is a news editor covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.
Steam’s June 2025 edition of its Next Fest is going on now through June 16th, and the event is packed with great-looking demos for games coming to PC. Seriously, it seems like there are a lot of demos; a search filter on my Next Fest homepage shows more than 2,500 English demos to pick from.
If you open up the Next Fest page and are overwhelmed, I get it – admittedly, I am, too. But I’ve played a few and have four to recommend.
Mina the Hollower
Image: Yacht Club Games
Mina the Hollower, the next game from Shovel Knight creators Yacht Club Games, feels like a Game Boy Color title made in the modern era. You play as Mina the mouse in a top-down action-adventure game that reminds me a lot of Link’s Awakening. Mina’s signature move is a slick burrowing ability that lets you zip around underground for a few seconds, and even in the short demo, I found it immensely useful to get under obstacles or create space during hairy fights.
The demo ends with an exciting boss fight, and I was sad when it was over after about 30 minutes. I’m really looking forward to the game’s full release on October 31st.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
Image: Dotemu
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a retro-style side-scrolling action-platformer with gorgeous pixel art and an electric guitar-filled soundtrack. Like other Ninja Gaiden games, it’s filled with flashy combat and a lot of blood, but I also quite liked the old-school platforming – there’s a lot of double-jumping off enemies, which never gets old. Like other Dotemu games, Ragebound seems to perfectly capture an old-school vibe but with a game made in 2025. And after finishing the three levels in the demo, I’m eager to play the rest of the game when it’s out on July 31st.
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