AdventureX 2025 - Episode Three: Demos Galore!

James Lightfoot with Sleeptime Village!

After meeting all those game developers and voice actors, finally we reach what AdventureX is all about: both aspiring and seasoned devs showing off their latest creation to the public. There were thirty of them and I'm sorry to say I never got close to playing them all. Decisions, decisions, you know... With so much to do and see and so many people to talk to, so many presentations to attend, these games quickly (and sadly) moved to the background. So I tried my best to reserve all Sunday morning for them.

First I played The Midnight Barber by Omaet Games. A great dev who looked happy someone had found his stand hiding behind the huge white pillar blocking his view, patiently explaining what his game was about and how it worked. So I sat down an enjoyed slowly unfolding a story in a fantasy version of Barcelona in the 1970s by Guitar Heroeing my way with a pair of scissors and a spray bottle. The dev assured me the rhythm game would get more challenging as you progress, so I'm looking forward to jam on those controller buttons, even though I had a bit of a hard time taking in what was going on in the conversation while focussing on my dexterity.

Next I moved on to Ashwood Conspiracy by Yawning Dog Studios, which reminded me of the style and atmosphere of some Cosmic Void games. You play as Marcus, whose uncle has died and you inherit what's left in his storage unit. There are inventory puzzles but also codes to break, which seems to turn this game into a huge escape room. It was a bit too crowded around the demo chair for me to fully concentrate on solving the code puzzles, so I had to cut my session short but not without promising I would continue the demo in the serenity of my own home.

The Tragedy at Deer Creek by Sparrowland fully impressed me. These two brothers have crafted an intriguing story about a photographer travelling to the Alaskan frontier to document an abandoned settlement. It was a bit frustrated at first when the main character refused to pick up anything, which a normal point 'n click adventure protagonist wouldn't have any problem with. It's only after you stumble upon some obstacle and she actually has reason to gather helpful items will she do so. The character animations were a bit slow in my opinion, and I didn't like how you couldn't use the right mouse button to examine hotspots but instead had to use the left one to choose whether to examine or use. The dev was very happy with my feedback, though, and who knows, they might even "fix" some of these issues.

While I was looking for the next demo to play, Duck Made Of Wood almost literally grabbed me and put me in his chair to play D3AD HAND, a comedic point 'n click about a Russian guard at a missile base. I must admit I hadn't played it earlier because the game's militaristic cover didn't really appeal to me. But the game quite surprised me with funny writing and cool puzzles: a gear puzzle, some code breaking, and discovering a password. Here as well I cut the game short after I puzzled my way inside the missile base, where I was left on my own devices with only a cat named Stalin as companion, to continue at a later time at home.

I had already played some demos before coming to AdventureX, like Sleepytime Village by Lightfoot Bros Games and Your Crown Is Mine by Lyyycaena. I even reviewed The Beekeeper's Picnic several times. There were also lots of games of which I already knew I would be playing the full game eventually; they no longer needed to convince me with their demos, so I felt comfortable skipping them for now: City of Voices, The Séance at Blake Manor, Shadows of the Afterland, Ghost Haunting, Legends of Castile and Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror Reforged (even though I haven't played the first Reforged yet...) I did want to play We Stay Behind by Backwoods Entertainment, but it was always occupied and I didn't get a chance.

And that concluded my first visit at AdventureX! I had a blast of a time these two days. The organisation made sure of that, but also all the people I talked to, not only the game developers and voice actors, but also complete strangers who came up to me and told me how much they liked my reviews and playthrough posts. I definitely wasn't expecting that!

And now I return to my latest review job, and I also hope I can play a couple more games before the end of the year so I can compile a decent top ten and have a good discussion with my fellow podcasters, bloggers and reviewers about which game will deserve the title of Adventure Game Of The Year!

Thanks for reading my blog!