Sunfish Kumano/Waku Waku Games

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As ever, we've got some new releases and news of upcoming games to share with you. However, it's Steam Next Fest time, so there are literally thousands of fresh game demos to jump into.

One of the main aims of Steam Next Fest is to help players discover interesting games. However, soon after my eyes met the endless ream of demos, decision paralysis once again set in — all while I silently cursed whoever at Valve decided to run this edition of Next Fest during the World Cup group stage. As such, I opted to focus on demos for games I was already looking forward to.

Screenbound has been at the tippy top of my wishlist for a while. This is a "5D" platformer in which you're controlling a character in a 3D world and a version of them on a 2D Game Boy-style system (aka a Qboy) simultaneously. It's such a cool idea and I mostly enjoyed the execution of it in the demo.

By default, the Qboy sits at the bottom of the screen in the center, making precise platforming in the 3D sphere tough, though you can temporarily move the device out of the way as needed. Also, I did not realize beforehand that the Qboy is also a companion. Its chattering quickly became very annoying. I really hope that's less of an issue in the full game, which is out on September 10.

A lot of folks have sworn off Crazy Taxi: World Tour after it emerged Sega used generative AI in the development process and I don't blame them one bit. If you've still got hunger for some chaotic driving action, though, you might want to check out the Truck-kun is Supporting Me from Another World?! demo.

I'll spare you the details of the wild, anime-inspired concept for now, and just say that I've had a blast with this so far. It's fast-paced and funny, a real jolt of energy. I absolutely recommend trying the demo ahead of the full game arriving at the end of July.

I found the Backyard Baseball demo cute. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to read and hit an array of wacky pitches. I also liked the demo for Kick, a slice-of-life game in which a young soccer fan dribbles a ball on the way to class while avoiding obstacles. It took me a little while to get to grips with the controls and learn how to flick the ball over pedestrians, but once I got into a flow, I was able to enjoy the demo and its lovely art direction more. I'd love to see speedrunners tackle this eventually.

My favorite Steam Next Fest demo that I've tried so far is for Virtue and a Sledgehammer, which I initially covered last week. This is kind of a walking sim in which you search your hometown for your sister. Along the way, you discover memories from a difficult past. The presentation is top-notch and I'd like to play the full game to see where the story goes.

That said, the main reason I loved this demo was because I got to destroy a whole bunch of stuff with a sledgehammer. Smashing a bunch of robots (which admittedly have some interesting characterization) feels deeply, deeply cathartic right now.

In other news, Behavior Interactive shared a bunch of Dead by Daylight updates, including that Art the Clown from the Terrifier movies is coming to the game later this year, following Jason Voorhees. A major overhaul is lined up for 2027 that includes visual upgrades and dynamic weather systems, while a 1v1 mode is in the works.

The Last Salvage Squad

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

It feels right that The Last Salvage Squad is landing on Switch and Switch 2 as well as Steam, since the striking red and black visuals seem very much inspired by the Virtual Boy. This is a 2.5D shooter in which 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, perhaps on Switch 2 since 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 about as close as I'll ever get, largely because I don't particularly feel like paying $100 for the Switch 2 accessory.

Copa City

Developer and publisher: Triple Espresso S.A.
Platforms: Steam (Windows; playable on Steam Deck), PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Price: usually $40, with 10 percent off on Steam until June 30

Copa 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, which is ensuring matches go off without a hitch. You're in charge of managing the entire matchday experience across a city. Among other things, you'll recruit volunteers, cater to different groups of supporters by setting up fan zones for both teams and place players in hotels.

I've played around an hour of Copa City and haven't really found it engaging. It's very rough around the edges and feels like it was rushed out to capitalize on World Cup hype. The interface is clunky, the game doesn't explain its systems very well and, as others have noted, essential items are sometimes gated 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. Yikes.

To their credit, the developers say they're 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 have been completely turned around after a poor initial reaction. But with there being far more games to play than I have time for, I can't see myself returning to Copa City. This one's going on the transfer list, sadly.

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: usually $20, with a 15 percent discount until July 3

In Thank You For Your Application, you review candidates for jobs and decide whether to bring them on board depending how well they fit a company's requirements. You'll check their resumes and other documents, such as internship reports and even emotional evaluations. In addition, you'll manage your own life by paying bills and managing your mental health.

This game — which echoes both No More Robots's own Not Tonight series and Papers, Please — seems like a timely commentary on late-stage capitalism, particularly given how tough many people are finding it to land work right now. It even seems like your character is trapped in a company town, as they can only spend their earnings from the company within Aeropolis.

The Quiet Things

Developer and publisher: Silver Script Games
Platform: Steam (Windows; demo available)
Price: Usually $25, with a 10 percent discount until June 25

The Quiet Things was in the news recently as BAFTA pulled a trailer for the game from its game awards ceremony at the last minute. The organization claimed it was "not in a position to sufficiently warn" attendees about "themes that may be a trigger for some." BAFTA added in a statement to Kotaku that it fully supports "games that engage with difficult subjects."

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's an autobiographical game that's based on the developer's own story and explores important issues from the perspective of a survivor. That makes it more than worthy of attention.

Catto's Post Office

Developer and publisher: In Shambles Studio
Platform: Nintendo Switch (already on Steam)
Release date: June 25
Price: Usually $5.50, with a 10 percent discount until July 10

Catto's Post Office looks so stinkin' cute. It's a bite-sized game that takes around an hour to complete. You'll make deliveries and help out other cats by taking on sidequests. There's a mystery to get to the bottom of, as everyone seems to have forgotten that it's Catto's birthday.

Since you're a kitty, you can do cat stuff as well. There's a dedicated "meow" button, of course. You can knock things over and hide in boxes too. This seems like a nice little palette cleanser from, like, making bad guys' heads explode or whatever.

Flesh Made Fear

Developer: Tainted Pact
Publisher: Assemble Entertainment
Platform: PS5 (already on Steam)
Release date: June 25

Speaking of making bad guys' heads explode or whatever, a PS5 port of survival horror game Flesh Made Fear was announced this week. This is billed as an ode to old-school Resident Evil games and it certainly looks the part. Fixed cameras, tank controls, low-poly models? Yes, yes and yes. All present and correct

It has dual protagonists with their own storylines and inventories. Moreover, Flesh Made Fear has branching narratives to encourage multiple playthroughs. Who needs to wait for October? I'm definitely down to slice up some zombies in the height of summer.

ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs

Developer: Mandragora
Publisher: tinyBuild
Platform: Steam (Windows; demo available)
Release window: summer 2026

Developers and publishers often release a Steam Next Fest demo while announcing some news for their game. I've had ReStory on my radar since late last year, and I was pleased to find out that this retro repair shop sim is coming to Steam this summer. I haven't gotten around to checking out the demo yet, but this one and Offbeat are next on my list.

ReStory is all about repairing and restoring devices that look very similar to real-life classics, such as ones on which you may have played video games in the 2000s. You'll buy new tools and take care of bills as you manage your repair shop. It looks charming as heck, and I don't know why I'm still writing instead of playing the demo, so ta ta for now.