Steam Next Fest: 12 cool demos you should try out

destructoid.com:

The Steam Next Fest demo party is currently on, with many studios showcasing their upcoming games. From big to small, solo devs to publisher-backed projects, there’s a lot to explore.

I took a browse through the selection over the last day or so, and now I’m back with a list of some demos that seem worth checking out. Keep in mind: this is, by no means, an exhaustive list. There are a ton of demos to find, and if you’re looking to fill a specific need like “deck-building roguelike” or something, Steam’s tag system will get you there.

These are just the ones that caught my eye, and might catch yours too. Some I’ve even already played, as you’ll see in the writeup, at previous expos and demo fests. But with the selection here, there are plenty of cool upcoming games to try out.

Without further ado, let’s start with the spooky.

The rhythm-FPS genre is quickly filling up, but Metal: Hellsinger has been garnering some attention for its extremely metal approach. I imagine many people who played Doom (2016) found themselves entering a Zen state of chugging guitars and splattering demons, and Hellsinger is the meeting point of the two. It’s currently set to launch in full on Sept. 15, 2022.

Find the demo on Steam here.

Maybe arena shooters aren’t your thing. Maybe you prefer your nostalgic, retro-vibes games more in the vein of Resident Evil, with a twist of existential cosmic dread and cyber-horror. Well, Signalis has it in spades. It’s atmospheric, moody, utilizes shifts in perspective and audio pips extremely well, and is easily one of my most-anticipated indies headed into later 2022. And it’s slated just in time for Halloween, on Oct. 27, 2022.

Find the demo here.

Okay, so maybe dark-and-creepy is your vibe, but you want a