It’s time again for another one of Steam’s “Next Fest” events. For the unaware, Next Fest is where (quite literally) hundreds of demos are available to play for exciting upcoming indie games. We decided to put together an article discussing our highlights of the event, which ends October 7th so be sure to check out any demos that interest you before then.
Do Not Buy This Game
Right off the bat, Do Not Buy This Game proudly flaunts its The Stanley Parable inspirations, with its quirky narrator guiding you, all while manipulating aspects of the game world around you. Your time here is short, the demo lasts maybe 15 minutes but in it you get a good sense of the tone the game is going for, which while humorous seems to also hint at a more tragic, introspective narrative at play. What with its narrator at odds with your insistent actions on “playing the game”, much to his chagrin. While the demo wasn’t long enough to see what sort of gameplay gimmicks it’ll pull out of its sleeve (the demo being mostly a tone setting piece) the writing was humorous enough to warrant it landing on my radar for the future.
Inscryption
You could read a more in-depth preview here, or just go download the demo. Inscryption very quickly shot up to my most anticipated games of the season with its short, but whirlwind of a demo that gives a macabre taste of what it has to offer.
Forgive Me Father
Quake is usually first on the mind when people think of Lovecraft inspired shooters, but Forgive Me Father seems like it’s keen to take that spot. Paired with a gorgeous comic book style, Forgive Me Father is oozing with personality as you try to keep your wits about you while mowing down horrors from beyond. A surprising element was the inclusion of a skill tree where (seemingly randomly) you’ll earn an upgrade point to spend on bettering your guns or abilities. The game’s enemies also have a fun bit of variety, both visually and mechanically as one you’ll encounter carries around a decapitated head that it’ll slap onto its body if you happen to score a headshot on it, thus requiring a second headshot to finish off. Enemies can be blown to satisfying chunks and the cobblestone streets will usually be painted red by the end of a fight.
The gunplay however has an interesting sort of weight to it (think Killzone 2) that I wasn’t expecting from a game in this genre, and by the end of the demo I still wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. It’s mainly when trying to move the camera up or down where this sort of heaviness kicks in, like the game’s actively pushing against your movement input which is odd because the same doesn’t happen when looking around horizontally. Regardless, it hardly hindered my fun with the game, mostly being a minor annoyance with what’s otherwise an exciting game in the genre.
Fallen Aces
Deathloop isn’t the only game this year to give us a fantastic kick button. Fallen Aces, from the duo of Trey Powell and Jason Bond, has been on my radar for quite some time and it’s good to finally get my hands on it. A crime noir FPS wrapped in this gorgeous comic inspired look, Fallen Aces is probably one of the more realized games in the genre. There’s an attention to detail to all of the aspects of this game, from its look to how it feels and sounds, that really makes the game’s world just come to life. It also might give the immediate impression that it plays like your typical retro shooter (considering it’s published by New Blood Interactive I wouldn’t blame you for that) but it plays closer to a Condemned instead. There’s an intricate hand-to-hand combat system in play as you timely land your blows, as you duck and weave during combat to really show these mobsters who’s boss. There’s a really satisfying weight to everything, and throwing a trash can at a goon then proceeding to spin kick him into a wall always puts a smile on my face. All in all, if Fallen Aces wasn’t already on your list by now, it’s sure to be after you give its demo a spin.
