ARTE France and Flying Oak Games have released a Steam Next Fest demo. It follows Jane through one chapter of her underground tournament, with side quests and a fight against the first boss.
Jane's route through the demo ends at the first boss. The sample puts players inside her underground tournament and gives them a look at both its fights and exploration. Invision Community reported the demo's availability on 8 October 2026, then updated its coverage on 11 October.
What the demo includes
The Next Fest demo covers one full chapter, ending at the first boss. Several side quests run alongside the main route, giving players more than a short combat vignette. The game is single-player, and the demo is available on Steam.
The announcement gives no full-game release date or price. It also leaves the demo's eventual availability unspecified. Publicly confirmed information names ARTE France as publisher and Flying Oak Games as developer, but available reporting does not independently confirm a release date. The final game's overall scope remains unknown.
NGB has also covered Final Answer, a trivia roguelite strategy game with a Steam playtest.
A brawler with detours
Knuckle Paradise follows Jane, a kidnapped fighter forced to compete in a brutal underground tournament set in an abandoned amusement park. The premise leads to chaotic showdowns with eccentric opponents. A combat-ready chicken fights alongside her.
The developers describe fluid movement and aerial combos as core parts of the combat system. They also promise responsive controls. Bayonetta and Devil May Cry are among the stated inspirations. Death's Door is another reference point.
Those comparisons indicate the intended feel, but they do not establish whether the demo matches those games' depth or precision. Players can judge the combat in the sample itself. The announcement offers no independent performance testing or detailed account of how moves and abilities work. Reaching the first boss gives the demo a clear endpoint; it says little about the variety or difficulty of later encounters.
Beyond the arena
Exploration takes Jane beyond the fights. The game's world includes hidden upgrades and unlockable abilities. Side activities include stealth sequences, with high-speed chases also in the mix. Neon nightclubs and mirror mazes are among the settings she encounters. The demo's several side quests take players off the tournament's main route.
Invision Community describes the sample as a full chapter through the first boss, rather than a standalone combat episode. Flying Oak Games also frames the story around fairness and inclusion. Resilience is another stated theme, set against the game's action-comedy tone. The announcement does not explain how those ideas shape the story or how much narrative the demo contains. Its first chapter can introduce that direction, but it cannot show how consistently the full game develops it.
What players can assess
Knuckle Paradise pairs hand-drawn pixel art with arena combat and exploration. Chase sequences add another strand to the mix. The developers' reference points come from action games with different strengths, so the practical test is whether movement and aerial attacks feel cohesive in play.
The demo lets players try the combat directly. It provides no basis for judging performance beyond its availability on Steam. The sample stops after one chapter and the first boss, a firm limit on what it can show about the full campaign's scale or quality.
The announcement supplies no full-release timing. It gives no price, and it does not lay out a complete platform plan. Invision Community reported the demo's availability on 8 October 2026 and updated its coverage on 11 October.
