New Feature: BiWeekly Demo Round-Up
Hi ya’ll! Wondering what to play this weekend? Looking to not spend any money? Then welcome to the experimental biweekly round up where I feature some demos to play. Now I’m still ironing out some bumps and figuring out my format, so please bear with me as this feature grows and develops.
Without further to do!
Kabaret – Persona Theory Games
"The truth is this, every monster you have ever met was once a human being." - Kabaret
What Is This Game About? The main character Jebet is turned into a monster and ends up under the care of The Caretaker at a place called Kabaret. There he reads tea leaves to other monsters and learns their stories, and tries to figure out how to break his own curse.
Possum Thoughts: Kabaret is an adventure/visual novel I’ve been watching ever since I found out it exists. The art of this game is beautiful, and I want to play it just to experience that. As for what the game is about, it seems to be in the veins of VA-11 HA-A or Coffee Talk, albeit with a southeast Asian twist. They just updated their demo this week, so check it out!
Follow Person Theory Games on Twitter for updates
Over My Dead Body - FreatureKreep
“Death is not the end when you're a subject of a cloning experiment gone wrong.” -Over My Dead Body
What is This Game About?: Over My Dead Body from FreatureKreep employs a simple concept. You and your many many clones need to escape. And well, only some of you are going to make it. But why let the bodies of your pals go to waste? Use them to reach new areas, shield yourself from enemies, and so much more.
Possum Thoughts: FeatureKreep describe this as being a twisted game of Tetris and I see that. It’s a clever idea, and I quite like the executions. It’s all bottled up in a nostalgic black-and-white package that reminds me of playing on my Gameboy. It’s simple but effective.
(Possum note: I couldn’t really find any press kit/screenshots for this, just gifs, so no image was included.
Play in browser on itch.io and take the words “I hide behind a mound of dead bards,” to a new level
Mr. Sun’s Hatbox - Kenny Sun
What is This Game About: Mr. Sun’s Hatbox is a slapstick roguelike platformer about a good ole career man. Mr. Sun is trying to do his job, and he’s going to do it–no matter how many hats he has to wear, or how ridiculous things get. Sounds like what working in the emergency room is li-I mean what a charming little idea, good thing this is a fantasy though!
(okay, there’s more plot than that. But I like my description. Check out the Steam Page linked below for more info)
Possum Thoughts: The pixel art is on point for this goofy game. That said, while I need to sit down and play this to see how it controls, etc, I think Mr. Sun’s Hatbox has the potential to be quite a powerhouse in the roguelike scene.
Get the Demo for Mr. Sun’s Hatbox on Steam
Friends vs Friends - Brainwash Games
What Is This Game About?: Your friendship survived Dokapon Kingdom. It survived Overcooked. Will it survive Yu-Gi-Oh meet Fortnite? I mean if it survived the first two, your friendship is probably rock solid, but this isn’t a bad way to spend an evening.
Possum Thoughts: If you’re looking for a very particular game, like say, a PVP shooter with deck-building elements and a vibrant art style, Friends vs Friends might be up your alley! I mean, what else would you play if that’s what you’re looking for?
Even better! The devs say there will be no progression-based microtransactions.
(Possum Note: outside of the Steam page, I could not find social media or website for Brainwash Games. If there is one, please let me know, and I will update accordingly)
Tracks of Thought - Tidbits Play
What Is This Game About?: A love letter to our invertebrate friends (have bugs ever been this cute?). Tracks of Thoughts features a train with a mysterious destination and a sweet little ladybug who is going to solve the mystery of where everyone’s headed and make lots of friends along the way.
Possum Thoughts: If you’re looking for a friendlier card-based game then Friends Vs. Friends, do I have the demo for you! A self-described wholesome card-based talk ‘em up Tracks of Thought has been trying all month to get funded on BackerKit, and at 8 days left is at a little less than 50% percent. The demo is only going to be live while the campaign is, so if you want to play it and hopefully back it, well now would be the time.
Play Tracks of Thought demo on Steam
Follow on Twitter!
Back on Backerkit!
Space Boat - Recombobulator Games
“Didn’t even bother with the tutorial, did ya? Went straight to the fella with a question mark over his head. Now why’d you go and do a thing like that?”
What is This Game About?: Inspector Domino is a cat in a mech suit who has a mystery to solve. There’s a shapeshifting thief on board this spaceship! Our detective cat friend needs to use his best adventure game sleuthing skills, including interviewing the various wacky residents, solving puzzles, exploring a space cruiser with hidden passages, and getting his paws into many places he probably shouldn’t.
Possum Thoughts: Judging by the screenshots, Space Boat is a very zany adventure game, but in the best possible way. Without playing the demo I can tell you the game is notable in two ways. 1). When I asked for demos to feature, this was the first one recommended to me. 2) This is the first game to make me laugh out loud with the first screenshot I saw. I’ll be setting aside some time to play this week.
Follow Recombobulater Games on Twitter
Cassette Beasts – Bytten Studio
What is This Game About?: When you wake up on a beach in a strange world full of monsters, only one thing to do. Collect them all, be the very best you can be, and try to find your way home!
Possum Thoughts: In the spirit of full disclosure, Cassette Beasts is the only demo I’ve played on this list (so far), and let me say, it slaps. It’s an ode to Pokemon (though I also get a little bit of Digimon Frontier flavor as there’s a fusing with humans element). The 20 or so minutes I’ve spent with it is time I’ve enjoyed far more than any of the time I’ve spent with Pokemon Violet.
My favorite part is by far the atmosphere. The world of Cassette Beasts is a pocket dimension from the real world where your main character gets trapped. People getting trapped is a thing that happens, and no, they can’t leave. So instead, all the various misfits have built a life together in this pocket place, but it’s kinda bittersweet. For example, there’s a coffee shop created based on the owner’s memories of their old life. The coffee shop isn’t a 1:1 to our earth coffee shop, rather it’s the closest recreation they could get and that was after a lot of work. It’s a mood, and it’s a mood that works.
There are a lot of other good things in this game’s favor from the Persona-like soundtrack, the beautiful portrait art, or that if I want my character to run around in a frilly dress, that is totally an option.
Play Cassette Beasts on Steam
Follow Bytten Studio on Twitter for updates
And that’s just a few of the many many currently playable demos out there! There were a few more recommended to me on Twitter, but I think eight is plenty. Plus I would like to give the other games a little more research and attention before I talk about them. So we’ll wrap up here! See ya’ll in two weeks!
