Steam Next Fest has officially kicked off, and renowned publisher Owlcat Games and its sub-label META Publishing have taken this opportunity to shine a light on some of their upcoming indie titles!
From developer Emotion Spark Studio, Rue Valley is an emotionally driven narrative RPG that’s already turned heads across the industry. Building on praise from Disco Elysium creators Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov, the updated demo delivers an even deeper look at Rue Valley’s signature blend of surreal storytelling and distinctive art direction.
Players can expect significant enhancements in the Rue Valley demo, including:
- Major Visual Upgrade: With some fully redesigned areas, new lighting and textures, updated mind map, enhanced animations for Mr. Harrow, and more.
- Refined Mechanics and Interface: New Visual Personality Check effects, overhauled menus, UI scaling, and new tutorial hints support accessibility across all screen sizes.
- Narrative & Audio Improvements: More dialogues, a new dream sequence, and absolutely new voice-over for each character (except the inner voice of Mr. Harrow, which is the player’s personal inner voice).
Watch the Rue Valley Personality trailer here:
YouTube | Download
Rue Valley’s demo is available now on Windows PC via Steam. Wishlist the game so you don’t miss its release.
To stay updated on Rue Valley, follow along on X (Twitter), YouTube, Facebook, and Discord.
A press kit with key art, screenshots, and more is available here: https://uberstrategist.link/Rue-Valley-Press-Kit.
The other title available to try in Steam Next Fest under META Publishing—Owlcat’s own publishing label—is Nested Lands, the upcoming settlement survival RPG from 1M Bits Horde. The brand new demo delivers three plus hours of gameplay and allows players to explore one of Norovellir’s islands, where they’ll have to manage scarce resources, build a thriving village, and survive deadly encounters. It also incorporates dozens of fixes and feature upgrades requested by Alpha playtesters, with more community-driven improvements promised through launch.
Players can expect a comprehensive preview of several Nested Lands core systems, including:
- Improved Plague Mechanic: Updated visuals plus two infection stages that change tactics as you move across the island
- Improved Combat Mechanics: Re-balanced melee & ranged weapons, as well as upgraded stealth
- Smarter Villagers & Smoother Management: Backup “Worker” role, auto-production quotas, clearer names, and better path-finding keep settlements humming.
- Massive QoL Changes: The demo build includes a key-bind remap, more building variety, more objectives, richer conversations, and other changes to enhance the player experience.
Watch the Nested Lands feature video here:
YouTube | Download
Nested Lands’ demo is available now on Windows PC via Steam. Players can look forward to Nested Lands coming to Windows PC via Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store later this year.
Stay updated with Nested Lands by following the game on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, Discord, and YouTube. Learn more about the game at www.nestedlands.com.
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