I think it’s fair to say that if you’re reading this, you already know why you’re here: you want to learn about some interesting upcoming games. As such, I won’t belabour the point with an excessive intro: let’s hop right into my favourite demos from the June 2025 Next Fest.

Oh, also – if you’ve read my previous Next Fest round-ups: I’m changing the format a little. I used to specify whether I wishlisted a title, which I won’t be doing anymore. That’s because everything featured was added to my wishlist. Consider following suit if any of the featured games catch your eye as wishlisting helps developers with visibility on Steam when they release their game.

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Big Hops

Elevator Pitch: A 3D-Platformer with hints of systemic problem-solving, and a grappling hook.

Thoughts: Of the different games that I played throughout the current Next Fest, Big Hops was 1 of few that made me laugh. Repeatedly.

Part of that laughter stems from my inability to properly perceive depth in third-person (don’t read into that too much), but the more important source stems from how inherently playful Big Hops is. The game features a few mechanics that are almost systemic in nature, and this gives players a ton of space to use those aforementioned mechanics to solve problems.

For example, there was a spot within the game’s tutorial where I uncovered acorns that grew into large climbable stalks after the acorn was thrown into the ground. This led to several instances where I made an absolutely ungainly mess of vines to cross over one of many bottomless pits. It might not have looked the nicest, but I was still happy that my awkward bridges worked.

Those sorts of system-driven solutions appeared throughout Big Hops demo, and I loved that about it. None of it was particularly complex, but I appreciated how the game provides tools and then leaves how best to use them up to the player’s discretion. I think that’s the best approach with this kind of thing, and I ended up having a ton of fun with the demo as a result.

Also, Hop uses his tongue as a grappling hook, and that has to be just about one of the best things I saw across any of the games I played during this Next Fest.

Ratatan

Elevator Pitch: The spiritual successor to the cult classic Rhythm game Patapon, now with a Roguelike twist.

Thoughts: Ratatan was the other demo that made me laugh as I was playing it. I think that had everything to do with how goofy the whole thing was. You’re leading a squad of gremlins whom you command by issuing rhythmic commands. They then charge into battle on your behest, shouting things like “MURDER”, and “PEW PEW.” This, all while an almost joyful tune plays in the background.

That said, Ratatan was the demo that kept my attention for the longest amount of time. That’s entirely because it features a run-based structure akin to other Roguelikes. It was really easy to get sucked back into another run after purchasing a few upgrades in the hub town, and kitting out my army with new equipment.

Though, having said that, I didn’t find the Roguelike elements of the game overly compelling. Each run featured a new set of power-ups to help increase the proficiency of your soldiers in battle, but they didn’t really feel distinct. By that, I mean that the power-ups all felt roughly the same strength, so deciding to take a new fire power over a water power didn’t feel as though it held much weight.

That all might be something I’m a little pickier about because of all the time that I’ve spent playing other Action-Roguelike titles, but I still really enjoyed Ratatan. It’s the kind of game that feels really simple to get into, but where there’s just enough of a push-and-pull to keep players engaged as they try to best their previous best attempt. It’ll definitely be 1 to keep an eye on, especially with its upcoming Early Access release at the tail-end of July.

Slip n’ Slime

Elevator Pitch: A Puzzler where you guide an adorable pink slime through a series of (what are ostensibly) ice puzzles.

Thoughts: YES! Another Puzzle game about sliding around! I figured Sliding Hero would be a 1-off, but to see a completely separate development team attacking the same sorts of puzzles? Well, I’ll be eating good in 2025, that much is certain.

That said, Slip n’ Slime takes a much different route from the aforementioned Sliding Hero in that it is level-based, and a lot more strictly focused on puzzles. Otherwise, it’s exactly what you’d think a game entirely about “ice puzzles” would look like. 

To be clear, this is very much my sort of thing, and I am very much looking forward to playing more of Slip n’ Slime. I knew as much before playing the demo – and only had those thoughts reaffirmed, and cemented afterwards.

Though, it isn’t just sliding puzzles in Slip n’ Slime: the demo also showcased a few additional mechanics like tiles where the player’s movement comes to a stop, crumbling floors, and narrow passageways. This helped to give the demo a great sense of pacing, which I suspect will carry through to the full release.

I do have 1 suggestion if anyone from the development team happens to read this though: consider increasing the contrast on buttons when they’re currently selected while the player is using a controller in the menus. I couldn’t tell what was selected while using a controller in the menus, and eventually used a mouse after I’d given up. Chances are that if I had trouble with this then others will too. Just some food for thought – otherwise the demo was lovely.

Lost & Found Co.

Elevator Pitch: A Cozy Hidden Object game where you meet a cast of colourful characters, and help the local community.

Thoughts: Lost & Found Co. was surprisingly fun. I say surprisingly because I don’t have a ton of experience with Hidden Object games, and I find most Adventure games with excessive pixel hunting to be incredibly tedious. Instead, Lost & Found Co. was a really pleasant time.

I don’t have much else to say about this one owing to it being mostly inline with what you’d expect from a Hidden Object game.

Though, I will say that I’m curious about the direction of the overarching narrative in the full release. The few glimpses of a story that were present in the demo caught enough of my attention to where I’m curious how things will be handled in the full game.

Either way, Lost & Found Co. is an extremely chilled out title, and something that I think a lot of folks would enjoy playing through, especially after a long day at the office.

Herdling

Elevator Pitch: A game wherein you gather a flock of furry creatures, and embark on a quest as their shepherd.

Thoughts: Herdling is probably the most subdued I felt while playing a demo. Most of my other picks from the Next Fest are more…dopamine driven. They’re the kind of games where it feels good to solve a problem, or overcome a challenge.

By contrast, Herdling is more of an experience. You take up the mantle of a shepherd, and tend to a flock of furry, horned creatures. Most of the gameplay side of things involves directing your herd, while you occasionally take breaks to solve puzzles.

Despite that simplicity, I really enjoyed what I played of Herdling. The way the camera frames the onscreen action, the lighting, and the use of music all made what was happening feel a lot more like a spectacle than it probably was. The best example of this was how the background music swelled as soon as my herd escaped the cramped corridors of the city, and were finally set free in the open field. That has me thinking that the folks behind the game know exactly what kinds of emotional beats they’re hoping to hit, and I think that could make Herdling a journey well worth taking.

Not my strongest recommendation – I know – but I think there’s something special here, and I’m keen to see more of Herdling.

Motion Rec

Elevator Pitch: A Puzzle-Platformer where you record, and replay your movements to navigate through the levels.

Thoughts: Gosh. I wish every Puzzle-Platformer was this interesting. The core mechanic of Motion Rec is demonstrated within the first 20 seconds of its trailer, but it has so much depth. It turns out that there are a lot of different kinds of puzzles that you can build when you’re designing around recording, and replaying the player’s movement.

I think the most clever part of this whole idea was Motion Rec’s level design. Often, the solution to a problem is obvious. The levels are purpose built in a way where you’ll know exactly what type of recorded movement you need to progress. However, the trick comes from finding how you can record that motion to actually solve the level. That creates this nice push and pull where the player is trying to figure out exactly how to get the proper recording setup. It’s just…so cool.

Were it not for another game on this list, Motion Rec would have been my favourite demo of the Next Fest. Seriously – you gotta check out Motion Rec. It’s very clever.

Monument Valley 3

Elevator Pitch: A relaxing Puzzle game about perspective.

Thoughts: This is a bit shameful to admit, but I didn’t know that Monument Valley had moved off of mobile. I remember the original getting a ton of buzz back in 2014 because it was 1 of very few mobile games that wasn’t…exactly what you think of when your mind’s eye conjures up a (derogatory) vision of a mobile game.

Editor’s Notes: I found out that Monument Valley 3 has been out for over 6 months already on mobile while completing the final draft of this post, which should further cement how much of a nothing burger mobile gaming is to me. No shade if it’s your cup of tea – I just don’t use my phone for games.

Regardless, seeing the latest entry, Monument Valley 3,  in the Next Fest prompted me to give it a try, and see what all of the fuss from 10 years ago was about.

As far as Puzzle games goes, Monument Valley 3 seemed quite alright. The mechanics weren’t particularly involved, but I think that meshed really well with the overall aesthetic of the game. The colour choice, and music seemed to be going for a very chilled out vibe, so having simpler puzzles went well in-hand with that. It’s the sort of thing that I could see myself milling through level by level each night before I run Chives (my cat) around, and go to bed.

MIO: Memories in Orbit

Elevator Pitch: A beautiful Metroidvania set in the dregs of a dying world.

Thoughts: I think that MIO: Memories in Orbit is going to become my go-to game to point at when I hear people losing their mind over Silksong’s release date. 

It might feel a bit reductive to say, but MIO has, for my money, a lot of the same elements that made Hollow Knight such an affecting game. MIO was quiet, moody, and it largely left the player to their own devices while silently guiding them through the game world. That’s exactly the kind of experience I’m looking for with games in this genre, so I had a great time playing through MIO’s demo.

Having said all of that, the big standout for me with MIO was the double jump. The second jump resets, allowing for an additional jump, whenever MIO strikes something. This opened up a lot of aerial movement for both exploring, and exploiting the limited mobility of enemies  in combat. There was even a boss fight in the demo where I spent most of my time attacking, and dodging the boss through repeatedly chaining jumps together. That was really satisfying in the way that only good platformer movement can be.

Either way, MIO shot up to being my most anticipated games for the remainder of 2025. It was my favourite demo of the event, and I have high hopes for the full release.

And with that, we’re done.

I’m well aware that I posted this rather late given the June Next Fest is almost concluded, but, increasingly, developers are leaving their demos up after the event. As such, I didn’t feel a need to rush myself, especially since I was dealing with some personal stuff when the event started.

Either way, I hope you found something cool to keep an eye on. If so, don’t forget to wishlist the game. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but that does help developers, and it doesn’t cost anything to do.

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