The demos may be gone, but the games are not. This was not to tell you what demos to play, this is to tell you which demos actually made me go “this game looks good and should be on your radar, demo or not”. I played at least 100 demos that caught my eye, many of them did not make this list and there were many that I didn’t have any interest in, not even to demo, but there were many. These are the ones that even if the game wasn’t for me, sold me on saying more about it through presentation and style. In some cases though there are games here I seriously want to play and own.
Shelflife-Art School Detective: Great art style with pixels and full drawn illustration, intriguing mix of visual novel and point n click, enough of a tease of plot and characters to want me to see where this one goes.
Among Us Story-On Guard: It looks like Among Us but it’s a full on point and click mystery game and it just feels fun and funny. Great little teaser. When they announced this at Summer Games Fest I was excited. I still am. This is going to be what I want it to be.
Lazy Kickers: The Newest from Sos, not a point and click or clever figure it out multiple joker, but as the title implies… a lazy kicker (or a clicker). You just click click click, but it’s addictive.
Hack ’95: OS games are hard to get right. I’ve played many (demos and full) that get it right and then throw something at you that make you go “if I wanted a coding course, I’d take a coding course). So far Hack ’95 (and Desktop Exlplorer) are the ones to keep an eye on for me.
Lost in Tandem: A very basic co-op (playable solo controlling both back & forth) puzzle platformer, but the art style and simple commands make this charming.
The Incentive Program: A great twist on the match 3, the demo is great but it’s frustratating in the demo that one fail and you’re back to zero. I hope that isn’t the case in the main game, that’d be horrible.
Arcane Eats: If you like deckbuilders you’ll love this twist. The concept and art are great, I am just not a deckbuilder fan, no matter the premise.
ScreenBound: Been intrigued by this innovative action puzzle platformer for awhile. The demo did what it was supposed to. If you missed out on the demo, trust it sold the game.
1666 Amsterdam: Another announced as finally available and coming out at Summer Game Fest. The game first announced in 2013 looks and feels incredible from the prlogue. There are some things I hope they fix control wise but the story, the art, the everything is so good. It is what it has been said to be.
The Options Menu: Frustrated that the demo itself had no proper ending, but if you’re a fan of The Stanley Parable and want something familiar but no way as good simply cause it’s a snarky dev talking to you instead of a snarky hired animator with a great speaking voice… but there could be something here if it gets big enough and the feud the dev has with Susan becomes something.
Cat Me If You Can: A great twist on the Hidden Cat game. A first person search through different time periods for 3D cats who are truly hidden in bushes, under stairs, etc. Loved the demo, will keep my eye out.
Mechanical Granny: Crude but also cute and very good hand drawn puzzle game with logical puzzles, a bit of an item hunter but also solvable and a good tease to keep an eye on.
The Silver Crow: An intriguing tease to a pixel art point and click mystery game in medieval times involving witch hunting, an executioner who is also a healer and who knows…
Deer and Boy: Another fun side scolling puzzle platformer. I enjoyed the demo and and want to see where it goes based on it. OUT NOW.
The Merlies: I don’t know to describe this. You’re birds, it’s side scrolling open world platform puzzles, you explore, you build, you make home.
D-Topia: Self described as a gentle paced puzzle game, this taste of the simple but could become complicated moving blocks + math puzzle game with an “open word” third person Utopia with a possibly fascinating sci-fi story about there is no such thing as Utopia and A.I. might become a sleeper hit or cult hit or unrecognized masterpiece.
Spyder-Agent 8: Third person puzzle action. Looks cute. Movement control was a little awkward but I actually think that was the point, making sense of it is part of the puzzle. Would play more.
Lost in Art: This third person surreal and weird but awesome puzzle adventure taking place inside a real art museum ( https://thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk/) is intriguing. The demo ends just as things start to get really really good.
MyDear.Exe: I mentioned that getting old OS games right is really hard. I played a few demos of ones in this fest that I said no to. This is the third I enjoyed and it was a little different with simple puzzles, easy clicker mini games and a story that feels like it’ll be as depressing as Hack or Destop but still in a new way. A twist on the opening of UP is what I get here, if that opening was a full movie.
Fallosophy: Combine Jump King and A Difficult Game About Climbing with a Pinball game and you get this and yes, it’s just as frustratating and infuriating and yet strangely fun.
Offbeat: This one is weird but awesome. You can create your own music and sounds based off some midi sounds in a simple to use sequencer but there’s also a game where you have to make specific music with requirements. The pixel art is charming and the requests and characters have a peculiar charm. One to keep an eye out on.
Truck-kun is Supporting Me from Another World?!: The best game EVER?!? Wacky wild bonkers plot to go with the wild title. Pure destruction, just go go and destroy, drive and drift and crash and kill… hit everything, just do it. Go go go go. I need to play more of this!