Curious to get the community's thoughts on the demos they loved in the latest Next Fest!
To start things off, here's a few that I absolutely loved and played through as much as I could (or stopped myself if I knew I'd like it).
Viewfinder - A first person puzzle game a la Portal, The Witness, Antichamber, Entropy Center, etc...I played enough to see the hook of using images to solve puzzles and backed away quickly. This was a game I didn't want to spoil too much for myself when I saw how cool it was.
Beyond Sunset - This was a "boomer shooter" recommendation I saw on Lemmy and checked it out because it seemed neat. I got really into the storyline and art style of the game and saw it through to the end of the demo. I almost gave up on the final boss but when I said no and wanted to push through, I knew I was hooked!
Galacticare - In the last few years, "simulation games" seem to have become my preferred genre and managing an outer space hospital was really engaging. I enjoyed designing each room and trying to optimize the flow of patients. The style and humor of the game worked well since sometimes the humor can feel a little "try hard" but it came together nicely. I don't purchase a lot of games Day One any more but this might be one of them.
One Lonely Outpost - I've had this on my wishlist since it was announced during a stretch of time I was playing Stardew Valley, but this was the first time it's been playable. I enjoyed the interactions with the world but I'm not sure what exactly it would build to (since the planet you land on is desolate). It may be about creating the town/outpost yourself. The demo seemed to overstay its welcome a bit BUT Stardew Valley-likes are super slow in the beginning, so I'm in a "wait and see" mode since I did enjoy parts of it and the unique setting.
Anything that ended up on your radar after this Next Fest?
Eternights - A game which takes inspiration from the Persona series, but doesn't take itself too seriously which really gives a great unique separation from Persona. It is filled with SOVL. Voice actors are absolutely top-tier (Hu Tao's and Riuji's / Itto's VA-s are present as I feel it).
Little Kitty Big City - As a cat, you need to get back to your home which is atop of a tall building. It's game where you combine Untitle Goose Game and Stray into eachother. It's a really wholesome and funny game, with some 4th wall breaking lines in the demo. It sold the game for me.
I skimmed over that Little Kitty Big City page thinking the game wasn't for me, but based on your description I'm very curious now!
Ngl and you made me interested in Viewfinder. ^^