If you, like us, are a fan of narrative indie games (think Life Is Strange, Kentucky Route Zero, Night in the Woods, and Oxenfree) then you should probably check out the LudoNarraCon virtual exhibition going on on Steam right now. It’s a celebration of the very best writing games have to offer, hosted by game publisher Fellow Traveller, who you may know from Paradise Killer, In Other Waters, and Neo Cab.
This year, a few games that are coming to Switch (or already out on Switch!) have demos that are available this weekend, if you want to check them out before you add them to your cart. Those games are:
Minute of Islands
Explore strange and wonderful islands and dark labyrinths below in this narrative puzzle platformer. Guide young mechanic Mo on her quest to repair a world on the brink of collapse. The powerful Omni Switch at your disposal may not be enough to fix the damage that hides beneath the surface..
Genesis Noir
A noir adventure spanning time and space. When a love triangle between cosmic beings becomes a bitter confrontation, you’ll witness a gunshot fired by a jealous god—otherwise known as The Big Bang. Jump into the expanding universe and search for a way to destroy creation and save your love.
The Darkside Detective: A Fumble In The Dark
Delouse your room with sage and pack up your travel-sized ouija board, it’s time to re-enter Twin Lakes – America’s 34th most haunted city. Join Detective McQueen as he puzzles his way through 6 chilling cases, risking life and pixelated limb to solve the macabre mysteries that plague the poor town.
Spiritfarer
Spiritfarer is a cozy management game about dying. As ferrymaster to the deceased, build a boat to explore the world, care for your spirit friends, and guide them across mystical seas to finally release them into the afterlife. What will you leave behind?
She Dreams Elsewhere
A surreal adventure RPG where you must traverse an ethereal dreamscape, confront your inner nightmares, and escape from a never-ending coma.
Beacon Pines
Beacon Pines is a cute and creepy adventure game within a magical storybook. You play as both the reader of the book and its main character, Luka. Explore the town to find word charms. Use your charms to change the course of fate!
Nuts
A single-player surveillance mystery. Record the squirrels, report your findings, and piece together what’s really going on in Melmoth Forest.
Later Daters
Welcome to Ye OLDE! Your new retirement paradise. Date as an octogenarian and find somebody to love, or just get your kicks in while the getting is good. Remember, if the chairs are rockin’, don’t come a-knockin.
There are also demos for a bunch of other anticipated (non-Switch) games, and a sale on Steam for many of the participating games, including those like Paradise Killer and Tangle Tower, which don’t have PC demos.
Although it doesn’t seem like this sale has continued onto the Switch eShop, who among us hasn’t bought a game twice for PC and Switch because we really, really liked it?
Alongside the demos, the sale, and the general celebration of narrative games, LudoNarraCon will also feature prominent writers and narrative designers in a series of talks, streams, and panels from today until Sunday 25th April. This will include discussions on death from the creators of Overland and Dwarf Fortress, and instructions on how to get into and succeed at writing for games.
Are there any demos you’re particularly keen to get your mitts on? Tell us in the comments!
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