The Steam Next Fest, your favorite excuse to sample upcoming titles before they hit the shelves, kicked off on the 14th. Among the flood of demos, Half Sword is currently the one turning heads, dominating wishlists and demo player counts alike.

Half Sword is a 15th-century medieval combat simulator where your primary goal is simply to survive and best your opponent. It boasts a collection of historically accurate weaponry and armor, allowing for everything from gritty 1v1 duels to chaotic, messy brawls—all powered by a physics engine that aims for, well, 'realism'.

The developers have doubled down on that realism. If you take a hit to the limb, expect to lose its utility, and a well-placed blow to the head? That’s lights out. Of course, in practice, the physics engine often creates some rather comical, slapstick scenarios. Given that they’ve been running demos long before this festival, it’s clear the unique, slightly janky charm has earned them the top spot in the 'Most Wishlisted' and 'Popular Demos' charts.

By the second day of the festival, Half Sword unveiled two new maps: Frankenberg Forest and the Back Alleys. They’ve promised to drip-feed us fresh maps, weapons, and systems throughout the event. Keep your eyes peeled; Half Sword is slated for a release later this year.

Elsewhere on the Steam charts, Dead by Daylight has surged to second place, no doubt thanks to its latest Halloween event. Arc Raiders, currently gearing up for its final test on the 17th, sits at eighth, while New World: Aeternum has landed in ninth following the launch of Season 10.

Looking at the daily peak Concurrent Players, Blue Protocol: Star Resonance has slipped out of the top 20, making room for War Thunder, which squeezed in at 20th with 69,153 players. Dead by Daylight is clearly enjoying the spooky season, hitting 14th place with a peak of 90,193 Concurrent Players.

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