Stoot's Steam Next Fest Reviews, October 2023 :)
Reviews of the demos I played for this Next Fest and what I expect my rating of the game will be on its full release. Honestly, there is some great stuff here.
Apocalypse Party
Expectations: 2.5 / 5
Top-down shooter roguelike. This isn't one that's going to keep my attention but I could see it gaining popularity.
Apocalypse Party
Expectations: 2.5 / 5
Top-down shooter roguelike. This isn't one that's going to keep my attention but I could see it gaining popularity.
17 Games
Expectations: 4 / 5
Story-driven sidescrolling motorbike shooter metroidvania. The dark setting, gory visuals, motorbike combat and dialogue with an emphasis on family made this truly special and I can't wait to experience the rest.
Story-driven sidescrolling motorbike shooter metroidvania. The dark setting, gory visuals, motorbike combat and dialogue with an emphasis on family made this truly special and I can't wait to experience the rest.
Expectations: 4 / 5
Horror FPS. Honestly the coolest fucking thing ever. The aesthetic is awesome, the game feels great, and medium difficulty pushed me without being too difficult. I'm gonna have to check out the first one. There are some aspects of this that feel like they haven't been thought through, like dialogue text just being subtitles, but the horror FPS part of this was fantastic.
Horror FPS. Honestly the coolest fucking thing ever. The aesthetic is awesome, the game feels great, and medium difficulty pushed me without being too difficult. I'm gonna have to check out the first one. There are some aspects of this that feel like they haven't been thought through, like dialogue text just being subtitles, but the horror FPS part of this was fantastic.
Espectations: 4 / 5
Story-driven first-person horror. This one is a bit janky (weird animation, the pause menu barely functions and for some reason you can set your mouse senstivity to 0) but I swear it is worth it. There is some bizarre shit going on and I am all for it.
Story-driven first-person horror. This one is a bit janky (weird animation, the pause menu barely functions and for some reason you can set your mouse senstivity to 0) but I swear it is worth it. There is some bizarre shit going on and I am all for it.
Expectations: 4 / 5
Story-driven horror RPG with no combat. Wow! An astounding amount of effort has been put into the presentation here. I would have paid money just to see the opening cutscene, and there's a whole game behind it with a striking visual style inspired by 90s anime and JRPGs. There's also some dating sim elements and a focus on resource management. Honestly, I'm excited for this one.
Story-driven horror RPG with no combat. Wow! An astounding amount of effort has been put into the presentation here. I would have paid money just to see the opening cutscene, and there's a whole game behind it with a striking visual style inspired by 90s anime and JRPGs. There's also some dating sim elements and a focus on resource management. Honestly, I'm excited for this one.
5
Expectations: 3.5 / 5
An adventure game where you climb up cliff faces. This one had me sold pretty much immediately. I like the climbing mechanics - although I am wondering if they'll get stale - and the setting/environment is cool as hell. I'm not sold on the storytelling yet but I will be getting this day one.
An adventure game where you climb up cliff faces. This one had me sold pretty much immediately. I like the climbing mechanics - although I am wondering if they'll get stale - and the setting/environment is cool as hell. I'm not sold on the storytelling yet but I will be getting this day one.
Expectations: 3.5 / 5
Action-adventure. Big fan of this one so far. It's very clearly inspired by the N64 Zeldas and has a retro art style to match, but it's paired with some funny writing and expressive character animations. The game is a bit stop-start and probably has a few too many cutscenes to start off with and there's probably not enough songs present at this stage, but I really enjoyed it.
Action-adventure. Big fan of this one so far. It's very clearly inspired by the N64 Zeldas and has a retro art style to match, but it's paired with some funny writing and expressive character animations. The game is a bit stop-start and probably has a few too many cutscenes to start off with and there's probably not enough songs present at this stage, but I really enjoyed it.
Expectations: 3.5 / 5
A story-driven puzzle-platformer. This one had little rough edges but I did find it pretty engaging thanks to its story focus and some varied gameplay. I'm not a big sidescroller fan, usually, but there was enough here to mix up the usual puzzle-platformer approach.
A story-driven puzzle-platformer. This one had little rough edges but I did find it pretty engaging thanks to its story focus and some varied gameplay. I'm not a big sidescroller fan, usually, but there was enough here to mix up the usual puzzle-platformer approach.
Expectations: 3.5 / 5
FPS. As someone who hasn't seen the movie, I can't comment on the source material. But what we do have here is a decent shooter that's plenty of fun. Very slow paced too due to RoboCop's slow pace. I don't mind that.
FPS. As someone who hasn't seen the movie, I can't comment on the source material. But what we do have here is a decent shooter that's plenty of fun. Very slow paced too due to RoboCop's slow pace. I don't mind that.
9
Expectations: 3.5 / 5
Roguelike FPS. Honestly I had a blast. Jetpacking around a room meleeing drones to death was a good time. I'm not sure how I feel about the characters, I'd hope they have something to them in the story department but I'm not holding my breath. A lot of roguelikes don't do anything story-wise. As a side note these devs made the original Nexuiz! Wow, that brings me back.
Roguelike FPS. Honestly I had a blast. Jetpacking around a room meleeing drones to death was a good time. I'm not sure how I feel about the characters, I'd hope they have something to them in the story department but I'm not holding my breath. A lot of roguelikes don't do anything story-wise. As a side note these devs made the original Nexuiz! Wow, that brings me back.
10
Expectations: 3.5 / 5
Adventure. A really solid effort. It looks gorgeous and the world looks interesting and the devs have made it a joy to move around with gliding, water skating, etc. There's also a plot told via voiceovers. I'm not sure how effective that is and I feel like the story won't be a strong part of this. Still, the rest of the game looks like fun.
Adventure. A really solid effort. It looks gorgeous and the world looks interesting and the devs have made it a joy to move around with gliding, water skating, etc. There's also a plot told via voiceovers. I'm not sure how effective that is and I feel like the story won't be a strong part of this. Still, the rest of the game looks like fun.
11
Expectations: 3 / 5
FPS. It's just a tutorial area available at the moment. Combat feels good so far but it's hard to get a gauge on the rest of the game.
FPS. It's just a tutorial area available at the moment. Combat feels good so far but it's hard to get a gauge on the rest of the game.
12
Expectations: 3 / 5
Visual novel. Having played and enjoyed the previous VN in what looks to be a series, First Snow, I was always gonna be interested in this. As a VN there isn't a lot to go on but I do like the aesthetic. Voice acted VNs have never really been my thing though, and the initial settings page has a soft locking issue. We'll see how it pans out, but I will still get it day one because of series loyalty.
Visual novel. Having played and enjoyed the previous VN in what looks to be a series, First Snow, I was always gonna be interested in this. As a VN there isn't a lot to go on but I do like the aesthetic. Voice acted VNs have never really been my thing though, and the initial settings page has a soft locking issue. We'll see how it pans out, but I will still get it day one because of series loyalty.
Expectations: 3 / 5
Top-down horror. I have no idea what to make of this one. The environment was difficult to navigate thanks to the black-and-white pixel art style and the slow movement speed. But still, I feel like there may be something special here if you persist with it.
Top-down horror. I have no idea what to make of this one. The environment was difficult to navigate thanks to the black-and-white pixel art style and the slow movement speed. But still, I feel like there may be something special here if you persist with it.
14
Expectations: 3 / 5
Tower defence FPS. This seems like a good start for early access, but tower defence games aren't usually my thing so my enthusiasm is muted.
Tower defence FPS. This seems like a good start for early access, but tower defence games aren't usually my thing so my enthusiasm is muted.
Expectations: 2.5 / 5
Rhythm. Not the worst? Like it seems fun and it's probably better in co-op. The way the game messes with you while playing got a bit annoying but i assume that part is better with friends. I wonder if the variety holds up as you get deeper into the game.
Rhythm. Not the worst? Like it seems fun and it's probably better in co-op. The way the game messes with you while playing got a bit annoying but i assume that part is better with friends. I wonder if the variety holds up as you get deeper into the game.
Expectations: 2.5 / 5
Action-adventure. Oof, bad time to be a Unity game. You can see the love that has been put into this but it felt very trapped in its conventions and unwilling to do anything to set itself apart. The dialogue writing was also very uninspired. It has a charming look to it, and it feels like something kids would love, but I'm gonna pass on this.
Action-adventure. Oof, bad time to be a Unity game. You can see the love that has been put into this but it felt very trapped in its conventions and unwilling to do anything to set itself apart. The dialogue writing was also very uninspired. It has a charming look to it, and it feels like something kids would love, but I'm gonna pass on this.
17
Expectations: 2 / 5
First person souls-like. It's a shame that I didn't enjoy it, because it looks like so much time has been put into this. I found combat to be very clunky, and didn't find I had many options mid-fight, partially due to the slow movement speed. I thought the picture-with-text cutscenes were a bit goofy, too. Maybe people bigger on souls-likes will have a better time with this than I did.
First person souls-like. It's a shame that I didn't enjoy it, because it looks like so much time has been put into this. I found combat to be very clunky, and didn't find I had many options mid-fight, partially due to the slow movement speed. I thought the picture-with-text cutscenes were a bit goofy, too. Maybe people bigger on souls-likes will have a better time with this than I did.