Been away from my PC for a couple weeks so haven't had time to play many Next Fest demos. Instead, I thought I would focus on the handful of indies with demos that I've had on my wishlist for a while and that I'm excited to play once they fully release.

Flock Around:

A peaceful, co-op / solo bird cataloguing game where you explore a low poly natural environment, spotting and taking pictures of birds. There's a few tools like your camera, binoculars, bird whistles, and bird feed, and customisable options for your avatar. You earn money through developing your photos, with higher rewards for better framed photos. There's a neat catalogue that you carry around which displays your photos and a small description of each bird. There's quite a variety of birds to spot even in the demo version - they have their own sounds to identify them and the diegetic sound seems to be directional and contextual which helps you locate the birds easier!

I played solo and it was really relaxing, the art style made me smile lots and I bet with the right group of layed-back friends it's a nice experience. Developing your photos and watching them get graded is really satisfying, almost like you're watching a Pokémon deck being built. Reminds me a little bit of Bugsnax with a hint of Peak. As a side note; It made me look forward to the upcoming indie Big Walk from Untitled Goose developers House House. Really enjoy these smaller, niche games, and Flock Around looks no exception.

Flock Around is releasing next month on April 1st on Steam and is developed by a team of just three people at Secret Plan Games. Show them some love if it looks like your type of thing!:)