Next Fest 25|2 Day 1
Micro-reviews for Day 1 of Summer Next Fest 2025, exploring Occlude, Hirogami, Jumper Jon, AiliA, My Card Is Better Than Your Card, Etiquette Elegance, Tree Kingdoms, and Mycopunk
Day 1 came and went, with a variety of good games, and one really great one. More demos lined up for the future, and I'll try and have them be varied. At least for the first few days
Highlight: Mycopunk
Occlude
I have never been so enamored with solitaire. And that's really all this game is, solitaire, but with three extra things: Some minor adjustments that make the game simpler to play, an unsettling setting, and a set of mysterious rules satisfying which leads to alternate endings. It's really not anything special beyond that, but it did capture my attention more than I expected. I don't even know who to recommend this one to because of how bizarre my enjoyment of this game felt so, uhh.... Try it if you like solitaire?
Playtime: <1h
Hirogami
Hirogami is what you get if you took Paper Mario and made it a 3D Action-Adventure. While it may have not blown me away, the only real complaint is that the demo is only a single level long, so it's worth taking a looksee.
Playtime: 15min
Jumper Jon
I think this demo is significantly worse than the game it's trying to showcase, and that's purely because it forces a 15 minute timer on your playthrough. It's thematic as the game itself revolves around a 30 second timer you have before you die, in which you need to reach the next checkpoint spread across this metroidvania map. But the addition of a 15 minute timer on top of that — one that doesn't stop in cutscenes and various interactions — significantly shifted time priorities and made an otherwise good game unpleasant to play.
Playtime: 15min
AiliA
A puzzle game about moving a mirror to reflect the world, and then moving into those reflections. The idea is executed cleanly, and the puzzles have a good variety between increasingly difficult ones on the main path, and extra hard side-paths for those interested. The story and English translation leaves a bit to be desired, but it's not too intrusive if you just want to ignore it.
Playtime: 30-45min
My Card Is Better Than Your Card!
A deckbuilder roguelike where the effects of each card are determined by the stickers you place on it. Said stickers can be freely traded between the cards and your stickerbook, meaning you can decorate both as you please at the end of each day. This provides a lot of control over the randomness and getting the deck you want, sans being able to remove cards from the deck. Visually it's also extremely adorable, though the SFX department is a bit underwhelming
Playtime: 40-60min+
Etiquette Elegance
A game about taking orders and setting tables in accordance with those orders at a fancy restaurant that serves everything from Steampunk Stew to a Jenga tower of sausages, topped with noodles and broccoli... safe to say, the orders (and guests) are quite extravagant, and judging by the Steam page the demo is but a taste for the real crazy stuff this restaurant offers. But when you strip away all the sugary coating, the gameplay itself is just... clicking the same symbols and moving cutlery to match patterns. You only get one level where you have to think for yourself, and there is not much thinking to be done in the first place. And I can't tell if that's because the game is dull, or just because the demo finishes after you complete the tutorial and doesn't show you the fun stuff.
Playtime: 25min
Tree Kingdoms
The definition of short and sweet 4X game. A round takes maybe 15 minutes, and the game is able to cram set-up, growth, and conflict in that timespan quite well. Most games do come out as stalemates though, so there might need to be a points system to pick a victor when nobody dominates by the time winter arrives.
Playtime: 20min+
Mycopunk
A fantastic game for all DRG lovers out there. It's got variety, it's got style, it's got mayhem; the full package. A ton of chaotic fun that I would play a lot more of if I didn't want to check out other demos. Works well both co-op and single-player the first of which working well even if you don't have friends to play with. You can tell there are still some minor things that aren't finished, but it doesn't detract from the phenomenal gameplay.
