I love Next Fest, it’s a great time to find out what interesting new games are on the horizon. Of course the fact it appears in the middle of October when I’m focusing on horror (and horror adjacent) titles is a little annoying but there’s nothing I can do to change that. So here are all the demos I managed to try out.
Motorslice
Developer: Regular Studio
Publisher: Top Hat Studios
Release When?: TBA
This was the first game to catch my eye and I have to say it’s a lot of fun. You play as P and for some reason, which I’m sure is explained in the full game, you’re scaling a megastructure and destroying machines that want to kill you.
There’s a good mix of combat and parkour in this game, it reminds me a lot of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. All the enemies die in a single hit and so do you (with exception of bosses). This is a game I’m going to be keeping an eye on.
Industria 2
Developer: Bleakmill
Publisher: Headup
Release When?: TBA
I’ve actually played the first game in this series and have the review scheduled to go up in November. I wasn’t expecting the sequel to pop up before I got the chance to publish it… oh well.
This is yet another game where the machines have gone mad and want to kill humanity, though in truth there is a lot more to it than that. We’re talking about some interdimensional stuff.
I can say with certainty that the gunplay in this (at least based off of the demo) has improved vastly to its predecessor, feeling much more smooth and punchy. This is a strange thing to say but I’m getting a little bit of Half-Life 2 vibes from this game. Oh, it’s not going to be ground breaking like Half-Life 2 but I’m more like it in the general tone.
Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis
Developer: Alliance Arts, Who You
Publisher: Alliance Arts
Release When?: Coming Soon
I believe I’ve said this before but I have never played Rhythm Heaven, however I am aware of it and have seen gameplay (which I know isn’t the same but it’s the closest thing I have). Well this game seems to play like one of those types of games. However, it seems that there’s something else going on, the game hints at Qtie’s (the girl in the screen) past and I think the ‘Psychosis’ part of the title might be right on the money.
I have a sneaking suspicion that this may have some kind of twist that occurs, like Doki Doki Literature Club, though probably not as major as that. Either way, I’m very interested in this game and it’s definitely going on the watchlist.
The Seance of Blake Manor
Developer: Spooky Doorway
Publisher: Raw Fury
Release When?: 27th October 2025
I do love a good detective game and this one looks like it’s going to tick a lot of boxes. You play as a detective in late 1800’s Ireland, trying to solve a mystery. The games set in first person and uses a time mechanic where the time in the game only progresses when you interact with a person or object and each time only by a minute. However, every hour that passes the situation changes, even if only slightly.
The demo only gives you an hour (as in an in game hour not a real hour) to try and solve a small part of the mystery and it’s definitely got me hooked.
