What games are you playing at Steam Next Fest this week?

Steam’s triannual Next Fest has started and the June edition is typically the largest, as many games try to extend any buzz received from Summer Game Fest with demos. Since the main rule of Next Fest is that a game can only be part of it once, developers tend to make sure their demos are chock full of game highlights to help bring in as many players as they can, even if the release isn’t scheduled for some months. As always, I’m a huge of Next Fest and these are the five games I’m definitely going to play.

At the very top of my list is Stray Gods, a role-playing musical starring Critical Role‘s Laura Bailey as the main protagonist and with a whole host of voice talent including Anjali Bhimani, the voice of Overwatch‘s Symmetra. While having a decidedly visual novel feel, Stray Gods is actually a “choices matter” game, where even the verses of the songs change based on your decisions. I’ll be honest, I’ve already played through the whole demo once this week, and I’m planning on doing so at least once more as August 3 can not get here soon enough.

Another August game on my list is En Garde, a swashbuckling action game announced during Summer Game Fest. This one looks fun, with lots of clever uses of items and environment to hearken back to the film era of Mark of Zorro and The Court Jester. That said, trailers aren’t always able to convey gameplay, so playing the demo will help me decide whether to pursue this one or to fall back.

I’ve mentioned in WRUP that I’m currently obsessed with Persona 5, so when a game advertises itself as inspired by it I have to try it out. Eternights trades the modern-day Tokyo of Persona for a post-apocalyptic world where in between fighting for survival you still find time to go on dates. While this game is in my wheelhouse, I’ve not a big fan of future dystopias so the setting may be off-putting to me — and that’s why I’m thankful there’s a demo to try out.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood was shown by Devolver Digital at Summer Game Fest (in between their normal brain-destroying antics) and I’m admittedly intrigued by it even though they didn’t really show off that much. Like Stray Gods, the game has a narrative background with branching paths, with fortune-telling and building tarot decks its key differentiators from others of that ilk, and I’m hoping getting a taste of it makes me want more.

The final game I’m giving a whirl is Station to Station which had the honor of being the only game I saw appear in two presentations at Summer Game Fest. As a fan of the original Railroad Tycoon I’m always on the lookout for a good train simulation, but recent entries in the genre have focused more on minutia and less on the simple joy of connecting locations. A self-defined “minimalist and relaxing” train game is likely just what I’m looking for.

So that’s my list of demos to try out — what are you going to play? Are you itching to play Lies of P, or getting a taste of retro RPG with Sea of Stars? Or maybe you long for another Stray and are hoping Little Kitty, Big City is a suitable if wholesome substitute? Or are you going to just try as many demos as you can?