15 demos to try before Steam Next Fest 2023 ends

destructoid.com:

We are several days deep into the first Steam Next Fest of 2023. The event highlights upcoming games, and there’s been a bountiful slew of demos rolling out to show Steam users just what they can expect in the future.

There are also, frankly, a gazillion demos on the storefront for Steam Next Fest. And while some of Valve’s tools and algorithms can be effective for finding what you’re looking for, you may also want to stumble into something you’re not looking for. Games on the periphery, those that can surprise us, can sometimes wind up our favorites by year’s end.

With that in mind, we’ve assembled a list of demos worth checking out before Steam Next Fest wraps up. Throughout the week, we’ve had our writers tackling longer impressions from demos that caught their eye, and we’ll note those here, as well as some other games I’ve personally added to my watchlist. The event runs from February 6 through 13, so if you’re tuning in this weekend for a demo-spree or two, here’s a good list to get you started.

This eerie top-down action game may feel familiar, but Radio the Universe twists on just about everything you’d expect from the genre, from platforming and action to its presentation. Thanks to both style and substance, the long-awaited Radio the Universe has quickly become a standout demo of Steam Next Fest. Check out some longer thoughts and impressions here.

Do you wish to return to the age of Nintendo 64 platforming glory? Is everything else trying to take you there not hitting right? Well, maybe the Cavern of Dreams can help. As Zoey puts it in our writeup, “Cavern of Dreams is a pleasant experience that does a great job of harkening back to the better experiences on the N64.” You can’t ever truly go home again, but