There have been a lot of really great games featured in Steam‘s October Next Fest. Several of these events are held every year, and it’s almost always a fun way to find some great-looking indie hidden gems that may have gone under the radar otherwise. Steam is often an indie haven, but it can be daunting sifting through so many options. This particular Steam Next Fest has been packed with games to choose from, and although every person’s taste is going to differ greatly, Surfpunk is a truly unique RPG worth checking out.
Think of the movie Waterworld by way of Cyberpunk 2077. Some of the best dystopian games of the past decade have used real-world issues as a foundation to build fascinating worlds from. Cyberpunk 2077 puts the spotlight on unfettered corporate power and greed, which gives a bleak, yet neon-fueled, look into what a future America might look like. Surfpunk takes a more fun approach to this kind of real-world inspiration. Rising water levels have been an issue for decades, and Surfpunk imagines what a world overrun by water might look like. Spoiler alert; it involves a lot of cool pirate-style anarchy with lots of surfing.
Surfpunk Throws Players Into a Vibrant Tropical Dystopia
Cyberpunk 2077 and Surfpunk share common ground with being RPGs set in dystopian worlds, but that’s really where the similarities end. Even though Surfpunk isn’t entirely a game like Cyberpunk 2077, it still has all the qualities going for it that make up a strong RPG. The setting is deeply immersive and fun, the classes are diverse, and there is one key difference that actually gives Surfpunk an edge against Cyberpunk 2077: the game has co-op.
A Cyberpunk 2077 co-op mod is in the works as a fan project, but CD Projekt Red hasn’t brought forth any kind of official co-op mode to players. So, if exploring and fighting to survive in a dystopian world with a few friends is something that you’ve been dreaming of, then Surfpunk might help scratch that itch when it finally launches.
A Breakdown of Surfpunk’s Confirmed Gameplay Features
- Supports up to 4-player co-op
- Surfing traversal via the game’s “Rushboards”
- Procedurally generated islands to explore
- Multiple classes: Sword, Pistols, Anchor, and Guitar
- Crafting and resource management
- Extraction elements
- An oncoming tsunami that gives players a time crunch
- Floating player hub called the Beastship
- Challenging enemies and environmental hazards
With its anime-like art style and colorful world, Surfpunk really pops on the screen, and the gameplay thankfully matches the visual aesthetic. It’s not easy for a game to both look good and feel fun to play, but Surfpunk manages that tricky balance. Everything about the surfing RPG is over-the-top in a wonderful way. That may not appeal to every kind of gamer, but it’s a uniquely charming premise that definitely has its audience. The art style reminds me of games like Hi-Fi Rush and Jet Set Radio that use great style to help make the world come to life in an outside-the-box way.
Speaking of Hi-Fi Rush, Surfpunk‘s standout Guitar class is bound to grab the attention of music-loving gamers. Surfpunk‘s Sword class is fast-paced melee, Pistol covers a long-range play style, and the Anchor is a heavy weapon class. What makes Guitar so special is that it’s a support class that also grants time-based gameplay bonuses. So, there’s an added layer that even gives Surfpunk a touch of rhythm gameplay. RPGs with unique class systems can be hard to come by, and Surfpunk has found a clever way to tweak this genre staple while also being completely on theme.
Surfpunk’s High Energy and Bold Creativity Is a Fun Shake-Up to the RPG Genre
Play Surfpunk’s Steam Demo Now
In a time when RPGs are becoming increasingly more realistic, Surfpunk is taking the “punk” part of its title to heart and going against the trends with a wonderfully absurd concept. Not every RPG has to embrace the ultra-realism that games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 do so well. Realism isn’t a bad thing by any means, either. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a fantastic RPG, but it’s also great to have games that serve as a contrast.
Surfpunk‘s fun-loving take on a water-drenched dystopia won’t be for those who prefer a more serious style game world, but it’s a great game to check out if you love surfing, pirate vibes, exploration, and finding new indies to play with friends. This year’s Steam Next Fest has seen a massive uptick in indie games to choose from. With AAA gaming stuck in a rough spot right now due to corporate restructuring, mass layoffs, and game cancellations, a lot of the attention is now being put on indie games, which is pretty exciting.
- Developer(s)
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Double Stallion
- Publisher(s)
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Double Stallion
