Deciding which game to add to your library can be hard, especially with prices going up. It feels like picking a new game involves more research. Watching a gameplay trailer just isn’t the same as playing the game yourself. Recently, Steam showcased the answer to this dilemma: demos. These are some of the demos I played during Next Fest, a week all about giving new games a chance to win you over. If you enjoy indie titles, one of these demos might be for you.
Mythic Love: Iberian Legends is a monster romance visual novel about finding your way back to the mortal realm and maybe falling for a creature from Spanish folklore along the way. There are five love interests, each with differing opinions about your existence in their realm. Learn how true to myth these monsters are and keep in mind it’s a fine line between friend and food. I think the demo is the perfect introduction to the game, allowing players to experience the intro. It lets the player meet all of the romanceable characters and get a feel for their personalities. The demo ends by letting the player pick their favorite love interest to receive a short bio about them. I’m incredibly excited about Mythic Love and will be providing a full review soon!
Alpha Nomos is a rhythmic rogue-like where players must battle to the beat. Explore the ruined world as Cello, fighting off possessed puppets with the magical power of music. As soon as I saw Cello’s clown doll design, I knew Alpha Nomos was a demo I wanted to try. From one clown girl to another. The game recommends using a controller, and as someone who’s not big on controllers, I agree with this recommendation. Alpha Nomos is a fighting rhythm game, and the controller will vibrate with the rhythm. I found the game difficult at first, but the game provides an on-screen visual assist partway through the tutorial. Players can choose not to use the visual display, but I found it helpful. It looks like a visual from the non-combative rhythm games I’m used to. Something about it made the game click for me. If you want a different kind of rhythm game, I recommend trying the Alpha Nomos demo. Per their Steam page, the full game should release later in 2026.
Attention Deficit is a visual novel that turns ADHD into a modern horror game. You’re given a group project and a long break to complete it. It doesn’t feel fair; you had plans for the long break, and now you have a project due. If you would just sit down and do the project, you could get it done in a day. It feels impossible. Slowly, small tasks start to pile up like laundry, but you’re still thinking about the project you swear you have time to do later. Attention Deficit made me feel anxious because it felt a little too relatable. I thought the demo nailed the struggle of sitting down and concentrating on a task through an impossible-to-complete- on purpose- mini game. The demo has two endings depending on the few choices you get to make. I think it was nice that the demo had some replayability and am interested to see what kind of replayability the full game will have. Per the Steam page, Attention Deficit will release later in 2026.
I’m glad more games are starting to highlight demos before launch. I think this helps build a fan base early and get on a lot of wishlists. I also feel like I find gems during the demo showcases that I may have missed otherwise. It seems like a lot of fun indie games with unique premises are right around the corner. What’s been your favorite demo of the year so far?
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