"Sure, I've already covered six of the best demos I found at Steam Next Fest this year. But the thing about Next Fest is there are just so many demos you can't possibly find every one worth playing right at the start. So halfway through this season's event, I'm rounding up another batch of the best demos I've played, this time featuring tower defense, card games, and old-school RPGs."
"Developer Mark Ffrench's was one of the biggest surprises of the year - a fairly straightforward blend of Picross and Minesweeper that's utterly captivating despite just being about clicking on thousands of little colored squares. Mosaic of the Strange looks even more fascinating, adding a whole point-and-click mystery that plays out as you complete puzzles. That makes its demo incredibly relaxing even as its supernatural mysteries unfold, an effect that seems like it will only be more satisfying in the full game's massive puzzle."
"I'm of the opinion that most games would be improved if you could play as a cute little mouse, and Winter Burrow makes me more sure of that than ever. In this survival game, you play as a mouse who's returned home to your burrow (after your family's move to the city went disastrously), only to find it in disarray and your aunt who was supposed to be taking care of it missing."
Five demos at the October 2025 Steam Next Fest showcase a wide array of indie genres, including puzzles, survival, tower defense, card games, and old-school RPG influences. Mosaic of the Strange merges Picross and Minesweeper with a point-and-click mystery that unfolds through puzzle completion, creating a relaxing yet eerie tone. Winter Burrow places players in the role of a mouse returning to a disordered burrow, emphasizing resource gathering, crafting, and survival needs like warmth and food within a picture-book art style. Monsters Are Coming! revisits the Vampire Survivors formula while aiming to surprise players uninterested in endless automatic combat.
Read at Inverse
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