Starting today, 25 September, Steam Shmup Fest ushers in a week of discounts and demos related to anything involving shooting and explosions.
We prefer the term shoot-’em-up, if we’re being honest, but let’s not dwell on semantics: Steam Shmup Fest, which begins today, 25 September, is good news for anyone who likes spaceships, lasers and big explosions.
Like Steam’s other themed events, such as Steam Stealth Fest, Steam Puzzle Fest, and Steam Next Fest, this latest jamboree will provide an entire week of discounts on currently-released games and demos for those still to come.
Among the games showcased in Valve’s trailer for Steam Shmup Fest (see below), you’ll find the likes of Revita, The Knight Witch, Ex-Zodiac and Demon’s Tilt. In other words, there’s far more to the fest than your usual bullet hell shooters – though there are plenty of those, too. Ex-Zodiac’s a 3D rail shooter heavily inspired by Star Fox; The Knight Witch is a free-roaming blaster with Metroidvania elements; Revita is a twinstick roguelite.
Among the other offerings available during the event, there’s Relic Hunters Legend, a top-down looter shooter in development at Brazil’s Rogue Snail. It’s launching into Early Access today, and will have a 33 percent discount applied for the duration of the festival.
After a somewhat fallow period where it looked as though the humble shoot-’em-up drifted further into quiet niches, it’s pleasing to see a growing interest in the genre in recent years. Developers like M2 and Yuzo Koshiro are still flying the flag for the spaceship shooter subgenre, while developers like Housemarque are finding ways of pushing it further towards the mainstream with games like Returnal. In other words, it’s a good time to be a fan of games that involve blowing stuff up.
Steam Shmup Fest runs from 25 September, 6pm UK time, to 2 October. You can keep an eye on the latest additions over on Steam.
