Another Sunday, another Demo Dive! It's a fine reminder I should finally post my publishing schedule for everyone to know. I mean, my cadence is quite regular and one thing you can be sure off - the end of every weekend is dedicated to searching up great demos for great games to indulge in. Once more I have three titles for you to dive into, so let's roll!
FLOCKING HELL
FLOCKING HELL is a damn smart game. Don't be deceived by the cutesy aesthetics and simple, straightforward menu. There's depth here, hidden in the numbers, the modifiers, the sheer scope of options on the table. I'll admit, I was quite surprised at how much strategic depth this title held! I expected a pretty casual clicker, watching the number going up. But as you progress in each run, the game keeps tossing at you various modifiers - each scenario has its little twist. And you're on very limited resources. Your herd of sheep pays for everything, but time is also a currency you need to spend carefully. Connecting cities as fast as possible is crucial, to facilitate growth. And so, finding them first and foremost, is a must. But then playing cards to empower them and gain various benefits comes into play. What about the mines, offering you a powerful Crystal Blast to thin the demons' horde before it hits your cities?
Those are just a few decisions and options that are given to you. It's surprisingly easy to make bad calls and sink your run. If you go on an exploring spree and forget to make connections you will find yourself with 20 turns left and no growth in your towns! Making them such an easy prey for the invaders from hell. Invested in mines? You better find that hell hole! The game has a lot going for it - it's intuitive, the difficulty scales well, and the roguelike elements are well-fleshed out. Picking artifacts that give you powerful benefits can make or break a run - exactly as you'd expect. It's a brilliant little game with lots of crunch hiding behind the pixels, and I am excited to get my hands on the full version.
DOLOS: YOUR BEST FUTURE
DOLOS: YOUR BEST FUTURE promises me a blend of mechanics and features from the game of bureaucratic drudgery turned exciting via storytelling. You know the type - ORWELL, PAPERS, PLEASE, or THE OPERATOR. You and the system clash against each other to see who will come on top - uncaring algorithms or the human condition. The demo was very short, showing merely a glimpse of the core gameplay, but I think it sells its gist well. There's a bit of sleuthing, well aided by the game's smart design. You can read dossier or important people to your aim in-depth, or skim over emboldened phrases to get a glimpse of what they can bring to the table. What you can put in their scoring system to aid them... or hinder them.
Oh right, forgot to tell you about the premise. DOLOS is an advanced, all-encompassing AI that with the help of operators - like you - decides the placement of every human being. Their futures, their careers, all of it. By using certain scores and score amplifiers you help the system make "informed decisions" of who would fit where in the great voyage called life. There is more working underneath the layers of simple bureaucracy, there's a narrative we just got a lick of in the demo. A story about people who want to break free from the deterministic system.
I am sure I am going to have a blast with this one - I just love games of this kind, and so far, they never disappointed me. DOLOS: YOUR BEST FUTURE seems to be a slam dunk for anyone looking for an immersive narrative of, well... sitting in front of a computer, changing lives, and sticking it to the man.
GARDEN TRILLS
I did not anticipate how much I would love it. Seriously - expected a nice, feel-good, cosy little romp with some rudimentary tools and mechanics to fiddle with. And, I mean, it is that too! Nice and feel-good, that is. But the fiddly bits to play with are anything but rudimentary. The game is a collactathon at heart, it feels like - each floating island is a level made for the completionist heart to sing; Not unlike the cute birds! There are marbles to collect, dead plants to clean up, new neighbors to gift and greet, and little tasks all around. Exploration is rewarded well with those injections of dopamine but also manages to be fun on its own. It is always a delight to see something in the distance that seems inaccessible easily, only to find a clever little solution how to get there.
Don't get me wrong, it's not exactly a brain-burner, and I am sure it wasn't meant to be. But the platforming mechanics are fun, and cleverly used. Each plant family has a way for our adorable birb to interact with, offering new methods of movement. Often chaining them together will be the key to our traversal success! Especially when we are burdened by carrying something in our tiny little feetsies. It's plain fun, and addictively so. Even after demo told me that it was wrapping up time, I kept playing - exploring every nook and cranny of the land given to me to survey. Honestly cannot wait for the full release, because this is MUCH better than I anticipated and has this addictive quality, which is a rare gem when it comes to cosy, relaxing, casual games.
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