Video games log 007 (Steam Next Fest)
Oh boy, I ended up playing quite a lot of demos this time. I wanted to post this thing before the week ended, just in case someone stumbles upon this post and wants to try out something, as some demos get put out once the fest is done.
Also, thought I could add a little heart emoji for the games I especially enjoyed, just to make them pop a bit more! The list is in alphabetical order.
What I played
All Living Things π
Alchemical puzzles! With clay like intricate animations! The demo was short but really good. I love the meatiness of the hand cursor, too.
BALL x PIT π
Survival roguelite meet arkanoid? It was a fun demo! Didn't spend too much time on it because you get the idea pretty quick and I know I'd love to play some more once it will be out. The art style is chef's kiss as well.
Bubblegum Galaxy π
Narrative building game where you play an intern creating planets tile by tile. The game is divided between that work and evolving in an office setting. Pretty fun and cute! Love the early 3d era style as usual.
Cloudtop Chaos
Bunch of mini games set around a group of friends. A bit basic but pretty cute! You can tell the passion behind this :)
Dispatch π
Super hero management. The writing is fun, the characters are interesting and the gameplay - navigating through incidents - is well done. Will definitely buy!
Elevator Music
You're an elevator operator in a hotel during a week where an international summit is held. The main gameplay is going up and down, and having talks with the clientele. Pretty cool! The pixel art is really nice.
Fishing Alone
Fishing game. A bit rough around the edges and the lack of music is a net negative for me. But the art style is pretty cool and I could see myself getting better at the fishing part for the visual ambiance it offers. It just really lacks a bit more noise/music.
Flick Shot Rogues ππ
Roguelite with flicking piece mechanics! I thought I'd enjoy this a good amount, but I didn't think that much! Really cool game! And as usual with me, loved the art for this one. It's a real gem of a game.
Flowers And Favours: Florist Simulator
Chill game where you prepare bouquets. The art is lovely, and there's been a great care to create the flowers, they are gorgeous.
Fofumia
Casual game where you follow Fofunos' bad habits of making a mess everywhere and clean up after them, with some tiny mini games related to some objects. Pretty fun, and those weird one eyed cats are cute ahah
Gecko Gods
Exploration game where you play as a little gecko. The controls are pretty crisp, the sounds when you walk is really good, which makes the whole gameplay a really nice experience. The world is really well made and did make me feel like I was just a tiny critter.
Gold Gold Adventure Gold
Colony builder. I actually was expecting something a bit more... polished maybe? I was a bit disappointed by that demo. Also, too many tool tips here and there even for a tutorial.
Herdling ππ
Guide a herd of weird looking sheep(s?). I had my eyes on this game since last year when a trailer was shown during one of those SGF cons and I loved everything about it, even more so when I saw that the devs behind this one were the ones behind FAR: Lone Sails (and also because ay, Swiss devs!). The demo was a nice, tranquil adventure and I loved every moment of it. The fact that you can name, pet and give food to your animals makes you really care about each individuals almost instantly. The world and creatures are really pretty, love the visual style.
Lost and Found Co. π
Hidden object game! The art is delightful and the story seems interesting. Love being able to click on a ton of stuff to see different animations!
Morsels
Roguelite bullet hell with a really REALLY nice visual style in pixel art! Haven't played a lot of it but I'll definitely get the game one day.
Proxy Adventure: Simulation Room
Autobattler with deck programming. Pretty interesting! The explanations and UI could be a bit better but the idea is pretty cool so far.
Puzzled Hive
Puzzle game in a hive! The artstyle is simple but pretty cute and the gameplay is good. I liked it! Music is good but a bit repetitive and there's a bit of broken english here and there, but to be honest, it adds to the experience ahah
Ratatan ππ
Spiritual successor of Patapon, you manage your warriors through rhythmic commands. There's a bit of too much going on at the screen, but I really enjoyed playing this demo! The art is beautiful but I'd like different options for the rhythm tracker appearance, I tended to be focused too much to that little line.
γͺγΊγγͺγγοΌRhythmic Flip (Re)Turn
Rhythmic game with animals! I have played like 5min of it max, but it's pretty well done so far. I hope there'll be a more complete english interface because I was a bit lost at first, but once you get into it, it's a nice experience.
Strange Antiquities π
You're taking care of a boutique of occult antiquities. Pretty cool game where you have to look at clues and your books to find the right item for your customers. There's a nice "second chance" mechanic if you mess up too many times. Enjoyed this one quite a lot!
Rue Valley π
Time loop Γ la Disco Elysium. Seemed interesting! The visual style is top notch and the writing is pretty good. Will definitely get it once the whole game is out!
Unknot
Physic based puzzle with knots! That kind of games isn't my jam, but it's an interesting one!
Whisker Wanderlust π
Hidden object game. The illustrations are incredible and just for this, I'd recommend trying that demo!
Witchy Business
You're a witch, taking care of her shop and creating wands and potions. It's stinking cute but I don't know if I'd enjoy the repetitiveness of this game in particular.
Wordplay
Balatro except with words, basically. Made by Mark from the Game Maker's Toolkit Youtube channel. Pretty good! A bit hard for me because english is not my main language but it's a fun game. The sounds are pretty good to make you feel great when you get to combo your letters.