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Ready for a kooky one? Ruffy and the Riverside is one of the quirkiest games I’ve played in quite a while, and though it took me a bit to warm up to it, once I started to get comfortable in the world, I found myself really appreciating the vision the developers set out to bring to life. Ruffy is an adventurous open world puzzle extravaganza with a kaleidoscope of retro and hand drawn graphical treats to enjoy whilst figuring out its wealth of brain teasing tests sprinkled judiciously around the town of Riverside and its many outlying regions. It’s weird, it’s wildly inventive, and it’s worthy of your time!

Roguelikes are meant to be tough. The best ones are designed in a way that the gameplay loop encourages you to learn as you fail. That is, until your learning becomes so good that you succeed. Then maybe they’ll add on an additional challenge, or another stepping stone. Some even reward you as you progress, making it easier to succeed, eventually. Not all of them do though, and that’s not inherently a fault. Sometimes it’s rewarding to try, try, and try again…as long as things feel fair in the end. Unfortunately, as much as I loved the preview demo I played of Shuffle Tactics, the full experience of the newly released game ratchets up the difficulty with unforgiving randomness when it comes to succeeding in this roguelike genre it firmly sits within.

Just when you think you’re out…they pull you right back in! Eugene McQuacklin is back to quackin’ a case in Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping. This time around, he’s got a partner in crime helping him, as the veritably enthusiastic fan-turned-Watson wannabe Freddy Frederson joins you throughout your sleuthing search. I thoroughly enjoyed the first entry in this series, “The Secret Salami”, so I was very excited to see what kind of changes, if any, would be made in the second game. I wouldn’t consider it a “sequel” as it doesn’t attach too much story to the first game, and you can safely play either in whichever order you’d like. I’m happy to report that the same charm that made the first game such a memorable and fun little experience is overflowing in The Ghost of Glamping, and I actually preferred this story and the way it was told even more. Right after I cracked the case, I immediately hopped on the web to see if we’d get more time with the amazing characters and world of Duck Detective. It’s that good.

Date Everything. Yes, really. In Date Everything, you’re able to D.A.T.E. all the items in the game. Of course, this means “Directly Acknowledge a Thing’s Existence.” Silliness aside for a moment, Date Everything is an abundant treasure trove of creativity; a veritable kaleidoscope of talent on display that bursts from every voice actor, character design, and writing choice. There is so much packed into this visual playhouse that fans of dating sims, playful writing, and inventive premise ideas should not hesitate to give this experience a try. You’ll laugh, you’ll smile, and most of all, you’ll fall in love with everything, including the game itself.

The city builder genre is a bit…dry, don’t you think? Developer Megapop is here to change that with their upcoming game, Life Below, published by Kasedo Games. In a refreshing twist, the game takes place below the waves, as you play as an ocean guardian named Thalassa, who is tasked by Gaia to resurrect struggling underwater ecosystems using coral, seashells, lures, and much more to attract and satisfy local wildlife and flora. Through the use of quite a few resource management systems, you’ll slowly start to bring life to the sparsely populated ocean floor.

It seems like just yesterday (or February, if you want to be technical) that we had a Steam Next Fest. Well, we here at GF are back with the June 2025 edition list! Every game that we could find that featured an anthropomorphic character, or featured animals primarily, is on this list. Yes, we went through all 2500+ games to get to this list of 260+ games. 

We have an actively updated Furry & Animal Games List over at @GamingFurever that you can follow and get constant updates for lots of indie titles with TONS of lovely furry characters! If you're a developer of any of these games, feel free to hit us up on email over on our Contact Us page! We'd love to talk to you about your development!

Here's your June 2025 Steam Next Fest list (in alphabetical order):

Take on the role of a little mouse tasked with helping save and assist their good witch mentor, as you trek and solve puzzles across the stunning Scandanavian-inspired wilderness in Hela, the debut title from Windup Games, published by Knights Peak.

Check out the newest trailer for Hela below, and some of its expected features right after!

 Hela tells the enchanting story of a witch and her familiars—a gang of brave little mice. For ages, the kind witch has used her magic to aid the local folk, but now she has fallen ill and needs help herself. It’s up to the mice to find a cure and keep the “witch business” running in the meantime! 

List of key features:

• Heartwarming open world adventure, played in 3D, in third person.
• Be a witch’s familiar - a brave and agile mouse with some magical perks.
• The gameplay mixes exploration, traversal, foraging, puzzles, action, and brewing!
• Play solo or together with friends - split-screen, online, or a mix of both.
• It’s a pleasant, healing experience, set in beautiful northern Scandinavian nature.

Hela Website | Wishlist on Steam | Knights Peak | Windup Games

There will never be enough cooperative story games in this world. I can’t get enough of them. But, I still want them to be well-designed, fun to play, and easily accessible to play with whomever I want. Revenge of the Savage Planet is a sequel that checks every single box and does it with tongue in cheek and cheeks on face. I played through the game from start to finish with my wife and we both thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent figuring out every puzzle, exploring every cave and mountaintop, and scanning each and every living thing around us, all the while being ferried along by a wealth of humor and personality mixed into a tasty slurry.

Becoming one with nature. Enjoying moments of zen in beautiful surroundings. Running through vast environments, enjoying the thrill of exploration and discovery. Developer Infuse Studio has refined these experiences in the sequel to the acclaimed Spirit of the North. The sheer scale and opportunity of the new land you find yourself as a fox in is lovingly crafted at every peak, step, and turn. If you’re able to flow with the up and down nature of the relaxed vibe of the exploration parts of the game, and then the much more challenging “boss” sections at the end of each area, Spirit of the North 2 will be a special game that is buoyed by its beauty, and raised by its unique charm.

Firstly, let me just say that Frog Legs is silly, short, and fun. It doesn’t take itself seriously, is meant to be completed in one play session, and is less than $3. As such, this review won’t be too long-winded and instead will focus on my overall experience with the little serving of goodness that is Frog Legs. Frog Legs focuses on a set of frogs that start off inside of the classic “Frogger” game, trying to convince a cautious fellow frog that making it across the busy street ain’t so scary. Unfortunately, that peer pressure leads to an event and adventure that will change them all…in more than a few ways. Featuring gameplay that hops from arcade to horror to boomer shooter, Frog Legs will be sure to surprise and elicit some laughs for its 30-40 minute runtime.