Steam Next Fest, Valve’s week-long celebration of upcoming PC games on its platform, lands today, with a whole host of free demos to dip into in tow. Among these is Len’s Island – a gorgeous dungeon crawler with farming sim and base building elements that looks like it’ll have big appeal to fans of Stardew Valley and Hades alike.
Len’s Island takes you to a faraway town with nothing but a handful of tools and your wits about you, as you set about building yourself a home on a lovely little island nearby. The game mixes a bunch of elements, with an emphasis on exploring the zones beneath your island home and battling the beasties within. “Len’s Island is a fast-paced, skill-driven dungeon crawler with a strong focus on engaging a wide range of combat types and loadout combinations,” developer Flow Studio explains.
Screenshots reveal dark, ancient chambers filled with strange, glowing monsters lurking in the shadows, as well as booby traps and tricky terrain to overcome. It looks like you’ll go in armed with a torch and melee weapon, so it seems we can expect some close-quarters combat with these critters, alongside some of those other combat styles mentioned.
Above ground, you can get busy building the house of your dreams, making it as big as you like, using the game’s “unique modular building system”. Additionally, you can grow crops in the sunshine to gain nourishment and supplies for your adventures exploring the game’s islands and their dungeons. You can opt to cultivate “large-scale farms throughout the forest, or care for small garden beds on your balcony”, the dev explains. You can sell specialist crops for money, too.
The Official Gameplay Trailer is here!
Build⚒️, Fight⚔️, Farm🌼 and Explore🏕️
For access to a FREE demo during @Steam Next Fest, wishlist the game to be notified: https://t.co/osYctquHEo pic.twitter.com/OsYPS9A5ez— Len's Island (@LensIsland) June 6, 2021
Like Stardew Valley, there’s an element of restoration to the area, too, and exploration that promises rewards which are scattered about waiting to be found. You can rebuild an old broken bridge, and find long-lost swords on your travels, for example.
Steam Next Fest kicks off later today, and runs through June 22, which means you’ve got until then to get stuck into the Len’s Island demo, which is available for free right now. If you’re keen to get more of an idea of its gameplay, you can check out a developer livestream at that link. Len’s Island launches sometime in October.