Adventure game demo round-up for Steam Next Fest – October 2023

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Features by Adventure Game Hotspot staff
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It's the harvest season, and the latest Steam Next Fest promises a rich bounty of adventure game demos to check out! From Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot to amnesiac squirrels; from Japanese horror to pastel fantasy to leisurely paining in Montreal, there's plenty here for everyone. But just as crops last only a limited time, so too do these demos, as many will disappear when the festival ends on October 16th. With so many games and so little time, where to begin? That's where we come in. Simply scroll down for a selection of promising new adventures taking part, and get playing! New games will be added as they become available, so be sure to check back in before the week is up. Enjoy!

Agatha Christie – Murder on the Orient Express

On board the Orient Express, the legendary detective Hercule Poirot tries to solve the murder that has taken place on the prestigious train while surrounded by a cast of intriguing characters with their own secrets and motives. Set in 2023, with new twists and turns added to the original story, the game stars both Poirot and his new sidekick Joanna Locke as they set out to discover the truth behind the murder aboard the Orient Express.

Download here for Windows PC.

American Arcadia

Arcadia is a retro-futuristic 70s metropolis promising a life of luxury and comfort. But what its citizens don’t realize is they're starring in American Arcadia, the world’s most popular reality TV show that’s broadcast live 24/7. As countless viewers watch at home, a drop in your popularity can be a death sentence. Which is bad news if you’re an ordinary man with a mundane life. A man like Trevor Hills. Trevor has only one hope to survive: Angela Solano, an American Arcadia stage technician determined to help him escape. With Angela’s technical prowess and wits manipulating the world from the outside, Trevor just might make it out of Arcadia with his life.

Download here for Windows PC.

The Beekeeper’s Picnic

It is the 1920s, and in a sleepy Sussex village an elderly beekeeper (who is definitely NOT the world’s greatest detective … anymore) is trying to arrange a pleasant clifftop picnic for his lifelong companion Dr. Watson. The only problem is that a series of pesky mysteries keep getting in the way!

Download here for Windows PC

Between Horizons

Twenty-four years ago, Stella was born on the Zephyr, humanity's first-generation spaceship en route to a distant star. Now she has inherited her father's post as Chief of Security, just as the ship’s entire mission becomes jeopardized. As Stella, dive into the mystery and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to disrupt the Zephyr's social order.

Download here for Windows PC

A Call From Under the House

There is a house on the shores of a Massachusetts town where rumors of unworldly events run amuck. Strange green lights can be seen flickering in closed stores, tentacles have been spotted from the pier, and some swear that their radios will play nothing but swing. What does the house have to do with all that? That's your job to find out as head of the paranormal taskforce. The police chief is tired of you using the new task force as an excuse to get out of doing real work, so he's sending you out, and you better not come back until you have something worthy of the force's reputation.

Download here for Windows and Mac

Candlelight: Lament

In this adventure puzzle game set in the Cthulhu Mythos, take on the role of a renowned elderly professor named Ed, who ignores the city’s nighttime curfew to visit friends, all the while searching for his missing granddaughter. As your investigation progresses, a huge mystery behind recent large-scale disappearances becomes increasingly clear and its true nature turns out to be more terrifying than you had ever imagined.

Download here for Windows PC

Conquistadorio

After facing many trials in his life, the undead conquistador decided to retire and become a hermit, just lying in his solitary cave away from people. But it seems that fate had other ideas, and when the coffin he sleeps in disappears, the restless protagonist will need to embark on a puzzle-filled journey to find it.

Download here for Windows PC

Creepy Tale: Some Other Place

In the series’ fourth installment telling a completely new tale, an autumn morning promised a quiet fishing trip, but events took our hero to "some other place." Find the way home, uncover loads of secrets, and save everyone that you can.

Download here for Windows PC

DETECTIVE: Stella Porta Case

DETECTIVE: Stella Porta Case puts you in the shoes of a detective who investigates three strange disappearances. In all cases there is a contract left behind from an organization called "Stella Porta." Each case presents a completely different scenario, but they all seem to be connected in some way, and as a detective your job is to solve the cases and find the link between them.

Download here for Windows PC.

Enypnion Redreamed

Journey deep into the haunting secrets of a young boy's slumberland. Guided by Ikelos, one of the Oneiroi dream spirits, you must navigate through a realm of illusions and challenges to find your way back into the waking world. Enypnion Redreamed is a reimagined and enhanced version of the original game.

Download here for Windows, Mac and Linux

Été

Step into the shoes of a budding painter who travels abroad to Montreal for a summer. Unleash colour with your paintbrush to explore the city and capture its everyday wonders on canvas. Befriend locals by fulfilling their inspiring commissions or prepare an original expo in your very own art studio.

Download here for Windows PC.

Europa

On the moon Europa, a lush terraformed paradise in Jupiter’s shadow, an android named Zee sets out in search of answers. Run, glide and fly across the landscape, solve mysteries in the ruins of a fallen utopia, and discover the story of the last human alive.

Download here for Windows PC

The Gap

The year is 2045. Dizzily, you wake up, lying on the floor of a dishevelled apartment. Who are you? What and where is this place? Is there anybody around? Feeling like you could black out anytime soon, you decide to explore the apartment. Certain documents offer you a glimpse into your ostensible past as Joshua Hayes, a neuroscientist who’s made some questionable life choices. Your mission is to piece together the missing fragments of your past, solving the mystery of a rare genetic disorder that afflicts your whole family.

Download here for Windows PC

Good Bones

After the death of your spouse, you pack up your daughter and run from your grief – straight into a dilapidated old house filled with terrible memories. When you encounter the ghost of a young woman who doesn't remember who she is, why she's there, or how she died, it's up to you and your daughter to explore the house for clues to her identity, her death, and her path to moving on. But tread carefully. Jumping to conclusions too quickly could put everything you love at risk.

Download here for Windows PC

Hollow Cocoon

Hollow Cocoon is a first-person horror adventure game set in 1980s Japan. Step into the shoes of Minato Jinba, a college student returning to his mother's hometown after receiving news that his grandmother is in critical condition. Hide yourself from the monster and gather vital evidence to unravel the bone-chilling truth lurking beneath the surface!

Download here for Windows PC.

The Holy Gosh Darn

Assume the role of Cassiel, an angel who must prevent an army of phantoms from overrunning Heaven in six hours – which is really annoying because that’s where you live. Discovering the existence of the Holy Gosh Darn, a mysterious artefact created by God thousands of years ago, you must strap on your time-travelling watch and set about hopping between the past, present and future. You can also jump freely across Heaven, Hell, Earth and Helheim, where you'll meet a cast of ridiculous characters throughout dynamically changing locations in a bid to uncover the secret to life, universe and ... well, everything.

Download here for Windows PC

The Inspector

In a not-too-distant future, a way to connect to the subconscious of people who fall into a coma has been found. You are "The Inspector," and your task is to investigate their minds in search of elements that will your patients back to life.

Download here for Windows PC

Jusant

In this meditative action-puzzler from Don't Nod, scale an immeasurably tall mountain tower and ascend to new heights alongside your little watery companion whose echo ability can awaken natural elements. Master your climbing tools, find your way up through beautifully diverse biomes, and piece together the mystery of what happened to this tower's bygone civilization.

Download here for Windows PC

Legends of Castile

María is a young, fearless, though clumsy Castilian girl who recently saw a vision of the Virgin Mary (at least, so she thought) and all of a sudden decided to go to a convent in Burgos and seek to become a nun. Doing so is not so simple, however, as her future Mother Superior assigns her a mission. María must investigate the traditional mythological creatures of Castile and collect an item from each of the creatures in order to prove their existence so the abbot can take action against them and end their threat to the population of Castile ... and Christianity.

Download here for Windows, Mac and Linux

Leila

Play as Leila and traverse through all phases of her life, uncovering her pivotal moments. By unraveling puzzles imbued with the fragments of her narrative, you'll comprehend the motives behind Leila's decisions. As you delve deeper into her psyche and her emotional landscape, you'll discover facets of your own self mirrored in the life journey of this seemingly ordinary woman.

Download here for Windows PC

The Midnight Crimes

Benjamin Leighton is a war veteran and retired private detective. He lost his family a few years ago in a tragic and gruesome murder, committed by an unknown assassin. Nowadays Ben lives in the bottom of a bottle, dealing with insomnia and unending guilt. But a new case arises when he is desperately needed to find a missing child, which is the perfect opportunity for Ben to get back into business and face his own demons along the way. Will Benjamin be able to overcome his past? Will he find the missing child? It's all in your hands now.

Download here for Windows PC

The Mildew Children

A young witch named Kyrphel, along with her sisters, must perform a macabre ritual in order to save their village. A witch's demise during this ritual is not unusual, since not everyone can triumph over Mistress Death. This time, Kyrphel is strong enough to handle it. Or so she thought.

Download here for Windows PC

Murder Cases

You find yourself locked in your own home, in the middle of a crime scene, and without your recent memories. In this horror scenario, you will discover a stranger wandering the house and making your escape unlikely. Solve all the puzzles, figure out what happened, and recover your missing memories.

Download here for Windows PC

No Stone Unturned

You play as Detective Cox, an anthropomorphic amnesiac squirrel who is set on becoming the greatest detective in the world. But without any guide or mentor for real detective work, this squirrel makes it up as he goes, taking players along with him on the ride!

Download here for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Octopus City Blues

Assume the role of Kaf Kafkaryan, a cowardly middle-aged octopus blood junkie and tentacle trimmer, living in a city built around a giant octopus. Kaf has been experiencing bizarre dreams about a world populated by twisted creatures. To help the inhabitants of his dreams, he must learn more about the people of the city and explore the underside of the towering metropolis. Along the way he becomes entangled in a conspiracy with far-reaching implications for Octopus City.

Download here for Windows, Mac and Linux

Paper Trail

Paige, a budding academic, aims to be the first in her village to be offered a place at university. In this colourful top-down puzzle adventure game, fold the world to create hidden paths, discover new areas, and meet new characters as Paige steps out into an origami-crafted world to uncover its secrets and pursue her dreams.

Download here for Windows and Mac

Reveil

You are Walter Thompson. You wake up, disoriented. Your head hurts. Things seem surreal, yet familiar. Your wife Martha and your daughter Dorie are not there. What happened last night? Why can't you think of anything besides your days as a stage builder at the circus? As things get crazier and more bizarre, the lines between reality, memory, and imagination become more and more blurred and you realize: there is no going back. You have to do whatever it takes to bring this story to an end, no matter the cost.

Download here for Windows PC.

Scholar's Mate

You have been captured by a maniac in a psychiatric hospital. Exploration and ingenuity will be your best bet to get out of this strange and dark place alive, so use your wits and will to survive and escape from this sinister place.

Download here for Windows PC.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

A series of hideous parks have appeared in Moominvalley, disrupting the landscape and its harmonious nature. As Snufkin, you will distract police officers, pull out signs, and knock over misplaced statues as you restore nature and the inhabitants' homes while putting an end to the industrious Park Keeper's plans.

Download here for Windows and Mac.

Sons of Saturn

How can we live in an unjust world? What cruel entity forced us to be conscious in a universe with such suffering? Why is a hideous stuffed cat talking to me, and why can no one else hear it? Sons of Saturn is an old school adventure game, brought to life with photos of real abandoned locations. Explore the depths of both the underground city of Minerva and the protagonists’ psyches. Investigate both the cause of your pain and the warts that have colonized your brain.

Download here for Windows, Mac and Linux

Space Boat

Space Boat is an investigative narrative adventure set on an intergalactic cruise ship inhabited by various carpet-based lifeforms. Play as Inspector Domino, a cleverly disguised space cat, traverse the perils of time and space, and track down an elusive shape-shifting jewel thief before it's too late!

Download here for Windows PC

The Talos Principle II

Set in a distant future where humankind has long been extinct, human culture lives on through interminable robots made in our image. Embarking on a quest to investigate a mysterious megastructure, you will be confronted with questions about the nature of the cosmos, faith versus reason, and the fear of repeating humankind's mistakes.

Download here for Windows PC

Three Minutes to Eight

You are destined to meet your demise at precisely 07:57 PM. However, hope is not lost. It's up to you to unravel what lies beneath, uncover secret paths, find ways to cheat death, and unlock multiple endings. Each run is distinct, with randomized elements and unique events, urging you to revisit the game multiple times to discover all its hidden mysteries. Find yourself in an ever-evolving gaming experience, mimicking a borderline state of mind that teeters on the edge of consciousness, where everything is possible yet remains elusive. From the creator of ENCODYA.

Download here for Windows, Mac and Linux

Twilight Oracle

Play as Leo, a struggling student with the ability to breathe underwater and walk on the ocean's surface, and explore the mysterious forests and shores of an alien world, plunging deep into its uncharted depths to uncover its secrets. Discover the awe-inspiring denizens that dwell in the deep, from fabled, illusive entities to colossal squids. Unravel the mysteries of the island with the help of your friends, each with their own unique ability. Collaborate with Marcus, who can conjure fire from thin air, Jill, who can read minds, and Olivia, who can manipulate the properties of objects.

Download here for Windows PC

Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness

Wander a creepy Victorian-inspired manor as former circus clown Oliver “Lazy Ollie” Mills. Navigate its twisting hallways, facing unnerving hallucinations and hellish abominations while solving challenging puzzles throughout the estate. Uncover clues to bring Ollie one step closer to the horrifying truth of the past, but only if his dwindling sanity survives the night.

Download here for Windows PC

Windy Meadow – A Roadwarden Tale

Set in the tranquil, yet mysterious world of Viaticum, Windy Meadow features three protagonists named Vena, Fabel, and Ludicia. These characters are at the heart of the narrative, and their stories intertwine with each other in unexpected ways. Make a wide variety of choices – from seemingly small to life-changing – all while navigating the complexities of each character’s personality and story.

Download here for Windows, Mac and Linux