When it comes to bullet style games, there are two types of rogue players…Those who enjoy filling the screen with so many projectiles that the enemies barely stand a chance, and those who prefer being the unfortunate soul desperately trying to dodge every bullet heading their way. Either way, October’s Steam Next Fest has plenty of opportunities to put your reflexes to work.
Bullet heavens and bullet hells may approach combat from opposite directions, but both have an uncanny talent for turning a perfectly manageable situation into absolute chaos. One minute you’re confidently mowing down monsters, the next you’re weaving through a sea of glowing projectiles, wondering where all your health disappeared.
This year’s festival brings a mixture of supernatural battles, unusual weapons, strange arenas, and some delightfully unexpected settings. We’ve gone through the games on offer and have picked out 10 we feel are worth checking out. Whether you prefer becoming an unstoppable killing machine or surviving by the skin of your teeth, there’s something here to keep you busy.
1. Midnight Horde
The monsters have taken the rooftops, the streets below are overrun, and standing still is the quickest way to die. Midnight Horde asks you to dash, climb and leap across a gothic city while thousands of creatures close in from every direction. It’s a bullet hell where the bullets arrive in crowds, and the way out is usually up.
Developed by Carry Castle, the studio behind Source of Madness, Midnight Horde is a gothic horror roguelite that mixes reverse bullet hell with vertical parkour. Its creator has described it as “Vampire Survivors meets parkour”. You scale walls, jump between rooftops and weave through swarms, unlocking new abilities with each attempt. Multi-run quests open up new classes. Between expeditions, you can construct buildings that provide perks, defences and synergies, and fortify each map so the next run starts from a stronger position.
2. ERLIK
Night has fallen across the ancient steppe, and the restless dead are beginning to stir. Beneath a cold moon, shamans prepare to face creatures drawn from Turkic and Anatolian folklore, with only their weapons and the favor of the gods standing between them and the horrors emerging from the darkness. Two divine powers offer very different paths to survival: Erlik, the god of the underworld, promises devastating strength at a terrible cost, while Tengri offers protection and renewal. Whichever path you choose, the night isn’t going to make your journey easy.
Created by solo developer Ash & Antler, ERLIK is a folk-horror bullet heaven roguelite where your decisions influence how your character develops. Embracing Erlik’s corruption increases damage, critical hits, and lifesteal while sacrificing maximum health, whereas following Tengri provides regeneration, shields, and cleansing abilities at the expense of raw offensive power. Weapons evolve differently depending on which god you favor, creating opportunities for wildly different builds from the same starting equipment.
Nine playable shamans, dozens of weapon evolutions, and powerful bosses add variety to the full game, while the Steam Next Fest demo lets players experience their first night on the steppe. Better still, demo progress carries over when Early Access begins on November 4th.
3. Critical Ward
The hospital is overflowing, patients are pouring through the doors, and the medical staff are desperately trying to keep everything under control. Contagious patients are spreading trouble, angry relatives are making matters worse, and the entire building is rapidly approaching breaking point. Somewhere in the middle of this healthcare nightmare, you’re expected to treat everyone, keep the hospital functioning, and somehow find time to avoid getting caught by the increasingly chaotic situation unfolding around you. Whoever scheduled this shift deserves a very stern talking-to.
Developed by BiEsEl, Critical Ward is an arcade-style survivors-like that replaces traditional monster-slaying with frantic hospital management and combo-based survival. Treating patients builds powerful streaks, while automated medical equipment, turrets, prototypes, and special items help control the growing chaos. Different playable characters introduce their own abilities and strategies, encouraging players to experiment with builds as the hospital becomes increasingly difficult to manage.
We recently spoke to the developer in our exclusive Critical Ward Q&A, exploring the ideas behind this wonderfully unusual take on the genre. With its colorful pixel art, old-school arcade influences, and a hospital that seems determined to collapse around you, this is one medical emergency we’re rather looking forward to.
4. Groove Core
Deep in the cosmos, a lone inventor has created a machine capable of turning music into an enormous display of interstellar destruction. The stars provide the backdrop, enemy ships are gathering in the darkness, and every weapon aboard your spacecraft is waiting for its moment in the spotlight. As the music begins, lasers and projectiles burst into life, filling the battlefield with carefully synchronized patterns. Even your enemies move to the rhythm, turning an ordinary space battle into a spectacularly dangerous cosmic performance.
Developed by Fire Kitty Studio, Groove Core is a rhythm-based bullet heaven roguelike where players arrange their weapons on a musical sequencer before heading into combat. Once the action begins, weapons fire automatically in time with the beat, creating elaborate patterns of projectiles while enemies move to the same rhythm. With more than 200 items to discover and eight different ships to choose from, players can experiment with weapon combinations and firing sequences to create increasingly elaborate attacks. It’s an unusual mixture of music, strategy, and screen-filling combat, with enough glowing projectiles to make the entire galaxy look like it’s hosting a particularly dangerous nightclub.
5. Go Next!
An enormous horde is closing in, monsters are pouring through the landscape, and every second spent standing still brings you closer to a very unpleasant death. Fortunately, the world around you is filled with towering walls, steep canyons, and enormous structures just begging to be climbed, jumped from, or used as an escape route. With your weapons firing automatically, you’ve got both hands free to concentrate on the important business of launching yourself across the battlefield at ridiculous speeds. The monsters might have numbers on their side, but you’ve got gravity to play with.
Created by Mixidev, Go Next! combines bullet heaven combat with third-person parkour, allowing players to wall-run, climb, dash, slide, double-jump, and dive through enemy hordes. Rather than simply circling enemies around a flat arena, you’ll use the environment to maintain momentum and escape dangerous situations. Nine worlds, 44 weapons, nine armor sets, and 100 items provide opportunities to experiment with different builds, while a skill tree allows your character to grow stronger over time. Movement plays a central role in survival, rewarding players who can chain abilities together while their weapons handle the monster-slaying.
If you’ve ever wished your favorite survivors-like had more opportunities to leap dramatically off enormous buildings, this one might be worth a look.
6. Iron Hunters
On a distant alien world, an armored war machine is preparing to hunt down some of the galaxy’s most dangerous criminals. The surrounding landscape is crawling with hostile creatures, enemy projectiles are filling the air, and enormous mechanical threats are waiting beyond the horizon. Fortunately, your mech is armed with enough firepower to make a small army nervous, and every battle offers opportunities to turn it into something even more destructive. The aliens have brought reinforcements. You’ve brought a walking weapons platform.
Developed by Sires, Iron Hunters is a 3D survivors-like where players pilot customizable mechs through increasingly dangerous alien environments. Weapons can be upgraded, evolved, and combined during runs, creating powerful synergies as you battle enormous hordes and dodge incoming attacks. Different planets introduce their own environments and hazards, from frozen landscapes to volcanic battlefields, while high-risk routes offer opportunities to encounter elite enemies and collect valuable loot. Permanent upgrades unlock additional weapons, mech components, and abilities between runs, encouraging players to experiment with increasingly powerful machines.
Its combination of bullet heaven combat and mechanical customization makes it an appealing option for anyone who believes every problem can be solved by attaching another enormous weapon to a robot.
7. DemonBlade Pixel: Hyakki Senkou
The night belongs to the yokai. Across a world steeped in Japanese folklore, supernatural creatures are emerging from the shadows, each bringing its own deadly attacks and terrifying abilities. Armed with enchanted demon blades, a group of warriors prepares to confront these creatures, cutting through swarms of enemies while dodging elaborate patterns of projectiles. Somewhere beyond the lesser monsters, powerful yokai bosses are waiting to test whether your swordsmanship is quite as impressive as you think it is.
Created by Tabineko, DemonBlade Pixel: Hyakki Senkou is a 2D bullet hell action roguelite combining sword-based combat with intricate projectile patterns and supernatural boss encounters. Players can choose from eight fighters in the planned full game, each bringing unique abilities that influence how demon blades and equipment work together. The adventure spans 35 story chapters featuring yokai-inspired enemies, while additional boss challenges and the Kimon Renrou mode provide opportunities to test increasingly powerful builds.
Materials and gear collected during runs allow players to strengthen their equipment and prepare for future battles. A free demo is already available, featuring two playable characters and six boss battles, making this an excellent opportunity to test your reflexes before its planned November 12 release.
8. Ballistic Brews
The battlefield is alive with explosions, enemy vehicles are closing in from every direction, and enormous bosses are preparing to turn your armored machine into a smoking pile of scrap. Behind the wheel of a heavily armed vehicle, you’ll need to weave between attacks, drift around incoming projectiles, and unleash enough firepower to clear a path through the chaos. Whether you’re commanding a tank, a mechanical warrior, or something even stranger, one thing is certain: this is not going to be a relaxing Sunday drive.
Developed by Syncarnation Studio Inc., Ballistic Brews is a third-person bullet heaven roguelite combining vehicular combat with strategic buildcrafting. Players choose from 15 different vehicles, each featuring unique abilities and weapon layouts, before battling through 15 escalating waves of enemies. More than 30 weapons and 100 items allow you to experiment with different combinations, while resource management forces you to balance immediate firepower against upgrades that could pay off later. Runs are designed to last under 25 minutes, with increasingly difficult encounters and powerful bosses testing both your build and your driving skills.
Crimson Broadcast
The world has fallen apart, dangerous creatures are roaming the wasteland, and somewhere among the ruins sits an abandoned radio station that’s about to become the center of an increasingly desperate fight for survival. Every time you activate the transmitter, another wave of enemies is drawn toward your position, growing stronger and faster as you tune into more dangerous frequencies. With nowhere safe to retreat and the surrounding area rapidly filling with hostile creatures, keeping the station broadcasting is going to require an awful lot of firepower. Whoever’s listening had better appreciate the effort.
Developed by solo creator Scoyroli, Crimson Broadcast is a top-down survival roguelite combining frantic arena combat with an unusual risk-and-reward broadcasting system. Players can wield three weapons simultaneously, experiment with more than 50 items, and develop powerful combinations using attack speed, critical hits, knockback, and other effects. Dangerous weather, increasingly aggressive enemies, and special zones offering greater rewards add further complications, while deployable turrets provide some much-needed backup.
The free demo is already available on Steam, giving players an opportunity to discover just how long they can keep the signal alive.
10. Mini Mart Survivors
The night shift at SHIFT24 seemed like a pretty good deal. The pay was generous, the store was quiet, and keeping the shelves stocked sounded considerably easier than most jobs. Then midnight arrived, and the customers started behaving rather strangely. Now they’re pouring through the doors in enormous numbers, the entire store is descending into chaos, and your only means of defending yourself is whatever food and drink you can grab from the shelves. Whoever wrote the job description definitely left out a few important details.
Developed by Geek Haus, Mini Mart Survivors is a supernatural bullet heaven roguelite where players battle increasingly bizarre customers using ramen, snacks, coffee, and other convenience store products as weapons. Each night brings waves of enemies that grow more dangerous as the hours pass, culminating in a boss encounter that threatens to bring your shift to a very abrupt end. Different SHIFT24 branches take you around the world, introducing new enemies, challenges, and clues about the mysterious company employing you. There’s also a debt to repay and a larger conspiracy waiting to be uncovered, giving you another reason to keep returning for work.
Between the unusual weapons, suspicious customers, and a workplace that seems determined to get you killed, this might be the worst part-time job in gaming.
Heaven, Hell, and Everything in Between
From demon-infested wastelands and supernatural hospital emergencies to rhythm-powered spaceships and convenience stores with murderous customers, this year’s selection proves there’s still plenty of room for creativity in the bullet heaven and bullet hell genres.
Some games are experimenting with how we move, others are finding unusual ways to build weapons, and a few have decided that surviving enormous hordes of enemies would be much more entertaining with a completely unexpected setting. Whether you’re interested in the gothic horror themed Midnight Horde, the folklore-inspired powers of ERLIK, or the musical mayhem of Groove Core, there’s no shortage of interesting ideas to explore.
Steam Next Fest runs until October 26th, giving players a week to discover upcoming releases and experiment with free demos. If something on this list catches your attention, be sure to check out its Steam page and add it to your wishlist.
Which do you prefer…bullet heavens where you become an unstoppable force of destruction, or bullet hells where surviving a single encounter feels like a major achievement? Let us know in the comments, along with any other rogue demos we should be keeping an eye on!