The Winter Games Demo Event has just ended, so it is time to take stock of all the games in existence. The technical services are of course (with a few exceptions) not taken into account, as these are non-final versions, most of which are not very far advanced. Rather, the focus will be on the interest of the concept and the gameplay premises presented. It’s entirely possible that a title with a catchy demo turns out to be disappointing, and vice versa.
In total, more than 35 demos were available between December 7th and 21st. If we take away Flewfie’s adventure which was apparently not available in France, and the titles that were already unveiled during the Summer Game Festival, that number drops to 29.
Without further ado, let’s go through this new batch, sorted in alphabetical order.
APICO
To take Minecraft for its sandpit and craft side. To take Stardew Valley for its graphics (but smoother). And finally, take beekeeping as a subject and you get it APICO ! If these types of titles can be scary to deal with at times, especially on the console, this is not the case. The player is well taken by the hand thanks to a clever tutorial (but in this version in English). The handling is a bit overwhelming at first, but really nothing insurmountable over time. In short, an eye-catching universe and gameplay that has nothing left to prove, the result can be a good surprise for lovers of craft and management.
Playing time: 20 minutes
Genre: Craft / Gestion
Conclusion: will delight fans of the genre
Release: 2022
fan
Strive: Ina’s valley
A graphic touch with a lot of charm, nice music, Aspire: Ina’s story is a game that combines poetry, reflection and platform. You play as Ina, who tries to escape from these mysterious places. The puzzles crossed during the demo are pretty well calibrated, with a progressive difficulty curve. The game mechanics of the title as well as the decorations have been renewed for the delight of the eyes. The only drawback is the somewhat long loading times. And you don’t have to bother, because the title has been available for a few days!
Playing time: 30 minutes
Genre: platform
Conclusion: very promising
Published: December 17, 2021
fan
Aztech – Forgotten Gods
Aztech – Forgotten Gods is an action / adventure / platform game in which we play eighth. In addition to a hairstyle that would make any protagonist stand out Dragon ball, she has a huge glove that gives her a lot of useful powers in combat or during the platform phases. In particular, it will be able to float or slide on the walls, thus conveying a sacred feeling of freedom when moving. As the name suggests, the game is inspired by Aztec mythology to forge its universe and add a touch of steampunk to it. The graphics are nice, but the backgrounds are a little too empty at times. A lot of dialogues accompany this demo, unfortunately they are adorned with quite annoying sound effects, a shame. While monsters are not lacking in charisma, I had handling issues that I found at times inaccurate and loaded far too often. Hopefully the finished product will be better.
Playing time: 40 minutes
Genre: Action / Platform / Adventure
Conclusion: easily packed
Exit: 1is Quarter of 2022
fan
Best month ever!
1969. The year humanity set foot on the moon. The emblematic year for the hippie movement. But also the year in which Mitch lost his mother. In fact, the one who is raising her son alone sees her days numbered and she has to look for a new home for him when she is no longer there. Best month ever! is therefore a narrative game in which your decisions determine the development of the 8-year-old child and forge their future personality. What will he have learned thanks to or because of you? The concept is quite promising, unfortunately the title is weighed down by its heavy gameplay. The stop motion animations collide with the rest of the environment and the movements are really slow. Hoping the plot will make you forget that …
Playing time: 30 minutes
Genre: Point and Click / Narration
Conclusion: rather promising
Publication: unannounced
fan
Blacktail
As soon as the demo has started, the atmosphere that is created is impressive. Fascinating music and beautiful works of art. We find that all of this has been given special consideration. Blacktail played in the first person perspective, you need to collect resources and then create items such as: B. arrows. It also has an RPG dimension to it as you have a whole host of skills to unlock, as well as a moral system based on your choices and actions. After all, everything takes place in an open world. The plot looks promising, and I look forward to discovering the rest of Baba Yaga’s story. To be aware of that Blacktail is only planned for Xbox Series X | S, on Microsoft’s side.
Playing time: 50 minutes
Genre: Action RPG
Conclusion: very promising
Publication: unannounced
fan
Blind fate: Edo no Yami
Here we have a 2D action / platform game whose main character is a blind ninja. After a surprising introduction, or rather unsettling, since we only see our character and not the setting, the gameplay seems nervous and very arcade. The graphics are very well done and the fluidity is at the rendezvous. Double jump, sword attack, ranged and dodging, the fights get pretty nervous. The slightly increased level of difficulty should please lovers of the challenge. I also liked the game with the hero’s perceptions, since he is blind, the backgrounds are reconstructed with a database. And the latter will not necessarily be current, which will sometimes surprise the player. Clever. To counteract this, various sensors (e.g. sound-based) are available. In short, although I’m not a fan of the genre, I feel a lot of potential and great ideas for it Blind fate. To see over time, as so often.
Playing time: 30 minutes
Genre: Action / 2D platform
Conclusion: will delight fans of the genre
Publication: unannounced
fan
Breakers Collection
This compilation contains Breaker and Breakers Revenge, published in 1996 and 1998 on Neo Geo. According to QUByte, bonus content has been added. If you’re looking for an objective review of this demo you won’t find it here. For the simple reason that fighting games are one of the genres I have the least affinity with, and retro games are pretty similar. It was therefore a title that hit the market quickly and, for my part, was quickly forgotten.
Playing time: 5 minutes
Genre: fight
Conclusion: not for me
Published: January 2022
fan
To access the other parts of our file do not hesitate to use the links below.
Table of Contents
