With over 8700 games at this year's Steam Next Fest, finding really good demos has become a full-time job. The problem is that Steam mostly recommends what you already play, so my feed has been flooded with deckbuilders, procedural games, pixel art, and magic. Honestly, I didn't mind too much.
Still, I tried to dig up a few interesting titles from different genres. If you don't want to scroll for hours through thousands of demo versions, these seven games are definitely worth checking out.
Pet the Cat
What if the strongest attack in a bullet hell roguelite was... petting a cat? That's the main gimmick of the game Pet the Cat, where you survive waves of enemies while turning your furry four-legged partner into a real little destruction machine with the help of food, weapons, and various upgrades. A bizarre idea that turned out to be surprisingly fun.
Stickerino
Stickerino is a cozy puzzle game where you collect stickers and use them to solve puzzles and unlock new areas. Everything looks like you've jumped into a children's notebook full of colorful stickers, and the emphasis is on relaxed exploration and creative thinking.
Dungeon Dilemma
Dungeon Dilemma combines roguelite elements and tactical decision-making in dungeon exploration. Each run brings new room layouts, enemies, and challenges, rewarding good planning more than mindless rushing through the dungeon.
Echoes of Mystralia
If you've played Mages of Mystralia, Echoes of Mystralia takes you back to the same world, but this time through roguelite action. The focus is on combining different spells and creating your own spell builds, which means each new run can look completely different.
TOEM 2
TOEM 2 once again proves that a camera can be just as fun as a sword or a gun. Instead of fighting, you explore a charming world, talk to quirky characters, and solve various tasks through photography. If you're looking for something cozy after a long day, this is a great candidate.
Timebound
Timebound is a puzzle adventure that revolves around manipulating time. Solving puzzles requires rewinding, stopping, and cleverly utilizing time to find a way forward, and the demo quickly shows that this mechanic will be the game's biggest asset.
