Next Fest 26|3 Day 2
Micro-reviews for Day 2 of October Next Fest 2026, exploring Elandrake, Lelu, Bru & Boegie: Episode 2 - Get da SUGAR!, DOSMIC, Endless Canvas, I Like Trains, Papaya Plaza, and The Vaults Below Durn: A Field Study
As promised, today's a mix of a lot of genres, from a metroidvania to an experimental game that's hard to put into a neat genre. If it wasn't for a second incremental game that sneaked in, every game would be different so I'm happy with the variety! I still haven't really figured out a good means of planning when to play which demo so I tend to go with whatever feels most different to stuff I've already played. I think it works? Works Enough, at least
Highlights: Lelu, I Like Trains
Elandrake
An incremental twin-stick shooter where you defend a cosmic entity in short bursts of ever-increasing mayhem. I enjoyed the stellar aesthetic and I think the incremental progression looks good so far, but I do hope the full game brings some more varied threats to our beloved entity, as while often under attack it never felt "in danger" so to speak
Playtime: ~30min
Lelu
Lelu is a chill metroidvania where you're a toy that gained consciousness and is trying to escape a toy factory. There are battles, puzzles, secrets; all you might want, all in stylized B&W aesthetic. It's just a shame that it seems the game might be relatively short
Playtime: 20-30min
Bru & Boegie: Episode 2 - Get da SUGAR!
A point'n'click adventure filled with absurdist humor, and a surprising amount of cheeky commentary on the real world and not so real conspiracy theories therein. The humor is enjoyable on its own, but it can get tiring because of the non-stop barrage of jokes with every interactions. Regardless, it's nice seeing games that don't take themselves too seriously and reep the benefits from it
Playtime: ~1h
DOSMIC
I can't quite figure out what DOSMIC actually is. It's clearly a 2.5D puzzle platformer with some horror elements akin to Little Nightmares, but by that very nature it's hard to tell what's intentionally confusing and obscured because storytelling, and what's just under-explained or needlessly added. The gameplay is sadly pretty unremarkable, aside of the bright visual aesthetic
Playtime: <15min
Endless Canvas
Endless Canvas is more interesting conceptually than mechanically. You have an infinitely scaling canvas, where each frame is a puzzle, and once you solve it you can dive deeper into a picture within a picture. However, the puzzles themselves are relatively trivial jigsaws and deductions, sometimes just simple following of instructions. I feel like it could be a lot more, might end up being more, but currently it's a bit of a letdown
Playtime: <20min
I Like Trains
Another incremental game, about expanding a train network. You don't get to pick exactly where the trains go, but you do expand the rail-lines, add new ones, and choose some extra things like buildings and wagons to improve efficiency beyond your regular incremental upgrades. Slow but relaxing, and seemingly has some extra lore when you expand your network enough
Playtime: 1h+
Papaya Plaza
A cute game about building and decorating a tourist town. You make homes, shops, and various decorations to entice tourists to visit, in turn giving you money to get more things made. I think the game relies a bit too much on you having funds, at least within the scope of the demo, but is otherwise a simple cozy game
Playtime: 30-60min
The Vaults Below Durn: A Field Study
A very atypical game with a deceptively simple premise: You have three doors, one of them is safe, the other two house a monster. You have to use what little information you can muster in the dimly-lit cavern to figure out which door is safe and which is not. The demo isn't hard, but it is surprising just how much it can squeeze out by making you focus on details like puddles under the door or the flickering of your torch
