Investigate a Dark Family Mystery in Hope in the City
Lofty Sky and co-publisher NAGA Publishing have released a new demo for Hope in the City on Steam as part of the Next Fest. The updated demo introduces new gameplay options, additional language support, and several improvements to the overall experience.
Players can now choose between Story Mode for a more relaxed experience and Detective Mode for a greater challenge. The demo supports five languages: English with full voice acting, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. The developers have also improved player perspective and controls inside the apartment, refined camera movement, and fixed several bugs.
The game follows 17-year-old Hope Song, an artist who returns home to discover her apartment ransacked and both parents missing. Without any detective experience, she must investigate their disappearance by sketching clues in her notebook. And turn them into evidence as the mystery grows darker. It takes place in Shenyang, Northeast China, and features neon-lit streets and quiet corners hiding secrets. This makes the city an important part of Hope’s investigation.
“We can’t wait for players to get their hands on Hope in the City,” said Judith Cheung, creative director at Lofty Sky. “Steam players can try our new demo in their own language starting Monday at Next Fest, in whichever mode suits how they like to play.”
Hope in the City will launch on November 11, 2026, one day later than originally planned. A special announcement will also arrive at the Golden Joystick Awards in London that evening. Pre-orders and pre-installs are available on Xbox, with the game launching day one on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam.