Curious to get the community's thoughts on the demos they loved in the latest Next Fest!
To start things off, here's a few that I absolutely loved and played through as much as I could (or stopped myself if I knew I'd like it).
Viewfinder - A first person puzzle game a la Portal, The Witness, Antichamber, Entropy Center, etc...I played enough to see the hook of using images to solve puzzles and backed away quickly. This was a game I didn't want to spoil too much for myself when I saw how cool it was.
Beyond Sunset - This was a "boomer shooter" recommendation I saw on Lemmy and checked it out because it seemed neat. I got really into the storyline and art style of the game and saw it through to the end of the demo. I almost gave up on the final boss but when I said no and wanted to push through, I knew I was hooked!
Galacticare - In the last few years, "simulation games" seem to have become my preferred genre and managing an outer space hospital was really engaging. I enjoyed designing each room and trying to optimize the flow of patients. The style and humor of the game worked well since sometimes the humor can feel a little "try hard" but it came together nicely. I don't purchase a lot of games Day One any more but this might be one of them.
One Lonely Outpost - I've had this on my wishlist since it was announced during a stretch of time I was playing Stardew Valley, but this was the first time it's been playable. I enjoyed the interactions with the world but I'm not sure what exactly it would build to (since the planet you land on is desolate). It may be about creating the town/outpost yourself. The demo seemed to overstay its welcome a bit BUT Stardew Valley-likes are super slow in the beginning, so I'm in a "wait and see" mode since I did enjoy parts of it and the unique setting.
Anything that ended up on your radar after this Next Fest?
I've played several, mostly games I've been following so no huge surprises. My highlights were:
Lies of P
Great soulslike built on a grim take on Pinocchio. Borrows a lot from Bloodborne, oppressive and interesting world, satisfying combat.
Sea of Stars
Super charming JRPG I've been looking forward to for a while, great pixel art, fun combat system with timed hits, great music.
LunarLux
Very similar to a Mega Man Battle Network game, but combat leans more towards the turn based side of the spectrum. Has some Undertale influences as well. The art being as cute as it is might turn some off, but it's a plus for myself.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
Strategy game from the folks behind Shadow Tactics and Desperados. You control undead pirates with unique and fun abilities, and the game encourages you to rewind time as needed to experiment and play around.
Honorable mentions go to Eternights and Viewfinder. Fantastic games all around, the following months are looking great!
I really enjoyed Shadow Gambit's integration of save scumming into the gameplay loop. Took me a minute to realise that the bell ringing wasn't auto saving but letting you know you could make another save but after that I really enjoyed it. Super curious to see how the different characters interact with eachother!
Ohh so that's what it was lol, I'd assumed it was auto saving at first as well but got confused when it didn't seem to generate an actual new save slot. At any rate, I reckon it's a good thing it was generous enough that I didn't even register it had limits in place to begin with.
Looking forward to the crew interactions too, seems ripe for a fun time since the game doesn't take itselt too seriously and they all look interesting and seem to have fun abilities.