It seems like ages since I last participated in a Steam Next Fest! It was actually only last October when I played a bunch of demos for upcoming games as part of Steam’s festival (read about it here), but I skipped February’s event since there wasn’t anything that specifically caught my attention. June was different though!
For those of you that are still unfamiliar with this event, Steam Next Fest is a week long games festival showcasing demos for upcoming games that anyone can download for free (as long as you have a Steam account). The event generally takes place 3 times a year in February, June and October and has been going strong since 2020. This month, Steam Next Fest took place from the 10th to the 17th June.
Next Fest isn’t like it used to be where only a handful of devs took part, making browsing easy with high quality demos. As time has progressed, the festival has grown massively and there are now an insane amount of all kinds of demos available, making it impossible to browse through them all like I used to. This time, 4 of the demos I played were for games I already had on my wishlist, and I took a quick peek at the visual novel section to find 2 more candidates. I settled on 6 demos to feature in this post, making it the smallest Next Fest post I’ve ever written. I quite like that though.
I used the previous writing format as it seems to work both for ease of writing key points and for reading too. Please take note that I use 3/5 as an average score, but everything else should be pretty self explanatory. The games are listed in no particular order. With that out of the way, let’s get started!
B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA
Developer/Publisher: Mages Inc. / PQube
Release Date: 15th July 2024
Demo Play Time: 60 mins
Visual Novel / Music / Choices Matter (apparently?)
“Become the A&R of the famous B-Project in this unforgettable idol Visual Novel. Support a group of 14 idols from their humble beginnings through to fame. Befriend them, influence their music and help them through turbulent times as they follow their dreams.”
Join upcoming idol group B-PROJECT on their journey to success as their new Artist and Repertoire representative in B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA. Support all 14 members and learn about their backstories and struggles as they all work towards the same dream. The Steam version is recommended to be played with a controller although keyboard and mouse also work fine. The game is defaulted to English subtitles, but the text language can also be changed to Japanese (I hope this is the case for the Switch version too).
Visuals: 4/5 The sprites are all animated which took a bit of getting used to at first, but once you get accustomed to the excessive amount of movement, it’s actually really nice to see the characters come to life. The layout was clear and easy to follow, but the text size changed depending on how much text needed to be fit into the box which made it much more difficult to read than you might think.
Audio: 4/5 Filled with excellent voice acting (features a great cast and some well known seiyuu) and even a voiced MC (name fully changeable), although I did notice some inconsistencies in the mix which was a little disappointing. The background music was decent, some even had vocals, although none of the songs (excluding the opening movie) have been shown yet. I would expect there to be some super tracks though, it is an idol game after all (honestly, if they cop out on the songs I’m going to be majorly disappointed).
Gameplay: 3/5 Nothing really to comment on here as the demo was all just text with no choices and learning about the background of the characters. I’d imagine it follows a fairly standard visual novel formula though once it gets going with routes for each of the idols. I am glad I have a musical background though as some of the terminology used could potentially be a bit daunting to those who don’t.
Enjoyment: 3/5 Considering I was super excited about this game, the demo didn’t ‘wow’ me. I’m not sure if this is how the full game actually starts as I felt like I was expected to know the characters already, and everyone calling each other by nicknames did NOT help, making it ridiculously difficult to figure out who anyone was considering there’s 14+ strangers here. The demo was just a series of flashbacks showing how the MC got her job and I can’t help but feel like this could have been told better…
Potential: 4/5 The idol theme is what carries this game and for that reason alone, I think it has a lot of potential. The demo didn’t show much at all about what to expect so I feel like I’m still somewhat in the dark. I was expecting more music to be honest, especially as the release date is so close… I am still intrigued about it, but maybe not as hyped as I was initially.
Wishlisted?
Skylar-Mei: Yes. I wasn’t blown away by the demo, but coming off the back of my current IDOLiSH7 obsession, I’m still interested in playing the full game. I’m just unsure whether to get the Steam or Switch version… and if I actually want to buy it on release.
Celestia: Chain of Fate
Developer/Publisher: Agate / PQube
Release Date: Coming Soon
Demo Play Time: 60 mins (chapter 1)
Visual Novel / Otome / Fantasy
A romance-fantasy visual novel that delivers a captivating player driven narrative. Enrol at Celestia Academy and uncover your heritage. Delve into a fantastical realm and unearth your magical potential as a hybrid. Forge new friendships and build affections based on your love interests.
Celestia: Chain of Fate screams everything fantasy with a children’s fairy-tale bedtime story vibe filled with adventure, magic and of course, romance! As well as building relationships, it seems there may also be management sections to this visual novel: “It’s down to you to hold your friendships and advance your love interests while also prioritising your education. Remember not to neglect your studies as you’ll need to overcome a series of challenges to graduate!”
Visuals: 4/5 The game is packed with stunning backgrounds and CGs that help to set the scene well. Also features a lot of bright colours and clean lines, and the sprites are very nicely designed too. The text box was a little large, but it was easy enough to read.
Audio: 3/5 The game isn’t voiced at all but it features some nice background music and a song with lyrics in English. It also included some pretty cheesy sound effects that I wasn’t a huge fan of, however, they did help get across some of the characters’ feelings (like wink sounds for example).
Gameplay: 4/5 There were loads of multiple choice options in the short amount of time I played for, although I’m not sure how much of a difference each one makes at this stage. Some of the options seemed a little out of place, but it was nice to contribute and get involved rather than just sitting back to read.
Enjoyment: 2/5 To be honest, the story was all over the place with so many random events happening directly after the other – I was struggling to keep up! The team clearly had a lot of ideas/inspirations (Harry Potter being one that instantly springs to mind), and I’m worried these are going to be completely brushed under the carpet rather than being developed to actually make an impact later on.
Potential: 3/5 The fantasy theme has a lot going for it and with it’s beautiful art, I can see it’s potential. Unfortunately, I’m just a little concerned that the story isn’t going to be focused enough and it won’t hold my attention for very long.
Wishlisted?
Skylar-Mei: Yes. It’s an otome game that I’m willing to give a go when it fully releases, but it’s not high on the priority list.
OBSCURA
Developer/Publisher: Rotten Raccoons
Release Date: TBA
Demo Play Time: 60 mins
Visual Novel / Romance / Dark Fantasy
Descend under a mountain to the marketplace below, where everything has a price. Meet the four men who can each give you what you need, but beware: they have their own hidden motives and uses for you. OBSCURA is a dark fantasy romance VN that asks how far you’ll go to get what you need.
OBSCURA is a choose your own adventure visual novel with plenty of dialogue choices that lead to a variety of different endings. The player character can select their name and pronouns as well as having a choice of 3 masks for their sprite. The game is listed as being ‘the first chapter of a multi-chapter series’ with ‘a dark, mature story with many ways to fail’ and the characters are described as ‘love interests’ which obviously suggests there will be romance options later on.
Visuals: 5/5 The art is stunning with a unique style that contributes greatly to the atmosphere. The colour scheme was excellently suited within a variation of locations, and the text was also clearly displayed. The sprites have different poses and I loved how each minor character had their own dark silhouette rather than the same sprite being used like in most visual novels.
Audio: 4/5 The demo was full of ambient crowd sounds which changed in volume depending on the location (being inside reduced the noise volume – a simple but effective touch) and tense music played when necessary. There wasn’t any voice acting, although in this case it doesn’t need it and I don’t think adding any would actually make it any better (amateur voice acting would ruin the vibes for sure). I would’ve just liked a bit more variation the the ambient sounds to make it even more immersive.
Gameplay: 5/5 For a visual novel, OBSCURA was rather interactive. There were plenty of choices including timed choices that kept you alert and held your interest (it’s really easy to rewind a little to pick a different option too if you do reach a bad end). Yes, there are bad ends, which I think is a great decision here due to the unknown surroundings in an environment that’s all new to the protagonist, and I think this really hikes up the danger element. This is an 18+ game, so some of these might get a little violent, but I’m all for it!
Enjoyment: 5/5 I absolutely loved the concept, the environment and the art style which completely pulled me into the world right from the start. The plot is simple, yet more than enough to go off and I can imagine each of the 4 routes being super varied! I might even go back and replay the demo to see if I come across any of the other characters.
Potential: 5/5 If the mysterious, dark vibes are carried throughout then I’m sure this will be a highly enjoyable experience. Having all the characters wear masks is an excellent idea which I haven’t seen before in a romance game and I was thriving off the mystery element to this. It’ll also be interesting to see how the romance plays out and hopefully it won’t be too rushed!
Wishlisted?
Skylar-Mei: Yes. I’d actually added OBSCURA to my wishlist over a year ago, and after playing the demo, it’s definitely staying there!
Tavern Talk
Developer/Publisher: Gentle Troll Entertainment
Release Date: 20th June 2024
Demo Play Time: 30 mins
Visual Novel / Fantasy / Relaxing
A cozy visual novel about running a tavern in a D&D-inspired fantasy! Gather rumors, serve magical drinks, and meet adventurers on a life-changing quest.
It’s one thing running your own tavern and mixing up your regulars’ favourite tipples, but it’s another thing creating quests and encouraging them to go on adventures! In Tavern Talk, mix up your own magical drinks to influence the mood of your patrons before sending them on quests crafted by rumours you hear at your bar – the new found adventurers may even bring you back gifts! I usually hate the term ‘cozy game’, but this is pretty much the perfect definition in this case.
Visuals: 5/5 The visual style and animations are gorgeous with subtly animated backgrounds, great lighting effects and a generally superb environment. There was so much attention to detail with the book acting as your guide, for example; having numbered pages on the chat log and the drinks actually being poured into the mixing glass. Everything about it was so aesthetically pleasing from character design, to HUD design and even referencing little actions like the drinks actually being teleported. Everything had its place.
Audio: 4/5 There was some great background music with old traditional instrumentation such as a lyre which excellently suited the environment and fantasy themes. No voice acting was present, but it’s really not needed and I think I would somehow be too much if it was there. The game also includes some nice sound effects and suitable noises for the HUD.
Gameplay: 5/5 The main concept is much like Coffee Talk but with the added bonus of creating quests for your patrons. The majority of the game is visual novel with the added gameplay sections requiring drinks to be made for the guests. Making the drinks was simple and involved following a shaped diagram rather than the ingredients being listed which was pretty laid back with no pressure added. Honestly, it seemed like it was impossible to get it wrong (at this stage anyway)! Creating the quests from rumours was a nice touch, making it feel more like an adventurer’s guild than a tavern which again contributed heavily towards the theme and pulled the whole concept together.
Enjoyment: 5/5 I had such an enjoyable time playing this demo thanks to a combination of all the different elements. The scripting was also fantastic and each character I met had bags of personality even in such the short amount of time I spent in game. I can’t wait to see more!
Potential: 5/5 This demo blew me away to be quite honest. Tavern Talk is set to release just a few days after the end of the festival and you can tell that it has been crammed with love and polished to perfection with what was displayed here. I think this game will tick a lot of boxes for gamers looking for a chilled out experience that are craving a little more than just reading.
Wishlisted?
Skylar-Mei: YES! This was my favourite of all the demos and I’m seriously considering buying Tavern Talk on release!
Threads of You: Beyond the Bay
Developer/Publisher: Lavendeer Studios
Release Date: Coming Soon
Demo Play Time: 55 mins
Visual Novel / Romance / Choose You Own Adventure
1 broken down car, 2 weeks in a hidden seaside town, and 7 men waiting to sweep you off your feet. Will you follow the threads of destiny in Brine Bay?
Threads of You: Beyond the Bay allows you to choose your name, pronouns and even includes a simple chibi character creator. The story is character focused and includes 7 male love interests. I was instantly drawn to this visual novel after hearing this HoneyWorks off-vocal track used in the trailer (I started singing it without even realising it)! One thing to bear in mind is that the promo art is quite different to the in-game art style.
Visuals: 2/5 Visually, there’s a lot going on here. I was welcomed by a ‘create your character’ screen which made me super happy at first, however, that feeling soon vanished as I realised the custom made chibi was always displayed when your character was talking. This wouldn’t usually be a problem, but the art style was completely different to the sprite art and made it really jarring (please give us a settings option to hide it). I loved the bright backgrounds and the sprite design (although the constant blush was a little much), so I was excited to see the CGs… however, the art style changed AGAIN, and sorry to say, but I really didn’t like the drastic change. The characters looked completely different and the painted style (featuring animated blinking) against the digital heavy backgrounds really put me off. Just to clarify, it’s not the art I don’t like, it’s the lack of coherence – all three styles just didn’t work together.
Audio: 2/5 The game is partially voiced in English. Some of the voice acting is better than others (some not well recorded and some rather amateur), although this can be turned off if necessary. The music was chill and fit for purpose, reminding me of Our Life (I think some tracks were actually the same). There were also some ambient background noise in places too. Overall, it was fine.
Gameplay: 4/5 As well as the obvious dialogue choices, this game gives you additional options to make your character much more personal e.g. height options (shown in the screenshot above), what you eat for breakfast, etc. There were plenty of choices to be made, although I’m not sure how much these change the story progression at this stage as the demo is basically and introduction to all the characters.
Enjoyment: 3/5 I had mixed feelings during my playthrough but generally my experience was positive. I soon got used to the sprite art style as I was getting further into the demo, however, the CG art bothered me even more as the demo progressed. I met all 7 characters during my run and they all have varied personalities so each route should be quite different.
Potential: 4/5 Threads of You: Beyond the Bay has clearly taken inspiration from Our Life with the new twist of having 7 varied love interests. Since there’s not much of a story, the game will rely heavily on building relationships with these characters, so as long as they are all written well, I think this could be one to keep an eye on. The inconsistency in art style does bother me though.
Wishlisted?
Skylar-Mei: Yes. I’m still on the fence about this one mainly because of the art style changes, however, I did enjoy the concept and meeting all the characters so I will be keeping my eye on it.
Forgotlings
Developer/Publisher: Throughline Games / Hitcents
Release Date: Coming Soon
Demo Play Time: 50 mins (quit before the end)
Adventure / Action / Platformer
Forgotlings is a breathtaking cinematic action-adventure set in an enchanted realm inhabited by lost things searching for a purpose. Journey to distant corners of our collective memories and unite warring tribes against a mysterious looming threat to their existence. A wholly original storyworld filled with wonder and imagination awaits your discovery.
As a huge Forgotton Anne fan since playing the game in 2019, I was super excited to see another game in the works and added it straight to my wishlist last August. Although Forgotlings appears to be completely separate from Forgotton Anne, the universe in which the story is set is clearly the same, as well as our protagonist, Fig, being a returning character. Forgotlings seems to be a fairly open-world type of game with free travel through a vast world in a Metroidvania-esque style.
Visuals: 3/5 Considering Forgotlings is described as a cinematic adventure, I was quite disappointed by the jittery movements of Fig considering he’s our main character, and also the basic back-and-forth pacing of the enemies. Although I really liked the hand drawn artstyle, I was expecting to see some flawless animation. The visuals are obviously a priority since you had to watch a whole animation every time you picked up an item off of the floor, however, some of these moments slowed the whole game down and just ended up killing the pacing.
Audio: 2/5 I’m struggling to remember if the voice actors are the same as the characters in Forgotton Anne, but I wasn’t particularly impressed by any of the performances here even if they were. From what I remember, Fig was a ridiculously charismatic character before, and here he sounds almost fed up and nothing at all like what I imagined him to be.
Gameplay: 2/5 Considering the game is based around platforming and combat, both of these elements were the weakest part of the experience. The combat was insanely janky with zero I-frames during dodge rolls and generally just a miserable experience. The game tries to promote stealth, but this basically just involves running back to the ‘safe zone’ if you get spotted, unless you want to fight an endless supply of enemies with the awful combat mechanics (I don’t recommend it).
Enjoyment: 2/5 I’m not sure if this is the start of the game or not, but I had no clue as to what was going on aside from Fig looking for his friend. Since the main character had about as much personality as a potato alongside a substantial lack of direction, I didn’t really know what I was meant to do and ended up quitting the demo before I reached the end. The platforming wasn’t great either, and when combined with the combat, I honestly just wanted it to be over.
Potential: 3/5 All in all, it needs work. Following a brilliant game like Forgotton Anne will require something special, but this just wasn’t even close. The platforming and combat is in desperate need of tidying up and then maybe we’ll be getting closer. The foundation is there, it’s just that there was nothing outstanding that made me want to continue… it was all just pretty forgettable (oh, the irony).
Wishlisted?
Skylar-Mei: …yes. Forgotlings was on my wishlist already due to my experience with its predecessor and I have left it on there despite the issues I had with the demo. Since the release date isn’t specified, it seems like this isn’t in it’s final stages yet which gives me hope that the problems will be addressed. That’s the whole point in playing demos, right?
Even though I didn’t play many demos this time around, I did find at least some enjoyment in all the games I played and also have some new titles to keep an eye on. It’s a shame I couldn’t play more, but I’m pleased I managed to take part in my own little way!
Rankings:
1. Tavern Talk
2. OBSCURA
3. B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA
4. Threads of You: Beyond the Bay
5. Celestia: Chain of Fate
6. Forgotlings
That’s all from me this Next Fest! Feel free to share your favourite demos in the comments below, I’d love to hear of some more great games to keep my eye on!
gamergal.exe 