i picked up like 30 demos, here's some of what caught my eye. also recommend checking out the remap radio stream from this past friday, where they put ten minutes into a handful of next fest demos.
CATACLISMO
can't get enough of this demo. you wanna build cool looking structures in a moody, mystical setting? you want to explore and rebuild a citadel while fending off hordes of little beasties? do you want to do that in a way that feels eerily calm and meditative? this game fulfills a want that i discover whenever i'm sinking hours into dorfromantik or townscaper; i want to scrape into the history of a world and deal with a few more consequences while still maintaining the brain-soothing experience of playing around in an aesthetically pleasing toybox. i think cataclismo is going to pull that off, and can't wait for the full release of this game.
EBITAPES
ebitapes slaps! you're just a little guy, goin' round, recording samples and making beats inspired by the world around you. there's impromptu concerts and beat battles, and cute interactions throughout the world. the kid's art style is charming and remains totally readable. loved, loved, loved this.
TAMARAK TRAIL
if you're the type who likes games with uh, enjoyable gameplay, tamarak trail has a very satisfying dice building mechanic that allows you to craft powerful and fun combos as you progress along procedurally generated maps, collecting new dice faces and cores while putting down shotgun wielding doves. but i, an enlightened being, am here for the architectural references, baybeeeee! it has a perfectly run down, arts-and-crafts style grand lodge you return to between runs, and the overall visual language of this game really feels like teddy roosevelt wandered deep into a forest in the northeastern united states and awoke some eldritch horror that he then failed to kill, and now we're all dealing with the consequences. curious to see how such an evocative style marries with mechanics over the course of an entire game, but both worked enough on their own to have me interested in coming back around to it.
THE INVINCIBLE
listen... don't play this demo. you'll be filled with an aching frustration that you can't spend the entire night playing a full version, exploring a desolate and beautiful planet, solving a science mystery while getting scared with your pal jared harris (yes, that jared harris. i haven't been able to confirm the credit but i have been watching foundation so, like, i'm an authority???). don't read about this game, even. just ask yourself if a retro future hard sci-fi firewatch is for you then go in as fresh as you can. ugh! i've never enjoyed a demo so much that i wanted it immediately deleted from my memory, and yet here we are.
THIS BED WE MADE
this one puts the player in the shoes of a hotel maid in montreal, whose desire to snoop through guest's belongings lands her in the middle of a mystery. the game introduces consequences for touching or moving objects, and for explorers like me who want to touch or collect everything in a game, its fun to navigate that decision making process. at least, it seems like it will be fun, since the demo isn't quite long enough to show you one of those actual consequences. cleaning and tidying while hunting for clues was also quite satisfying, and there were some environmental objects that suggest there might be a bit of the kind of task prioritization you find in games like papers, please. i hope that's the case! nancy drew as a maid immersive sim is a pitch i'm into.