SNF and Beyond: Demos To Keep an Eye On

Well, Faux3 is over and done with, and a lot of demos were announced or are currently available ranging from Souls-likes to Platformers and Match-3 puzzlers. I thought we’d take a look at some of the highlights you can check out over the next week or two. Of course with the Steam Next Fest, some of the demos are only available between the 19th and the 26th of June. I’ve already done an article on Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, so I’ll highlight that here and we can move on before I make this a repeat.

From the Wholesome Direct side of things you can currently try out lesbian bewitched ‘em up, Wylde Flowers, a farming sim with a hint of witchery. For a more nostalgic Indian affair, you can try the prologue of The Palace on the Hill. Yet to get a release, 2D Metroidvania Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland has a demo currently available too for its very colorful dream setting, also it has a dyslexic font so I’m happy. Joining those is the soon-to-be-released Let’s! Revolution! and Spirit Swap.

From the Future Games Show (I believe) you can check out 2D puzzle platformer Puzzles for Clef, a magic and music-themed platformer starring a bunny in a dress. Upcoming Early Access Action Rogue-like Odinfall has a demo too. City building fans have a chance to get hands-on with New Cycle, a dark and dingy tale of an apocalyptic solar flare. Top-down puzzler Paper Trail, coming in 2024, also has a demo. Moving Out 2 will have a demo next week as part of the Steam Next Fest, and there is a demo for SteamWorld Build available now. There will be countless others I’ve missed due to not yet watching this showcase.

From the PC Gaming Show, you’ll be able to play a bit of FTL/Evil Genius-like Jumplight Odyssey from the 19th, as well as Road to Vostok and Ebenezer and The Invisible World, both available now. Warhaven is set to have a demo on the 19th-26th, as is anime Persona/DMC-like Eternights, and Naheulbeuk’s Dungeon Master too. Available now if you don’t mind playing something with an Atomic Heart crossover, Revival: Recolonization is available now. Also available now are Fortune’s Run and Atomic Picnic. As far as I know, there aren’t any others from the second-worst showcase I watched this year.

From the Day of the Devs, mind-bending puzzler Viewfinder has a demo ahead of its release next month. Additionally, it is part of the Steam Next Fest between the 19th and 26th though it is also available on PS5. Also available from the showcase hosted by the lovely Tim Schafer is Die Gute Fabrik’s upcoming adventure title Saltsea Chronicles. Very little else has a demo available from this show, and what I do know has already been mentioned.

Finally, from the Summer Games Fest which was actually good this year (well done Geoff), we have Lies of P, puppet Bloodborne as I’ve taken to calling it. A demo is available now on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox Series X|S and One. Beyond that, Geoff just highlighted that a number of games will also be available during the Steam Next Fest. Everything else is either releasing soon, is miles away, or simply doesn’t have a demo for another reason.

I’ll bite my tongue on this last one because I have a lot to say about the Devolver Direct showcase. It wasn’t a showcase of much that is new, but more of a highlight of what was already released. If you somehow made it through the Volvy nonsense, you’ll know that Wizard with a Gun got shown off, and I am quite excited about this upcoming sandbox survival title. A demo is available now. Though if you enjoyed the Volvy nonsense, I am sure you would love to get hands-on with Sludge Life 2, set to release later this month on the 27th. A demo is available for that right now.

I am sure I’ve missed many of the countless demos that someone is excited about, but whoever said too many demos are a problem? Me, I don’t have enough time as it is. I’m carving time out of the coming days to play Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, Gord, and Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles when they are all available. Nonetheless, there are some fantastic demos available to try right now.