Next Fest 26|2 Day 7

Time for the final day! Most of the demos I reviewed will likely be up for a little while after the fest, but since the devs tend to take them offline I recommend not putting it off and trying stuff out. If you download a demo in advance you can always play it after it's taken down after all

Highlights: Sojourn Past, Cat Mail Co.

Sojourn Past

Sojourn Past on Steam

Sojourn Past is a bullet-hell inspired action-adventure about exploration, mystery, and loss. Step into a handcrafted world filled with secrets, danger, and discovery.

STEAM

A bullet hell metroidvania that actually lives up to its genre. Lots of bullets, but spread out in a fair manner as to not make things absurdly difficult. Couple that with lovely pixel art and wordless storytelling, and it's probably the game I'm most interested in from the whole fest

The Exhibition

The Exhibition on Steam

You’ve just arrived on this island to visit The Exhibition. Explore this place, its architecture, and its space. There’s no real goal, just your desire to explore and discover what lies behind these walls. If you get lost, stay calm, you’re still alone.

STEAM

The Exhibition is very clearly inspired by The Witness, but it is not as puzzle-focused, instead having you solve simple mouse-dodging sequences across this abstract museum. I'm not quite sure what the game's focus and final vision is meant to be, and by the sounds of it neither is the dev, so while there is seedling of something here probably best to just keep an eye on it for now

Screenbound

Screenbound on Steam

Screenbound lets you discover a dual reality through the Qboy! Navigate challenging puzzles and battle through multiple levels in a blend of 2D and 3D platforming that creates the world’s first ‘5D’ platformer.

STEAM

A platformer that is technically 3D, but during which you're holding a retro handheld device that displays you in 2D, and includes paths and enemies otherwise not visible. It's a neat concept, and the game promises to spice it up in more interesting ways that pay homage to different handheld games so it's definitely worth checking out, even if holding up the device takes up so much of the screen that it's easy to fail the simplest jumps

Dart Racer

Dart Racer on Steam

Dart Racer is a N64-styled arcade pod racer where the tracks are extreme and gravity is a joke. Master challenging circuits, upgrade your vehicle, and defeat your rivals. Jump into the cockpit, unleash the full power of your machine, and dominate the galaxy! Also available in VR.

STEAM

A racer that ignores gravity as you dart around N64-esque tracks. Apparently works in VR too but haven't had a chance to test. I imagine a bit of nausea is included, but otherwise might work better than expected. Overall the mechanics are good and I have found myself enjoying the time trials, but when fighting other racers it never felt great. Most of the time interactions with others are like bumpers in pinball and will send you left right and center completely throwing off your grove. I would also get random bumps to my movement that I thought were from other racers, even though there were none nearby, so not sure what that was all about

Cat Mail Co.

Cat Mail Co. on Steam

Run a cozy cat post office. Sort and deliver parcels from the daily boat, organizing everything your way. At night, the moon reveals hidden truths about packages. Clear a strange backlog, help locals, and unlock new abilities and destinations.

STEAM

Cat Mail Co. is a cozy post-office sim you can play solo or with friends. You receive and retrieve packages, sort through incoming and outgoing mail, and generally have a chill job with no timelimits whatsoever. I wish you could stack the parcels like bricks for maximum packing, but what's there is more than enjoyable already