Games I played on NEXT-FEST 2021 (Summer), ranked

My thoughts on all the games are detailed in the Notes for each one

Really well-done and satisfying survival game, that basically serves as a more streamlined and easy to get into version of Minecraft, where exploring the dungeons and gathering resourses is separated, giving you the freedom to relax and build your own little shack, while giving you the ability to plunge yourself into the dark for better loot. Can't wait to play it in full

2

While the premise of "a 2D-platformer-metroidvania with soulslike elements" doesn't sound too fresh these days, this game does all these things fairly well, with but a few caviats. The controls feel very unintuitive for a game THAT inspired by soulsbournes; the platforming is kinda weird and doesn't seem to be super consistent; the combat is not the tightest I think it could be. But with all that being said, this looks promising, and I really enjoyed my time with this demo
It's very fun to play, and while sometimes I felt like the NES-y style looks kinda boring, there are a lot of fun animations and the music is great. Pretty excited

4

Looks INSANE, plays pretty good, and I really like the score. The climbing in this game is awkward, but I hope they iron it out for a full release
Really charming, and a fairly fun roguelite with some neat mechanics like devil mode or killing nuns
It's hard to get all of the quirks of this game, and it could really use a good and steady tutorial level, but once you get the hang of the controls, this game feels incredible. Swatting around your enemies, diving into windows and behind corners, stealing weaponry and kicking people in the head - it's a power trip
Everything to do with the art or the music is extremely charming in this one, and I do enjoy some Taiwaneese rep. for once. And though the combat is a bit off, and the platforming is kinda floaty, I still liked this game's demo a lot
The artstyle is cute as heck, and I like the caracter designs, but MY GOD is the dialog boring. I hope that they get to the point quicker in the full version, because "the point" here is quite alright
Addictive right from the start, and while I like the visuals, I don't see how they, or the world contribute to such poor perfromance. I don't get why this game is 30 fps and fries my laptop in like 15 minutes of play
Great animation and sprite work, and also some intriguing lore for you to discover. I hope the combat gets fine-tuned in time for release, because it's way too wanky for a game that's this punishing
The pieces of actual shelter managment are pretty fun and addictive, but in-between them seem to be prolonged moments of nothing going on, boring dialog being poured onto you. The visual style really holds this together, but the music could use more variation - the two tunes you hear throughout the demo are annoying and sleep-inducing at the same time
Slow as FUCK, and though I like the framing, this game doesn't feel like it has anything going for it in comparison to it's contemporaries

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