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Steam Next Fest is in full swing, and players have found plenty of engaging creations from small studios. However, one is particularly notable for its offbeat concept. Titled Unko Technica, this old-school styled side-scrolling game lets you play a protagonist that is actually a turd striving to travel to a restroom. For those curious, "Unko" is Japanese for "poop."

The gameplay is easy to grasp: just use a one button to leap. Throughout one hundred fifty levels, you'll face tough enemies and visit a store to acquire outfits for your dung hero.

Plan your actions carefully, since one error requires starting over. Bounce on bubbles to propel your character to new heights, cross disappearing ledges, and activate buttons to reveal hidden paths. Earn currency for buying challenging stages as gameplay gets crazy.

In terms of design, the game shows off eye-catching environments and an amazing music score. Its minimalist graphics of morphing abstract forms evokes memories of fans of classic titles like Earthbound.

While it's hard to name previous releases where you control a piece of feces, video games have long included toilet humor. For example, in Death Stranding, you can make explosives from protagonist droppings. Examples include Palworld and Ark: Survival Evolved use dung as soil enrichment. Unsurprisingly, fecal references shows up a lot in Obsidian's South Park RPG The Stick of Truth.

Despite its goofy premise, Unko Technica has already received impressive awards, like winning at a major publisher's game competition in 2023. This trial version is accessible currently on Steam, with the full game scheduled to debut on Steam on November 19.