A cute co-op platformer with an inhale trick is dropping a Steam Next Fest demo

Why Wolley’s Dungeon Adventure matters (even if nobody’s talking about it)

This caught my attention because inhale-and-expel mechanics are rare outside of gimmicks, and pairing that with couch + online 2-player co-op in a family-friendly puzzle-platformer is exactly the kind of compact design indie players love to test at Steam Next Fest. TuanisApps and Soft Source are putting an updated demo in front of players during the festival (23 Feb-2 Mar 2026), so you can try the core loop yourself without waiting for reviews.

• Accessible co-op: Local and online 2-player support puts the demo squarely in living-room and quick-squad territory.
• Unique core mechanic: Wolley’s inhale/exhale ability promises puzzle and combat uses that aren’t just another double-jump.
• Steam Next Fest timing: The demo arrives during the festival window, but there are conflicting signals on exact demo/release dates.
• Low pre-festival buzz: No wishlists, influencer coverage, or forum chatter yet – this one may rely on the demo to create momentum.

Breaking down the demo and what it actually offers

Wolley’s Dungeon Adventure is pitched as a family-friendly co-op puzzle-platformer where you play as Wolley, “the last Ballonian.” The twist: Wolley inhales and expels to manipulate the world – sucking in objects or enemies to clear paths, then blasting them away to solve puzzles or deal damage. That inhale/exhale gameplay is the headline here, and demos are the best way to see whether that mechanic supports emergent co-op tricks or ends up repetitive.

Technical details in the publisher materials and keyword list indicate the game runs on Godot and targets PC via Steam, with both online and couch 2-player co-op. The updated demo will be available during Steam Next Fest (23 Feb-2 Mar 2026), giving players hands-on time with the core puzzles, enemy interactions, and island-restoration beats the devs describe.

There’s a bit of a mess in the timeline: Steam records show an App ID for a Wolley demo (App ID 4342770) scheduled on 15 Feb 2026 at 15:58 UTC, while the official press release dated 22 Feb explicitly links an updated demo to Steam Next Fest. Publisher Soft Source lists a full-game window of Q2 2026 on Steam, but a third-party database (Good Game Database) lists a 12 Feb 2026 date that looks like an outlier. Put bluntly: expect the updated demo in the Steam Next Fest window, and treat earlier dates as likely placeholders or admin noise.

Why this matters now – and why the lack of hype is telling

Steam Next Fest is designed for moments like this: small teams get a global testing ground and players get to find fresh co-op experiences without buying. Wolley’s design — approachable, cooperative puzzles with a single quirky mechanic — fits the festival’s sweet spot. But it’s also telling that there’s almost no pre-festival chatter. No Reddit threads, no influencer videos, and no sizable wishlist traction means TuanisApps is relying on the demo itself to create word-of-mouth rather than pre-built hype.

That can be fine. Many indie demos explode during the festival precisely because they surprise players. It’s only a problem if the demo doesn’t show enough of what makes Wolley unique or if the inhale mechanic feels shallow in co-op. The risk-reward here is classic indie: low noise, big potential payoff if the gameplay hooks quickly.

What players should watch after trying the demo

• SteamDB and store page updates: watch for sudden wishlist spikes and the developer’s clarification on a final release date (Soft Source currently lists Q2 2026).
• Community hubs: look for hands-on impressions on Reddit and short YouTube clips during and after Steam Next Fest to see if co-op actually shines.
• Patch cadence: an “updated demo” suggests active iteration — note whether the devs push fixes or balance changes during the festival week.
• Local vs. online parity: test both couch and online co-op to see if latency or camera sharing undermines the puzzle design.

My short take: Wolley’s Dungeon Adventure has a neat, shareable hook and the right festival timing. The demo is the only honest way to know if the inhale/exhale mechanic scales into memorable co-op moments or stays cute but shallow. If you like bite-sized co-op platformers, this is exactly the sort of Steam Next Fest pick to try between the bigger indies.

TL;DR

Try the updated Wolley demo during Steam Next Fest (23 Feb-2 Mar). It’s a family-friendly, inhale-based co-op puzzle-platformer that could surprise — but watch for murky release dates and the lack of pre-festival buzz. If the core inhale/expel mechanic clicks in two-player, this could be a cozy little hit; if not, it’ll fade into the demo backlog.