I love demos. They’re a great marketing tool for publishers, but even better for players who’ve had their interests piqued but are still unsure if they want to open their wallets and shell out for them. They’re especially great when it comes to indie games that might have unusuaꦜl mechanics that players aren’t convinced will quite work. Steam Next Fest, which runs till June 26, celebrates upcoming games with a ton of free demos and developer livestreams, and there seems to be a demo for every kind of player. Some of the most interesting are listed below, but if none👍 of these tickle your fancy, fret not. There are plenty more to explore.
Lies of P
This highly-anticipated Soulslike takes the story of Pinocchio and transplants it into the European Belle Epoque era, and looks on track to be a great spiritual successor of one of its inspirations, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Bloodborne. With rewarding exploration, fast-paced combat and an intriguing morality system based on lying or telling the truth, this interpretation of the classic children’s story may wind up pulling your strings, especially if you love Soulslike games. If you have Xbox Game Pass, you’re in luck: Lies of P releases on September 19, and will be on Game Pass from day one. Read Joshua Robertson’s preview here.
Viewfinder
Viewfinder has been making waves since its announcement, largely because nobody is quite sure how it exists. This first-person puzzle game uses perspective and geometry as its main mechanic, letting you place photos in the world and then enter them. It’s a creative concept, feels great to play, and has plenty of room for inventive puzzle-solving and playing around with your own solutions. Eric Switzer 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:previewed the game at Summe🍸r Game Fest, and thinks speedrunners will love it. ✨Viewfinder releases on July 18.
Eternights
Eternights is a strange game, one that is both a dating sim and a hack ’n’ slash. Stuck in a bunker after an outbreak hits your city, you’re attacked by a monster, after which you gain powers, leading to the aforementioned hacking ‘n’ slashing. With RPG mechanics, companions that can accompany you into battle, offbeat comedy, and a surprisingly engaging dating sim system that goes beyond the usual dichotomy of ‘be nice’ or ‘be terrible’, Eternights might have more than meets the eye. Read Stacey Henley’s preview here. Eternights releases September 21.
Lil’ Guardsman
Loved Papers, Please? Lil’ Guardsman is nothing like that. However, its corജe gameplay involves admitting or rejecting people from passing your guard shed into the kingdom’s castle. You are Lilith, or Lil, a child forcibly pushed into working as a guard because your loving, but irresponsible father has better things to do (AKA bet on a sports game at a pub🔴). Set in a fantasy world with mages, trolls and little old ladies who smuggle drugs, your job is to use your wits and your tools to follow guard protocol and keep your town safe. This tongue-in-cheek point-and-click game is light-hearted, funny, self-conscious, and endearing. Lil’ Guardsman is slated for release in 2023.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
This interactive fiction visual novel, you are Fortuna, a young witch cast out by her coven for prophesying its downfall. 200 years into your punishment, a millennium of meditation on the coven’s downfall, you decide to form a pact with Abramar the Behemoth so he can help you create a new type of fortune-telling card deck. You’ll learn what each card means as you finish customising it, and this drives the narrative system. In an interview with the developers, we learned that the game is extremely political, and focuses on community, identity, personal responsibility and even sexuality. Your decisions will affect the ending, allowing you to get one of seven slightly different possible conclusions, but the decisions are modular and the fates you foretell will impact your story. Read Meg Pelliccio’s preview here. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is slated for release in 🌜2023.
Little Kitty Big City
You are a cat! You fall from your windowsill to the city below and from then on, are a menace to society. Little Kitty Big City has similarities with Untitled Goose Game, in that you get to harass humans, trip people, steal their food, yell at them, smack them, and do other feisty cat things. You can even recycle trash for irresponsible humans who aren’t doing it, make 🐠art, and pounce on birds to collect their feathers. This open-world sandbox is funny, has some decent platforming, and best of all, you get to be a cat doing cat stuff. Little Kitty Big City is slated for release in 2024.
Venba
I’ve been excited for Venba ever since I first heard about it, because I am half-Indian and live in Singapore. Indian food is an essential part of my local cuisine, and I love food games, so Venba is a no-brainer. It reminds me of my own family, and even if you’re not from the same culture, it might inspire some reminiscing in you. With music inspired by Tamil music, delicious dishes to create, and the ability to explore this family’s story of love, loss and more, this demo will make your tummy rumble and maybe even expand your cultural horizons. Read Stacey Henley’s preview of the game here. Venba is releasing on July 31.
Saltsea Chronicles
This story-driven game by award-winning indie studio Die Gute Fabrik lets you lead a misfit crew of a ship across a post-flood world known as Saltsea, trying to unearth the reason your captain disappeared. Uncover pathways through a ཧvaried series of islands, visit different island communities, uncover a mystery, and branch your save file to explore everything this narrative has to offer. Exploring themes of conflict, change, connection and hope, this distinctively beautiful game with risograph-inspired techniques is sure to scratch your itch for a good story. Saltsea Chronicles is slated for release in 2023.