Steam Next Fest 2024 | Top FIVE Demos

Here are the top five demos that you need to play during Steam Next Fest 2024 (in order)

#5 Pepper Grinder

What if you took one of the best parts of Ori and The Will of The Wisps, which was the innovative burrow ability that allowed Ori to move through sand like a tremor without requiring the vibration of footsteps and created a whole game around that ability. How about if you infused it into a retro aesthetic? The answer would be Pepper Grinder.

Pepper Grinder takes the burrow ability from Ori, slaps a coat of Devolver Digital style all over it and then ratchets the difficulty up to 12. The platforming was satisfying, quickly became challenging and gave the indication that this is going to be the kind of game you get into the zone to play.

#4 Children Of The Sun

It’s been described as SuperHot and Sniper Elite, and that’s exactly what it is. I can’t describe it any better, but if you are tired of shooting Nazi’s or the war theme wasn’t for you, then you might enjoy Children of the Sun and how it adds a huge layer of puzzle and style to the sniper formula. Use your one bullet wisely as you try to take down everyone at the cult you are trying to escape in the most efficient and innovative way possible, like headshots or exploding cars.

#3 Dicefolk

I haven’t found anything that scratched my Slay The Spire itch since its released nearly five years. While we are still waiting for the next thing from Mega Crit, there have been lots of deck building roguelites, but most lacked the easy to play, hard to master addictive quality of climbing the spire. There are lots of similarities but Dicefolk feels wholly unique. First, there is dice, recruiting chimera or monsters or pals to fight for you, controlling what the enemy does using their dice. Dicefolk gives the player lots of autonomy on how they approach their journey, companions to fight with and how to strategize. The demo is fairly short but with solid mechanics, a pretty art style, a serene soundtrack and an addicting gameplay loop, I can see this filling the Spire void fairy easily. The only downside is that Dicefolk isn’t optimized for the Steam Deck just yet. It works fine, but you need to use touch on everything.

#2 Crypt Custodian

Metroidvanias are a dime a dozen these days. This hasn’t stopped amazing experiences emerging from the pack, but its much less frequent because its all been done. They almost all use the classic side scrolling formula, making it more challenging to separate the chaff from the wheat.

With just a simple change of perspective, Crypt Custodian jumps out as one of the freshest Metroidvanias that I have played in a while. This opportunity to garner attention is not wasted as the combat feels satisfying, the controls responsive, and world is fantastical as it yearns to be explored thanks to the beautiful aesthetics and haunting, ethereal score. I can’t wait to get lost in the underworld of Crypt Custodian. Fans of games like Hyper Light Drifter, Tunic and Deaths Door should Wishlist this game.

#1 Hauntii

It’s a good sign when you can’t wait to play more after the demo, but I think it’s an even better sign when you don’t want to go further in the demo because you don’t want the experience spoiled.

After playing the demo for Hauntii for about 15 minutes, I realized that all you need is 15 seconds of this unique afterlife experience to be enthralled. Part mystery, part exploration, part puzzle, part twin stick shooter all combine into something that feels like nothing I have played before.

Experiencing a game that feels unique is an endangered species. The art style and animation is exquisite, the score was incredible and the game constantly evoked feelings felt from early Zelda, playdead, and Journey. All signs point to Hauntii becoming the next big thing to transcend the indie scene and capture the spotlight. Hauntii was by far the best demo I played during Steam Next Fest.