Primal Planet – Demo Impressions

Primal Planet came as a bit of a surprise, considering I found it by pure luck when lazily browsing on Steam, and how much the presentation and gameplay speaks to me. Being a child of the 80s and 90s, dinosaurs were everything, and what is better than playing a metroidvania set during the dinosaur age to still that distant urge for nostalgia. The demo is a hefty one that really lets you dig into the mechanics, and overall, it’s well-designed, with a fun twist on the gameplay: you are not facing the jungle beasts alone!

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Every Day We Fight – Demo Impressions

Never stand next to red barrel in a videogame

It was time that I finally got to play the X-com-like Every Day We Fight, and I’m not disappointed. To be completely honest, I didn’t expect much going on. However, soon after trying the shooting mechanics, and getting to experience the story setting, I’m hooked. Except for one thing. A thing the game hangs heavy on, both gameplay-wise, and narratively. And that is: time-shenanigans. I have always struggled with time-travel plots, since for the most part the story ends up in an unsolvable mess of paradoxes. It’s way too early to say for Every Day We Fight, but it’s in here!

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Future War Tactics: SOF vs. Alien Invasion – Demo Impressions

The game with the longest name ever (Future War Tactics: SOF vs. Alien Invasion), is what I can best describe as a Xenonauts clone. But instead of being based on NATO (with the help of the Soviets), it’s entirely a Russian endeavor. It’s a bit of an oddity, since it’s very rough around the edges. The game seems to have a linear mission structure with only a few soldiers to pick from, and it’s set to be released in a month, which limits the amount of polish that can be done. Yet, somehow it’s still charmingly playable and I found the setting compelling.

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Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream – Demo Impressions

My next title on the Steam NextFest repertoire is Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream. It’s a beautiful stealth game viewed from an isometric viewpoint. The premise and setting reminds me of A Plague Tale: Requiem, but with a brother sidekick that isn’t the bearer of rat demons – yet. The visuals and the story are very charming, and detailed. But what about the gameplay?

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Hell is Us – Demo Impressions

This is a wild one. I downloaded the Hell is Us demo on a whim, and I’m really glad I did. At the most basic, you can say it’s some kind of Dark Souls-lite, at least regarding the fighting. What makes Hell is Us more than it looks is the very mysterious setting that I can best describe as something between the books Roadside Picnic, and the Southern Reach Trilogy. I found the atmosphere thick and weird, with a dark, foreboding tone that engulfs the whole experience in this strange land.

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