Next Fest 24|3 Day 0

This post was originally on Discord, and as such does not contain additional information 2025+ posts have

Next Fest starts tomorrow, but plenty of the demos are already out, so I decided to play through some of the rhythm-focused ones to record some videos before the full Fest proper starts. So bonus fest demo review day this time around. Also, if you're too lazy to read it all, I'll start providing highlights.

Highlights: Aaero 2, Re:Flex, and Beat, Heart, Beat

Aaero2

Aaero2 on Steam

Trace ribbons of light, releasing the energy in the music as you speed through stunning alien worlds. Fly solo or team up with a friend. Encounter strange enemies and giant boss creatures. Unleash devastating missile barrages and rain cannon fire to the beat of the epic Monstercat soundtrack.

STEAM

The most classic of sequel strategies, where 2nd game has 2 guns instead of one, and allows for 2 players if you'd like. If you played Aaero the sequel is a significant shift, keeping the core gameplay but rebuilding the idea from the ground up essentially. If you don't know Aaero, it's a game where you use two joysticks of the controller - one for moving your ship to follow a rhythmic ribbon, and the other to aim at enemies that try and shoot you down from said ribbon. The sequel aims at smoothening out that experience a bit, making it more approachable with stuff like ribbon magnets, and it also has more varied environments. Overall definitely different from the original, but no less worth trying out, especially if you have a friend.

Oratorio

Oratorio on Steam

Oratorio is a rhythm action rail-shooter with an authentic 8-bit aesthetic that takes place in a dystopian cyberpunk future. As the enigmatic environmental hacker named Oratorio, players are the last hope for revival in a world run by evil mega corporations amidst a digital ruin.

STEAM

Ngl, this one is a bit of a disaster. I imagine it might be because it's trying really hard to pretend to be an old-school 8-bit game, including the flaws of the past. Controls are only shown on an Amiga controller, and don't seem to directly map to modern ones, on top of which the tutorial is about as useful as the unintuitive menu system — which is to say not all that much. And the gameplay itself is just... it just is. It's fine once you actually know what you're doing, and there is a little bit of nuance as you learn the movement patterns of each enemy, but beyond that it's just a boring and extremely repetitive experience of moving the reticle with arrows to shoot stuff to the beat of the song.

Re:Flex

Re:Flex on Steam

Dance to the rhythm with your mouse!

STEAM

How is this so good??? The controls feel odd at first, but once you realize that (at least in fullscreen mode) the mouse will just ignore edges of the screen and cross over to the other side, it becomes so much fun. Base principle is that you guide a triangle around the screen, either so that you're in certain areas at a certain time, or you're dashing through things at proper times, all synced to the music. It is cheerful, difficult-yet-approachable, and all around great. There is a mention of microtransactions within the full game, but I doubt they'd be anything other than skins and possibly DLC songs down the line.

Marquee Candle

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STEAM

This is an odd little game. It's a rhytmic bullet hell, but instead of having free movement it's more of a platformer, with gravity constantly pulling you down, and shots typically coming from above. It's definitely strange and feels almost wrong at first, but I started getting the hang of it after a few runs of the hard difficulty. Sadly, the demo only has one song-level thing, and minimal other stuff, so it's a bit hard to judge positively or negatively.

Bat to the Beat

Bat to the Beat on Steam

Swing your bat to the beat in this cricket-themed rhythm action game. Travel the world, mastering the unique rhythms of each location with easy-to-learn two button controls. Score as many runs as you can, batting to the beat and switching between attack and defense.

STEAM

This game offers a unique twist to the typical two-button rhythm gameplay, where there is no button chart — only timings. You have to decide which button to press depending on the randomized enemy layout. I honestly don't know how to feel about it, so try it yourself if you want some atypical rhythm game.

Beat, Heart, Beat

Beat, Heart, Beat on Steam

A psychedelic rhythm-based action platformer about chasing after your heart. Run and jump through surrealistic environments and slash enemies to traverse gaps, perform air combos, and complete tricky rhythmic patterns! Embark on an alternative rock-inspired musical journey through the psyche.

STEAM

This game is really well made! It might seem similar to Muse Dash at first, and if that floats your boat then give it a whirl, but in reality it is very different to Muse Dash, as the up/down lanes are relative to your position, which changes constantly. Surprisingly, this doesn't make the patterns less readable, you just need to read them differently, which makes it all the more fun.

HYPERBEAT

HYPERBEAT on Steam

A rhythm game like no other. With an original soundtrack, fast paced gameplay, and unmatched heart, HYPERBEAT is a unique thrill for rhythm game veterans and rookies alike.

STEAM

In a way, this feels like Spin Rhythm with an extra dimension, but unlike Spin Rhythm I think this is better played with a controller joystick rather than a mouse. Personally I find the TTS voices a bit grating and the visual style is not my cup of tea, but the core of the game seems to be good enough to where I might give it a try when it comes out.