I love demos. And Steam loves them too! There’s been another Next Fest this week and I would like to share my favorites with you!

Tifa’s Top 5 – Next Fest Edition

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Wild Woods

(1 – 4 players online and local co-op)
You defend the precious cart together and make sure it reaches its destination safely. All while being cute cats!
The demo works well and you’re able to play a full run. It’s wonderfully playable with a controller and I love that I can throw items into the chest and don’t have to walk up all the way.
I can see this getting stressful in later levels but the demo was quite fun :)

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Tiny Aquarium

I think this one has been around in the Next Fest earlier this year but I forgot to mention it. I find myself still checking on my fishies sometimes and even though they can die (which would have been a no-go for me) you can resurrect them with some in-game money. I love the collecting aspect of this game and most of all that you can display it as a tiny live aquarium on your monitor!! That’s really cute and it’s rather relaxing seeing a few fish on the screen while doing other things.

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Garden Trill

Want to be a cute bird in a wholesome garden, plant flowers and collect adorable clothing and accessories?! Look no further, you have found YOUR game!
The demo works smoothly with the controller and I really enjoyed hopping and flapping around and trying a hat on!

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Trash Goblin

The demo works with the controller even though the game page didn’t say so. I have to admit that I preferred doing the activities with the mouse though. Thanks to the adjustable settings of clicking or hovering this isn’t too stressful for the hand (speaking as a carpal tunnel victim so I choose most games only when they have controller support).
I enjoyed the wholesome atmosphere between our character and their helpful friend. The demo shows the basic interactions and steps, I hope to see more cool things added in the final game :)

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Luma Island

(1 – 4 players online co-op)
It bears similarity with Stardew Valley and My Time at Sandrock but Luma Island certainly has its own charm and the fishing mechanic is definitely something that I have never seen before!
I enjoy fishing a lot in games because the activity adds something relaxing for me (unlike in real life, mind you), so I always have to test it if it is available in games. Luma Island might increase your fear of darkness though because … you will see :D I loved the little “riddle ruins” that we were able to explore! We would have played for hours but the demo gives you the first 5 in-game days :) The only thing I wonder is what happens to the items in my inventory once I drop out of a co-op game. There were no chests you could have built to store things in. So is my character saved in my own Steam account with all her belongings? What happens when we want to continue the same game later, are my things still there? I liked the calm atmosphere of the game (except for when I panicked because I encountered a ghost) and am looking forward to the final game!

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Your thoughts?

That’s it from me, these were my favorite 5 games of those that I’ve seen and tested :)
I’d love to hear about yours if you’ve had a look as well! :D

PS: Always do recommend me games with enjoyable collecting or fishing mechanics, please :D