demo Archives

AppWizard

June 18, 2025

Turns out that fantasy Factorio is a pretty good idea, and if you doubt me try the MoteMancer demo

MoteMancer is an automation game developed by indie studio CyanAvatar, where players act as an alchemical apprentice managing a magical factory across six elemental planes. Players extract elemental motes from magical energy veins, which can be mixed to create various materials and devices. The game features a non-linear research system that allows multitasking and unexpected discoveries. Each of the six interconnected worlds presents unique puzzles and challenges, requiring players to adapt their strategies as they transition between planes. The game utilizes a hexagonal layout for factory design, enhancing complexity. A demo is available on Steam, with progress potentially carrying over to the full game.

AppWizard

June 16, 2025

Stutters and hitches in Unreal Engine 5 games should become rarer over time due to Epic’s continuous updates, but we’ll still see them for a while because of the way games are made

At Unreal Fest in Orlando, Epic Games showcased new features for Unreal Engine 5 through a tech demo of CD Projekt Red's Witcher 4 and hosted training sessions for developers. Key topics included shader compilation stutters and performance issues in Unreal Engine games, with a focus on optimization methodologies rather than the engine itself. Insights revealed persistent performance optimization challenges, particularly with shader compilation and traversal stutters. Developers were encouraged to implement PSO precaching in Unreal Engine 5.2 or newer, although neither solution is perfect. Obsidian's game Avowed began development in Unreal Engine 4 before transitioning to version 5.3.2, while aiming for specific frame rates on Xbox Series S and X. The team size for Avowed was 140, with only 15 in technical roles, which may have limited their ability to fully utilize new features. Unreal Engine 5.6 offers performance enhancements that require strategic implementation by developers. Attendance at Epic's sessions was high, indicating a growing awareness of performance issues among developers. The hope is that future titles will leverage the latest engine version to address these challenges effectively.

Winsage

June 16, 2025

Microsoft Weekly: redesigned Windows 11 Start menu, Xbox handheld is here, and more

Microsoft has released Patch Tuesday updates for June 2025, with Windows 10 receiving KB5060533 and Windows 11 receiving KB5060842 and KB5060999. The Windows Insider Program has unveiled several new builds, including a redesigned Start menu in build 26200.5641 and various enhancements in other builds. Microsoft has introduced Copilot Vision with Highlights for Windows, currently available in the U.S. for two applications. A quirky bug in the latest builds causes Windows 11 to play the Windows Vista startup sound. Microsoft Edge received an update in the Dev Channel, while Firefox rolled out version 139.0.4. Microsoft announced enhancements to Outlook and OneDrive for Mac. New Xbox handhelds, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, were unveiled, optimized for gaming. Steam's Next Fest allows free trials of hundreds of games until June 16, 2025, and the Epic Games Store is offering Two Point Hospital for free.

AppWizard

June 14, 2025

The 10 Best Steam Next Fest Games You Need to Wishlist

The Steam summer sale is approaching, and Valve is hosting the Summer 2025 Next Fest, showcasing various indie games. Notable titles include: - Dead as Disco: A beat 'em up game where players control Charlie Disco in a rhythmic combat system. Release date is not announced. Platforms: PC. - Voidbreaker: A first-person shooter focused on environmental destruction, set to launch on August 20. Platforms: PC. - Morsels: A twin-stick shooter roguelike featuring magical cards and strategic combat, set to release in 2025. Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch. - Dragon March: An arcade adventure with a mecha-dragon protagonist, release date unconfirmed. Platforms: PC. - House of Necrosis: A survival horror game with a turn-based system, release date not revealed. Platforms: PC, Linux. - DuneCrawl: A cooperative hack-and-slash game for up to four players, set for release in 2025. Platforms: PC. - Hell Clock: An action RPG based on Brazil's War of Canudos, launching on July 22. Platforms: PC. - 1000 Deaths: A platforming game exploring pivotal life moments, set to release on August 7. Platforms: PC. - Passant: A chess roguelike with unique mechanics, available on August 11. Platforms: PC. - Under The Island: A 2D RPG hack-and-slash game inspired by Zelda, release date unannounced. Platforms: PC.

AppWizard

June 14, 2025

Weekend PC Game Deals: Total War grabs, management freebies, demos to try, and more

The Humble Store has released two bundles: the Narrative Arc collection, which includes Mutazione, Venba, and Frank and Drake, with additional tiers featuring Season: A Letter to the Future, Dustborn, Harold Halibut, and Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out; and the Case and Consequences Collection, which offers Heavy Rain, Song of Farca, Lacuna, and Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments, with a second tier including Murders on the Yangtze River, BROK the InvestiGator, and Between Horizons. Both bundles are available for two weeks. The Epic Games Store is offering Two Point Hospital for free until June 19, coinciding with the launch of The Operator as the next free game. Valve's Steam Next Fest is running until June 16, featuring demos of upcoming games, along with several active free events, including Stardeus, Barony, Hell Let Loose, Construction Simulator, and Towerborne. The Steam Summer Sale is approaching, with significant promotions already launched by various publishers, including a Total War historical sale and early summer promotions from 505 Games. The GOG store is also offering DRM-free discounts across various genres.

AppWizard

June 14, 2025

The Stellar Blade PC release finally convinced me to try it out, but after its Steam Next Fest demo I’m going straight back to Elden Ring Nightreign

The Stellar Blade PC demo was released during the Steam Next Fest, attracting attention despite not topping the charts. It features an introductory cutscene, a tutorial, and a significant boss encounter, allowing players to explore its upgrade system. The demo showcases a visually appealing aesthetic but raises concerns about gameplay depth and performance issues, even on recommended settings. Design choices, such as surprise enemy ambushes and floaty physics puzzles, detract from the experience. The combat mechanics are criticized for feeling insubstantial, and comparisons to Elden Ring highlight Stellar Blade's lack of polish.

AppWizard

June 13, 2025

Mio: Memories in Orbit has all the wonder of playing Inside for the first time and its devs are working hard to make it even better

Players assume the role of Mio, who awakens aboard a vast technological ark drifting through the cosmos. The game involves exploration and encounters with various enemies and powerful guardians that hold pieces of the spaceship's past. Gameplay mechanics include platforming and combat, with players acquiring abilities like a grappling hook and a glider. Mio is currently in its demo phase, generating excitement among players, with positive feedback on the art direction, boss fights, and soundtrack. Some minor bugs have been reported, but most players are enjoying the demo and expressing enthusiasm on the game's Discord server.

AppWizard

June 13, 2025

This strategy roguelike is like trying to fight off an alien invasion with a bunch of PCs from the late 1970s

Xenopurge is a roguelike strategy game set in the late 1970s aesthetic, where players guide galactic marines through derelict starships battling an alien infestation. The game features vintage-looking PCs and minimalistic visuals, creating a suspenseful atmosphere reminiscent of classic sci-fi narratives. A demo of Xenopurge is available for free on Steam.

AppWizard

June 13, 2025

‘Stellar Blade’ Crushes PlayStation PC Record With 183,000 Concurrents

Stellar Blade has achieved a peak of 183,830 concurrent players on Steam, setting a new record for former PlayStation exclusives and more than doubling the previous record of 77,154 players held by Ghost of Tsushima. The game sold 1 million copies within its first month of release and is currently the #1 seller on Steam. A sequel is confirmed with a tentative release date set for 2027.

AppWizard

June 13, 2025

3 things I liked and 2 I didn’t after 30 minutes with Grounded 2

Obsidian Entertainment is set to release several games in 2025, including The Outer Worlds 2 in October and Grounded 2, which will launch in early access on July 29. Grounded 2 features a new expansive open world set in a city park that transforms into an alien landscape when players are shrunk to ant size. The map is larger than the original Grounded, and players can use buggies for exploration. The early access will allow players to experience a substantial portion of the map and the first chapter of the story, providing feedback for the final product. Grounded 2 will be available on all platforms except PlayStation.