During Steam NextFest 2025, I shared 18 demos during three live streams, and played some additional games off stream. I’ll share my first impressions of the demos I explored. This post covers games I played off stream:
Wanderstop
Wanderstop is a life sim game with narrative-driven play about “change and tea”. Stepping into the shoes of Alta, a fighter who has lost her edge, players set out on an emotional journey. Alta seeks a Master to train her back to the top of the fighting game, and struggles with her emotions and the weight of perceived failure. She meets Boro, a gentle man who runs a tea shop. Unable to continue her journey, she accepts Boro’s welcome and works to deal with her emotions.
I love the art style, the quirky charm of the Boro and his tea shop, and the dialogue choices offered to the player as Alta converses with Boro. This game is cozy and heartwarming while dealing with harsh emotions that can flood one’s mind when struggling with life events. It’s an amazing balance, and I look forward to playing the full game when it releases (schedule for March 11, 2025.)
Visit Wanderstop on Steam.
Tales of Seikyu
Tales of Seikyu is a charming farming/dating sim set on a magical island. The main character has powers of transformation. Due to time constraints, I didn’t make it very far in the demo so I only got to experience access to my boar form. The game has a beautiful setting and the graphics are lovely.
The initial gameplay pace was relaxing, and the tutorial walked me through finding my way around town and taught me the basics of farming and crafting. I also learned how to transform into a boar (and in what situations that might be useful.) The dialogue with villagers was engaging. My one point of critique is that the combat felt a little sluggish relative to when I pressed a key to trigger an action.
Overall, I had a nice time in Tales of Seikyu, and would have enjoyed playing it more. I’ve wishlisted the game to keep an eye on it. The store page indicates that the game is “Coming Soon to Early Access.”
Visit Tales of Seikyu on Steam.
Where Noble Plans Lie
Where Noble Plans Lie is a turn-based RPG city builder, where the player has to undermine people’s loyalty for their current noble and replace them, all for nefarious purposes. Achieving this shift of loyalty requires the player to engage in subtle subterfuge. Unfortunately, my attempts at subterfuge are anything but subtle.
I don’t generally play games with a villainous protagonist. I am an enthusiast of the city builder genre, so I decided to try this demo. I think skilled turn-based RPG players could navigate this interesting game concept.
Visit Where Noble Plans Lie on Steam.
Cornerpond
Cornerpond is a fishing idler that keeps you company in a corner of your desktop. The adorable pixel art fisher dangles their legs and casts a line, often managing the catch independently. A pop-up mini game allows the player to assist with an occasional catch. There is a limit to how many caught fish can be held in your inventory. Checking in and selling fish for cash to purchase bait or upgrades is necessary to progress.
Players can control the window size, choose their preferred “always on top” setting, adjust the volume level, and select which sounds (if any) they want to hear. I enjoy running idler games while I work, and Cornerpond has all the settings to give me control over the “distraction level” of the game. If you are a fellow collector of idlers, I recommend checking out Cornerpond.
Visit Cornerpond on Steam.
That does it for this year’s Steam NextFest game demos round up for me. I hope you enjoyed NextFest and found some great additions to your wishlist. I know I sure did!
Read all of Ravvy’s Steam NextFest 2025 Game Demos posts:
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