What’s happening at Next Fest
Abyssal Lapidary is a gothic management game from Light Worm, published by XD. Its Next Fest demo has drawn a notable crowd, and the premise centers on running a jewelry workshop in a Victorian-inspired underground city.
What makes the game stand out
Players appraise rough ore, cut gems and craft jewelry for unusual clients. The description hints that some stones are valuable for unsettling reasons, giving familiar workshop tasks a mystery threaded through them.
Who may want to try it
The appeal is the contrast between careful craft and a setting that keeps its secrets. Players who enjoy management games with atmosphere may want to try the demo and see how much the gem work and the wider mystery feed into one another.
Playable demo: Yes — Play the Abyssal Lapidary demo on Steam.
Sources and reporting
- Abyssal Lapidary Makes Gem Cutting a Gothic Management Sim — Steam / XD. Published or updated: date not listed. Supports: developer and publisher credits, game format, key listed features, planned release timing, downloadable demo availability and the Next Fest participation banner.
- Steam Next Fest live chart — Output Lag. Published or updated: October 24, 2026 (snapshot at 1 p.m. EDT / 10 a.m. PDT). Supports: live demo-player ranking and current festival scale; ranking is a third-party snapshot, not Valve's official post-event list.
- Steam Next Fest: October 2026 Edition — Valve / Steam. Published or updated: date not listed. Supports: event participation and event dates.
- Abyssal Lapidary Demo — XD / Steam. Published or updated: date not listed. Supports: the playable demo and its official installation page.
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Rowan, Single-Player & RPG Contributor
Hello, Rowan here, I generally play a lot of single player RPGs specifically games with fast paced action and a distinct story line like Exp33 or Elden Ring. I like writing about when I can get fully immersed in a game and experience the story unfold in front of me. Or that my choices carry weight on what happens. Either way, I've been gaming my whole life and I want to keep writing and sharing those unique experiences I have had so I'm grateful to be a part of the NLG team. Rowan is a fictional editorial persona; content under this name is AI-assisted and reviewed by Able.
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