Steam Next Fest Demos, Boy-Inspired Virtual Shooter, and Other New Indie Games Worth Checking Out

The Last Rescue Squad

Developer: Sunfish Kumano
Publisher: Your Games
Platform: Steam (Windows; Steam Deck confirmed; demo available), Nintendo Switch, Switch 2
Price: Normally $10, with a 10 percent discount on Steam until July 1st

It feels right that The Last Rescue Squad is landing on Switch and Switch 2 as well as Steam as the striking red and black visuals look very Virtual Boy inspired. It’s a 2.5D shooter where you’ll use an array of firearms and swords to defeat enemies, some of which look like the Martian tripods from The War of the Worlds.

I’m tempted to check this out, maybe on the Switch 2, as that version supports Joy-Con 2 mouse controls and runs at up to 120fps. I’ve never used a Virtual Boy and this might be as close as I’ll ever get, largely because I don’t feel like paying $100 for the Switch 2 accessory.

Kopa City

Developer and Publisher: Triple Espresso SA
Platforms: Steam (Windows; playable on Steam Deck), PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Price: Normally $40, with a 10 percent discount on Steam until June 30

Kopa City is a soccer game that doesn’t really have much to do with controlling or managing the action on the pitch in the style of EA Sports FC or Football Manager. This is all about the other side of the beautiful game that ensures matches run smoothly. You are responsible for managing the entire match day experience in the city. Among other things, you’ll be recruiting volunteers, looking after different groups of supporters, creating fan zones for both teams and putting up players in hotels.

I played for about an hour Kopa City and I really don’t find it engaging. It’s very rough around the edges and feels like it was rushed out to take advantage of the World Cup hype. The interface is clunky, the game doesn’t explain its systems very well and, as others have noted, core elements are sometimes locked behind a nonsensical progression system. Worst of all was something I noticed about 15 minutes into the tutorial: Loren Ipsum placeholder text on a menu screen. ike

To their credit, the developers say they are listening to players’ concerns and working to fix the issues. I like to give developers the benefit of the doubt as much as possible. We’re all aware of games that are completely turned around after a poor initial reaction. But since there are way more games to play than I have time for, I can’t go back to them Kopa City. This one goes on the transfer list, unfortunately.

Thank you for your application

Developer: IceLemonTea Studio
Publishers: IceLemonTea Studio, No More Robots
Platform: Steam (Windows and Mac; playable on Steam Deck; demo available)
Price: Normally $20, 15% off until July 3rd

c Thank you for your applicationyou review job applicants and decide whether to hire them based on how well they fit the company’s requirements. You’ll check their resumes and other documents, such as internship reports and even emotional assessments. You’ll also be managing your own life by paying bills and managing your mental health.

This game — which echoes both No More Robots’ own Not Tonight series and Documents please — seems like a timely commentary on late-stage capitalism, especially given how hard many people are finding work right now. It even looks like your character is trapped in a company city, as they can only spend their company earnings within Aeropolis.

The quiet things

Developer and Publisher: Silver Script Games
Platform: Steam (Windows; demo available)
Price: Normally $25, with 10% off until June 25th

The quiet things was in the news recently as BAFTA pulled a trailer for the game from the game awards ceremony at the last minute. The organization said it was « unable to adequately warn » attendees about « topics that may be a trigger for some ». BAFTA added in a statement to My city that it fully supports « games that engage difficult topics ».

Indeed the Steam page for The quiet things warns that it « contains discussion of self-harm, suicide, sexual assault/non-consensual sex, and childhood abuse. » It is an autobiographical game that is based on the developer’s own story and explores important issues from the perspective of a survivor. This makes it more than worthy of attention.