Winners & Losers from Steam Next Fest (October 2024)

Checking back on games I looked at again after some time have past and where they're at now

I have been participating in Steam Next Fest since 2020 when it used to be called The Steam Game Festival.

The idea stuck for Valve and here we are five years later rebranding to Steam Next Fest.

As for myself, I check back on some games I tried, followed, and/or wishlist. I want to see what developers are coming along on their games. Some games I played either made the landing (minus some flaws). Or turned out to be stinkers which well…that’s life for you. You win some and you lose some. The October edition of Steam Next Fest is no exception to this. I will be looking at games released sometime after Next Fest has concluded and what the reception will be after some time passes. Those that haven’t been released yet don’t apply. Let’s get started!

First on the list is Neon Blood, developed by ChaoticBrain Studios and Gammera Nest. A pixel-art cyberpunk adventure game with JRPG turn-based combat. I mention the combat being bare-bones even for turn-based standards after playing the demo. Maybe after its release things will get better?

Nope!

Unfortunately, it is not the case and the reviews pointed out the same things I did when playing the demo. So the flaws remained an issue even after launch. On top of being short for an adventure game taking about three hours to complete. The Monkey Island series took longer than that!

With the $19.99 price point, Neon Blood is part of the “wait for a sale” club. Looks like BearBoneStudio’s Minds Beneath Us won out so give that a look instead.

The Spirit of the Samurai by Digital Mind Games, when playing the demo, I was enthralled by its art style. Stop-motion animation for a video game is pretty rare these days which was why I initially got on board. Although playing through the demo felt pretty linear and the controls needed refinement. I chalked it up to playing a vertical slice and waited at launch to see if things were different. This game had the unfortunate situation of optimization issues on its release. The developers worked on the problems one week later and confirmed this.

What surprised me was they did another update on the game.

These timely actions help the Spirit of the Samurai regain some footing. A lesson to learn for anyone looking in is having a successful launch makes a good first impression. Judging the game itself, however, my fears turn out to be true. A linear experience that goes against Metroidvania norms since it’s known for doing overworld exploration. The clunky combat doesn’t help matters being a main part of the game.

Fans of the genre would be disappointed in an otherwise barebones entry to metroidvania’s. At $19.99 or equivalent, a linear Metroidvania could be a pro to some if the Spirit of the Samurai’s art style caught your eye. Otherwise, it’s another member of waiting for a sale.

Last but not least, Divine Dynamo Flamefrit is enjoying a “successful” launch but there are some issues that need addressing. This game is part of a preorder bonus to another game, Card-en-Ciel which is also published by Inti Creates.

Intended to be an internal April Fool’s joke but turned into a fully realized game.

From Hardcore Gamer

For an April Fool’s joke, it’s impressive, and can appreciate the developers having fun. How does Flamefrit fare as a game, however? From what I played from the demo, a solid foundation, and concept (Isekai tropes aside). Pulling a power ranger Megazord transformation to battling giant monsters is the highlight of this game. Add simple controls with an art style reminiscing to the Super Nintendo days for just $6.99. Issues I have seen from other people were what you’re playing in demo lasting two levels longer, lack of collectibles, and fighting mobs felt pointless beyond some upgrades sprinkled through the under two-hour period you be spending on it.

For a game made purely out of an in-joke. It doesn’t seem worth it unless you’re passionate about anything related to Inti-Creates. Playing the demo alone is more than enough, to be honest with you… For something similar to Flamefrit, I found a title called Kokoro Clover published by Phoenixx Inc. offering more content with a new entry coming out soon. Go for that instead.

Wrapping up

Looking through these again, I’m glad I didn’t invest in these titles as much it pains me to say. These games while serviceable have flaws that could be dealbreakers to many in their genre. This is the reality of the indie space unfortunately as one has to wade through many duds in order to find gems. While I’m not buying these games anytime soon, that does not mean the same for you guys. Don’t let me stop you from giving them a shot. As mentioned previously, all of these games mentioned above have demos for you to try. So there’s no harm in testing them out to come to your own conclusions.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure as they say.