Demos and Freebies
Deckbuilders and Survivalists
Demos are now the bread and butter for this newsletter, which means that whenever I can’t drum up a full game review or preview, I’ll cover a bunch of demos, even if they’re not that great. Some are just barely playable. There are only a few rare ones that feel like almost full games in their own right. But that’s the beauty of the demo. It can be complete crap or a self-contained wonder that is still far from a finish product. Let’s dig in and see what’s out there.
Death Howl
A soulslike deck builder is a clash of genres fit to befuddle even the hardiest gamer. Death Howl reminds me of a now-mythic indie game that was never released and will probably never be released: Eitr. The visuals are not exactly as intricate, but there is a similar aesthetic of grimdark pagan pixel art. It’s a cool twist on pagan aesthetic, and the gameplay is basic but fun.
Death Howl is available to try the demo on Steam.
Roadwarden
After I played the demo of Roadwarden, I went on to buy the game full price because I just loved the ambience and worldbuilding. It’s a chill and casual adventure with RPG elements and great writing. It’s like if The Witcher was more low-fantasy and had a pixelated 2D interface and art style instead of a third-person hack-and-slash ARPG. The universes feels similarly dark and unforgiving, full of beasts and monsters.
Roadwarden is available to try the demo on Steam.
Space Wreck
Over the last ten years, there’s been a race to create the next Fallout. Some developers tried to imitate the exact post-apocalyptic RPG format with mixed results, such as Atom and Encased. Then there are unique worlds such as Underrail and Colony Ship, with similar mechanics. Space Wreck feels less like a copy-and-paste clone and more like an original take and less focused on combat, which is entirely optional.
Space Wreck is available to try the demo on Steam.
Void Pyramid
Void Pyramid must have the worst sound effects I’ve ever heard in a game. And it might have one of the worst colour palettes of all time. But still, it’s kind of cool and weird and original. This is a full short game, and it’s like a classic Nintendo JRPG had a weird mutant baby with Fallout. Points for originality, but you might want to turn down your volume or just mute the game if you are sensitive to odd noises.
Void Pyramid is available for free on Steam.
Twisted Tower
I played this demo over a while ago, and I don’t remember much, but it felt like a less self-serious BioShock, but I’m not sure if the shooting and combat mechanics will appeal to hardcore fans. I’m not the biggest BioShock fan; I prefer System Shock myself, and that’s mostly for the story and worldbuilding, less for the shooting. I’m not sure Twisted Tower will do well against other BioShock-like titles, but I hope they find some success, if only because they let you wield a gumball machine gun.
Twisted Towers is available to try the demo on Steam.
Moonring
Sometimes you have to wonder what’s the catch. You get a free game and not only it’s not total crap, it’s actually pretty good and is actually original even when it’s directly inspired by a game such as Ultima. The appeal is not the minimalistic style, but it does make the game more unique. The dialogue mechanics are also more developed and original than expected. If there’s one free game you should get right now, this is it.
Moonring is available for free on Steam.