The demos are back in business! I remember the bygone age of demo discs, one of the key reasons to buy magazines for gamers back in the day. You got a shiny plastic disc full of promise, packed to the brim with little slices of games to come until the Triple-A studios decided that they no longer wanted to give players insight into broken, unfinished, and unpolished games. So for a long time, that method of trying out games was shelved. As is tradition, time for Sunday’s Demo Dive!
KEEP DRIVING
It was the biggest hit of this NEXT FEST for me. It was an absolute banger out of the blue, jumping at me from nowhere. I never heard of this game before or knew I needed it. Let's put it upfront that this is a massive nostalgia bite - and I am here to take it, hook, line, and sinker. It's a pixel art adventure set in the early 2000s when you're a young fellow fresh out of school with your first, rather crummy car and a wanderlust to tackle. While you travel toward your friend on the other end of the sprawling map, you will do everything you'd expect on a road trip.
Help hitchhikers, learn their stories, and chat it up. Struggle with petty cash to keep the tank full of precious gas. Tent up under the rain or sleep in your car. Eat junk food in a lonesome, run-down station, pondering the meaning of life. Listen to countless rock music bangers as you tackle the many dangers of the road - like speed cameras, slow tractors, sheep crossing, or road rage-filled drivers.
The title is a fantastic blend of mechanics, unlike any I've seen so far. It's a bit of a roguelike, as each destination brings different challenges. There's a strong emphasis on inventory management - your trunk can hold only so many things, after all. A roleplaying element is strong too, with unlockable skills and traits you gather from various thoughts and encounters. It all blends so well, so seamlessly, creating a game that feels fresh in every aspect. It's a wild ride not because of its fantastical nature, but because it is so grounded, real, and down to earth. So, I am ready to embark on my journey of hype for this game, hungry for more.
CITIZEN SLEEPER 2
CITIZEN SLEEPER was a bit of, hah, sleeper hit. A tight, small, and intimate story set in an interesting world that juggles the usual tropes of the genre with deftness. Sure, it might still be a corporate dystopia, but its more star-bound direction and feeling of revolt simmering under the surface was palpable. The premise of the story felt fresh too - being a digital copy of a person imprinted onto an advanced robot, a human simulacra, yearning to be free of corporate overlords. The game contained multiple self-contained little stories of various characters, each with their dream of freedom and ideas of what that freedom means.
The general complaint that I heard the most and had to agree with (as you can check in the review!) was that while the story is great and well-woven, the gameplay tended to be rather rudimentary. Sure, the dice-rolling mechanics and usage to activate skill checks and progress various clock-governing events were nice. An interesting balance was made to make sure that even low rolls were of some use via the cyberspace diving. Yet all that became mundane very quickly, as your skills progressions and bonuses meant that the skill check was an afterthought in the latter part of the game. And the game itself was just... that. Always, without any shake-ups or new mechanics to stir you up and find some fresh uses for your dice.
The demo makes sure the player understands that everything is grander now. The scope grew, and the lens was pushed a bit further away. While the story still is intimate and very grounded, you are given more freedom to explore the various avenues and paths. Including actual exploration of space around your key stations. With the addition of Crew, their skills, and unique capabilities, they were also able to show new gameplay elements like Contracts. Highly stressful, time-pressing, and demanding challenges that are little self-contained scenarios. Which are also the key to getting the resources you need to achieve your goals. It seems like a very neat solution to the issues of the previous game in the series, and they kept me on edge during my time with the demo. It is then no surprise that I am very much on board to get my hands on this sequel now, hoping to dive head-first into its cold, uncaring world and vibrant personas.
JOTUNNSLAYER: HORDES OF HEL
I do not hide the fact that I am a big sucker for VAMPIRE SURVIVOR. That game got me and got me good, devouring hours of my life with laughable ease. It is also no surprise that its smashing success spawned an endless deluge of both copycats and aspiring titles trying to topple the genre grandfather. It feels like there are half a hundred new 'survivor-likes' hitting the market every month, so it is quite easy to get lost in the mire of similar games. Making it rather hard to find those rare pearls that elevate the genre, that offer some unique take, fresh ideas, or stellar execution.
JOTUNNSLAYER: HORDES OF HEL is a strong contender for the latter category. As a Survivor clone, it doesn't feel like it brings anything new to the table. It has all the usual trappings - massive hordes, multiple characters, a plethora of upgradeable skills, and quite a few biomes to fight in. If there's any breath of fresh air worthy of notice it would be in the dynamic challenges you need to check off on each run to be able to tackle the final boss within the time limit. Those are mostly rudimentary - collect several things, kill minions near a point, and endure a nasty modifier... But the way they emerge and how they are spread across a tight, confined map makes the game feel much more dynamic than many of its contemporaries.
What this game brings to the table that no other game of this genre ever managed to do in even a fraction of its splendor is the sheer spectacle. The game looks amazing. The visual fidelity of everything we see on the screen is top-notch, triple-A quality for a small indie game. The sounds are crunchy, the animations flashy and visceral, yet never obscuring important information. The chaos on the screen can be overwhelming, but not once to a degree that I felt was hindering my play. Everything has weight to it, the minions' animations are stellar, and the Bosses... Well, hard to say, as we can fight only one in the demo, but it was awesome. Huge and imposing, pushing the camera further away to enjoy its enormity. It hits hard, attacks in various patterns and was possibly the most engaging boss encounter I have ever had in a game of this genre.
With the demo teasing many biomes, upgrades, weapons, and new modifiers to play with, this seems to be a slam-dunk for Survivor-like enthusiasts.
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