The Best Game I Played During Steam Next Fest Comes Out This Month & You Don’t Want to Miss It

Steam Next Fest is, for many of us, equal parts exciting and overwhelming. The event, which happens a few times a year, features hundreds of new demos for upcoming games. It’s a great way to test out games that you might want to put on your radar, but it’s also… a lot. I’ll confess I tend to get pretty overwhelmed trying to play all of the demos I want to check out. With many demos available only during the event, it feels a bit like a race to try them all before they go away. That often means that the games start to blur together, and it takes something special to really stand out.

The Last Gas Station was one of those games that stood out, a rare case where I had to make myself move on to the next in the lineup. And I wasn’t alone, as its demo wound up with a Very Positive review average following February’s event. So, I was pretty stoked to see that the game has finally set its release date for later this month. The Last Gas Station launches on Steam on April 28th, and I’m here to tell you why it’s an indie you’ll want to have on your wishlist.

The Last Gas Station Is a Shopkeeping Sim with a Strong Story Hook

Management sims have been a staple since the Roller Coaster Tycoon heyday. In recent years, they’ve only gotten more popular, as “cozy game” has become a genre in its own right. And I have played, um… a lot of these games. I love a shopkeeping management sim, hotel management sim, restaurant management sim… if the game has you running a business, I’m checking it out. But even loving management sims doesn’t mean they’re always going to hit.

Sometimes, robust management is enough to carry you through. Games like Two Point Museum don’t have much in the way of a plot, but the humor and in-game goals give it a sense of personality and trajectory. I do love these kinds of games. But sometimes, you want a solid story-driven management sim to sink into. And even from the demo alone, I got the sense that The Last Gas Station would deliver on that front.

The demo doesn’t get too deep into it, but it’s clear that this is a management sim with a story to tell. In it, you run the last gas station in a world where EVs are the norm. The previous manager went missing under mysterious circumstances, and as you step into the role of restoring the gas station and the surrounding area, you just might uncover what happened. After all, something strange is happening at night, and I came away from the demo very eager to find out just what that something is.

Games that combine cozy mechanics with mystery and even horror are having something of a moment. I can’t count the number of “Stardew Valley but spooky” farming sims I’ve seen recently (and yes, I will be trying them all). But this blend of shopkeeping sim and story is a bit less common, and in the case of titles like Discounty, it just works. Having a mystery to solve between stocking shelves and restoring the local area is just the right kind of gameplay loop that’s cozy, but not too cozy.

I’ve Played a Lot of Shopkeeping Sims, and The Last Gas Station Could Be Something Special

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Another reason I’m excited for The Last Gas Station? Well, the pixel art is absolutely stunning, for a start. But running a broken-down gas station feels like an interesting twist on what most shopkeeping sims are. Typically, these games center on convenience stores, restaurants, bookstores, or similar spaces. You also have your card shop simulators and the like. But a gas station management sim? That’s one I haven’t personally seen, and I’m very here for new twists on the genre.

From the looks of it, The Last Gas Station will expand beyond the single shop, too. Yes, you’ll fill gas and stock the shelves of the gas station’s convenience store. But you will also work to restore nearby businesses to turn your new home into a thriving rest stop for drivers. And as much as I loved the core gameplay loop showcased in the demo, having more to explore is definitely a major selling point here.

If you enjoy narrative-driven games with a slower pace or love a pixel art management sim, The Last Gas Station is definitely one for your wishlist. It’s been on mine since February.

The Last Gas Station launches for PC via Steam on April 28th. The free demo is still available if you want to check it out before the game’s full release.