Past week’s heat wave in my country felt like that, honestly. Image from the game Magical Blush, featured in the demos section.
It’s that time of the month again! This one will be a somewhat long recap, even though I didn’t even play that many games.
June was packed with showcases (including the surprise Nintendo Direct on the 9th), then followed by Steam Next Fest. Though I listed six showcases here, because I traveled during the first half of the month, I ended up only watching a few of them. Which was probably for the best, because I was feeling pretty overwhelmed trying to catch up with everything!
And speaking of the trip, it was such a needed break. I think I might write a separate post on it.
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And now let’s get to the fun stuff.
My June gaming log
Dorfromantik, casually playing. I had already played this one on the Steam Deck, but I picked it up on the Switch 2 during my trip. I thought it was going to be a relaxing game to wind down in the hotel at night however I was taking it way too seriously trying to maximize my points… But either way you play it, casually or not, it truly is a fun and beautiful casual game.
Worth mentioning that they released a medieval DLC recently that looks super cute and I hope will be ported to the Switch at some point.
Pokopia, continued. I played Pokopia during its release but believe it or not, I only finished the main story this month. I’m now focusing on creating new habitats, finding Pokémon I still don’t have, and working on a Cloud Island with Stina and Jo. I’ve now surpassed 100 hours in the game, and I can’t wait for the free update and the paid DLC, both releasing in August.
PancitoMerge, continued. I wrote a review on PancitoMerge when it was released and I was happy to go back to it after a Local Multiplayer update! And they have fixed a previous issue I had with it so all the better – where a pastry dropped onto the top of the bag after a merge rather than just staying in place. Both multiplayer modes were super fun – co-op and versus – though the co-op is not cooperative; you compete for the best score instead of getting in the way of the other player like in the versus. My partner and I had a big laugh playing together.
By the way, now the game is also out for Switch!
PancitoMerge review: a charming (and tasty) puzzle game
Promise Mascot Agency, playing. Every now and then there’s a game that I am incapable to explain properly, and Promise Mascot Agency is one of those. In this open world narrative meets management game, you open up a mascot agency in a cursed city with your sidekick/assistant Pinky, who is a severed finger with some anger issues, so you can send money back to your yakuza family after a failed money handoff. Phew, sorry for the long sentence. This is one of those rare games where both the gameplay and narrative are super engaging and original, and none of them is dragging the other down. If you know what I mean.
Nurikabe World, casually playing. Nurikabe World is a treat of a puzzle game. You create islands by surrounding areas with water tiles, according to numbers placed on a grid. It’s so relaxing and highly satisfying and I can’t believe it has less than 200 reviews!
Steam Next Fest Recap
Steam Next Fest came right after showcase season, and boy was I tired mentally. But since I still wanted to try out some demos, I decided to be more selective than usual, playing 9 or so demos. Here are my personal highlights.
Magical Blush. Magical Blush is a top-down action-adventure where fast-paced elemental combat meets Metroidvania-style exploration. Chain spell combos, exploit elemental weaknesses, rescue survivors, and battle the powerful Elemental Lords as you explore the wondrous world of Wyn.
I’m still trying to figure out what action-adventure games are for me and based on this demo, Magical Blush definitely will be. I have a soft spot for female protagonists, performing elemental magic in games and colorful pixel art, but more than that, it just felt so smooth and great to play.
Release date: September 2026. ✅ Demo still available.
The Merlies. Meet the Merlies, a tiny birds community trying to find harmony in a cute post-apocalyptic world filled with the remains of a long forgotten civilization. Gather your birdies, explore this wild world with your tiny bird squad and complete your village out of collected scraps!
I haven’t seen The Merlies mentioned in any of the Next Fest recaps I read so far, so I feel they might have flown under the radar for many people (accidental pun). In this game, you need to work together with fellow bird members of the community to rebuild your base after your original ‘village’ was destroyed. I loved the beautiful 2D art, which reminded me a lot of Spiritfarer, and the voice acting during the cutscenes! The only hiccup was that the controls felt a bit clunky so I’m really hoping they make some changes before release.
Release date: 2026. ✅ Demo still available.
Bulbo’s Belief System. Bulbo’s Belief System is a puzzle-platformer where knowledge is both a tool and an obstacle. Bulbo believes everything he’s told, letting him see, move, and interact, but he can forget! Erase walls from existence, ignore gravity and manage conflicting beliefs to solve cute mind-bending challenges.
I always need to check out some puzzle demos and Bulbo’s Belief System grabbed my interest during the Thinky Direct, so it was an easy pick when I saw it joined Next Fest. The premise is simple but super original: Bulbo can only believe 4 things at once, and those things are used to overcome challenges in different levels. For example, you-Bulbo can forget about gravity if it suits the puzzle solution. This was one of those demos that made me wish I hadn’t reached the end when I did – just one more level, please!
Release date: November 2026. ✅ Demo still available.
Wishlists
I don’t want to attempt recapping all the showcases I watched or read about, so I decided to write up a selection of 10 games I wishlisted this month after catching up on events. I’m not adding their descriptions otherwise the post would get too long… Here they are:
- Big Walk
- Canvas City
- Dressmaker
- Mr. Records
- ONE PIECE: Grand Gourmet
- Orbitals
- Petal Runner
- Roller Girl
- TOEM 2
- Vivarium
Gaming news
The Steam Machine had its price announced at €1039 euros in my local currency for the 512GB version and Valve is using a reservation system for purchases. Just like most, I was disappointed with this price point (though I understand where it comes from).
Indie studio Douze Dizièmes, behind MIO: Memories in Orbit, is closing down (source). It really hurts when indie studios close their doors.
Looking forward to in July
Lately I’ve been feeling that even though I’m writing and making art often enough, I haven’t dedicated the time to these things that I would like so I want to try that this month (heat waves permitting). I have this itch that I would like to experiment more and even fail more. Do you ever get that feeling?
And I still want loads of ice cream. And finishing some games.
Thank you for reading,
-Luna
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