Best of Next Fest, June 2026
Sir, we have a demo problem.
Another event has closed, and once again I’m compiling my list of games to watch out for. This time feels different, though - there were a lot more games that I really enjoyed, and I didn’t feel like trimming it down and having to pick favorites. These will be ordered by appearance, with the title linking to the first post I talked about them in, so if I do a bad job with the pitch or even explaining what the game is, give me a break.
First off, there were a few games that participated in the event but which I had played the demos for prior to the week starting.
Kusan: City of Wolves
A scalp-cam brawler that melds Hotline Miami bloodbaths with what may be more complex ARPG style upgrades and customization, all in a visually stunning package.
Brigador Killers
If you haven’t played Brigador yet, you might not understand why everyone who did is so excited for a second coming. While this demo still had some rough edges with the UI, it’s also setting up narrative and gameplay complexity that might blow the original away while retaining its over-the-top spectacle.
Mortal Shell 2
As a hater of the original Mortal Shell, I went into the open beta for the sequel [which counts as a demo, they had the Next Fest banner and everything] expecting to maybe find a few improvements over the first game, and instead found my most anticipated Souls-like in a long time.
The Old Flesh of Nuraga
I’m not a fan of ‘horror’ as its usually presented in gaming, but I do like certain games that match tension with gameplay in a compelling setting, like Caput Mortum, for example. Nuraga had so much of that flavor, along with a lot of dialogue I didn’t feel like skipping through for the sake of knocking out a bunch of demos, that I decided pretty quickly to stop playing it and wait for release. I may be setting myself up for disappointment here, but at least I won’t have to wait long to find out – this dig-em-up is slated for launch in a little over a month.
Blade of Mercy: Bloody Countess
After giving this game a second look and making it to the end of the first area, I’ve come around more on its mechanics and stiff controls. I put the undead Roman legion back to rest, murdered a vampire by cashing in all my silver bullets, and gained what is probably the wimpiest airdash of all time. While I’m not totally won over by all of its rough edges, I now think I can push through them to see more of Hungarian Janosik whenever it does come out.
A Standard Deviation
What at first glance seemed to be somewhat fidgety and trial-and-error based puzzles felt a lot more coherent and easier to manipulate when I revisited this with less pressure, calmed down, and moved myself and the puzzle elements with intent. I completed most of the rooms in the demo and reached the end, though I’m still at a bit of a loss trying to gauge how ‘deep’ this will go – there are usable items that don’t seem to have a use present, there are narrative character moments you can unlock, there’s a perspective shift from top-down to side-scrolling with jumping in a few rooms, there’s even a first-person dream sequence which I really wasn’t expecting. Even if this doesn’t turn out to be a full-out mind melter of a meta-puzzle game, I anticipate enjoying my time with it.
LarsGadiel
It turns out I actually had mostly finished the demo when I initially played it, so I don’t have too much more to say except to reiterate again that I like Faxanadu, and I like what this game is adding to the format. I’m also somewhat curious what the developer means by ‘fully compatible with the Steam Deck, featuring an exclusive mode for this incredible system.’ How do you make a mode specific to Steam Deck? Like, a native Linux mode? Why is that worth its own bullet point? Do you realize that Steam Decks are soon going to be more expensive than a human kidney? But I already have a Steam Deck so I approve of this bias.
Flux Empyrean
I really don’t have much faith that this will be particularly good or fun, and in full honesty I doubt I’ll play it, but it’s bizarre and obscure enough that I feel the need to keep a close watch on it in case it does turn out to be awesome. If nothing else, it’s only a few weeks from launch, and though I doubt the reviews will exactly be pouring in, there should be at least a couple people willing to test the waters for me.
Washington Prime
I’m a sucker for a good GZDoom game, and Washington Prime might have all the right ingredients for a real solid shooter. I’m glad I kept playing it after bouncing off initially, because while it’s brutally difficult in a lot of ways, the tension of knowing you’re only a few hits away from death at any time really makes you lock in on environments that are deliberately not the most visually or conceptually interesting and think about them more than you ever would otherwise. The weapons are also a strong point, powerful and still accurate enough that they really feel like the Great Equalizers they are in real life instead of the typical assortment of pathetic peashooters. What I’m most interested in, though, is how the story and map design develops in the full game, which could be enough to take it from impressive tech demo to retro classic.
Max Savage
I still wish this game had a little more meat on the bone, but after grinding my way to the current endpoint, I think it’s got enough going on to be worth checking out. I quit my initial play session just short of unlocking the med bay that lets you upgrade your on-foot stats, and my second trip included me scoring some hunting trophies, meeting new NPCs, and upgrading my ship to replace the somewhat boring missile bays with an EMP that paralyzed my victims and allowed me to pummel them without remorse. Still hopeful that later missions will give your grinding between ranks more diversity, but I’ll take a half-baked space sim at this point if it feels this good.
The Message From Deep Space
I didn’t quite get to the end of this demo, but I got far enough to define a lot of mathematical operations in an alien code, and gave Dr. Bautista ample time to code in the ability to parse the base-8 transmissions into base-10, AND a little pop of digital confetti for every successful exchange.
While the game has yet to convince me there will be more to learn from these visitors from the stars than would net you a marginal SAT score, everything going on around it has been so charming and enjoyable that I’m willing to take a night course just to live out the fantasy of having colleagues that know what they’re talking about and aren’t assholes.
Atomcraft
Speaking of learning things from videogames, this might be the most dense treatment of mineral composition I’ve seen outside of a geology textbook. Using the awesome power of chemical reduction, I succeeded in the isolation of several increasingly obscure elements, unlocking a good bit of the progression in this survival crafter… or at least glimpsing what lies down the road.
I’m especially looking forward to the expansion of the pre-set building blueprints mechanic, which seems to already be integrated with Steam’s Workshop system. One of the blueprints already included in the game is for a giant glass bottle you can use to store particular chemicals without having to dig through your ship’s menu, which is very cute… just remember to plug it with a non-reactive cork. This is another game that’s coming out in just a few weeks, and I’ll be there, huffing up Arsenic Trioxide gas alongside all the other freaks for whom Thorium Mod still isn’t overwhelming enough.
When the Stars Threw Down Their Spears
Another demo I completed after having not played for very long initially. WtSTDTS [I’m gonna have to come up with a nickname for this] impressed me more the more I played, with side quests that include ethical dilemmas, unique equipment, and even more surprising rewards. The final gauntlet in the demo is a system-wide battle, and depending on how well you prepare and how many friendly ships you save beforehand, you can go in with a fleet of your own and turn it uneven in your own favor. I also really liked how fleeing in your escape pod doesn’t leave you destitute and shipless, making it an actual viable option instead of a waste of a slot that makes you quickload on death anyway.
Infinite Empire
I thought the demo would just end once you reached the end of the Sol system and showed Molt-Prince Thrix to the gates of Hell. Instead, it clapped me on the back and told me to get to work spreading my nascent Empire, with an entirely new set of management screens.
Diplomacy, countering hostile raiding parties, fortifying the navigation lanes leading back home, and all the while building a slab of titanium bristling with cannons that can smash through any resistance – that’s what I’m looking forward to when Infinite Empire releases. Hopefully the rest of the mechanics that are currently still an unknown quantity for me, like the tech tree and fighter bays, hold up as much as the interstellar age of sail clashes have.
Kosmass
As someone who really adores VR gaming, I’m always on the lookout for a new easy recommendation, something that can be used to convince a new wave of adopters to the format of the future. Kosmass might not be quite that, but it’s a charming enough little tactile toy that I’m going to indulge myself with it anyway. Who knows? Protoplanetary Katamari might be someone’s killer app.
The Unleaving
To reiterate, I usually do not care much for the horror genre. But The Unleaving is definitely a bit more than you might expect from its Horror RPGMaker vibe. My return to the game included saving a missing child, meeting my Kim Kitsuragi analogue, fishing a cigarette butt out of a toilet to offer a bum, and getting horribly maimed by an awful little lotus gremlin that I beat to death with a mop. I found it really funny that my ‘psychic’ is less awkward with a giant rat stuck in the wall than she is with actual humans, whose intent she finds difficult to discern.
The amount and quality of backstory seems genuinely strong at this point, and if the full game fleshes this world out even more, I think it might be another example of truly strong narrative adventures this year.
Whispering Ledger
I bet you didn’t think I’d actually bring this up again. Well, joke’s on you. I know I haven’t played and written up a straight-up hentai game yet on this page [don’t make me explain the Beyond Citadel situation again] but that’s more a happenstance than me having any tact or dignity – there just haven’t been that many good ones coming out lately, at least not that I’ve been badgered into playing.
Maybe more importantly, I don’t normally play VNs, which is why I’m curious how deep the shop simulation in this gets, considering the main reward for savvy business decisions seems to be getting lucky, depending on your definition of lucky. The later chapters at least seem to introduce some actual time pressure mechanics, including a very scary lender who ironically is not the game’s shark character. I’m also just genuinely charmed with the writing and story, only about half of which revolves around engorged phalluses. I laughed out loud multiple times in the bits that I played, and not just out of amusement at the writer’s shamelessness. Although, yes, frequently at that too.
I don’t know for sure how my audience, such as it is, regards the idea of me playing through an explicit furry futa shop sim with AI gen art, but they should know by now that that’s not the kind of thing I’m particularly sensitive about. My real friends are in-game, and this time…
They’re friends with benefits.
Maid Cafe Simulator
Speaking of slightly embarrassing forays into genres I’m not a regular with, Maid Cafe Simulator has almost sold me on the plate-spinning storefront-management genre – I had a hell of a time the last day or two of the demo, trying to hurl boxes past customers’ heads into the kitchen and then run back to prep more smoothies, making sure the register was manned, and feeding my stray dog girl maid whipped cream pup cups to keep her motivated enough to work, and I only had like two things on the menu.
Will my newfound ability to bring in automated labor that doesn’t require food, homes, pay, or dignity help me run the business I love better, or will it spoil me against human [or at least organic] maids entirely, and usher in a dark era of robot maid cafes? Well, I can only afford one, so I guess the dog and catgirls are safe… for now.
Nimaat
I still think this game has glaring problems, and have my doubts about the developer’s ability to tighten this up, flesh it out, and turn it into a real world-class thematic JRPG. But on the other hand, the setting and art are good enough that I’m willing to deal with a pretty sub-par JRPG if it stays interesting. Just fix the damn fonts, I beg you.
Sir, We Have an Orc Problem
This industry’s got an incremental problem, and I guess I’m part of it at this point. Orc Problem might not be the complete package that reinvents both the genres it’s swirling together, but I feel like it’s actually kind of a hard thing to totally screw up at this point. The core mechanics are all solid, the perk tree looks diverse enough to be interesting [and may even hold replayability value] and at this point, that’s enough for me.
The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest
I don’t think I need to try too hard to sell anyone on this one. It’s about as true of a Castlevania homage as you can get, while also trying to be the best of all worlds and combine open map exploration with tight, focused, proper platforming stages. After starting a new file to check out the open world portion, I can say it looks great, it feels good, my only problem is, when can I finally play it? This things been on my wishlist for more than two years.
Gurei
This 2D boss rush probably isn’t going to shock the world, but I appreciate a dev cutting their teeth on something manageable before jumping into making a full-scale Metroidvania or whatever, and Gurei looks like it’s going to be a tight little package that could then be built off of into something more substantial. I liked the promised structure, I liked the unlocking of abilities, and I loved the little bit of character each defeated boss brings to subsequent fights. Only a month to wait for this one, and I’ll be on it swiftly.
Echo Weaver
One of the demos with the most raw potential in the entire Fest. If Echo Weaver plays all its cards right, it could easily be one of my favorite games of the year. We don’t often get a Metroidvania with structural creativity, and I want this gamble to pay off.
Dust Front RTS
No, I’m not desperate for a new RTS IP. I’m just booting up the demo for a strategy game with only one map for the third time to look at the cool tanks.
Mym’s Sword
I’m still not totally convinced that Mym’s Sword will be a spectacular Zelda clone, and the sword thing feels more like a gimmick than a mechanic with real legs and value, but it’s otherwise teasing at some level of depth that I think could be really interesting if it pulls it all off. And if it sucks or is just disappointing I’ll secretly edit this list to take it off so nobody can accuse me of being wrong. It’s just that easy. I bet you didn’t know I could do that. Look back at the last few Best Of articles – nothin but hits. You think that happens by chance?
Sting & Swing
Another game with great potential, promising depth, maybe satisfyingly layered puzzles to solve… or maybe just more clunky platforming via mouse-driven golf swings. I got to a few screens I didn’t see on my first visit, but the demo doesn’t seem to save progress at all when closed, so there’s no way in hell I’m going to try finding the 64 flags or whatever is teased by the locked door at the end.
Magical Blush
I did complete this demo, though, and, like many of these, it turns out I was only a few minutes away from the finish line when I quit initially. Not a bad first boss, and the upgrade teased afterwards puts me in a hopeful mood for the full version to be a proper top-down Metroidvania with some decent twists.
That’s another Next Fest taken care of. I ended up playing a bit over half the titles I flagged on the first day, and recommending about half of those today, which is a pretty good selection bias.
I’m looking forward to seeing these games come out, and pretty glad the next Next Fest is now months away. Let me know if any of these caught your eye too, and thanks for reading all these posts this past week and a half.
Hi, I just wanted to say that you're the reason I played like half of the Steam Next demos this year, and that I'm super grateful for that; particularly, "The Old Flesh of Nuraga", "Whispering Ledger" and "When The Stars Threw Down Their Spears" went straight away to my wishlist. Really, thanks!
I didn't really feel like writing about it, but I played quite a bit of the Mortal Shell 2 beta after reading your writeup on it. After how mediocre the first game seemed to be, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Not sure I care about whatever the story is supposed to be, but the gameplay itself was neat.