What games will you be trying out at Steam Next Fest this week?

This week is the first Steam Next Fest of 2024 and, as always, I am excited to try out new game demos. What makes Next Fest particularly special is that since a game is only allowed to exhibit at one Next Fest event ever you end up with the vast number of new demos being indie games (although occasionally a major title does work its way in there — Hades 2 is probably not going to be available yet, but I’m always hoping). As usual I spent all afternoon looking through the new demos and there’s a good number that I’m going to be trying out this week, although I don’t expect to play as many this time as I’m chin deep in Persona 3 Reload currently.

The top priority for me is Tales of Kenzera: ZAU which I’ve already pre-purchased but I’m going to be playing the demo anyway just to get an early taste for it. Another “metroidvania” I’ll be trying out this time is Never Grave: The Witch and the Curse. The animation is pretty slick, and the possession mechanic looks like fun. I’m not sure about the “builder” aspect of the game but I’m willing to give it a shot.

Two games on my Wishlist have demos this time around. Lysfanga, the Time Shift Warrior is a roguelite very reminiscent of Hades — and it’s actually coming out next week, so if I enjoy it I won’t have to wait long to keep playing. The other game from my Wishlist is Death Trick: Double Blind, a “non-linear” detective visual novel that looks pretty interesting. The circus atmosphere should provide some fun antics, and you know when the missing person is a magician there’s going to be some smoke and mirrors to work through.

The final game I’m definitely trying is probably a very bad idea, but I’m going to anyway: Millennia, a Civilization-style 4X game from Paradox Interactive, one of the publishing powerhouses in strategy gaming — they’re the ones behind such notable franchises as Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron and the recent Age of Wonders 4. I’ve mostly avoided 4X games these past 15 years as I used to play a ton of Civilization and its sequels in the years prior to switching my addiction to World of Warcraft, but this might be the one that pulls me back in.

Honestly I could probably spend another 1000 words talking about the games I’m going to try out, but what I want to know is: What demos are you going to try out at Next Fest? Do you get as excited for it as I do? (Still Very Unlikely!)