Video games log 018 (Steam Next Fest)
Quick Steam Next Fest this time, I didn't have much time during the week so I ended up playing mostly today. And I have to say that even if I knew the first two days would be bad because of AI slop, it did manage to make me uninterested to look for some little gems here and there for the rest of the week. I got got on one demo and it pissed me off so much I just ended up following recommendations from curators I know I can trust. I hope Steam does something for this shit because it's killing the event for a lot of people, but given their history of game moderation, I'm not holding my breath.
Anyway, as usual, my fave demos have a emoji next to them!
Bad Magpie 💕
Control a cute magpie who likes fire and chaos a bit too much!
The demo had me in the first few seconds of gameplay, the sounds of the magpie's steps made me laugh instantly (it's really good! really funny without being too distracting). I also loved how you start this demo and within a minute you will start a fire, it's great. I love that kind of games.
Culdcept BEGINS
Card boardgame / adventure set in a fantasy realm
Pretty nice! Not gonna lie, I downloaded the demo because I recognized the artist behind most - if not all - the characters / monsters, as it's one of my current favorite concept artists, Satoshi Matsuura. The gameplay is really cool! It's a bit like monopoly but with territories and offense/defense mechanics. I really liked it.
I can offer you Flowers
Cozy flower puzzle game! Work as a florist in a community and give people the flowers they want
Really cute! Didn't play much of the demo but managing the right flowers for your clients seemed pretty fun, if a tiny bit cumbersome here and there when you select the flower you need. Still, it's pretty fun, the art is gorgeous and the story might be interesting enough for the whole package to be a great puzzle game.
JOHN GLEEP
Roguelite with big numbers in a 90's space world
Love the visuals, loved how quick you can become distracted during the kidnapping sessions, liked the story. It looks like a fun game!
Letterbane
Scrabble meets fantasy, build words to fight against enemies
Pretty fun! There's an experimental side to this game that I enjoyed a lot, where the longest word might not be the best thing to cast depending on your enemies and the element your spell will be. You can choose between a chill mode and an attack mode, I only did the chill one - english being my second language, I wanted to take the time making my words with this demo - and it was nice to try to find the best combinations at my leisure.
I'm definitely getting this one when it comes out!
Matelotes 💕
Narrative roguelite! The Royal Hen disappeared and a small team of female sailors goes on to look for her, hoping they get to her before other factions.
LOVED IT! Played the french version, as it's the original, and the humor was great. The gameplay is pretty fun, you get to manage your sailors for sidequests and dice rolls through some nice narrations. The art is absolutely great and the story/lore is really cool.
Mingle
Kind of a hidden objects game; merge with your double and empty the level as quick as possible
Fun and short demo! It's a simple mechanic but the level adds some ideas to them that keeps it fresh. I liked it!
Mym's Sword
2d RPG / action platformer, Nora the little dog gets a cool sword and discover the world
Pretty cute! I liked it. The pixel art is simple, cute and colourful. The way you control the sword, twin stick style, is pretty cool.
Night Hike
Exploration roguelite, find your way with the help of your compass
Lovely dark exploration, a bit à la Blue Prince where you choose your path. The mood is immaculate between the visual style and the music! I'll definitely get it once it's out.
Probably Stolen
Cyberpunk shopkeeper simulator
Nice demo! I liked the inventory management, and you get to learn the mechanics of the game progressively, which is definitely a plus because there's a lot to learn. The pixel art is pretty nice, too. Really liked it!
Puppy Truck 💕
Good old 3d platformer! With puzzles, collectables and sidequests!
I've been following the main(?) dev of that little toy truck since forever on social media and I'm so happy to get to finally play the demo. The puppy truck takes a bit of time to get used to, but it's a blast once you're good with the controls. The game made me think a bit of Tinykin (which I finished some times ago and still need to talk about) in its environnement (you're a little toy in a normal size garden/etc, which makes everything big) and overall happiness? So yeah, it's great. I'm a sucker for platformers like that.