Tried a few games in Steam Next Fest. Played some excellent games, and some not-so-excellent games.
I'll start with the best and then go look at the rest.
The Best
Quality games well worth playing. I'll be getting these day 0.
Little Kitty, Big City
I have a bias for cats so maybe this is actually a bit mid but I'm enamoured by cats and collecting shit and climbing up walls all over town.
It's also a bit glitchy in places. But hey, it's an early demo.
I don't think the cat's controls or mannerisms are as convincing as Stray's, but the kitty has more of a personality too. I quite like the game's sense of humour too.
Unless it gets extremely negative reviews, I think I'll probably pick this up.
Sea of Stars
This is the highlight of Next Fest for me. I love the JRPG mechanics, the incredible pixel art, the gameplay loop is satisfying and the dungeon puzzles are enjoyable and don't overstay their welcome.
The controls are tight, the menus are satisfying to use, the soundtrack is authentically retro. Meanwhile, the narrative of what I saw doesn't take itself too seriously, and is actually quite funny. I get the feeling the writers on this game have done a few extremely lighthearted DnD campaigns with a good DM, because that's the vibe I'm getting from the cast of this.
I stuck this on my wishlist a while ago and thought it looked good, but not great. This demo has been a complete 180 on how I look at this game, and I'm gonna grab it day 1 now. Absolutely do yourself a favour and check this one out!
The Not-quite-best
These are games I probably won't buy, but I can appreciate they've got a lot going for them and you should check them out if it dings your dong.
The Cosmic Wheel of Sisterhood
There's some wild imagination going on here. Some really weird fucking tarot cards and multiple choices make for a really engaging game... for people who're in to witchy stuff and lots of vibes-based pixel art.
I'm not, so I'm probably gonna give it a miss, but there's a good-looking game here and I hope it finds an audience. Give it a go if the aesthetic and scenario is something you normally like.
LunarLux
A bit basic. I think there's a lot of great RPGs on Steam right now, so if you're gonna do one you have to up your game. I just don't think this game has the production values to carry it along.
But if you're the kind of person who consumes every RPG under the sun, there may be something here for you.
En Garde!
I didn't get on with the campiness, the aesthetic doesn't appeal to me and I'm generally not a fan of this kind of combat, but hey, there might be something there for someone. I don't know enough about these kinds of games to determine how good it is, but I definitely got the impression that a lot of people would like the combat in this.
The Rest
These are the games that suck, frankly.
Eternights
Garbage. Just garbage.
Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue
I don't mind a cheesy visual novel and I always love a good "death game", but the voice acting in this game is horrendous. I barely lasted 5 minutes of horrible forced accents and the most generic anime art imaginable. Not for me.
