Indie Publisher Polden Entertainment's Debut Lineup Is Fantastic - Next Fest Previews

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Indie games are the best and truly feel like the lifeblood of the video game industry. Indie developers aren't afraid to try new things or create some weirdly outlandish experiences. Now, a new publisher is entering the fray. I got a chance to try two of Polden Entertainment's upcoming games that are getting some demos for the Steam Next Fest, and I have to say, Polden is really starting off strong.

Static Dread: 15 Nights at the Old Lighthouse - Lovecraftian Papers, Please Is Fantastic

Described as a lovecraftian Papers, Please, I was almost completely intoxicated with the world of Static Dread that developer solarsuit.games is building. The trailer was enough to gauge my interest and see if being a lighthouse keeper was going to be a rewarding venture. From the demo I played, I can say that answer is looking to be a resounding yes.

I always feel a little skeptical whenever a developer or publisher describes their game similarly to Papers, Please, but Static Dread seems to be living up to it, at least for the most part. Instead of stamping passports to let different people into your country, you will be approving ships coming in and directing them to the port they need to go to. It starts off easy, with you just directing them to the port they request, but it starts getting progressively more complicated as specific instructions come in and we have to think more about where we send them to.

While dealing with incoming ships, you will also need to fix parts of the lighthouse that end up breaking. These can include restarting the lighthouse, fixing the antenna, and re-enabling the light rotation. Doing your job well and managing all of these will make sure you get paid as much as possible, though any slip-up will cut into your profit.

I really enjoy the gameplay loop so far, and drawing ships to their correct port is easy and enjoyable. I also appreciate that you can talk to all of the incoming ships to ask about what they are carrying and how everything is going on the seas.

Static Dread seems to have more of an emphasis on a story and mystery surrounding the area and lighthouse, which is where the Lovecraftian influence appears. There will be consistent guests coming to your front door and radio transmissions coming in that can range from slightly unsettling to full-blown crazy. The atmosphere, soundtrack, and visuals set the tone wonderfully, keeping me appropriately creeped out at all times.

I tested the demo on Steam Deck as well, and it is playable. Some areas on the highest graphical settings can hit 50 FPS, while others would go down to 35 FPS. Still, everything stuck above 30 FPS, and for an unoptimized build, it's definitely awesome to see. The developer did confirm Steam Deck support will be in the game for the full release, and with controller support already in, I have little worry about this being an awesome portable experience.

I love this demo, and it has only made me more excited for the full release. I love the interactive Papers, Please elements with the Lovecraftian atmosphere, which I feel does a great job at creating the horrific elements I would expect. This is definitely a game to put on your wishlist, and try out the demo once the Steam Next Fest begins on February 24th!

Train Valley Origins - Relaxing Train Management Gets Back To Its Roots

There are a couple of other games that have been released in the Train Valley series already, but it seems like Train Valley Origins is more of a return to its roots from the first entry. And if the first game is anything like this one, I need to go back and play it immediately.

The demo was a short one but it introduces the concepts you will have to master across seven different levels in one biome. At its core, you are just connecting different stations with each other to make sure the correct trains arrive at their corresponding stations. You will have to make sure the trains arrive at their stations across different landscapes and do not crash into each other by using bridges and tunnels and managing intersections, all while guiding the trains safely to their correct destination.

Even though it was possible to have your trains blow up, I never felt punished for it happening. The game is very forgiving, and there are no penalties for messing up. Each level does have a star rating that may be missed if you don't make enough money or have enough trains reach their destinations, but you can always retry the level. If you feel confident, you can also trigger more trains to come sooner for extra money, which is used to purchase more railroad tracks and add more cars to the trains to ensure you get the star ratings you need.

You can also speed up and pause the game at will, giving you ample time to reorganize and build the tracks to make it as efficient as possible. The faster the trains get to where they are going, the more money you make to build and reorganize, so taking your time will feel very rewarding.

And it's all wrapped in an adorable package that is a joy to look at. I love Train Valley Origins new visual style, which looks like an evolution of the style in Train Valley 2. It strikes a great balance from detailed to adorable, and it was a joy to see what the next level would look like.

So far, the demo runs like a charm on the Steam Deck. It doesn't have controller support in the demo, but it does run nicely on the go. It sits at a solid 60 FPS with a drain that can go up to 15W battery drain. There should be no problem playing this on the go, and hopefully, we will get controller support as well. It's a little difficult to change intersection tracks with the touchpad, but it's still doable.

I can see this being a great way to unwind, and I can't wait to play more. Honestly, playing the demo has made me want to go back and buy the previous games in the series just to start enjoying it now. Coupled with a level editor and over 100 levels, I have a feeling the full game will be awesome.

Train Valley Origins can be wishlisted on Steam ahead of its release, and you can try it out for yourself during the Steam Next Fest on February 24th.

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