"Let's Play Some Demos!" Video Series YouTube Playlist

Welcome to Part 8 of the Let's Play Some Demos! | LPSD series!
For those who are new, I aim to introduce gamers to, usually, Indie games and to provide commentary and feedback on the games for educational purposes!
For this episode, I, once again, perused through Steam's Demos Category to see what was available.

Today, I played demos for 4 games:

1. Detroit: Become Human – Available
   Detroit: Become Human puts the destiny of both mankind and androids in your hands, taking you to a near future where machines have become more intelligent than humans. Every choice you make affects the outcome of the game, with one of the most intricately branching narratives ever created.
2. Little Goody Two Shoes – Available
   Venture into the woods as you play Little Goody Two Shoes, a phantasmagorical horror narrative adventure where all your decisions matter!
3. Luma Island – Planned Release Date: Nov 20, 2024
   Travel to Luma Island to go on an epic adventure by yourself or with your friends and family. Build your dream farm, master professions, collect magical Lumas, find treasures and unravel the mysteries of the island.
4. Tinkerlands – Coming Soon
   This demo is your gateway into the vast world of Tinkerlands. Explore the island, craft equipment, build a settlement and fight monsters and bosses to survive, solo or in co-op!

All links above are to the games' Steam pages.

The verdict?

Quick note, while doing the TIMESTAMPS for the video, I noticed Detroit: Become Human's demo lasted for, roughly, 20 minutes. Little Goody Two Shoes' lasted for an hour and 40 minutes-ish and Luma Island's lasted for 46 minutes-ish ONLY because I cut it short. I cut Tinkerlands short as well at, roughly, 47-ish minutes. Why is this interesting? I'll get to it.

Also, I had an ADHD moment. I mentioned in the video I didn't know Two Shoes was a horror game, and then I read the description IN THE BLOG POST again. Oh... Let's call it a "pleasant rediscovery"!

My favorite demo is a tie, to my surprise, between Little Goody Two Shoes and Tinkerlands. While I love all of them, Two Shoes being a horror game ACTUALLY didn't throw me (check out LPSD - Part 7, 2:32:28, for the last time I played a horror game) and I was sad when I reached the end of the demo and Tinkerlands sucked me in, proven by the fact I not only went quiet, but I kept delaying ending the video. I'm also pleasantly surprised their art styles didn't have me mentioning Super Lesbian Animal RPG. Almost every pixel art game does.

Two Shoes' story had me from the beginning, introductory cutscene! Even if Elise's complaints right afterward got on my nerves. And even after my somewhat loud frustration at there not being enough guidance to figure out where Elise's home was. My favorite part of the demo was when I talked about there being no map, and then it popped up! What excellent timing! I'm also a fan of how it's LGBT+! I wasn't expecting any romance and the fact all the options were women had me amused. And, because I forgot about the horror element, it was QUITE the twist! I had been wondering throughout the demo when the Hearts, health meter, was going to come into play. This Little Red Riding Hood retelling had me hooked until the demo ended! I wanted to keep playing...

I felt the same way about Tinkerlands. How many times did I say I was going to end the video, but kept playing instead? I had to practically yell at myself to get me to stop playing! I was HOOKED! I don't know what it is about games like this, but the inventory management, crafting, and exploring to get more resources, which then unlocks recipes, always make me happy! I don't think I've found one I didn't like. If I have I don't remember it. OH! And the fact I get to build a house is pretty neat, even if I don't really understand how it works, yet! I'm suddenly reminded of Skyrim (the only reason why I played it was to build the houses)!

Luma Island, a 3D and more focused version of Tinkerlands, had me mentioning Fae Farm repeatedly, which one would think isn't a good sign for it. However, it didn't make me want the game any less. There were some frustrating bits, like the fact the game didn't warn me how time worked. It told me to go talk to a guy, I ran around looking for the guy, but they didn't tell me he would only be available in the morning. The lack of a jump button was annoying as well. I had to run around a building because I couldn't get up at a certain spot because I couldn't jump. Fae Farm handled time better by making sleeping important and I was a jumping fool because it got me to places faster (check out LPSD - Part 4 & LPS$: Fae Farm - Part 2 for a laugh). Does the pixel art style have something to do with it? I can't remember playing a pixel art game where jumping was possible... If I find one, I'll update this section. If I remember. I also can't remember the last time I played a 3D pixel art game. It looked great!

Speaking of games that looked great, Detroit: Become Human handled as I expected it to. I'm a BIG fan of Beyond: Two Souls and don't share the same complaints many others have with the game's controls. I quite enjoy them! It feels more interactive than your usual "press a button to get something done" mechanics. And, being a fan of Quantic Dreams' games, if you wanna consider me biased, I can't really bitch. The graphics were exquisite, as usual. The voice acting was sublime, as usual. The story was enticing, as usual. I felt the usual tension regarding my choices; I was TERRIFIED I would fail to save the hostage! The "Story Tree" was a neat idea, too! AND, even though I enjoyed the controls, they had their usual issues. The camera, as usual, was a hassle. As was the lack of guidance on when I had control of the character. It also, as usual, screwed with my sense of direction. I'm biased, so I won't end this with compliments.

Overall, I want ALL of the games! Luma Island and Tinkerlands aren't going to be demos I finish on stream, though. Too bad Detroit: Become Human and Little Goody Two Shoes were finished in the video...

As a reminder, Luma Island planned release date is Nov 20, 2024. Tinkerlands does not yet have a release date.

Another ADHD moment. Apparently, I already own Detroit: Become Human...

And that's it for Part 8! Thank you for reading!
If this series of videos is something you're interested in, they are available on YouTube, The Titans' Discord, Steam, Rumble, and Odysee!
Don't forget to hit the Subscribe and/or Follow buttons to know when there's more!

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The Monday, November 11th, and 643rd, Artist Shout-Out goes to Robyn Lara!
Check them out here!

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Welcome Gamers!
1:47 - Artist Shout-Out
5:24 - Demos' Intro
6:28 - Detroit: Become Human
26:35 - Little Goody Two Shoes
2:02:41 - Luma Island
2:48:47 - Tinkerlands Demo
3:35:45 - Artist Shout-Out
3:37:21 - Thank You/Links
3:39:07 - Rendezvous Point Bookshop Plug
3:40:01 - Farewell

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• Pilot: CrossCode, Dumpy & Bumpy, Ynglet, Zero Ranger
• Part 2: A Dance of Fire and Ice, 2064: Read Only Memories, Death and Taxes, Underhero
• Part 3: TEKKEN 8, Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition, Secrets of Grindea, Forspoken
• Part 4: Death's Hangover, Fae Farm, Fate/Samurai Remnant, Mini Settlers
• Part 5: All-Star Fruit Racing, Indivisible, SaGa Emerald Beyond, Visions of Mana
• Part 6: Glorious Companions, Tales of Arise, Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge, Cozy Island
• Part 7: The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, Cursebane, Dex, The Lady Puppet
• Part 9: Backpack Battles, Glaciered, Ratopia, Slime Rancher
• Part 10: Captain Contraption's Chocolate Factory, Maid Cafe on Electric Street, Neon Noodles, Tiny Glade
• Part 11: Critter Café, Grimoire Groves, Pixel Cafe, Wizdom Academy
• Part 12: AdventureBarStory, Bone's Cafe, DELTARUNE, Mudborne
• Part 13: Food Truck Simulator, Magical Bakery, Magical Delicacy, Seaside Cafe Rush Hour
• Part 14: Chef's Tail, Espresso Tycoon, Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo, Tavern Talk
• Part 15: Chicken Journey, FANTASIAN Neo Dimension, Terra Memoria, Until Then
• Part 16: Cornucopia®, Hipster Café, Let's Café, Spells & Secrets
• Part 17: Doloc Town, Feed the Cups, Manitas Kitchen, Mushroom Picnic Party, Rift of the NecroDancer
• Part 18: Meadgard: Beer and Plunder, BOKURA: planet, Teeny Tiny Town, Tower of Babel: Survivors of Chaos
• Part 19: Dungeons of Hinterberg, The Mildew Children, Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island, Yaoling: Mythical Journey
• Part 20: AI LIMIT, Harmony's Odyssey, Last Time I Saw You, Whiskers & Wizardry
• Part 21: Constance, Dragoon Ascension, Kara Fantasy, Welcome to Elderfield
• Part 22: Crowncity, Dungeon Alchemist, Parliament of Hell 1796, Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars
  
• Part 23: Tuesday, March 11th
• Part 24: Tuesday, March 18th
• Part 25: Tuesday, March 25th

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MORE INFO & TO SUPPORT

- About MonriaTitans | WGS
- Rendezvous Point Bookshop
- Artist Shout-Outs Criteria
- The Titans' Discord
- Throne Wishlist
- #SubOffTwitch
- YouTube
- Rumble
- Odysee
- Twitch
- Steam

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Originally published to https://opinionsandtruth.wordpress.com on November 12, 2024.