Five Video Games to Watch in 2023

Steam's February Next Fest offered demos of upcoming games. Among them, five stand out. 'Bramble: The Mountain King' (Dimfrost Studio, Merge Games) is a Nordic folklore-inspired platformer with photorealistic environments, releasing April 27, 2023. 'Extreme Evolution: Drive to Divinity' (Sam Atlas, music by DL Salo) is a psychedelic collect-a-thon where players transform their avatar, coming September 2023. 'Highwater' (Demagog Studio, Rogue Games) is a turn-based tactical game set on a climate-ravaged Earth, with a boy named Nikos seeking escape to Alphaville. 'Shadows of Doubt' (ColePowered Games, Fireshine Games) is a procedurally generated noir detective game, releasing in 2023. 'The Hungry Fly' (Erupting Avocado) is a surreal horror game where a fly consumes memories, with multiple endings.