Steam Next Fest is upon us, and acclaimed RPG studio Owlcat Games is coming in hot with two brand new demos for some of its most anticipated titles! Starting today, fans can test out the demos for the co-op sci-fi survival title, Blind Descent, as well as the turn-based cRPG, Shadow of the Road, on Steam.
Blind Descent invites players into a mesmerizing yet unforgiving world buried deep beneath the Martian surface. After a catastrophic mission failure, a lone survivor awakens in a vast, alien ecosystem. What begins as a desperate search for missing crew members evolves into a journey of symbiosis with a world that resists, adapts, and remembers.
When developing this title, the team created a “Symbiosis System” — a unique, deeply immersive mechanic inspired by the haunting alien logic of Scavengers Reign. This system will shape how players interact with the world around them, offering mutations that contain various enhancements relating to combat, mobility, and survivability. Speaking of Scavengers Reign, its acclaimed production designer, Jon Juarez, created the game’s striking new key visual.
Key Features of Blind Descent:
- Explore an Alien World that Pushes Back: Discover a sprawling underground biome teeming with mysterious life and reactive flora.
- Survival Through Understanding: Study the ecosystem, observe alien behavior, and craft tools that help you survive.
- Shelters with Consequences: Build log-by-log in a world where nature reclaims what’s left unattended. Your bases can be overgrown, devoured, or corrupted.
- Mutate and Adapt: Encounter biological phenomena that change you. Gain abilities through exposure to alien spores, fruits, and strange infections.
- Traverse Rugged Environments: Use advanced climbing gear to scale vertical shafts and navigate treacherous terrain with precision and agility.
- Endure Together: Team up with up to three other pioneers in online co-op. Venture through the unknown together to uncover the truths lying deep within Mars.
Want to know more about this mysterious subterranean world? Check out this recently uncovered field report, containing classified logs and corrupted transmissions describing the fate of the lost expedition team.
Blind Descent arrives on Windows PC via Steam in 2026 under Owlcat Games’ label, META Publishing. Players can wishlist the game today.
Stay up to date with Blind Descent by following the game on Discord, X (Twitter), Youtube, and TikTok.
A complete press kit containing screenshots, trailers, key art, and logos, is available here:
https://uberstrategist.link/Blind-Descent-Press-Kit.
In Shadow of the Road, explore the rich tapestry of an alternate 19th-century Japan as the Boshin War approaches a bitter and bloody end. Players will immerse themselves in a world that combines tradition and modernity, Japanese mythology, and steampunk technology. Enter the struggle between the Shogun and the Emperor, and delve into captivating narratives, leading a diverse group of adventurers through a dynamic, enchanting realm where decisions shape destiny.
Amidst this turmoil, warriors, spies, and mystical beings navigate a world where magic and machinery intertwine, the jarring contrast of tradition and technology permeating even the landscape, where weathered, ancient temples stand alongside towering steam-powered machines. Experience a country at a pivotal crossroads, torn between its cherished ancient heritage and the relentless march of modernization. Which side will emerge victorious? The fate of Japan hangs in the balance.
Key features of Shadow of the Road:
- Your Story: Join a daring journey led by Tokugawa’s spymaster, who recruits ronin warriors Satoru and Akira to protect a boy with immense, uncontrollable powers. As the adventure intensifies, they are joined by characters, each of whom has their own history and motivation. Together, they confront escalating challenges, striving to reclaim their honor and change the course of the war.
- Your Choices: Every choice guides these characters along unique paths, shaping who they become. Player decisions will determine if they form new bonds, sever lifelong friendships, or mend family ties.
- Your Team: Take on the role of a master strategist and become an elite team of characters with a variety of backgrounds and skills, each with their own motivations, desires, and fears, and set them on unique paths.
- Your Fight: Experience turn-based combat with a samurai tactical vibe. Each team member brings unique abilities to the battlefield, and their personal goals and relationships influence every encounter. Master these dynamics and strategic maneuvers to lead the team to victory.
To stay up to date on all things Shadow of the Road, follow along on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Discord.