Gaming News Steam Neo Fest: 10 atypical video games to discover for free this weekend
This week is Steam Neo Fest. Hundreds of game demos will be made available free of charge to all players on Valve’s platform for seven days. And the least we can say is that in the crowd we find very atypical games.
The Steam Neo Fest started last Monday. Those who don’t know about this rather special festival should know that it is Valve’s initiative to discover hundreds of game demos that will be released on Steam. Suffice to say, now is the perfect time to start looking for your next independent nuggets, but also to be curious and try out atypical or WTF experiences. After all, it’s free! The risks are therefore lower and you may be pleasantly surprised. But as said, there are hundreds of demos available. Also, the event ends tomorrow at 7 p.m. So we’re going to try to do the work for you by offering you 10 atypical games to discover, for better or for worse, this weekend.
summary
- 10 WTF Games from Steam Neo Fest
- Dredge
- Flat Eye
- friends against friends
- Mars First Logistics
- psychroma
- rhythm offspring
- Kill the princess
- Glue it to the stickman
- The rabbit graveyard
- The Eternal Cylinder
10 WTF Games from Steam Neo Fest
Dredge
Dredge is a pretty special fishing game. If we are in the genre, we tend to find ultra-realistic titles like The Fisherman. But if Team17 gave Black Salt Games a chance, it’s because it’s one of the most atypical. Its graphics, very refined, break with the more realistic fishing games. In this seemingly simple universe, the sounds and character design of the characters create a darkness that is directly reminiscent of Disco Elysium. If the demo barely hints at it, we feel that the title is full of mysteries to be discovered. But to find them you need to sell a lot of fish to upgrade your boat and rod and advance even further. Another approach to fishing games worth checking out.
Flat Eye
Deja, the idea of developing a gas station management game is quite inappropriate. But giving it a heavy dose of storytelling, even emphasizing it, is a pretty unlikely choice. To the latter is added an atypical and refined artistic direction. Everything is signed Monkey Moon and Raw Fury, offering an interesting alternative to this very often exploited genre. Surprisingly, the fate of the world seems to be played out in this very special gas station. It must be said that there are very specific machines such as an organ donor, an artificial uterus or a cloning booth. The main issue? Shows how technology has impacted and can impact our lives for better or for worse.
friends against friends
You may have seen indie phenomenon Neon White pass by. The game featured a rather innovative concept viz Mix an FPS with a deck of cards. Once you’ve tried it, you won’t be too surprised by the Friends vs Friends principle. But add to that a colorful artistic direction and, most importantly, PvP-based gameplay and you get a game that’s still quite atypical. Unlike Neon White, Friends VS Friends is not a story-driven game. The idea is in the title: let friends compete against each other, whether via duels or 2v2 battles. If you fancy trying it out, check out the demo this weekend.
Mars First Logistics
It’s not uncommon to see games where Mars is colonized. But what happens when the new planet is inhabited? For example, how do you get a package delivered? Have you ever asked yourself the question? No big deal, Mars First Logistics does it for you. In fact, in this space simulation game, you drive mechanized rovers to deliver orders on the surface of the planet. But your machine must evolve according to the load to be transported. You must therefore unlock components and upgrade your rover accordingly. On the artistic direction side, at La Sable we find very sophisticated visuals. And so we get a partially atypical game to test during Steam Neo Fest.
psychroma
The word atypical is weak when it comes to talking about Psychroma. When the game was shown at Summer Game Fest, it was already giving off color. Cryptic, psychedelic and terrifying, the title is one of those brain-blow experiences as what’s happening on screen seems to come from another dimension. But what is Psychroma? This is a very colorful point ‘n’ click that invites you to investigate a rather special connected house and the spirits that inhabit it. Gory at times, Psychroma shouldn’t be put in everyone’s hands and risks leaving a large chunk of players grounded due to its cryptic side. But the proposal is so atypical that it was impossible not to talk about it here.
rhythm offspring
You couldn’t miss Trombone Champ. The random-sounding rhythm game toured Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter. Even Panthaa and Tiraxa tried it out during a Refund or Not, which you can find here. And when you see Rhythm Sprout, it’s hard not to think of the title Holy Wow. With its crazy universe and genre (rhythm game), it surfs right on the wave of Trombone Champ. On the other hand, don’t expect to laugh at strange noises. Rhythm Sprout remains a very different game. Something to test your reflexes as you discover a totally barren legume world opening its doors to you during this Steam Neo Fest.
Kill the princess
In video games we have long found the cliché of the hero who rescues the princess from distress. Mario, Zelda… There are many classics based on this simple principle, to be reused at will. So the developers at Black Tabby Games decided to turn that idea on its head. In Slay the Princess (quite an impressive title), your goal is not to save the princess, but to kill her. If you don’t, it will be the end of the world. And if this task seems simple on paper, in reality it is quite the opposite. The princess is mean and suspicious. In this dark visual novel, you must make the right choices to kill her without giving her a chance to take revenge. This gives a rather unusual concept to explore at Steam Neo Fest.
Glue it to the stickman
Games of dubious seriousness have proven surprisingly effective in recent years. So it’s not surprising that Stick to the Stickman offers us a stickman with a stunning gait. But contrary to what one might think, the title is not a 3D platformer à la Human Falls Flat. In Stick to the Stickman, the goal is to beat to death your colleagues who are trying to fire you. Given the overall mood, you’ve surely understood that Free Lives and Devolver Digital’s game offers you a biting humor and pervasive sarcasm. It’s all underpinned by simple yet rather unusual artistic direction, which also carries the atypical Stick it to the Stickman cachet.
The rabbit graveyard
Is there a cuter animal than a rabbit? If you answered no to this question, The Bunny Graveyard may change your mind. Under its cute looks, the Pichon Games title hides its game very well. It’s simple, it’s impossible to trust the looks of this game. The demo also misleads us from the start by offering gameplay and a completely different atmosphere than the rest of the game. It’s not a game that can be put into everyone’s hands unless you want to traumatize your little kid who loves rabbits. The Bunny Graveyard is actually a very dark and disturbing horror game. Everything takes the form of a scary adventure full of all kinds of puzzles. The goal ? Face your fear of the dark to search for your missing brother in Carrot Town. By the end of the year if you want to know what’s next.
The Eternal Cylinder
In video games, we’re used to impersonating people or animals, from the adventurous cat in Stray to the satanic lamb in Cult of the Lamb. But stepping into the skin of an unknown and deformed being is rare. Spore did that in its day, and The Eternal Cylinder does the same kind of weird, limp cheesiness. The title takes us into an unknown world where a huge cylinder of stone constantly rolls on the surface, crushing everything in its path. Your goal, of course, is to avoid it and survive. But to do that, we need to evolve. In fact, sometimes it is necessary to have an extra leg or more strength to move forward and reach certain areas. So you’ll follow the evolution of your little beast while you flee the threat that’s watching you. The bizarre creature you control is enough to qualify the title and its demo as atypical.
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