A little over 24 hours in, the biggest Steam Next Fest demo so far is an open-world survival game that's quietly turning into one of the most anticipated games on the platform as a whole.
Once Human, which dropped a July 9 release date announcement during Summer Game Fest, had already made something of a name for itself. At time of writing, it's just inside the top ten in Steam's overall wishlist charts, just behind Monster Hunter Wilds and ahead of the likes of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
In Once Human's open-world apocalypse, the entire planet has been contaminated by an alien creature known as Stardust. Fortunately for you, you survived the contamination. Less fortunately, you still need to eat and drink to thrive in this survival game, and Stardust has contaminated everything, from the plants to the soil to the water. Eating poisoned food or drinking dirty water reduces your Sanity, and if that drops low enough, your max HP goes with it.
It's a system not a million miles removed from Fallout's irradiated food and the reduction in health that comes with it. The similarities don't go much further (beyond that apocalyptic setting), but it's interesting to see that iconic Fallout feature brought to life here.
Can't wait? Check our our list of the best survival games.
