Steam Next Fest June 2023 and E3 demos ranked

1-5 are day 1
6-16 are looks good wishlisted
17-24 not fully convinced/wait for big sale
25-27 you would have to pay me

Other fest lists
February 2023
October 2023
February 2024

Various miscellaneous demos

It turns out kicking people into walls is fun, even if the game is a bit easy. The arena was way more enjoyable, but I can't tell if that is just a demo thing or not. I did crash twice, so it just needs a bit more polish.
I played this way back when the Switch demo came out. Even with the first dungeon I really enjoyed it and the combat wasn't as boring as what I expected (Chrono Trigger). I did play this right after another game with disappointing dungeons, so it may be biased.
A twin-stick shooter 2D Zelda. I really liked how you can downgrade to change up your stats, and showing your boost on the ship is great. The demo might be a bit weird since you can't use a map and lots of areas are locked off.
A twin-stick shooter that takes place in stages of varying shapes. You move along the outline and will use dashes frequently. I really hope the stage select in the full game is unlocked, letting you choose where to start on each run. The demo was just one specific stage, sadly.
I'm sure it will be fine, but that wasn't the best demo for this kind of game. It really is trying to be a AAA Sony game, like whenever I had to hold R2 to open a heavy door or kick some boards. It made me feel like there was a quota on adaptive triggers. I didn't do the Eikon challenge since it seemed like it would spoil a lot.
Yeah, it really rips off a lot from Bloodborne, and I liked the weapon/hilt system. Nothing else really stands out so far, but I don't see any glaring negatives.
The demo seems to lean more on the platforming side, but there's also a lot of focus on combat here. I need to see more, but I'm definitely interested.

8

A walking climbing sim that I felt was just too empty? It feels like something is missing, but I'm down to play it in the right headspace.
The best game to have (last skin) in it. One of those short platformers for a couple of $ with a skateboard.
Obviously very Castlevania/Curse of the Moon-inspired. After COTM 2 was just okay I'm willing to give this a shot. It has been much easier so far, but I'm hopeful it ramps up. It might have been better if the new ability you get in the demo wasn't just increased sword range...
1-bit 2D Zelda that also has 50 Picross levels? Some of the items in the shop seemed really grindy, but maybe it's just a demo thing.
I'm honestly not sure about these two games. They're both boss rushes with very similar names, and their UIs are the exact same. Probo Rush is like a contra character with just different guns, while Full Moon Rush looks cooler and has a dash. I liked Full Moon more, but each of them is just one boss in a 10-bosses game, so I imagine short games. Are these like two different versions, or are they just putting out cheap, similar games?
I'm honestly not sure about these two games. They're both boss rushes with very similar names, and their UIs are the exact same. Probo Rush is like a contra character with just different guns, while Full Moon Rush looks cooler and has a dash. I liked Full Moon more, but each of them is just one boss in a 10-bosses game, so I imagine short games. Are these like two different versions, or are they just putting out cheap, similar games?

14

Pretty good, but I didn't expect it to just drop you in a city to just collect stuff from challenges rather than just doing it organically. I hope there are more graffiti powers, because most are boring now.
This went from day 1 to waiting to see how it ends up. I booted up the game and heard the talking. I really wish this was just silent for the entire game because it really is an interesting concept, even if it's a bit simple now.
Idk it might be a little too wholesome tm for me. It seems like it would scratch the same itch as Astro's Playroom with simple levels to replay for better times.
Pretty meh gimmick (heavy sword that ditch/use for puzzles) and almost bordering on boring. The kickstarter page showed a few more exciting things, but I don't have too much faith in this. It is also way too easy to get stuck when you save lmao.

18

It seems like there are a lot of games similar to this. I could see getting really into it against friends, but cba leaderboards.
I can see the appeal, but the music and visuals felt barebones. The driving would eventually get boring for me.
Might have been baited hard by the trailer at some conference. It plays like a meh CRPG for me.
I don't really like the humour or the "jump". It's still nice to zip around, but ehh.
Not for me
Not for me but cool concept.
Ehhh, getting the impulse momentum is fun, but it just annoyed me how easy it was to just die from going too fast into a wall or at an awkward angle into a corner.
Very obviously unfinished. So many SFX are missing; hitting enemies just has no feel at all, UI and text are barren; and the music loops like every 15 seconds. The setting might be unique, but it needs a lot of work...
I haven't played Ender Lilies, but the summons and map seem similar to it. It's hard to say this without sounding mean, but it plays like a chatgpt game. Dull rooms, dry dialogue (and lots of it), music exists, etc.
I only found this game when I tried to see if Mariachi Legends had a demo(it does not). I didn't really like anything except the bike section.

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