Zelda Meets Minecraft In New Retro-Inspired RPG You Can Play Free Now

We're at the point where you can search for pretty much anything you could want on Steam. For instance, while Dino Crisis sits in suspended animation over at Capcom, you can pick up a ton of different dinosaur-hunting games over on the platform, some of which are free.

For any given popular title, all you need to do is search for a curated list of games like it, and there will be plenty for the taking on Steam. In fact, over on Steam now, you can pick up a game that's Zelda-meets-Minecraft, and there's a kicker: It's completely free to try right now. Plus, its creator specifically mentions Stardew Valley as an inspiration, so there's even more to cling onto.

On Steam now, you can pick up the demo for Glintseeker Island: a new exploration-based game from developer Half Soup Labs. As a single-player mining adventure, you'll delve into caves and locate treasures and artifacts, while upgrading your gear along the way.

The studio notes that this game will appeal to people who "loved the caves in Stardew Valley," which is theoretically a pretty huge audience considering how successful that game was. You'll battle enemies (including Ancient Guardian bosses) as well as gather treasure, so there's a lot to acclimate to, including puzzles and unique scenarios.

Here's a description from the creator, so you know what you're working with: "Descend into mysterious caves with countless treasures to excavate in a mining exploration adventure. Upgrade your gear, fight bosses, uncover secrets and save the island from an ancient threat below!"

Glintseeker Island is due out in 2027, and it seems the game will launch in a full 1.0 format rather than an extended Early Access period. Glintseeker Island has been in development for three years as of this past week, and the demo includes two biomes with procedural generation over 15 playable floors.

A Golem boss battle is included in the demo, including a demo-exclusive fossil. In addition to upgrades in the demo, you can also unlock eight unique hammers, rebuild the core village, assist villagers with sidequests, and unlock extra capes (that provide mechanical bonuses and cosmetic alterations).

There's a lot going on with Glintseeker Island, and if you're interested, try the Steam demo now. Otherwise, it'll be waiting for you to pick up once 2027 hits. While it is dated for next year, there is no window or release date yet, so we could be waiting a while.