January Feature Art

Dem-OH! January Round-up

Already a month down into the New Year. Where does the time go?!

Last year I put in a lot of effort to really go all out on video content for DarkZero and my main way of doing that was to try as many demos as possible. Well, after doing the numbers, the total number of UNIQUE demos played in 2021 (recorded separately + live) came to…

622!

That’s right, 622 individual demos – absolutely incredible! And now the live ones have also been meticulously chopped from their livestreams and uploaded individually onto our YouTube channel. Here’s the playlist for that live content (now in delicious bite-size chunks):

Just a huge thanks to everyone who has supported us, whether jumping in to watch a stream, sharing on socials, or left a comment. We love you all and promise not to slow down anytime soon. In fact, I aim to BEAT that record!

Here’s to a fantastic 2022!

Top 3 Stand-Out Demos of the Month


Doors: Trilogy Demo on Steam

I only played this one today and already I’m anxious to get my hands on more! What can I say? I love puzzle and escape room games, which this title manages to harness and essence of and condense into these wonderfully thematic little stages. Full of secrets, head-scratchers, and splendid art, I know I’ll be gobbling this up the second it releases.

Droplet: States of Matter Demo on Steam

Yeah, I know it looks dumb. I thought so, too. From the second this one booted up I gave it a hard time but then something happened. I was sent careening back in time to the late 90s, when 3D platformers were my favourite thing in the world. I got serious Spyro vibes from this one and even though it has its problems, even though it’s got a long way to go, and even though it doesn’t look the best, Droplet hooked me on pure nostalgia. And I loved it.

OakenDemo on Steam

Although it may be nothing new in terms of the hex-based strategy combat, roguelite elements, or deck-building mechanics, Oaken crafts them together masterfully. I really enjoyed playing it at the time but I didn’t realise it had planted such a strong impression, because I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since. The decisions were tight, the combat challenging but rewarding, and my oh my is it gorgeous to look at! Very excited to to try my hand at the full release.

Previews


SeaRing [Demo]- Demo on Steam

Check out the Preview here!

This almost too simple and fast-paced top-down action roguelite is so fun because it is exactly that. With only a basic Given the task of retrieving the Crown of Water by her late mother, it is up to our darling protagonist to overcome the dangers of the perilous Fire Kingdom and return this magical accessory to the sea as their new Queen. The humour and the art style scream Undertale, but, stripped of the turn-based battles and instead focusing on more action/puzzle elements, SeaRing aims to set itself apart.

Dem-OH! Dashes


With no individually recorded demos this Jan (mostly due to a slow start to the year after a looong December away), our Dem-OH! Dashes are holding up the content this month. But don’t be worried about having to catch up via 4+ hour livestreams, as we’ve started chunking out each individual demo and uploading them separately. You can follow the playlist here!

NOTE: Ratings are basically representative of how much I enjoyed the demo and the likelihood that I’ll come back to the title in the future (or even would liked to have continued playing it right then), with regards to gameplay, quality, and (of course) personal preference to genre, etc. A zero represents that the game is too non-functional to really get a feel for it. It is essentially a non-rating.

No. 1

  1. Time Master (3)
  2. Chernobylite (3)
  3. Imprisoned Hyperion (1)
  4. Expeditions: Rome (4)
  5. Hereford 1642 (0)
  6. The Architect’s Game (2)
  7. Aventia (4)
  8. Droplet: States of Matter (4)

No. 2

  1. Squadron 51 (4)
  2. Chorus (4)
  3. THE GREAT CIRCLE (0)
  4. Elemgate (3)
  5. The Cult of Chanseville (2)
  6. Witching Hour (5)
  7. Ninja Soul (3)
  8. 雷鸟Thunderbird (3)
  9. 暖雪 Warm Snow (4)
  10. Strike Buster Prototype (3)

No. 3

  1. Racine (4)
  2. Oaken (4)
  3. Action Ball (2)
  4. Ballfrog (3)
  5. Ballrun 3D Marble Maze Speedrun (1)
  6. Beats Of Fury (4)
  7. Before The Night (3)
  8. Bomb!Bomb!Carnival!! (2)
  9. BREADSKATE (1)
  10. Don’t freak out (1)
  11. SpeedingRoad (1)
  12. World of Cube (3)

No. 4

  1. Bent on Destruction (1)
  2. The Cruel Dreamer Marchosias (1)
  3. Halloween Night (1)
  4. IDIOTIC (2)
  5. Dire Destiny : Time Travel (3)
  6. Doors: Trilogy (5)
  7. Dance of Cards (4)
  8. ShapeShifter (2)
  9. VINE (3)
  10. Justin Wack and the Big Time Hack (4)
  11. Prometheus Wept (2)
  12. Post Trauma (4)