Saph the Something

Mosaic of the Strange on Steam Mosaic of the Strange is a picross/minesweeper hybrid featuring ENORMOUS interlocking puzzles. Help Special Agents Cullen and Brady investigate a bizarre murder, while discovering 125 real-world paran...

Mosaic of the Strange (7 hrs) - A variant on minesweeper with a detective story; reminds me of Hexcells. I like this kind of game a lot, but I prefer it on a handheld device so maybe I would play it on SteamDeck? Definitely a sit and reason through it kind of puzzle game. - Yes

THRASHER on Steam THRASHER is an award-winning arcade odyssey and audiovisual experience. Guide a magnificent space eel, swooping and thrashing it through mesmerizing alien worlds in the ultimate race for survival. Div...

Thrasher (37 min) - Time attack game with a fluid feel and neat mechanics. Visually reminds me of Thumper a lot. I think I would have done better with VR controls, but alas. - It's good, but just wasn't clicking with my brain personally

Philna Fantasy on Steam Philna Fantasy delivers the classic pixel RPG experience! Choose from four distinct classes and embark on an epic journey across Votland. Enjoy over 15 hours of thrilling combat, hunt for powerful loo...

Philna Fantasy (~2 hrs) - There's more than a few bugs in this demo, but it's fine overall? It wasn't too frustrating to die, even if some attack patterns really sucked. I was just kind of bored though, nothing was grabbing me about the story or mechanics. - Nah

Saveseeker on Steam Embark on a quest to overwrite save points in Saveseeker, a turn-based RPG about a time-traveling girl who must save the world from her father.

Saveseeker (1 hr) - Not a bad little turn based RPG, it's got nice visuals and plenty of charm. I don't play a lot of this genre so I can't speak to how good the combat is in comparison, but I liked it decent enough. - Maybe

Blind Memory on Steam Dive into a haunting mystery where you wake up half-blind and amnesiac, trapped in a time-looping nightmare. Uncover the truth through shifting 3D and 2D perspectives, where every revelation twists re...

Blind Memory (15 min) - For one there's just not a lot to it. That being said I was glad to be done with it that quick; voice acting is laughably bad, it doesn't feel good, and it stopped me at one point with an invisible wall. It needs a lot of work. - No

MAELSTROM LEGACY: The Tesla Mystery on Steam The Tesla Mystery is a puzzle-driven adventure game. Join the journey of investigation in a Paris infused with steampunk and Art Nouveau styles. Nikola Tesla, mastermind behind the Science Conference,...

MAELSTROM LEGACY: The Tesla Mystery (80 min) - Professor Layton with a little Ace Attorney thrown in. I liked it a lot, but I'm also very nostalgic for these games so it was always going to be a hit with me. Translation needs a little work though, the dialogue is weird at times. - Hell yes

October Demo Round-Up | Saph the Something Get more from Saph the Something on Patreon

Last week's demos, plus a full and unabridged write-up over on my Patreon for all of October's demos (for free):

Goob on Steam Embark on an epic journey into the depths of a mysterious and treacherous underground world. This immersive adventure combines exploring vast and mysterious caves teaming with ferocious monsters, mini...

Goob (21 min) - Just not very fun? Feels like someone's first game, just unforgiving in a tedious way. I get what it's going for, but it's just not that fun of a loop to slowly dig through dirt and collect resources. - No, I even stopped playing early because it was doing nothing for me

Nirih on Steam Fly across worlds in pursuit of tainted souls that will corrupt the realms they inhabit. Boost your speed by following their trails and battling their creations, while dodging obstacles in your hunt.

Nirih (8 min) - A time attack game about falling through levels. Interesting concept and definitely a lot of room for skill to be involved in terms of high scores, just not really my thing. - Nah

Checkmate in the Wild West - Chess Adventure on Steam Saddle up for a Wild West chess puzzle adventure! Will you become an outlaw or a deputy? Your choices matter. Test your wits, cross paths with bandits, sheriffs, helpers, and hustlers. Solve puzzles, ...

Checkmate in the Wild West (22 min) - Big mobile game energy, which isn't necessarily a big deal, but not what I'm looking for in a game on Steam. Simple concept of just identifying checks and captures on boatrds that are set up for you. - Nah, just not that engaging for me personally

Subversive Memories on Steam Subversive Memories is a story driven survival horror set in Brazil during the last military dictatorship. Explore the backrooms of an oppressive regime, escape ominous presences and scavenge every co...

Subversive Memories (51 min) - Signalis meets Alan Wake with an old school Resident Evil feel. Really good so far, great atmosphere and interesting pieces of lore and story. It's got that slow creepiness that I like from these kinds of games. - Definitely yes

Bleu Bayou on Steam A lonesome crawdad mired in debt, you vie to topple the loan sharks and robber barons that run your neck of the bayou. In this 8-bit roguelite boss rush shoot 'em up, you'll leverage 100+ upgrades aga...

Bleu Bayou (30 min) - Not at all like the cover image, which is a disservice because I think the game looks good. 2D bullet hell soulslike; I am very not good at it, but it was fun! Definitely a game with a lot of room to grow your skill - Not for me, but a good rec for someone else

The Oversight Bureau on Steam The Oversight Bureau is a voice-driven narrative adventure game. You are candidate 404, trapped inside C.U.T.E. - a rehabilitation program designed to make you a more “appropriate” member of society. ...

The Oversight Bureau (34 min) - Neat little gimmick game having to use audio to issue commands. Some of it hit the mark and felt natural, some felt like it was ignoring my choice, so I'd need to play more to test the dialogue system and see how much it could stretch. Stanley Parable vibes. - Yeah

Ambrosia Sky on Steam You left. Now they’re dead. Ambrosia Sky: Act One is an immersive sim about exploring an asteroid colony devastated by a mysterious contamination. Survive and harvest strains of aggressive alien fungi...

Ambrosia Sky (95 min) - Great vibes, interesting setting and story, gameplay with some Powerwash Simulator vibes and a bit of light combat and exploration. Sets the stage really nicely for the full game, lots of intrigue to get you hooked. - Definitely yes

Alright, this week's demo roundup (still working through stuff from Next Fest for probably a couple weeks):

A Game About Feeding A Black Hole on Steam A short incremental game about feeding a Black Hole matter by destroying Asteroids, Planets, and Stars.

(2/2) My only complaint is that the unlock currency shouldn't be money, it should be something like "science" or "research" points; it feels incongruous to be getting paid as a black hole for destroying things. - Yes, I like these games from time to time

(1/2) A Game About Feeding A Black Hole (25 min) - An incrimental game about what the title says. Honestly pretty engaging, it's much less idle than I feared it would be because you are moving the damage cursor around and it's got an interesting upgrade tree (though severely limited in the demo).

Kioku: Last Summer on Steam Kioku: Last Summer invites you to a vibrant island as Asti, a young girl exploring her first summer in a new home. Uncover mysteries, forge friendships, and relive the magic of summer as a child in th...

(2/2) demo screen (it started to loop some scenes and dialogue in weird ways). - Maybe, I think it has potential but it needs work still to feel and look a bit smoother and finished

(1/2) Kioku: Last Summer (40 min) - A charming little game but in need of some polish. Kids being kids kind of vibe, some creature collecting/collectathon stuff going on. I'm intrigued by it, but I was able to break it really easily by just continuing to play for a little after seeing the end of

Monitor State on Steam You are an operator in a dystopia world, watch and punish citizens. Experience a deep narrative with moral dilemmas. Obey, resist or find another path.

Monitor State (20 min) - It's just really bare bones, it feels like a first project with very; specific rules for success/failure. Just wasn't all that interesting; the concept has been done really well already, so you have to do a good job if you're going to do it. Hit end of demo screen. - No

Key Fairy on Steam A hand-drawn, pacifist, folkloric, bullet-hell. Grapple and dance around monsters to collect their shattered stars, weave your way through twisting paths, encounter strange folk, uncover ancient magic...

(3/3) - Probably not, it just didn't gel with me even though I find it interesting, and I find that really disappointing because I tend to like this kind of game a lot

(2/3) are on bigger screens with really large enemies. I'm disappointed because I want to like it but I had to quit playing because it was frustrating in a way that didn't feel like my failure was my fault; I didn't feel like I could overcome the challenge if I kept going, just get annoyed.

(1/3) Key Fairy (35 min) - Pacifist bullet hell. Really nice visual styles and vibes, very poetic, but the movement is floaty and the grapple will just misbehave and not go in the direction of the cursor sometimes which makes the dodging really frustrating. It's also easy to lose sight of where you

Jackal on Steam Execute ultra-violent raids in 1970s casino hotels. Become a drug-fueled Vegas hitman that takes down the mob in unforgiving top-down close combat. Betray bosses, rob casinos and steal the dames

Jackal (42 min) - Like Hotline Miami and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas had a baby. Very stylish, great music, and solid gameplay feel, just not a kind of game I am particularly good at. - Yes, if only to give it as a recommendation rather than play it myself

My Little Cafe Nightmare on Steam Brew otherworldly coffee for ghostly patrons in a dark, cozy first-person café. Upgrade your shop, manage supplies, and turn a haunted café into a sanctuary amidst nightmares.

(2/2) that component to be perfect. - Maybe, depends if they would implement mini games and also I'd like to see some kind of story aspect woven through which is not implied by the demo content

(1/2) My Little Cafe Nightmare (88 min) - Cafe simulator for ghosts; honestly very cute and it had the right cozy gaming vibe BUT it needs some variety in the interactions. Everything was just click or hold, no mini games at all for the different steps of the process and I think it's really missing

Steel Century Groove on Steam Steel Century Groove is a rhythm-RPG where you pilot mecha in dance battles! Challenge yourself against the deep music combat system, build a team of colossal dancers, make friends, and take on rivals...

Steel Century Groove (86 min) - Pokemon but what if dance battles with giant mechs? I'm surprised by how well it works as a concept and there's some interesting complexity they added to the mix as it went on. Plus you can upload your own music to use - Keeping an eye on it, I do like rhythm games...

Abyss Kitchen on Steam Abyss Kitchen is a survival action game in which you play the role of Lop a cook who accompanies a party of adventurers, and guides them with the power of food. Feed yourself in the dungeon and eat wh...

(2/2) any kind of cooking minigame when you do the full meals at the campfire, that was super disappointing. - Probably not, no cooking minigames

(1/2) Abyss Kitchen (13 min) - The gimmick of gathering resources behind an adventuring party is alright, it combines some attack dodging with time management while you make instant dishes to power up the actual party and the result is honestly pretty solid. I would like the game more if there were

REANIMAL on Steam The creators of Little Nightmares™ I & II have returned to take you on a darker, more terrifying journey than ever before. In this horror adventure game, a brother & sister go through hell to ...

REANIMAL (30-45 min) - You can definitely tell it was made by the same people as Little Nightmares, it has the same kind of gameplay and visual style and atmosphere. Definitely interesting, something I would enjoy playing if it came to GamePass but am unlikely to buy. - Keeping an eye on it