Best Demos of NextFest Fall 2025

 Another NextFest was upon us and it was a banger this time. So many demos I couldn't play them all and some really great potential. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Secret of Weepstone

Just look at that screen! I grew up spending hours looking at old school DnD modules and this just screams to my soul. It also reminds me of those Fighting Fantasy books I dived hours into, rolling dice, and keeping my fingers in back pages just to change the outcome of my decisions. The gameplay is a faithful representation of OSR mechanics - with physical dice making rolls on screen, level-0 party members, an elf or dwarf as its own class, and even a d4 making an appearance. If I had any criticism, it might be that I wish it was grid-based rather than free-movement, melding old-school RPG gaming and roleplaying, and the gameplay is rather slow with all the dice rolling and whatnot, but those are minor quibbles, and potentially fixable (with proper player feedback). Overall, I am extremely excited to see how this develops and finally get my greedy goblin mitts on it.

Forgotlings

Another looker from the makers of Forgotten Anne, which I am currently revisiting and trying to complete before this semi-sequel. I am definitely more excited about this second visit to the Forgotten World for a few specific reasons. First, it has an adventure/metroidvania style vibe. It's not purely metroidvania, but it has a lot of elements, being 2D, action combat, and opening up various sections and secrets that require backtracking. Second, it employs some fantastic stealth gameplay that reminds of favorite games like Klei's Mark of the Ninja. The part with the most potential seems to be a fleshed-out heartfelt story about the forgotten things of the world, which Forgotten Anne also nailed. The world  of forgotten things seems appealing to anyone, I'm sure, that has lost a sock to the void.

Demeo X Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked

The original Demeo was a fine card and turn-based affair, that lacked a bit of story and depth. This outing by the Demeo team may correct those issues, giving us more identifiable characters and maybe even a campaign story. The gameplay is familiar miniatures style and deckbuilding stuff, with abilities and spells draw each turn. It leans much heavier into the DnD rather than deckbuilding, which is strength in my opinion, since it would be hard to compete with other more deckbuilding focused games. If it can balance the elements of story, DnD miniature gameplay, and meaningful progression, this one could be a ton of fun and not a long wait, since it releases this November.

Norse: Oath of Blood

Having visited Iceland this year, I have a great affection for the roots of Icelandic culture that lies with the Vikings. Also, as a history dude, any game that uses history as its basis is of interest. However, meld my favorite genre of squad and turn-based strategy, then you truly have my attention. The gameplay of Norse was regular turn-based strategy, but it was done well in the demo, which can be hard to pull off. It also seems to hang on a very well-voiced and acted story with excellent graphics. So, I think the idea is that I'll be there for the gameplay but stick around for the story.

Disciples: Domination

While I can't say I'm a huge fan of the Disciples series of games, I have dabbled in a few titles and found them compelling. This entry seems to channel a more traditional style of gameplay, with turn-based battles on a hex-grid. It is reminiscent of one of my favorite series - Heroes of Might & Magic (more on that next). This doesn't look to bring anything truly new to the genre but looks like a nice romp nonetheless and may be worth your time and money.

Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era

A map like this is truly nostalgia-inducing, with exploration, grand-scale battles, and strategic planning all baked into the retro-inspired return of one my favorite franchises. It definitely feels a lot like HOMM 3, but with some added features that allow things to get, let's say, crunchy. I had a lot of fun with this demo. What more needs to be said. Heroes of Might & Magic is back, BABY!