Demo dive time! I am not sure yet how frequently I can make those, but for now will settle for two each month - gives me enough time to find out demos of interesting-looking games and give them an honest try before formulating some cohesive thoughts. This time around we have quite a mixture of genres, all brimming with great potential, every single one I look forward to. Let's roll!
TINY GLADE
By the Sun, I am excited for this one, and the demo provided fuel for my excitement. I have been watching this project develop since the first time its announcement in 2022, and the very core of the idea behind it appeals to me. What not to like about a pretty, cozy little toybox in which you create charming castles, crumbling ruins, and little households? Even if I was giddy to get myself to play this, my expectations were well-tempered. I wanted to see a few tools, a few building blocks, and maybe a couple of biomes to divert the scenery... But I was completely flabbergasted by what the Demo managed to show. This is going to be amazing when it releases because in just this Demo state it is already a delight to play with.
The interactivity of all elements is astounding. How walls merge and mesh with the buildings, and how much of a freedom to have to alter and manipulate every bit. Every tower and every construction is so... editable. It feels organic, like sculpting in clay. But that alone, while impressive, is still overshadowed by the contextual interactions. How windows merge and behave depends on where you put them. How items change behavior depends on where you place them. Every minute I spent in this little teaser I found something new, something exciting. A new thing that opened up my mind to new building ideas. It was an enchanting two hours of fun. But the Demo does one more thing well - it displays potential. We get a clear view of all the tools that are locked yet. The multiple biomes, the options. They are there, teased well, honing my appetite. I am shaking with anticipation now for the full release, I need it, crave it. I must have it.
AUREOLE - WINGS OF HOPE
There must be something well done with this game, because I kept bashing my head against it, despite my many, many deaths. Yeah, I am not a speed-loving player, first to admit, and the tempo this game sometimes requires dazzles my ancient senses! Nonetheless, even if the game isn't catering to my sensibilities, it has to be said - it feels great. It's fast, but never felt like the speed obscured important information for my traversal. It's pretty, with clean art that once again puts great emphasis on what's important to the player. Making sure you have no issues spotting dangers, traps as well as elements that will boost you up. The premise itself is fun too, and makes for a very straightforward narrative - become the angelic Halo and speed through those nasty demonic traps!
As I mentioned, I died a LOT in the demo, but I can't fault the game for that. I have no experience in games of this kind, so I often fumble my ground smashes, misalign the angles or even stop my momentum with a bad mid-air jump. But I never felt like it was the game's fault like there were issues with controls or mechanics - it was my lack of skill that earned me my failures here. If you're looking for a game that will test your dexterity and challenge your skills in the precision of inputs, this might be exactly right up your alley.
BIG BOY BOXING
What a tiny, teensy Demo. Nonetheless, it whetted my appetite well. I am not sure if that's because this genre is starved to death - when was the last time we've seen a Punch-Out like, arcade'y boxing game? With silly characters, over-the-top animations, absolute lack of sense to the premise? I just want to punch a guy with a pineapple over his head that, for some reason, is also a cross-breed between a human and a hippo. Is that so much to ask for? Big Boy Boxing promises that exact flavor of silly, married to a proper game in the same stead as the Punch-Out's of yore. You will fight a sentient boxing bag. You will fight a roided-out fan-favorite lunatic. You will fight a candy princess. And who knows what else!
All that is wrapped in a clean, sharp pixel-art style that is sold not on its rendering fidelity, but floatiness of the animations. They all look excellent, polished, and plain fun. Their exact timings and precise framing are also crucial for the gameplay to work fine - after all, it is a game about reading opponents' moves and reacting accordingly. So far it feels and looks like it will deliver on every front, and I am happy to get my hands on it the moment it releases.
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