If you’re looking for a spiritual successor to The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Demi and the Fractured Dream looks and plays to fit that bill with its gameplay mechanics and visuals. We had the opportunity to demo the upcoming indie game at Summer Game Fest, and it was quite a surprise how fun it was to play.

Great Power but a Curse

You play as Demi, a mysterious Voidsent with the ability to harness the power of the Void. While it sounds like a wonderful asset, it does have its drawbacks for the warrior as it slowly consumes Demi through a deadly curse. You’ll encounter vicious enemies and prevent the legendary Accursed Beasts from bringing the world’s destruction. I’m curious if the curse will impact the game beyond the story, even though little was said about it.

Controlling Demi feels familiar; for those who’ve played adventure games like The Legend of Zelda, it will feel acquainted. You’ll use multiple weapons like your sword, bow, and more. In this demo, we were limited to weapons and how much we could roam within one of the dungeons. But the experience playing brought not only strong nostalgia for classic games but also their beautiful and colorful environments. Its visuals give that cel-shaded look with its 3D models that resemble Wind Waker.

Tackling obstacles was reminiscent of classic Zelda titles when using objects to solve puzzles, such as initiating a spot to blow a gust of wind in a certain direction in order to continue adventuring. While fighting, you can lock on enemies, dodge, and counter. The bigger fights that resembled boss battles gave some challenge, but studying their patterns helped win the battle.

A Familiar Adventure

While I enjoy the strong inspiration of various Zelda titles and other early 3D adventure games from the 2000s, I hope to see Demi and the Fractured Dream create its own identity so that future games will be inspired by Demi. So far, this indie adventure game is proving to be an enjoyable exploration.

I encountered some graphical glitches, but with the game in its early development, it’s not too concerning right now. For example, when I first demoed Monster Hunter Stories 3 months prior at New York Comic Con, there were worse signs of performance, but Capcom cleaned those up for its full release. I have faith in the development team over at Yarn Owl to fix what’s necessary before its release in early 2027.

Demi and the Fractured Dream is set to launch in February 2027 for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Fans can visit the game’s official website for more information and purchasing options. We appreciate Annapurna Interactive for giving us the opportunity to demo this narrative game at the Summer Game Fest.