Find and review the best games in Steam Next Fest!

As a good lover of souslikes, as soon as I saw the game I thought “We've got a new Sekiro, or a new Nioh”, but I was terribly wrong! We see a stop motion idea that simply enchanted me from the very first moment. The art direction simply broke new ground in an already saturated and beaten-up “ultra-realism” market. Stop-motion goes beyond the concept of originality and perhaps becomes the forerunner of a movement that I very much hope will succeed.

The feeling of combat is incredible! The attacks are fluid and extremely precise, requiring a good command of the game's execution, especially with the analog sticks used to attack! It's unlike anything I've ever experienced. As not everything can be perfect, it's a rather short demo, but it still hooked me and I'm sure I'll play it as soon as it's released for gameplay. I think it's going to be a challenging title, but I'm really looking forward to its success!

When I saw Urban Myth Dissolution Center I was simply enchanted, its look and presentation cannot go unnoticed. We live in a time when graphics are all people look for, but they end up not wanting to get involved with the story, but when I came across UMDC, I simply noticed the tags “visual novel” “adventure” and “pixelated graphics”, can you associate visual novel with pixelated graphics? SO!

When I entered, I immediately had my big scare, we are dealing with a TERROR game, mainly aimed at the horror genre. As someone who doesn't like anything in the genre, I considered simply closing the game and starting another journey, but every aspect of the game is simply enchanting. A pixelated display softens the possible horror, making it extremely accessible (even for the fearful like me haha).

The narrative deals with the life of Azami Fukurai, a young woman with the gift of clairvoyance who ends up involved in a drama involving social criticism and supernatural investigations. Social criticism and investigations coexist, mainly due to the fact that social media is one of the investigative tools, as well as highlighting cases of toxicity on social media, such as the one observed in the protagonist's friend, I won't give away spoilers haha. I simply played for 2 hours as soon as I had access to the demo, and I hope to be able to play the full game soon.

I'm pretty boring when it comes to games, but games like The Survivalists and Stardew Valley really enchant me, I spend hours and hours playing them. That's why the game that kept me playing the demo for a long time was TinkerLands!

The game has a bit of everything I like: it has a good terrain for exploration and allows for various interactions with objects, monsters and NPCs...

In addition, the construction system is very pleasant, it's not that complex, but it still allows you to create a lot of things, from battle equipment to various base construction options, I spend hours having fun with this part!

Now for the BEST part! The game has co-op mode (I play with my boyfriend hehe) and it's much better, we help each other build the base, he helps me in the boss battles and the exploration is much more fun (and a bit safer too)

The battles are nothing to write home about, but they're well done, an added bonus to the game, where the main objective is to survive and create things!

Anyway, I highly recommend it, the game is light, fun and has its own charm, whether because of its colorful artwork, its inspiration from incredible games or even the way it is well polished and has a very well-done online co-op connection!

I've only tested 2 Steam Next Fest games... but 1 delighted me too much! MANDRAGORA

Mandragora is a 2.5D souls-like and metroidvania action RPG set in an extremely dark universe (which I love hahaha).

The game is extremely challenging, it reminds me a lot of Blasphemous, because of the dystopian and extremely dark and depressing universe!

One of the things I liked most about the game was its complexity and difficulty: the game is extremely punishing and has a giant talent tree and different gameplay styles, the demo looks amazing!

I don't even need to talk about the graphics... Even in the 2.5D style, the game is very beautiful, with very well-done particles and reflections, and the game's scenery is beautiful, even in a dark environment!

Finally, a detail that is often overlooked but was essential in keeping me hooked: the NPCs. The ones that appeared in the demo are very well done, with in-depth stories and are very involved in the story, providing a very good immersion!

On the negative side, I've only had a few bugs and a slight screen crash, which I think is totally plausible for a game that hasn't even been released yet, I'm looking forward to the final version!

Rating: 9.5

Commandos: Origins

When I saw this challenge, I thought picking the demo was going to be the hardest part. Turns out, it was quite simple. As soon as I opened the list, there it was - "Commandos: Origins" - sitting and waiting for me.

Commandos: Origins - Demo on Steam

Cadets, “Operation Prelude“ has begun! In this demo you can explore a unique test mission, specifically tailored to let you experience the real-time tactics gameplay of the upcoming Commandos: Origins before its launch.

store.steampowered.com

I installed the game and started playing the demo mission, and it turns out I had already played it, together with the team who created the game. You can find the details in the interview I took while we were playing. Sadly, the demo is quite short, about 15 minutes, but it’s just 10% of the whole mission I played earlier, and there are 14 missions like this.

Anyway, this game has a very special place in my heart as it was one of the titles I played originally in my teens. "Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines" was released in 1998, and Claymore Game Studios did a fantastic job of bringing the long-forgotten brand back to life. But don’t get confused – this is a completely new game, not a remake or an HD version.

For those who have never heard of it, "Commandos" is a stealth-oriented real-time tactics video game, played from a third-person isometric view. The storylines include original photos and real accounts of recon missions that happened during WWII. Sure, they’ve been adjusted and adapted, but they aren’t completely fictional. I really enjoyed the mission briefings and cutscenes (not in the demo, but they are part of the main storyline).

Heritage Carried Over and Preserved

As you start the game, you instantly recognise the original, if you’ve played it before – you get all the vibes. But now it’s wrapped in modern graphics with many details and game mechanics that we could only dream of 25 years ago. The UI is also adapted for modern gamers. It’s no longer embedded like it used to be, but I can't say it takes away from the immersive gameplay. It simply provides all the necessary tactical information to help you make decisions fast.

The Graphics

The visuals are really decent – the animations, the environments, your characters, and the special effects are all done well. As Thilo Gebhardt, the Art Director at Claymore Game Studios, explained, they consulted historic experts to capture all the small details of the equipment, clothes, and vehicles of the WWII period.

F5 and what could go wrong here?!

Sound Design

The sound features dramatic orchestral soundtracks to convey the war theme. Sound effects play a key role and can serve as important sources of information for the player – you can clearly hear the difference when a patrol moves from a grassy trail to a paved road. Sound is also part of the gameplay, as it affects how enemies raise the alarm or get distracted, so I think it’s quite polished.

Game Design

Unlike the original game, this one features difficulty settings to cater to modern gamers. The difficulty affects enemies' health and alertness levels. The "save at any moment" feature is also a very welcome addition. It allows you to save at key moments and try different approaches – a great tool for experimentation. And there’s no need for save-scumming since the game doesn’t offer random rolls like "Baldur’s Gate". You are the mastermind and can plan everything ahead, or fail and try a different approach. :)

Another great feature is how mission objectives adapt based on your actions. Sure, there are major goals you need to achieve, but the path to get there is quite flexible.

And of course, the game retains the original "Commandos" specialisations and distinct toolsets. I love how the game, at times, forces you to play with all of them instead of just soloing with a single character or playstyle.

Final Words

With a wide variety of missions, challenging character abilities, and a deep respect for the series' heritage, Claymore Game Studios have created a game that both honours and revitalises the Commandos franchise.

As someone who has spent countless hours playing the originals, I can confidently say that this game has fully preserved the spirit of "Commandos". From the first glimpses of gameplay, I had no doubts – this is the same "Commandos" I played in my youth, but with improved modern graphics and meticulously crafted details, from environments to character models. I can’t wait for the release – scheduled for 2024.