So Many Demos, So Little Time
What I'm Playing: Steam Next Fest Edition
This week, in honor of Steam Next Fest (and to give some other ideas the time to cook), I’m highlighting some of the demos that have caught my attention. Some I was already anticipating, others I only heard of yesterday or the day before. But the great thing is that they all have free demos on Steam right now, and at least available over the weekend.
Steam Next Fest happens three times a year. Once in February, once in June, and once in October. Each week is an amazing seven days full of free demos for upcoming indie games. I wrote a guide this week that included links to 60 different demos and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
If this sounds overwhelming, you are correct. There is no time to try out all the interesting demos. But it’s always exciting to see what indie games to look forward to in the next year or two.
Don’t forget to wishlist any games that look interesting! It helps indie developers a lot to show how interested people are!
What I’ve Gotten To
Wheel World - Developer: Messhof / Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Bike through a beautifully cel-shaded open world in Wheel World. The name might be the worst part of this game, thankfully. Formerly known as Ghost Bike, the developers decided to change the name last year, but kept the ghostly elements. You encounter a floating skull that allows you to use a magical boost with your bike. Relax and enjoy the island scenery, or take on local gangs in bike races. There is some world-saving to do eventually, but what’s the rush?
The demo only lets you explore the first island, but so far, I have had a great time with this one. Wheel World originally jumped onto my radar years ago with a great first trailer and a song that I couldn’t track down. Now, as if to answer my calls, Annapurna Interactive has uploaded that song as essentially a Wheel World music video. Thank you for that! I hope this game launches later this year, because I would love to spend more time in this world.
Wanderstop - Developer: Ivy Road / Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Normally, I’m not drawn to simulators, especially farming or cafe simulators. To me they often feel repetitive and mindless. With limited gaming time I’d rather spend it on something more engaging. I understand that I may be in the minority with that take, but it doesn’t mean I have anything against those kinds of games. They’re just typically not for me. But then I heard more about Wanderstop.
I was initially drawn in by the potential for twists and intrigue, the writer of the famously subversive indie game, The Stanley Parable, also worked on Wanderstop. I haven’t gotten terribly far into the demo, I’ve learned how to grow plants and brew tea, but so far, nothing like the twists I was expecting. What I did find though, was a tragic story about the protagonist learning to live with their mistakes. The protagonist wants to continue training after their three-year streak of winning fights is broken. They charge headfirst into the forest, searching for a legendary, god-like mentor, only to crash land face-first in the dirt, exhausted. Productivity, progress, efficiency. These are all good things and important things. But so is taking time to rest. Doing nothing for a little while. I am interested to see what more Wanderstop has in store.
I do still feel like there might be something more than meets the eye here… I think.
Is This Seat Taken? - Developer: Poti Poti Studio / Publisher: Wholesome Games Presents
A simple and charming puzzle game, Is This Seat Taken? tasks the player with organizing people according to their seating preferences. A bus pulls up the curb and six passengers want to board. One of them wants a window seat, one of them wants to sit alone, one of them wants to sit with their friend, another wants to play loud music but doesn’t want to sit anywhere near the person who forgot to shower. Pick them up and place them in a seat that makes them happy and you get a point. These are the kinds of low-stakes, casual puzzles that I need every now and then.
Goodlands - Developer & Publisher: thegeolojosh
Goodlands is a game “about dinos digging up dinos.” Create your own dinosaur character and set out into the Goodlands, a desert full of hidden treasures: fossils. Restock the once glorious museum with your finds, talk to the unique characters, and shop at the small town. This game immediately captured me a soon as I started playing. It wasn’t until a few minutes into the demo that I even realized that the name Goodlands is a play on Badlands, an environment where many fossils are found.
So far, Goodlands has charmed me with witty jokes and dialogue, simple and relaxing gameplay, and what seems like a genuine interest in best representing dinosaurs and fossils. I still have more to play, but I can already tell that this is something special. In recent months, I find myself less willing to take my time in some games. But in Goodlands, I genuinely look forward to every NPC conversation. I seek them out to see what they have to say, whether it’s a one-off joke about a 2-dimensional cow, or a good hint to find a fossil.
I also wrote about four more demos I played last Friday, including Castle v Castle, Aethermancer, Shotgun Cop Man, and Tall Trails.
What’s On My Radar
(I’m saving images on this section so that this fits in people’s emails. Links go straight to the demo’s page on Steam if you want to take a look!)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown - Developer & Publisher: Strange Scaffold
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have long been a fandom of mine. I remember watching the movies and tv shows growing up, and really enjoying the recent animated movie too. But the games have never quite been exactly what I’m looking for. Then, out of nowhere, indie developer Strange Scaffold who developed one of my favorite games of last year, I Am Your Beast, announces they are making a tactical TMNT game. So while I haven’t actually played this one yet, it is at the top of my list.
Haste: Broken Worlds - Developer & Publisher: Landfall
The trailers for Haste: Broken Worlds are immediately appealing. They are so fast-paced and colorful, I have to at least try my hand at something so fast and intense just to see if I have the skill. The gameplay was enough to hook me in, and then the more I looked into it, I learned that it was a rogue-lite (which I generally enjoy) and you are trying to outrun the end of the universe as it quickly creeps up behind you. If that wasn’t enough (it is), yesterday I looked at the Steam charts for the most played demos of Steam Next Fest, and this was in the top ten. I absolutely have to try this one.
Skin Deep - Developer: Blendo Games / Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Immersive first-person-shooter games are typically not my type of game. But as I wrote about with Wanderstop, now is a great time to try a free demo that might change your mind on things. Skin Deep adds a dash of absurdity and humor to what can be a very dark and serious genre. Play as a retired assassin turned insurance commando and fight back against space pirates that have taken over your spaceship. Skin Deep wears its Die Hard inspiration on its sleeve in its Steam description: “You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and have no shoes.” This seems like one I have to try.
Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping - Developer & Publisher: Happy Broccoli Games
This is the exact sequel I knew I needed. The original Duck Detective game was able to find a place in my top games of the year for good reason. It’s a short, clever, and funny mystery game. If Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is anything similar, then this is an instant classic.
There are tons of other great demos to get around to, but that’s at least a few of the ones I’ve enjoyed and/or plan on enjoying. Have you found any great demos during Steam Next Fest? Let me know by replying directly to this email or leaving a comment on Substack. And don’t forget to subscribe for weekly video game newsletters!
Further Reading
As always, I have been writing great articles over the last week. Totally unbiased in that opinion.
Today, February 27th, is Pokémon Day, meaning there was a Pokémon Presents that featured a fresh look at Pokémon Legends: Z-A as well as a new battle-focused game called Pokémon Champions.
Warner Bros. Games has shuttered three studios, including Monolith Productions who developed 2014 Game of the Year nominee Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and canceled an in-production Wonder Woman game.
Highly anticipated Xbox Game Studios fantasy RPG reboot Fable is officially delayed to 2026.
Ultimate Indie Racing, an independently made cart racing game, has some iconic indie characters like Kril from Another Crab’s Treasure and more.
Indie In Review
Today, I want to write about one of my favorite games from 2023, Cocoon.
This is a short, but incredibly well-designed debut puzzle game from developer Geometric Interactive and publisher Annapurna Interactive. They announced on Monday that they are working on a new project, but haven’t shared any details on what that is yet.
My fascination with the game began at Summer Game Fest 2023 as I wandered the indie area between scheduled appointments. Apparently, that was a highly impressionable time for me because other games I saw at nearby booths included two of my favorite games of 2024, Hauntii and Beastieball. But that’s besides the point.
I kept Cocoon on my radar for the next few months until it finally released at the end of September. I remember setting myself up in the living room and within the first few minutes of gameplay, I was completely immersed.
Cocoon is a short game, I believe I completed it in about six hours, which resulted in two three-hour sessions over a weekend. That might be one of my only complaints though. If I could play another ten hours of this game I would jump at the opportunity.
What immediately caught my eye with Cocoon was its colors. Soft burnt oranges, pastel greens, and deep purples. In some ways, this game appears very minimalist, but at other times, a story is told in the details of the mysterious environments.
In Cocoon, you play as a little bug-like humanoid. You have green wings, but cannot fly. Your tools are your orbs, which each contain a world inside them. One orb will reveal hidden pathways, another will raise and lower platforms while you hold it. Jump into an orb to visit the world inside, carrying another orb to use its powers. You can only hold one orb at a time, but if you leave one inside another, it’s like you're carrying two.
Cocoon is masterful in its sleek and elegant game design. You only ever need to move and press one button. The game will lock you into a certain area until the puzzle is complete so that you don’t get lost wandering. The challenges progress as you learn to control your various abilities. Then several boss battles build on what you learned and offer action to break up the puzzles.
Cocoon is one of those games I wish I could play for the first time again. So if you haven’t picked it up yet, you are in for something special. I finished Cocoon over a year ago at this point, but I never wrote as much about it as I would have liked. But it has stuck with me this long, so I think that’s a good sign. I sincerely look forward to whatever this team comes up with next.
What’s Next
I have a few ideas for next week’s newsletter, but I may end up having more demos that I want to write about after this weekend, so we’ll see how the mood strikes! For now, thanks for reading, don’t forget to subscribe, and see you next week!