Next Fest 26|3 Day 4
Micro-reviews for Day 4 of October Next Fest 2026, exploring Moonbrella, Stip, Geareo, Stepwell, Memoria Wake, and Funeral for the Sun
Today I've got a handful of titles that might appeal strongly to their respective genre enthusiasts. Not everything is for everyone, but that helps the games be more focused on what makes them tick rather than chasing some broad appeal, which in my eyes is a great thing
Highlights: Funeral for the Sun, Stip
Moonbrella
Moonbrella mixes some rage-inducing tool-swinging mechanics from Getting Over it with Metroidvania concepts, and out of it gets something that manages to be both and neither at the same time. It's a well made precision platformer with a varied use of the umbrella your little robot is holding. Creative and worth trying, even if it's hard to put the nuance of the design into a short description
Playtime: 20-40min
Stip
Stip is a very curious title. On the surface it's a simple minimalistic puzzle game about putting numbers into slots according to some more or less obvious rules. Underneath, there is a lot of interactions, secrets, and mysteries to uncover. The puzzles themselves aren't terribly difficult, but the point is the game beyond them, and there I've spent way too long exploring and still have no idea how to spell "heart". Wonderful game, though should mention it has some light horror elements
Playtime: 20-90min
Geareo
A gear simulation sandbox game, focused around gears and gear-based contraptions. You can create gear models from assembly kits or make your own creations to accomplish some basic tasks in the campaign mode. The controls are quite cumbersome to work with, but the gears and the knowledge of what they can do is on full display. I just wish it told you when and how you messed up during assembly when following instructions
Playtime: 1-2h+
Stepwell
A puzzle game about creating an Escherian environment for small blorbos to reach their destination. The gameplay is on the simpler side, but I can see it getting trickier in future worlds, not to mention that the Monument Valley-esque aesthetic is very pleasing
Playtime: 15-20min+
Memoria Wake
A soulslike where you're a kid in some sort of dream realm, filled with toys and questions. I've been positively surprised by the combat as both parries and dodges felt good when pulled off (even if lenient) but on the other hand the environment felt a bit too empty at times. Intentionally so, adding to the dreamy aesthetic, but I think it could use some more decor here and there
Playtime: ~1h
Funeral for the Sun
Funeral For The Sun quite possibly might end up being a great spiritual successor to Return of the Obra Dinn/The Roottrees are Dead. The game asks for connections between people, and for their names; both of which you need to figure out from short dialogue exchanges and small environmental clues. It might end up being simpler overall than the other two, but I think the demo showcases a good baseline for how you're expected to connect things between different memories
