I’ll admit, I underestimated the recent Steam Festival, and that was a huge mistake given the sheer amount of content available—offers, bundles, and especially new playable demos. Thankfully, I managed to browse through the dedicated festival page in its final days, and two titles in particular caught my eye, both of which I had the chance to try out.
A Traditional Roguelike Not So Traditional
The first one I want to talk about is an incredibly stylish and completely new project called Day of the Shell. It’s a roguelite developed by Duper Games and published by Goblinz Publisher (a team with solid credentials in turn-based games). The demo made its debut during this special event.
What grabs your attention right away is the game’s striking art style—vivid colors combined with darker, ominous tones that reflect the story’s theme. The setting is a world that was once peaceful and serene but has been devastated by the wrath of the gods, who sent their forces to destroy everything. The only hope lies in a monster hunter armed with her trusty revolver (and other weapons you can unlock along the way).
According to the developers, this is a one-click game—you’ll only use the left mouse button to move and attack. You’ll explore a world that’s nearly completely submerged, battling enemies by using cover strategically and finding openings to strike. It’s essentially a traditional roguelike, where every action you take triggers a response from the world around you.
Each move demands careful consideration—choosing the right cover while positioning yourself to maximize your chances of hitting enemies. You’ll face a variety of enemies equipped with different weapons, many of which you can turn to your advantage. Unlockable skills, like lightning bolts that chain between nearby foes, and a roguelite progression system further enrich the gameplay.
There’s still time to check it out, and it’s absolutely worth a try. Just be quick—I’m not sure if the demo will remain available after the festival ends on November 20th!
Giant Bosses And Politic Intrigues
Another cool project I tried is the darker As We Descend, an upcoming strategy roguelite deckbuilder developed by Box Dragon and published by Coffee Stain Publishing. In this game, you play as the Warden of the Wall, tasked with defending humanity’s last bastion—a city that descends into ancient ruins. The gameplay blends deckbuilding mechanics with unit management, offering a fresh spin.
You recruit squads with unique archetypes and card sets, customizing and upgrading decks to shape your strategy for battles. During battles, You can move units between guard and support zones to dodge enemy attacks and establish defensive lines, adjusting your tactics based on enemy intentions, which are telegraphed in advance. Outside of battles, you engage in city management by interacting with the denizens, navigating feudal politics, and making critical decisions to prepare for future challenges. These choices affect your resources and alliances.
Each descent into the ruins presents randomized encounters and opportunities to uncover secrets. The game also introduces faction dynamics, allowing you to choose from three great factions within the City-Vault, each offering unique units and systems. Resource management is a key aspect, as you collect and utilize resources from expeditions to recruit units, upgrade cards, and prepare for deeper descents into the ruins.
Currently, As We Descend does not have a confirmed release date, but a demo is available on Steam to give you a taste of the opening section. You can also sign up for the closed beta through the official website.
