It’s Steam’s Next Fest! That amazing time of year when indies release demos for the masses to play with! (Well, technically these games get released all the time… but for a short time we get to see them shine in the spotlight!) I’ve already found a few metroidvanias to pack onto my Steam Deck to try!

A Sister’s Journey

The first Demo I played was A Sister’s Journey; A colorful pixely Metroidvania where you play a young girl named Violet, and you’re on a journey to find your sister! (Duh!) Run and gun your way through enemies, climb beautiful pixelated landscapes and dart around to avoid dangerous spikes and pits. It did lag a little bit on my Steam Deck by a couple of the waterfalls, but with a little bit of tweaking the game runs much better. It even has settings for the Steam Deck in mind as shown above.

Trinity Fusion

Another Metroidvania that caught my eye was Trinity Fusion. Unlike the other demos I downloaded today; this one uses 3D graphics! You have three parallel selves that you can control, each containing different abilities. Trinity Fusion also makes use of procedurally generated levels, meaning a different experience each time you die and restart. You can also gain different abilities and weapons along the way. It should go without saying, but my love of my life so far in the demo is the lightning katana!

Grim Guardians: Demon Purge

Last and certainly not least is a Metroidvania that gives vibes of the old school Castlevania games. In Grim Guardians: Demon Purge you play as two demon slayers; Shinobu and Maya. Shinobu packs a gun and daggers to protect herself while Maya carries a sword and a Shinigami barrier. You can swap between both characters at any time. In fact, it’s a good idea to switch regularly as you start to lose health on either one. You also have a chance to revive your other self should you get skull-fucked by a bunch of enemies.

Maya is also capable of climbing into smaller areas, unlike her taller counterpart. I like being able to switch between two different play styles. Out of the three demos I played I think this one has my most attention. I might pay it another visit tomorrow!

Have you tried any demos during Next Fest? Feel free to share in the comments!