanics. Exploration is a far more intense experience in such gloom. -Alaina Yee

Stray Gods

Point-and-click adventure is a genre that will never die. But it will get endlessly iterated, such as in this game that replaces the clicking with singing. You’re Grace, a young singer who’s thrust into an urban fantasy where the Greek gods are real…and think she just killed the last muse. Stunning art direction, top-notch voice acting, and surprisingly good music round out this rock opera, just be prepared to watch Stray Gods more often than play it. -Michael Crider

Jumplight Odyssey

As far as I know, a game based on classic anime Starblazers (AKA Space Battleship Yamato) has never been released outside of Japan. Jumplight Odyssey aims to fix that, with a management sim that tasks you with commanding a familiar-looking space cruiser as it runs from the Gamilon alien fleet that destroyed your homeworld. A mix of Evil Genius and FTL, get this one if you’re itching for some anime-inspired space opera and resource juggling. -Michael Crider

An Everyday Story

In this puzzle-platformer, three toys help tell a story about…an ordinary family. You play as an origami bat, tin soldier, and wooden boat to navigate familiar surroundings while the narrator plies you with more details about the people who live there. Despite its slightly stiff controls and fixed camera angle (which could still improve before final release), An Everyday Story has a warm vibe that’s compelling. -Alaina Yee

Ebenezer and the Invisible World

This is a basic Metroidvania game. That stars Ebenezer Scrooge of A Christmas Carol. I’d make a joke here, but I can’t think of anything goofier than its actual premise. You jump around Dickensian London as the famously old and creaky spendthrift Scrooge, smacking ghosts and union-busters with a cane, moonwalking like Alucard in Symphony of the Night. Jokes aside, it has some lovely hand-drawn animation and gorgeous backgrounds. -Michael Crider

Three Kingdoms Zhao Yun

If you’re tired of watching angels and demons endlessly swat at each other in Diablo, give this demo a try. While not officially part of Koei’s long-running series, it’s obviously borrowing from the Dynasty Warriors aesthetic to tell stories set in the famous Three Kingdoms saga. The mix of familiar setting and top-down, hack-and-slash gameplay should hit the spot, since it’s been years since Warriors fans have been able to scratch that itch. -Michael Crider

Station to Station

Sometimes you just need something peaceful and relaxing—and Station to Station fits that mood perfectly. You don’t need to be a train fanatic to appreciate its cute take on model train building, which is still challenging despite the mellow vibe. You’ll have to pay close attention as you build stations and lay track, as there’s no undo. Fortunately, even when you make a mistake (as I often did), the gorgeous art and soothing background music dull any distress you’ll feel. -Alaina Yee