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Steam Next Fest is currently underway, and enthusiasts have discovered plenty of entertaining independent titles. However, one catches the eye for its quirky concept. Named Unko Technica, this old-school styled platformer lets you play a character that is truly a dung trying to make its way to a commode. As a fun fact, "Unko" is Japanese for "poop."

Player controls is easy to grasp: just use a single jump button. In numerous levels, battle boss fights and access a shop to acquire customizations for your poop character.

Time your jumps precisely, since one wrong move requires restarting the level. Jump on floating orbs to propel the poop higher, cross disappearing ledges, and activate switches to reveal secret routes. Earn currency for buying more difficult stages as gameplay gets crazy.

In terms of design, the experience boasts eye-catching level designs and catchy background music. The simple graphics of shifting abstract forms may remind gamers of classic titles like Earthbound.

While it's difficult to think of previous releases where you play as a dung character, interactive entertainment often incorporated scatological themes. For instance, in Death Stranding, you can create explosives from character excrement. Titles such as Palworld and Ark: Survival Evolved utilize manure as plant food. And of course, such content appears heavily in Obsidian's role-playing game The Stick of Truth.

Regardless of its silly premise, Unko Technica has already garnered impressive awards, such as being named best at Bandai Namco's indie contest in 2023. A playable preview is accessible now on Steam, with the final release set to debut on Steam this November.