Developer asks players to try other Next Fest demos instead of wishlisting

Of the thousands of demos at Next Fest, About Fishing stands out as The Water Museum's Lynchian "fishing mystery game"—surreal, psychological, eerie, absurd and endearing. Its tackle box contains a conspiracy board, the town church hides a prison ward in the basement, and you can commune with caught fish to retrieve submerged clues.

In a Steam news post, developer Kevin invited players to try the demo and then make an unconventional request: "After you're done—you don't have to wishlist it," he wrote. "Just promise me you'll find another demo that looks interesting and give it a go. There are some genuinely great creators in this fest who deserve the attention.

Take your time." He also suggested turning off the computer and maybe enjoying a tree; having gone on a lovely walk this morning, I can personally confirm the looking-at-tree meta. Wishlisting is usually a key goal at events like Next Fest, yet The Water Museum urged solidarity instead.

next fest, steam, about fishing, water museum, wishlisting, demo, indie games, fishing mystery, lynchian, developer kevin