The Platinum Age of Demos
Disco-likes, Zelda-likes, and more
I love the fact that demos are back in gaming culture big time. The late 90s were a glorious time for demos, then they vanished for a few decades, with few exceptions. Now indie devs put out excellent demos well in advance of the final release as they continue to develop the game. This gives players more time to build expectations, and better expectations in general: a more grounded sense of what they will buy and play.
So I download a lot of demos and eventually get around to trying them out in this feature format. I published the first roundup feature in the late summer with some really cool demos, some of which are now released, or at least out in Early Access. One of them, Lucky Tower Ultimate, I had the chance to preview as well. This is the second batch, some still unreleased, and I look forward to checking out the full release.
Lorn's Lure
Lorn’s Lure is amazing if you have no sense of vertigo at all; if you do even slightly, you might find yourself in a constant state of low-key agony as you try to climb surfaces in this dystopian platformer climbing simulator. You play as an android who left his home colony and finds himself exploring this vast post-industrial landscape with climbing gear. You get a lot of chances, even if you fall to your death over and over.
Lorn’s Lure is available on Steam.
Rue Valley
Rue Valley feels like a mix of Disco Elysium, Groundhog Day, and something David Lynch thought of while in the bathroom. The player character is a regular Joe who has to do therapy sessions in a remote location while plagued by the banality of everyday thoughts. Then you have an exploration of the subconscious, where you develop your memories to improve or impair your mental health. So just like real life.
Rue Valley is available to try on Steam.
Arco
Arco means ‘bow’ in Spanish and Portuguese, and it’s a cool title for a game where you play as a native Mexican archer in a fantasy RPG universe. The pixel art is excellent, the gameplay is simple and fun, the soundtrack is soothing, and the storytelling is engaging. I’ve often thought fantasy should try to incorporate other civilizations and periods rather than the usual European high fantasy fare. This is yet another amazing indie game that slipped through the cracks this year and deserves more attention.
Arco is available on Steam.
Kill The Shadow
Pixel art could improve a lot of bland photorealistic games these days. A Disco-like detective game like Kill the Shadow is much more engaging in this art style. You play as Detective Lucas, who finds himself in a post-collapse society after a strange apocalyptic event that goes unexplained. Then you have to figure out who killed the boss’ dog, which is a fairly layered case. The dialogue is clever, and the investigation mechanics are compelling, though maybe not as introspective as Disco Elysium.
Kill the Shadow is available to try on Steam.
Europa
I tend to dislike Zelda-like games just because I like to antagonize Nintendo, but Europa looks quite stunning. Some described it as Zelda meets Studio Ghibli. The demo let me climb on the back of a turtle for a bit, and I enjoyed that more than anything I ever did in Breath of the Wild. It feels like a more ecologically mindful take on the science-fantasy action-adventure.
Europa is available on Steam and Nintendo Switch.