Astracolypse, an indie survival RPG from Astracolyptic, is going to show off a playable demo at the Steam Next Fest this summer.
The game is already listed on Steam as “coming soon,” and offers party-based turn-based combat against deadly threats in a hostile desert environment, as exiled humans struggle to find resources, craft tools, hunt prey, and survive.
The 2026 Steam Next Fest takes place from June 15th to 22nd. As such, players will have an opportunity to experience the combination of survival pressure and RPG tactics and strategy prior to launch.
Prior to the events of the game, there was a very powerful magician named Lucious Astra. He attempted to gain complete domination over all through the use of banned arcane practices.
Those experiments created a new breed of humans known as Astras. These humans had incredible powers; however, they were also cursed with insatiable appetites for fresh meat. Cooked or preserved food will do absolutely nothing for these individuals.
Additionally, when children begin to exhibit characteristics of being Astras, human society will exile those children to the surface due to a lack of space and resources, and because they pose too much of a threat.
It is this curse that forms the basis of Astracolypse. Survival here is based upon finding living creatures to eat.
Hunger is a constant threat to your survival and the survivability of your party. Hungry Astras can attack their own allies. Therefore, each recruited member of your party is a valuable asset, but also dangerous. If you don’t keep your inactive members fed, they will fall asleep (hibernate), and thus slow their hunger, but it will never completely cease.
You will make decisions in real-time regarding exploration, resource acquisition, crafting and managing your party. Combat takes place in a turn-based format and is driven by party composition, the timing of abilities used in battle, and enemies’ weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
According to the FAQ published by the developer, there are currently 5 classes of players and 5 different levels of difficulty. Abilities create openings in battles which can either enhance or weaken positive/negative effects applied to enemies and players.
Therefore, stronger enemies can be defeated through better sequencing and timing of team members’ actions to create opportunities that foster better teamwork and synergy.
Lost party members can be recovered from death using revival items earned after a successful battle. However, fleeing battle can lead to leaving behind dead party members forever. Total loss of the party will end the current run.
Although players will be able to save their progress, an optional Ironman-style mode is a possibility for future consideration.
The demo planned for Steam Next Fest will provide gameplay regarding combat, resource collection, and crafting. There will be 5 characters that can join your roster, multiple random locations where you will spawn, and each run will last approximately 30 minutes.
At present, Astracolypse appears to be exclusive to Windows PC platforms. An AI Content Disclosure exists on the page as well, indicating that certain voice-overs or 2D artwork were assisted with the aid of AI technology. Below the Steam Next Fest Trailer.
