So, Steam Nextfest just ended.. and I played a good 40 games over the period of two days. I decided to rate them on a 5 star system (although I did give a few of the very very best ones 6 stars).. and write up a little review of what I thought of each of the games. So without any further ado... here you go: (all games listed are on steam and were in demo form for Nextfest.)
bellwright - 6 stars
I cannot recommend this any higher. I mean it. It's Kingdom Come: Deliverance Mixed with Medieval Dynasty and amped up a few notches. Quitting this beautiful game to go to the next was PAINFUL. It's got story, intrigue, lore, building, gathering, renown… and more. Chances are if you like RPGs or survival sims or building games.. this IS for you.
mind over magic - 6 stars
Okay, this demo is still going on for a few days - and I highly recommend it. I had trouble stopping play, seriously. It's a school for mages, but you have to collect all the items, you have to train the teachers, the students, and there's a constant encroaching darkness. Super fun, and one to watch for when it's out.
lies of P: 6 stars
Souls-like. Fluid. Easy and intuitive to learn, but difficult to master. It's Pinocchio meets post-apocalypse meets steam-punk. Another very much "cream of the crop" game… this is one to get. Trust me.
broken roads: 6 stars
Ever played a post-apocalypse city builder? Well this takes the whole thing into the RPG realm. And then tosses the whole thing into a snarky, cursing, awesome melee in Australia. You do need this game. You just don't know it yet. Well done, great graphics, easy to learn, and DEEP into the role-play and story aspect with a full-on alignment system like D&D. Also painful to stop playing. I could have gone for hours even on a pared-down demo mode.
Another game to add to this 6-star list, it's out in demo form, but not for Nextfest: Aloft. HIGHLY recommended pre-alpha demo. I have played it for hours and still feel like there's more I could do in the demo. Very much looking to see more from this game.
wildmender - 5 stars
This one is really just shy of being 6 stars. I played this for WAY too long. They call it a "desert gardening survival game" .. that's a pretty good description. There's a building aspect, and gardening, and exploration, and a mystery as to what happened to this world in the first place. I will definitely be buying this. The only thing that brought it back from 6 stars is some of the systems are hard to learn at first.
ratopia - 5 stars
Another game that was JUST shy of 6 stars. Again, I played way too long. Think Kingdom: Two Crowns mixed with an underground city builder. Very cute, very fun, and VERY addicting.
homeseek - 5 stars
Another post-apocalypse survival strategy game. More on the city build and sim side than the RPG side, though. Has a really neat expedition, laws, and research system that I particularly enjoyed. This is one I took the time to finish their whole survey to help them out. Comparable to Surviving the Aftermath and Endzone: A World Apart with a little bit of Frostpunk thrown in.
new cycle - 5 stars
If you've EVER had any interest in the city building genre, look no further. This one has potential in spades. The building system is smooth and SO customizable… it reminds me very much of Anno 1800. The whole Anno series, really. Even looks a bit like it. Well, if you combined it with Farthest Frontier, that is.
norland - 5 stars
a medieval kingdom sim that focuses very much on the roleplay and the story. very cute graphics. had a really good time with it. similar to things like rimworld and clanfolk, but better stories. I actually did put this at 6 stars before knocking it down because it's just not QUITE as good as the ones I gave that extra star to. Not yet. I'll be watching this closely as it develops, though.
house flipper 2 - 4 stars
I would like to give this more stars, because I loved Flipper 1, but the demo was pretty rough. It was hard to figure out what you were supposed to do and what you weren't. That being said, I'm very sure the game itself will be better. I still have high hopes for this one.
land above, sea below - 4 stars
This one was a puzzley one, where every season the hexagons of land you've put up sinks by one level into the water. It's gorgeous graphics wise, and really zen, but I had trouble figuring out how not to lose the game. I will be keeping an eye on this one, because with a more comprehensive tutorial (or more time into the game) I would have really really enjoyed it.
steamworld - 4 stars
This seemed very much like a typical cutesy city builder until I got to about 45 minutes in. then things got more complicated with the mining underground and more types of people to hire…. the game has the graphics, the humor, and the cute factor. I was not ready to stop playing when I did, but I knew darn well that I had already decided this one was a keeper.
en garde - 4 stars
this one is a swashbuckling dueling swordplay game. the controls were smooth and easy to learn, but difficult to absolutely master. the tutorial was easy to follow, the controls are intuitive, and the story is endearing and interesting. What more can you really ask for? oh. Graphics. Super clean, super 3d animation, very high quality as well as being bright and colorful and pleasing to the eye. This is a game to get.
landnama - 4 stars
oh my gosh this game is cool. Despite the fact that I kept losing the game as I was getting the hang of it. it's another hex land game, but this time, it's viking themed, and involves sending your people to explore, and build their settlement. The goal is to survive the winter every year, while building the settlement to prosperity and success. It's hard. But darn, it's fun. And even better, it's out July 31st. I would not expect a hefty price tag on it, either…. so this may very well be one to buy very early on.
paleo pines - 4 stars
If you like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, this is for you. I don't like either. But I STILL liked this game. It's like a better graphics version of Stardew, with ADORABLE dinosaurs and a cute story. Will be keeping an eye on this.
causeway - 4 stars
another puzzle-y game. Only this one is zen and difficult all at the same time. It starts super simple, but then very quickly really gets your brain in gear. Your job is to connect the blue pylons to the grey ones with roads for the flying futuristic cars and buses. Seems simple, but it does ramp up in difficulty quite quickly. The soundtrack is very calm, the graphics are minimalistic but pleasing to the eye… all in all, this is a game I want. It's super zen and fun, while still engaging your brain. Can't really ask for more.
el dorado - 4 stars
This is a city-builder in a similar style to games like Pharaoh and Zeus, a genre I REALLY enjoy, and have for years. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but it does the genre in style. I am pretty sure the simulation gets more difficult, but the demo was a bit dumbed-down, and very easy to pick up. Lovely concept, good looking game, and in a genre I love… this is a game for me.
galacticare - 4 stars
You all know how much I love hospital sims. This one is silly like Two Point Hospital, but at the same time it's a little bit more serious like my favorite game, Project Hospital. You are a hospital director out in space, and patients just portal in and need care. The building system is very similar to Two Point, but this time I didn't mind it so much. The story is cute, and so are the graphics.. this may very be one to buy, because I very much enjoyed the demo, and wished I had more time to play.
primitive society simulator - 4 stars
Okay, so the name is terrible. But the game is super cute. it's not hard to play, and the simulation is a bit different with each game, so replayability is definitely there. This of this one a bit like Rimworld or Clanfolk, with a lot of Sapiens thrown in, as well as being set in the caveman age… which is one of my favorite game eras. The translation could have been a bit better, but I'll let that slide because, quite frankly, this was just a demo. I will definitely be buying this one.
laysara: summit kingdom - 4 stars
oh, this one caught my eye and has been on my wishlist for quite a while now… so you better believe I wanted to play it. I have to say, it was pretty much all I had hoped for. It's a fun city builder with a class system and upgrading homes, but the ability to transport goods from far away to the marketplaces was super nice. Graphics are very good, and the way that you're building on the side of a mountain is very intriguing - it puts space constraints on your city that make the game just that little bit harder in a good way. The demo only made me more excited for this game.
let's school: 4 stars
Ever wanted to build a school and run it? With this game, you can. You're given the opportunity to bring a dilapidated school back into working order, and it's easy to build and get running. Very cute, very cozy… and right up my alley. Definitely went on my Wishlist.
station to station: 4 stars
my friend Raindog brought this one to my attention. Breaking the game down to it's simplest, it's a puzzle - you're trying to get the goods to the processing factories all over the map, without causing accidents between trains. Good graphics, intriguing game play, and it really feels like you're setting up a little trainset of your own. Easy to learn how to play, and very intuitive track building. High praise for a little train game, I think.
aztecs the last sun: 4 stars
Oh, this one is nice. I hadn't heard of it before this demo, but I'm super hyped for this game now. It's another city builder, only set in the aztecs' time with everything you'd expect - including creepy menacing fog and human sacrifices. Gorgeous game, and smooth running. Very excited for this one… and it didn't take much play time to figure out that I liked it and I only wanted more.
little kitty, big city - 3 stars
I wanted to give this one more stars, but being that I didn't want to plug in a controller, and it's seemingly unplayable without one… it was hard to say. I still say I want this game, however, and will be recommending this to my cat-obsessed son. Graphics are cute, the trailer had me REALLY interested in the game, and the backstory they made up for this cat is ADORABLE. Will be a game I'm watching, despite the fact I didn't actually do more than watch the intro cut scene and the trailer.
bulwark: falconeer chronicles - 3 stars
Another one I wanted to give more stars to. But truth of the matter, this was a hard game. I wasn't understanding the mechanics very well, but darn did I have fun with the freedom the building system gave you. Add to this that this game is built by ONE GUY.. and that it was only a demo, this one is definitely staying on my wishlist. It's set in a very steampunk world with a simple building system - just point and click. However, learning what each of those clicks do was very much on you and your experimentation…. and I didn't play it nearly long enough to truly figure it out, I think. Graphics are very nice, and the story is also good, though… so, as I said, this is still a game I want to spend more time with when it's out.
evergreen: mountain life simulator - 3 stars
Okay, this is a tough one. Graphics are .. okay. building system.. okay. survival system.. ?poor? .. but the demo was VERY rough. I wanted to like this one more than I ultimately did. I am stretching things a bit far to give this three stars, but.. darn it, I really did want to like it! After the demo, however, I did take this one off my wishlist. Just didn't vibe with it even though I tried.
grand emprise: time travel survival - 3 stars
Similar to the last one, I WANTED to love this game. I played it for quite a while, and really tried to like it. The concept is quite cool. Basically you start with nothing, and find a broken time travel device - that you fix with rocks…? .. then you immediately teleport yourself to the dinosaur age. You pick up .. yep, more rocks… and throw them at smaller dinosaurs to get some meat.. while trying to avoid bigger carnivores. You then use that meat to tame one of the little dinos and ride quite awkwardly towards a goal on the other side of the map, while again, avoiding carnivores. I did, eventually, get to that location and get teleported into a mysterious temple.. that ultimately was a long journey following a little ball of light through a maze of a "temple".. to a crystal.. that apparently recharged my time travel device.. so I could go on to the cave man era. Then I had to punch trees for logs (yeah, you heard me right).. and whack at big rocks with little rocks to.. yep. COLLECT MORE ROCKS. then, finally, I was able to make some tools, and hunt. The hunting system is super un-intuitive, and basically is bashing away at whatever is trying to kill you or run away until the beast falls. If I wanted to follow the "tech tree" (which was more like a set of game requirements), the next thing I needed to do was kill a bunch of cavemen.. but by that time, I'd had more than enough. Again, a game by a single developer.. and is due out sometime in july.. so perhaps I expected more from it… but I did take it off my wishlist. The demo was enough, thanks.
within a dead city - 3 stars
This game follows the formula of one of my favorite games of all time, Majesty: the Fantasy Kingdom Sim, but with very minimal graphics. That being said, even though the demo seemed to be rather simplified, I still enjoyed getting my little heroes to explore the map and build my kingdom. It stayed on my wishlist despite seeming a bit rough.
iron roads - 3 stars
Very simple train and station game. Super simplistic graphics, but still fun. This is still on my wishlist.
mall craze - 2 stars
the steam page for the game was more intriguing than the game, i'm afraid. I wasn't a fan of the graphics or the building system. So, in other words, I didn't play it long. I took it off my wishlist.. and I just noticed something else. The game page says september 23rd.. but the trailer says 2022. LOL. Oh well, someone will love it, I'm sure.
gym empire - 2 stars
I played this one for quite a while. I really wanted to like it. Ultimately, I didn't, however, and it's been removed from my wishlist. Its basically a simple game where you build a gym and train people or hire staff to train people. I kept hoping it would get better, but it just didn't.
peaceful lands - 2 stars
I can think of a handful or better games that follow the same general formula that this one uses. Basically, you put down hexagons of land, trying to match the sides to the next tile's sides for points. When you run out of tiles, you lose. So the goal is to get enough points to continue getting tiles. The matches are hard to see, and - as I said - this formula has been done before - and better. If you want a game like this, go with Dorfromantik.
randoville - 2 stars
Confusing game. Super cute concept… you roll a 20 sided die before you build everything. I just couldn't figure out WHY you rolling the dice. What did getting higher numbers mean? The game never really tells you. It's a city-builder, though, much like Foundation (which is a game I very much recommend) - but much less understandable. If a tutorial were to give you a better idea of what the fun dice mechanics actually were, this game still has potential.
sky base venus - 2 stars
oof. Um. This is a game that had potential.. until I played it. It suffered from having just too darn much info on the screen. I'm sure all of it is important, for different reasons - it's a very technical space station builder where you have to pay attention to the scientists' needs and the balance of the station in the wobbly atmosphere of Venus … But just.. too much info all at once, game. And none of it is explained. I still gave it a good try, however, until I came to trying to build something and it kept telling me I didn't have enough of.. SOMETHING… to build it. And I couldn't figure out what that was, because nothing turned red when I tried to build it, and I saw no warnings that said what I was low on, so ultimately, I couldn't order what I actually needed to build it. At that point, I just decided to toss the whole game… which is unfortunate, because it has a decent premise.
moving in - 2 stars
think Unpacking. only, in this overly simplistic game you have to physically manuever everything through doors and into place with a very fussy system of controls. After taking near 15 minutes to manhandle a bed into a room in the house, and not being able to place it exactly where I wanted to be very well… I just gave up. Enough was enough.
These final five all were games I played for less than 10-15 minutes. Either the graphics were so janky that the game was barely working, or the controls were too hard to understand, or something about the game just immediately turned me off. That is NOT to say they're terrible games, I honestly probably didn't give them enough of a chance to really shine. Sometimes a game just strikes you wrong at the beginning.
wanderful - 1 stars
hoglands - 1 star
disco simulator - 1 star
panda's village - 1 star
trackline express - 1 star
Sounds like there are so many great games! I hope you give shout-outs when they're available to buy!