4 Spooky Demos for People Who Don’t Play Horror Games

A black and white picture of a horror sci-fi lab, including a humanoid creature in a tank, a hand in a jar, and a covered body trapped on a metal table. Text says, 'STEAM SCREAM IV' and advertises the event running from October 27 - November 3.

Steam Scream IV: Discounts, Demos, and More

Right on the heels of Steam’s October NextFest showcase was Steam Scream IV: an event celebrating horror gaming. I’m not a big horror fan when it comes to jump scares and high-pressure chase scenes, but I adore folklore, witches, and existential or spiritually spooky themes, so I figured I would probably find something to appropriately celebrate Halloween with if I looked hard enough.

It was actually a pretty successful attempt! I must have downloaded about 80 demos across the JRPG, point-and-click, puzzle, and visual novel genres, but with my seriously packed schedule, I barely managed to scratch the surface of them. Happily though, I did lock down four new games that made a really strong impression. Keep reading to check out which demos I recommend for people who don’t really play horror games!

Red Line

Chen and Yang press their hands to either side of the same window. Yang can only be seen as a shadow.

First up is Red Line by Rolling Cat Studio and indienova. This one’s really interesting, as it has all the earmarks of a pixel horror game like Ib or Mad Father going in, but it soon subverts your expectations by taking a more investigative and psychological approach to horror.

Red Line takes place in what seems to be two separate instances of the same apartment block, with one protagonist (Chen) staying there in our ‘real’ world while struggling with the loss of her sister, and the other (Yang) trapped in a nightmare version populated by ghosts. A curious twist: these two girls can temporarily communicate across realms by writing in Yang’s journal, Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name) style. Even when Chen tries to throw the book away, it always finds its way back to her room.

A tabbed notebook. Both Chen and Yang have written in it, with Yang introducing herself by name and saying she is trapped.

Based on Chen’s experiences with the ghost following her around, I was bracing myself for stealth and lots of running and hiding in Red Line, but Yang’s side of the story immediately put me at ease when, instead of freaking out at the sight of a bloody ghost, she casually shares her breakfast with it instead. Though Yang’s side of events is serious, Red Line carefully balances its horrifying moments with some levity and human interactions. Sign me up.

As the demo progresses, the mystery element of the game comes to the fore. Yang hears her neighbour’s baby crying and enters the apartment to try and help. While there, she discovers that she can hear a moment in someone’s life by touching meaningful items throughout her neighbour’s home. For the demo, Yang hears the past of Mrs. Liu: a young mother who used to work folding joss paper ingots. By doing this, and successfully mixing the baby’s formula, Yang unlocks the baby’s room and discovers the truth binding Mrs. Liu to the otherworldly apartment complex. (Trigger warnings here for depression, suicide, and infant death.)

Where they exist, my only gripes with Red Line are minimal quality of life issues that will make a big difference if implemented. For one, I found the controls could be a bit clunky at times. As well as it being unclear at times which set pieces the player is meant to interact with, your clicks don’t always land unless you persist enough times to find the hitbox. Tweaking this would do a lot for the puzzles.

A girl (Chen) stands in a black room. Its features are outlined in stark red pen, and include a coffin surrounded by flowers, and a mantelpiece bearing a framed picture of a pigtailed girl. Candles burn on either side of her picture.

Speaking of puzzles, there’s one in particular I struggled with where you have to follow a soft thumping sound through doors and up and down stairs. This was unclear, and (as someone with a deaf husband) something I took a little issue with, as there are no visual clues available to help deaf players. Though the sound adds a creepy touch, it blocks certain players from progressing purely because they can’t hear it, and it’s not a puzzle you can just guess.

Finally (and this one is a bit picky), though the environments are detailed and highly atmospheric, item descriptions don’t always do them justice; I remember looking around a room to get a feel for the place and being told a pile of manga ‘tells us something about the owner’s personality’. Instead, this would’ve been a better opportunity to give the player character’s perspective on the manga–how do they feel about it?

Overall though, these are some pretty minor complaints in an otherwise brilliant demo. It delivers the creepy factor and heavy horror plotlines without relying on jump scares, monster close-ups, chase sequences, or loud, shrill noises, which was absolutely perfect for me.

Little Goody Two Shoes

A girl in red and white stands in a dark forest, holding a lantern. She presses one finger to her lips. To her left, yellow text reads, "The secret lies in the woods" and "Little Goody Two Shoes"

I mostly enjoyed Little Goody Two Shoes by AstralShift and Square Enix, but unfortunately I really sucked at the Witching Hour sequence, so I wasn’t able to finish the demo in time for this blog’s release. However, it captivated me enough to want to revisit it when I have more time, and that’s why it still deserves an honorary mention.

Taking place in a Germanic, heavily fairytale inspired village, Little Goody Two Shoes is a sapphic horror RPG that blends 90’s anime character concepts with beautiful pixel art, and introduces you to Elise: a young woman dreaming of riches beyond her humble means. It’s not all sparkles and roses, though; there’s a witch lurking in the woods, and it’s your job to help Elise avoid the suspicion of the townsfolk by helping them out (day-to-day jobs take the form of cute but challenging arcade games), saying the right things so she doesn’t draw attention to herself, and buying off that damn Miffy with bread and pretzels so she doesn’t blab on Elise for harbouring a mysterious out-of-towner: Rozenmarine.

Elise gazes out of a window at the night sky, wishing she could leave this town. A dresser in front of the window bears a mirror and potted plants.

The Witching Hour. Elise runs around a darkened palace room. The floor is checkered black and white, and the sky is red beyond the gothic windows.

For the most part, I really liked Little Goody Two Shoes, other than the hunger meter (that doesn’t refill when Elise eats her dinner, oddly enough) and sometimes misleading dialogue options that risk raising your suspicion among the villagers if you choose the wrong one. As well, it appears I share the frustrations of several gamers in the Witching Hour parts of the game that transport Elise to a dangerous, otherworldly palace. Unnatural happenings slowly sap away at your sanity bar, and there are monsters out to get you while you try to solve puzzles and escape. I found the controls here just too clunky to get through this sequence easily, so this was the part where I put the demo down. However, if you have the time to spend and enjoy a punishing gameplay loop, then you’ll probably love it. For me, it just felt more like an endurance test than I was prepared for, and I lacked the patience or resources to make a good go of it. Maybe another time! Overall, I do recommend giving Little Goody Two Shoes a whirl, as it’s otherwise just too good to skip out on.

There Are No Ghosts at the Grand

Announced at XBox’s Summer Showcase, Friday Sundae’s There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is the kind of game that instantly establishes itself as something special, and I jumped at the chance to play the demo. Right off the bat, it was everything I hoped it would be. It’s got a solid art style, a pettable (talking!) cat, and heaps of British charm and wit that made me feel right at home. Fans of the Monkey Island and Two Point series are sure to appreciate the game’s dry sense of humour and main character’s misfortune. I love the town already for its authenticity to places I’ve seen and been, and the characters feel so genuine that I was immersed from the first moment of its tongue-in-cheek tutorial.

Though controls can get a little fumbly on the keyboard, I’m almost positive it’ll feel much more at home for me on a controller, so I won’t hold my clumsy hand-eye co-ordination against it. As gameplay goes, the natural comparison is Powerwash Simulator’s satisfying cleanup meets tense, atmospheric sequences as you investigate creepy locations full of haunted history. For the most part, your tool layout feels intuitive and natural to play, even during the high-stakes supernatural segment at the end, and puzzles feel sensible based on the clues you’re given to solve them.

First-person view. The protagonist drives a yellow scooter under a purple sky. A black cat with a white face looks over its shoulder in the bike's front basket.

As a certified coward, take my word for it: don’t worry too much about the horror elements in There Are No Ghosts at the Grand. Friday Sundae masterfully use lighting and sound effects to give you the creeps, no question, but they diffuse your fears with well-placed laughs and a helpful blast gun to keep any nasties at bay. I was apprehensive while exploring the demo’s WW2 bunker, but eventually settled into the puzzles and got through my first supernatural encounter with relative ease. The music keeps things bright and bouncy rather than going for the usual sharp horror genre stings, which helps more than you might think!

Speaking of music, did you know There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is a musical? That discovery felt out of left field, but I definitely didn’t hate it; it’s just one more detail that makes this story so unique, and I can’t wait to find out what happens when it comes out in 2026!

My Little Cafe Nightmare

Last is My Little Café Nightmare: a spooky sweet café simulator by SethMadDev and Ivy Juice Games. I’d initially wanted to play this one for Next Fest, but Halloween felt so much more appropriate.

My Little Café Nightmare puts you behind the counter at an otherworldly café. Once you’ve gotten things cleaned up and ready for customers, you’ll serve freshly ground coffee to the spirits who drop by. Keep the café clean and properly stocked, set fair prices, and work quickly to earn a good tip! As you earn more coins, you can upgrade your café with more furniture and drink offerings. It’s very satisfying and completely adorable in its spookiness, and aside from a gripe or two with the mechanics (and some practice) I could easily sink hours into it.

My only issues with My Little Café Nightmare are minor inconveniences at best. For one, you can only wash one cup at a time in that massive sink. Two, I’d love a tray or something so I can quickly return dirty cups to the back. I don’t know if I just missed it, but I also couldn’t figure out how to rotate furniture. Not a game-breaking oversight or anything, but it’d go a long way to helping players customize their cafes if this was made clearer.

A formless black shadow with bright white eyes drinks a cup of coffee at the counter of a café and declares, "I feel now my soul left my body."

What is a little game breaking, however, is that the game continues in slow motion when I paused it; customers continued to move and line up, which gave the impression that I couldn’t really stop once I started a new day. This is especially stressful when customers have the annoying habit of stealing your cups if the café is closing or they have nowhere to sit. I mean, who does that? Why can’t I offer takeout cups in that case? This might not sound like a big issue, but because I’m the only one tending the counter, keeping the tables clear, washing cups, and tidying garbage, it’s just one more thing piled on when the café is busy.

Despite these little bugbears though, I love My Little Café Nightmare and will happily invest time in it again. I appreciated the demo giving me access to Cozy Mode right away to help me get my bearings without risking a game over while I was still learning.

Steam Scream IV Demos: Halloween Without the Horror

If you prefer things spooky than outright scary, I highly recommend you give these demos a try. I had a great time trying them out and might have discovered some new favourites! Let me know what you think, or tell me your top horror games for the season!

As always, thank you for joining me by the Foxfire! I’ll see you again next time for more stories of all sorts!

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