5 Games from Steam's Next Fest: October. (Part 1 maybe?)
There are too many games!
There are only five of the hundreds of demos released, updated, or featured in this fest? Well, there are way too many amazing games out there, plenty that deserve your attention, and your wallet. Which is why this may be part one of two, or three, or four, as I still have many, many demos to go over.
These are the first five demos that I played, and enjoyed, or saw that it has potential to be great.
10 Dead Doves
Developer/publisher: Duonix Studios
Socials: Games’ Twitter | Duonix’s Twitter
Platform: Steam
Release date: December 2024
10 Dead Doves is a fixed camera survival horror with a unique style in both animations, and scares. I jumped into the demo expecting a horror game where two guys had a mission that goes wrong, but left wanting so much more of the game, as the dialogue, characters, and bizarreness were on-point and humorous.
While you only play as Mark in the demo, you are promised to follow the journey of both Mark and Sean. Their banter, while first cringe, made me realize that’s how best friends talk to each other. It was a very fun and curious adventure, as the demo’s narrative hints of a very strange occurrence in the Appalachian.
Blood Bar Tycoon
Developer: Clever Trickster Studio
Publisher: Clever Trickster Productions
Socials: Twitter | Discord | Reddit
Platform: Steam
Release date: February 4, 2025
Blood Bar Tycoon has you creating a restaurant in where you have to feed both vampires, and humans. As a fan of Roblox tycoon games, and now Fortnite tycoons, I’ve never really gone into “real” tycoon games. When I saw the theme of vampires and restaurant, it piqued my interest.
I’m not big into this genre, but I found the art style, and the characters, charming. It was easy to pick up and play, and while I can’t say I was efficient, I can say it was enjoyable. Designating areas for vampires and humans, buying food for both, customizing the restaurant, trying to not get found out while still feeding vampires, was a cool experience.
Hail To The Rainbow
Developer/publisher: Носков Сергей
Socials: Twitter
Platform: Steam | Youtube | Telegram
Release date: Q1 2025
Hail To The Rainbow first caught my attention when I stumbled on it through Twitter. The post apocalyptic setting was ever-present, the name was eye-catching, and it was a horror game with driving.
It was interesting to play as a child in a post-apocalyptic future, making even simple enemies, like some metal dingy robots, hard to fight against. In the demo, you survive the harsh environment, and as you go into the past before you get your robot eye, it promises an intense story about perseverance in a terrible environment.
Below, Rusted Gods
Developer/publisher: FromSouthGames
Platform: Steam
Release date: Q1 2025
This game caught me by surprise, as I didn’t look into the game. I just knew that it was horror, and the cover art. It has that found footage style that games associated with The Backrooms usually have. Speaking of which, I did not expect this game to be part of that universe.
In Below, Rusted Gods, you’re an operator for a team diving deep into the horror. You’re tasked with giving directions to the team, keeping an eye out for their welfare, and surviving your own scares in a place where you’re suppose to be safe. It’s an interesting premise that gives a different spin to something oversaturated and generic.
Keep Driving
Developer/publisher: YCJY Games
Socials: Twitter | Website | Discord
Platform: Steam
Release date: TBA
The game looks very cool, but sadly, I wasn’t able to enjoy the demo. I just wanted to keep transparency, but I just wanted to mention this game. Thankfully, Adventure In Indie Games made a great article on Keep Driving (
). While I wasn’t able to take a look, I’m glad that I could read, and watch, what the game really is. And it looks dope.
Tons of Games Out There!
I may do another part where I mention more games I found very interesting. There’s still a couple of demos I have to go through, but let me know what games you’re excited for down in the comments!
Great selection! And it's a statement that even though I covered 40 games during Next Fest, there's hardly any overlap between our lists. So many games to look at.
Thanks for the shout-out, btw