Next Fest 25|3 Summary

Another Next Fest came to a close and oh boy was it an intensive one. I have spent a lot of time behind the scenes sifting through the steam page for demos that are both interesting and not just (AI) trash this year, so most of the 65 demos I played are worth checking out. But there are always those that are above the rest, so below is a summary of the best demos from each post, after which are my picks for the favorites of the Fest.

Day by Day Rundown

Essentially a collection of all the highlights

Day 0

• Sisyphus Is A Bug — A game where you have limited time to figure out how to quickly climb up Olympus
• DEG — A grid puzzle game that features rule discovery in a metroidvania-like progression

Day 1

• GODBREAKERS — A co-op action roguelike centered around combos and absorbing enemy powers
• SECTOR ZERO — A stylish physics-based adventure where you're an eldritch hive-mind

Day 2

• Scrabdackle — An adventure game with unparalleled levels of whimsy

Day 3

• Fat Goblins — A 16v16 PvP with extreme chaos and lots of goblin shenanigans
• Dinocop — Solving dino crimes with a ton of charm
• MOTORSLICE — Parkour and fight machines across concrete megastructures

Day 4

• Homura Hime — Anime combo combat x Bullet hell
• E9uations — Sokoban where you push around parts of equations to astounding results
• The Berlin Apartment — Narrative-driven game about the story of various inhabitants of the same apartment

Day 5

• Identifile — A bullet hell roguelike where you attack enemies by drawing loops around them

Day 6

• Winter Burrow — A cozy survival game about a mouse returning to its old burrow and making it home again
• HAMSTERMIND — An archeological puzzler with a large amount of puzzle types and gimmicks

Day 7

• Moonsigil Atlas — A fantastic roguelike deckbuilder that uses shapes instead of card energy
• MineMogul — An automation game with physics-based items and cramped spaces
• Swiftrace Canyon — A surprisingly good movement-racer

Top Picks

If you have time and the demos are still up, any of the 17 games above are worth a try, especially if they're in a genre you like. But below are some demos that are worth trying even if they're not in your usual wheelhouse — just maybe they'll be interesting to you, because all of them are unique in one way or another. I would usually do a top 3, but I could not decide what to put in the 3rd place so you're getting a top 5 this time around.

Though before starting, I wanted to give a special mention to DEG. The "shade the grid" puzzler isn't for everyone, and it does have some hiccups, but the dev has been extremely active with fixing all the bugs and even adding new content throughout NextFest, so if you like puzzle/logic games, check it out.

Scrabdackle

Scrabdackle has not left my mind since I played it. It is to me the unequivocal "winner" of the Fest, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the release of the first Act later this year. Around every turn there is something unexpected: Dust mites pretending to be a wizard, a dubious snake merchant, or a flock of very nationalist ducks:

And the whimsy doesn't stop in the world, it permeates the plot, dialogue, and even UI. Most of the information about basically everything will be collected by casting a "scry" spell, which then fills your notebook with scribbles about all sorts of creatures, friendly and not. Diegetic UI slaps when done right, and this one is a perfect match for the game.

Gameplay-wise it is a delightful mix of exploration, metroidvanias, and soulslikes. There are difficulty options if fighting isn't your forte, but for the most part it's strightforward top-down magic combat. And it doesn't need to be anything more, though there is still variety in both enemies and your skills

Moonsigil Atlas

Moonsigil Atlas is a close second in my favorites of the Fest. And there are two reasons: Visuals, and Gameplay. I enjoy myself some cosmic entities so godlike compared to us that we can merely perceive them as shapes and nothing more. And here, all enemies are these startouched giants as you battle on the literal moon. Stellar presentation, pun absolutely intended

Secondly, the gameplay. At its core a roguelike deckbuilder, but unlike vast majority of them there is no energy. Instead, your cards have different shapes called "sigils", and are thus limited by the size of the playing grid and your own ingenuity in putting things on it. And oh boy, is there ingenuity to be had. Cards with powerful effects but funky sigils, sigils that spread or can have other sigils placed on them, and sigils that only trigger when the board is filled — there are so many possibilities. I'm itching to see what sort of powerful combinations can be made in the full version, because even the demo has some potent synergies

MOTORSLICE

I said it before and I'll say it again: MOTORSLICE has vibes. I'm still not quite sure what vibes, but they're those that make you stop and reminisce. A real "man..." vibe. And if that description doesn't do it for you, maybe the screenshots will

The core gameplay is parkour. Mostly linear so you shouldn't be too lost, but there are always plenty of side goodies for those that do get "lost". On top of the regular parkour movement options like jumping, swinging, and wallrunning; you have your motorslicer to cut into exposed metal and ride along walls and ceilings alike. One of my only complaints is that sometimes catching elements may be a bit less fluid than I'd like, but for the most part it flows smoothly as you get closer to your goal

And what's that goal? A massive machine. An absolute unit. An entity whose size is only matched by the metric tons of yellow paint on it and the rest of the world. Your goal is to climb it and take it down, and the whole level builds up to it as you see it in the background. It's a great culmination of your efforts, and the final "fight" has similar spectacle to something like Shadow of the Colossus, providing a cherry on top of the vibes cake

Homura Hime

Homura Hime is Anime Combat x Bullet Hell. And frankly? You don't need to know much more to know if this is up your alley. But if you're not sure, then I'm here to say that don't worry, this is a very good mix of the two. Anime style looks good. Perhaps a bit flat in some areas, but there is plenty of (sometimes a bit too precise) jumping sections to mix things up

Secondly, the combat is smooth. Bullet hell portions are left for (mini)bosses, and they also have quite cinematic finishers. Meanwhile regular enemies are dispatched with combos that have you dodging attacks and laying smackdown on the various minor demons. It genuinely flows great, even if there may not be anything super revolutionary in there. It's the mixture that matters, not the components!

Dinocop

Finally, Dinocop. Oh how lovely of a time this demo was. You're a dinosaur cop solving crimes in a world, where humans revived dinosaurs only to realize they're intelligent enough to become a part of society... somewhat

Let's just say things are complicated. But the world really plays into the absurdity of dinosaurs living alongside humans across things they say and do. The demo only features one day, but seemingly each dinosaur in the hotel will have their own schedule that you'll have to learn and figure out to uncover who called you in for the crime there is no evidence of (yet?). It's a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, much like The Duck Detective, and is definitely going to be worth playing if you enjoy indie gems

Aaaand that's a wrap. Site is still stuck in a bit of a WIP state, but I'll give it a fixer upper eventually. For now I got life duties to catch up on, but I have full intent on coming back at the end of February, when the first Next Fest of 2026 happens. It might be slightly differently formatted, possibly shorter if I don't have the time, but all that depends on how busy I'll be. For now, I greatly appreciate any and all people reading it, and I wish you a great Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and whatever else you might celebrate between now and 23rd of February.