So many demos released in the last few weeks it has made my head spin and I definitely missed a few, but here was the stand-outs for me. These games show real promise and I hope this encourages you to download them (if available), play them, and then support their development as best you can, even if it’s just for your wishlist.
Colmen’s Quest of Dusk & Dungeons
I happened upon a naming poll for Colmen’s Quest of Dusk & Dungeons on Twitter and instead of just voting and moving on I was feeling jaunty and I suggested adding the “Quest” in Colmen’s Quest (the vote was for Colmen’s Tale). Sounds pretty nice right? The next day the demo popped up on itch and of course I had to give it a try. It was exactly the game I’ve been looking for without even knowing I was looking for it. The pixel graphics might turn you off at first, but that’s part of the experience- it’s intended to evoke old school RPG dungeon crawling in the vein of Ultima. It’s not a party-based game though, you are Colmen, one man on a quest (multiple actually). The movement and combat will appeal to old school RPG fans, rogue-like fans, and even Diablo fans. You start in a town, explore a dungeon full of baddies, collect loot and upgrade your equipment and skills. It is turn-based and monster move and target you as you explore. However, you have an arsenal of skills and spell scrolls to collect and use in your quest. Even though the demo only has four dungeon floors you can replay it multiple times with different builds and those builds can develop organically based on equipment stats and your whims. Character building isn’t incredibly deep at this point but it’s very satisfying to see your Colmen come to life. The demo only recently dropped so the developer Felix Laukel (@coldi) is looking for feedback and interest. I would highly recommend giving this demo a try and let him know how much you appreciate his old school turn-based dungeon crawler, they are in short supply nowadays.
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos
I have been excited about The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos for months now, so getting to play the demo was truly a joy. The demo truly surprised and delighted me. I thought it would probably be some watered down turn-based RPG with silly humor and maybe some scruffiness, but what I played was a polished, truly funny, and deeply strategic RPG. Sure it was silly, but the tactical stuff was no joke, and it looks to be the best fantasy turn-based RPG since Divinity Original Sin 2. Yep, I said that, and I stand by it. It has all the necessary elements for deep turn-based combat with varying abilities, melee and ranged characters, positioning and flanking. It even offers some innovations like movement pathing and waiting for your turn in order to line up a devastating sequence. I felt like I only touched the very surface of all the tactical possibilities and that is just awesome! And then there’s the story and characters. I loved it! Sure it was silly, but it was also profane and irreverent. It was also a nice contrast to tough-as-nails combat. The demo gave you just enough story that you definitely were interested and even a bit invested in the characters already. I can’t stand that I have to wait to see how it will play out, even if that wait is only a few weeks. In an AMA chat with the devs they said the game will be about 40 hours, which is on the shorter side for RPGs. So all told, this is a game to get hyped about. I think it will surprise a lot of people and become a cult and maybe popular favorite. It will also be fun to see people trying to say its title.
Floppy Knights
Floppy Knights is one of the best introductions to turn-based combat and deckbuilding I’ve seen. None of the elements are very deep or complex, but as a whole they offer satisfying strategic choice and consequence in a breezy silly story. If you have any young people you know who want to try strategy games but are intimidated by the complexity (actually wait, that’s me, minus the young part) this is a good starting point. So the formula is pretty simple, you have a deck of cards with minions, movement, and other skills that you play on a grid-based map rife with enemies. Some minions are melee, some are ranged and you are given objectives to complete on each map. It’s pretty standard squad strategy stuff, but the melding of the cards, grid-based map, and cartoon style make it fun. This seems like a perfect palate cleanser after more intense games.
The Crown Trick
I knew nothing about The Crown Trick until I saw the demo popup in the Steam Summer Festival. The story is quite bizarre, centered around having a cyclopic crown on your head that gives you special powers. The game really shines in its face-paced turn-based combat, which sounds like an oxymoron of course. The combat flows well with popping animations and is weird and crunchy and cool. The art style, music, and audio are very crisp and appealing as well. It’s mechanics don’t innovate very much, but the way it presents itself is quirky and refreshing. I am not a huge fan of rogue-likes but the way The Crown Trick balances all its elements may convince me this one is worth a playthrough.
Fights in Tight Spaces
Fights in Tight Spaces has the most accurate title of the bunch. It reminds of John Wick if it was card and turn-based (John Wick Hex, while great in it’s own right, does not involve deckbuilding like this game). The action-cartoon style F.I.T.S. perfectly (see what I did there?) and the cards clearly show the kind of visceral action your dapper pugilist will enact as punishment on these crimson thugs. There is RNG, or random events, that occurs with all card-based games as you fail to get the cards you need or your collection isn’t built well, but since the fights are quick and the card options aren’t extensive, it seems adapting on the fly is a big part of the fun.
Shardpunk Verminfall
Shardpunk Verminfall is probably the demo closest to taking the mantle of the next XCOM-like game. Squad-based with distinct classes? Check. Tense turn-based battles? Check. Variety of weapons, skills, explosives and items? Check. The Sharpunk demo ups the ante by throwing so many ratmen at you there is little space to breath and you find you are back-on-your-heels more than you’d like. It’s like the demo is already on Legendary mode and that’s great! The challenge makes it all that more rewarding when you are able to complete it and make your way out of the sewer barely alive. The developer regularly releases updates and its nice to see development changes in process. My only hope is that the squad-based missions will gel into a larger story and you develop that same attachment you had to your XCOM squaddies as they level-up and survive against impossible odds.