OK, gonna try this again since the format exploded last time. I’d originally posted screenshots for each one, but I think that’s part of what broke it. So I’m posting without the screenshots
I played a bunch of the NextFest Demos over the weekend, and here are the ones I liked:
Motorslice
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2830030/MOTORSLICE/
Super smooth and satisfying parkouring of Prince of Persia '08 + Shadow of the Colossus “maze bosses” + BLAME!-style megastructure!
I am SO excited for the full game!
Let It Die: Inferno
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2576150/LET_IT_DIE_INFERNO/
I’m a big fan of the original Let It Die, so I’ve been excited for this one. Vaguely-Soulsy-Action-Rogue-ish without being too rogue, the “runs” here are time limited, which gives them almost a Fortnite vibe and a “just one more” addictiveness. Still the same Suda51 magic, but a lot more colorful than the first LID was, which is great.
Reanimal
https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/4019420/
From Tarsier the team who made Little Nightmares 1 and 2. It’s Little Nightmares, with co-op, and dialogue!
(I just learned today that Little Nightmares 3 is NOT by Tarsier, so I guess they were making this instead!)
The Walking Trade
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3398110/The_Walking_Trade/
I did NOT expect to like this game nearly as much as I did. It’s about running a shop during a zombie apocalypse, and feels like one of the better Roblox games – both in good ways like a tight, compelling core loop, and in bad ways like controllers being an afterthought that only half works.
Needs a better title, though; I had no idea what it was about from the title, and then it took me a while to get the pun of the title.
Hoomanz!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3732360/Hoomanz_Demo/
A cute stealth puzzle game where you’re a squirrel trying to scare humans out of your forest. But if they catch you you get… SNUGGLED!!! 
Seance of Blake Manor https://store.steampowered.com/app/3547180/The_Sance_of_Blake_Manor_Demo/
Very intriguing demo! Shades of The Invisible Hours, with a Blue Prince art style.
I got stuck on a puzzle where I had to find something in a certain number of moves, and instead I got caught up talking to a druid, and failed.
Ire: Prologue
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3547420/Ire_A_Prologue/
Alien Isolation, on a boat! Has some promise, and a neat “hub” system where you keep finding yourself back on the bridge of the ship, and story tokens you’ve collected show up there.
Mayor May Knott
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3955630/Mayor_May_Knott_Demo/
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention MY OWN demo.
It’s like Weird Al and David Lynch made Animal Crossing. You make friends with jumpscare monsters, and listen to style-parody records to learn how to put ghosts to rest.
Tides of Tomorrow
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3951580/Tides_of_Tomorrow_Demo/
A narrative-driven first-person stealth game with a unique core mechanic: you show up right after the previous player, and have to deal with his choices; so if he stole stuff, you get blamed for it. Or if he ate a bunch of hotdogs, those hotdogs aren’t there for you to eat. You can see ghosts of the previous player and their actions.
The Last Caretaker
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1783560/The_Last_Caretaker/
Prey + Poppy Platime?? Poppy Prey-time???
At first I wondered why you can pick up everything, but then I learned that you can shove everything into the recycler. Woo, recycling! A lot of the game revolves around connecting cables between things, but it isn’t really puzzley. You can also break gooey polyps that release little attack dudes.
This game took FOUR FULL MINUTES to compile shaders, and it did so with an “in-game” UI, so I’m worried most people will think that’s broken.
Winter Burrow
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3142660/Winter_Burrow_Demo/
A cute and cozy crafting game where you play as a mouse fixing up your old hollow-tree-stump house. Nice, relaxing loop of going out to gather resources, then crafting furniture and food and clothes to keep you warm.
Also some welcome QOL features like “gather all” and crafting from chests.
Starsand Island
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3864220/Starsand_Island_Demo/
A lot like My Time At Portia, but more polished.. and with skateboarding! And ridiculous names for the hair colors during character creation!
