The Best Game Demos at PAX West
Over the four-day event, PAX West featured so many amazing game demos. Here are the highlights from the top demos I experienced!
Roller Girl
Set in the 2000s, you play as Naomi, a girl who loves skating and just wants to get away from things. As you roller blade around town, you will help your neighbors while inadvertently getting caught up in town drama as you work to fix your car. You can influence Naomi’s mood with music on her MP3 player. The music can change the mood as you flow through Naomi’s neighborhood, adding many possibilities for different vibes as you play.
The demo was short but the build I played at PAX West played beautifully. I am excited to see the improvements made to the game mechanics and UI as the launch window approaches, which, according to Steam, is still to be announced. As a Black girl who skates, Roller Girl feels like it was made for girls and women like me!
Mistfall Hunter
Mistfall Hunter is a third-person PvPvE extraction RPG that was announced in 2024. The PAX West demo introduced the female character build, camp, and the Blasphemer Seer class. The female character builder was fun, although I do wish textured hairstyles and more skin tone options were included.
So far, I have played three of the five classes: Sorcerer, Blackarrow, and Shadowstrix, with Shadowstrix being my favorite so far. Shadowstrix is a rogue-style class that has a focus on dual-wielding daggers. Blackarrow is the archer type class with a range of cool abilities. And finally, Sorcerer is the magic class that is a bit challenging.
Mistfall Hunter feels like if Hunt Showdown and Dark Souls II had a child. The combat is fun, the enemies and bosses provide a good challenge, and the PvP is fun. The beta for Mistfall Hunter will begin on September 16 for everyone to experience what the game is so far.
Pac-Man World 2 Re-PAC
Pac-Man World 2 Re-PAC releases September 25th, and it is a wonderful trip down memory lane. The original Pac-Man World 2 was released in 2002, and I remember pouring hours into it. When playing the demo at the Bandai Namco booth, it brought back fond memories of Pac-Man’s adventures through PAC-LAND as he fought, jumped, and butt-bounced to reclaim the golden fruit and defeat the evil Spooky.
The modern graphics, quality of life improvements, and voice acting have brought new life into PAC-MAN. While I did not get to experience player 2 mode, it brought much joy to see the updated boss fights and expanded worlds of Pac-Man World 2.
Love Eternal
In this psychological horror platformer, you play as Maya, who, one stormy night before dinner is stolen from her family. You must traverse the realm of the gods as you traverse lasers, spikes, and other puzzles to escape this forsaken realm. Gravity can be your friend, and at times your greatest challenge. The controls are simple, and you feel a great deal of accomplishment with each puzzle you solve.
I received a compliment from the developer on how fast I made it through the puzzles; however, I chalk that up to my years of experience with platformers! Love Eternal will be released in 2025.
Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition
While the original Atari 2600 was released way before I was born, getting to experience the Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition felt like I was connecting with a generation of gamers through time. Getting to experience loading cartridges into a console, something I have not done since owning my Sega Genesis, was nostalgic and fun.
I played the original Pac-Man, which, overall, was fun! The console is very light and shows the classic Pac-Man and the ghosts. The joystick is cute, but I found that during gameplay was not very tactile and reactive. It is possible because it was demo hardware; perhaps it was worn down, but I found it frustrating when trying to move Pac-Man, and he did not react at the speed and accuracy I tried to move him.
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem was by far my favorite demo of PAX West. In the demo, we begin with Grace strapped upside down to a gurney attached to an IV drip. After Grace escapes, it becomes apparent that she is not alone. You are instantly thrown into a familiar format of solving puzzles in the hospital, needing to find a key, a fuse, and a screwdriver to turn the lights back on. All the while, Grace is being hunted by a blind creature that cannot stand the light.
My demo ended right as I entered the fuse into the box, but I was hoping to get a sneak peek into the dilapidated Racoon City Police Station. Although that did not happen, I was still happy with what I got to experience.
This Resident Evil will have fans of the series on the edge of their seat. Players have the option of switching between first and third person, but I recommend first person for the extra scary vibes. Resident Evil Requiem releases Feb 27, 2026, and I simply cannot wait.
Ravenwood Academy: A Wizard101 Story
Coming home from school and playing Wizard 101 was the best part of my day as a child. I am so glad that Wizard 101 is still around in 2025 and has new content on the way!
Ravenwood Academy: A Wizard101 Story has been in development for some time now, and that development time has been used intentionally to make sure the core feeling of Wizard 101 remains just as magical as we remember from our childhood.
You play as a transfer student from Dragonspyre, who is somewhat of an outcast. While you attempt to fit in with your classmates, incidents keep happening on campus, and everyone blames you. Between making friends and going to class, you must investigate these incidents to solve the mystery going on at Ravenwood Academy and clear your name.
During my gameplay session, my heart instantly warmed at the nostalgia I felt while playing. A concern the development team had was making sure that Ravenwood Academy felt like the Wizard 101 that everyone knows, loves, and grew up with. That mission was accomplished. The cozy and charming tone feels like this is a love letter to the people who grew up with this beloved game. It’s been about a decade since the Wizard 101 developers created a new game, and while getting back in the swing of things had its bumps, what they are accomplishing shows that there is intention and acre behind what they are doing.
The story of Ravenwood Academy feels like a visual novel, cozy academia mystery that encourages a healthy balance of story, lore, and mystery mechanics. The story is geared to be a young adult experience to invite gamers across various age groups to play and play together. The game will be fully voice-acted and character-driven! The goal is a 2026 release, and I will wait patiently for this heart-warming experience!
PAX West is my favorite PAX. It’s an incredible experience getting to meet developers, interact with indie and not-so-indie game titles, and connect more with amazing creatives in the industry.
PAX West 2025 was amazing, and I cannot wait for next year!
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