Day

Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest might have brought the glitz, glamour, and bombastic reveals, but we’re not done yet. Indie enjoyers also have plenty to look forward to, thanks to another strong showing from Day of the Devs, which this year was full of old friends. Over the course of an hour, we got a first look at new games from the studios behind the likes of Guacamelee, Untitled Goose Game, Abzu, Artful Escape, Thirsty Suitors, and more. It was a busy showcase, then, delivering everything from “spicy” RPGs and psychedelic western nightmares to Edward Hopper-inspired horror and even a little bit of Marvel. So if your wishlist is ready to welcome some new arrivals, read on for the full run-down of everything announced during the Day of the Devs showcase.

Snap & Grab

Image credit: No Goblin

In developer No Goblin’s Snap & Grab, high fashion meets high stakes crime. It’s the 1980s and no-one suspects that you, a famous fashion photographer, also happens to be an infamous master thief – using your cover, as well as your camera, to identify high value items and anything that might help or hinder your plans when night falls and your crime spree begins. You’ll gather intel, use your photos to assemble a step-by-step plan, and even try and shake off the detective on your tail. Snap & Grab, which is being published by Annapurna Interactive, comes to Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S “early next year”.

Big Walk

Image credit: House House

Whatever happened, you might occasionally ask yourself, to House House, the studio behind Untitled Goose Game? Well, here’s your answer. After nearly six years away, the developer is back with Big Walk, a co-op multiplayer adventure that’s “about the joy of muddling through things together”. It’s very much a game of talking and walking with your (weird blobby ant) friends, where the silly challenges found across its big open world are designed with collaboration and proximity based communication in mind. So much so, you’ve got signs, megaphones, flares, and more for those moments when you need to go your own separate ways. It looks wonderfully distinctive and is launching next year.

Sword of the Sea

Image credit: Giant Squid

And here’s another studio that’s been out of the spotlight for a while. We last saw Giant Squid, the developer responsible for acclaimed deep sea adventure Abzu, in 2021, when it released The Pathless. And now it’s preparing to return with Sword of the Sea, another visually striking, ethereal adventure that this time takes inspiration from an unexpected source: the world of board sports. There’s a touch of skate boarding, snow boarding, and surfing here, in a game that’s all about getting into a high-speed flow state as you grind, half pipe, and careen across the desolate, surreal Necropolis on your Hoversword trying to restore the ocean. Austin Wintory provides the music once more and it launches 19th August on PS5 and PC.

Escape Academy 2: Back to School

Image credit: Coin Crew Games

Coin Crew Games’ original Escape Academy was pretty much what it sounded like, capitalising on the escape room trend by turning those big old physical spaces into a cheaper, more convenient digital equivalent you could enjoy with friends without ever needing to lift your bum off a seat. And now its back with a second outing that takes the familiar escape room concept and goes open-world. There’s talk of a “living, breathing” campus, full of secrets and environmental storytelling, that essentially functions as one giant puzzle as you explore and take on character-driven quests that mix challenges and escape rooms. There’s no release date for this one yet but it’s coming to Steam.

Mixtape

Image credit: Beethoven and Dinosaur

If you loved prog-rock platform adventure Artful Escape, you might be wondering what developer Beethoven and Dinosaur has been up to since its release in 2021. And Mixtape, a game about “life and friends and the music that gets us through it”, is your answer. It’s a coming-of-age action-adventure focusing on three friends as they spend their last night together, all set to the “soundtrack of a generation”. As Mixtape unfolds, you’ll experience nostalgic narrative vignettes exploring the pivotal moments that shaped its leads, from a first kiss to a high-speed shopping trolley pursuit and abandoned theme park photography. It’s got a striking animation style reminiscent of the Spider-Verse movies, and an impressive soundtrack featuring the likes of Joy Division, Devo, Smashing Pumpkins, Roxy Music, Iggy Pop, and The Cure. There’s no release date yet, but it’s coming to PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, Epic, and Game Pass.

Blighted

Image credit: Drinkbox Studios

Drinkbox Studios has become a favourite on the indie scene thanks to the likes of Guacamelee and Nobody Saves the World, and three years after the release of that last game, we now know what it’s been working on. Blighted is described as a “hardcore action Metroidvania set in a psychedelic western nightmare”, and it sees players exploring a strange world full of secrets that only becomes stranger once you begin harnessing your character’s reality altering disease, which attracts enemies and shifts your perception of your surroundings. That manifests in the game’s dynamic difficulty, which constantly changes the environments you experience and the enemies you’ll battle. Blighted supports full co-op across its campaign and will eventually be heading to Steam.

Dosa Divas

Image credit: Outerloop Games

Hot off 2023’s acclaimed cooking-and-skating adventure Thirsty Suitors, Outerloop Games is back with Dosa Divas. It’s a “spicy RPG” set in a cute low-poly world that sees players embarking on a journey to battle their “salty” sister and crush her fast-food empire. On the way, you’ll explore villages, battle corporate goons, reconnect with loves ones, and more, and it’s all brought together by a turn-based combat system with a timing element reminiscent of Paper Mario. And like its predecessor, there’s a food element too, requiring players to match enemy flavour cravings to break down their defences, cook fresh ingredients to wake communities from a fast food haze, and more. It’s launching “early 2026”.

Possessor(s)

Image credit: Heart Machine

Hyper Light Breaker studio Heart Machine’s Possessor(s) is a real eye-catcher. It’s a fast-paced, action-heavy side-scroller set in a flooded city overrun with surreal interdimensional horrors. You play as Luca, who’s merged with a less-than-cooperative demon after making a deal to survive the disaster. Luckily, the demon’s powers come in handy out in the world, and you’ll use them throughout the game’s “tense, precise” platform-fighter-inspired combat. Heart Machine is referring to Possessor(s) as a “search-action” game, and there’s talk of powerful weapons and upgrades that’ll help unlock previously inaccessible areas, plus characters to meet, each with their own “heart-breaking” story to tell. Possessor(s) launches later this year and there’s a Steam demo available now.

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault

Image credit: Digital Sun

Developer Digital Sun’s Moonlighter 2 feels like it’s done the full tour of indie showcases recently, but it popped up again during Day of the Devs to tease just a little more of what’s in store. At its core, it retains the same mix of rogue-lite dungeon-crawling and shop management as its predecessor, but it does have a few new tricks up its sleeve – including a new visual style, which replaces the original’s charming pixel art with striking 3D. There’s also promise of new mechanics, new enemies, perks, and other rewards as players go dungeoning for sellable loot, and that’s alongside improved combat, synergistic shop effects, and more. If you were hoping for a release date, you’re out of luck, but we do at least now know it’s coming to PC, Xbox, and Game Pass this “summer”.

Please, Watch the Artwork

Image credit: Thomas Waterzooi

In developer Thomas Waterzooi’s Please, Touch the Artwork, players were actively encouraged to palpate the classics of the art world. It’s hands-off for follow-up Please, Watch the Artwork, though, where it’s all about using your eyes. You’re a nightwatchman at the Museum of Animated Modern Art, meaning it’s your job to keep a lookout as the sun goes down and figure out exactly what’s going on. Wazooi calls Please, Watch the Artwork a “psychological spot the difference game”, and the tone, while jump-scare free, is very much horror-adjacent. There is, you see, a mysterious sad clown running around spreading its sorrow across the museum’s Edward Hopper-inspired paintings, and you’ll need to study them carefully and report any anomalies. There’s no release date for Please, Watch the Artwork yet, but it’s aiming to launch this Halloween.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion

Image credit: Tribute Games

We’re big fans of Tribute Games around these parts, and after a string of treats including Mercenary Kings, Flinthook, and 2022’s stellar Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, it’s making a return with Marvel Cosmic Invasion. It’s another retro-inspired beat-em’up, only this time set in the Marvel universe. That means a range of iconic locations, from New York City to the Negative Zone, as well as 15 playable superheroes. These’ll include Venom, Captain America, Storm, Rocket Racoon, and She-Hulk, each designed around their strengths and powers. Marvel Cosmic Invasion, which was announced earlier this year, launches for PC and consoles “this holiday”.

Neverway

Image credit: Coldblood Inc.

What if cosy farming sim, but also horrific nightmare? That appears to be the starting point for developer Coldblood Inc’s Neverway, which makes its showcase return after being unveiled earlier this year. It’s a life sim RPG that leans into the horror as protagonist Fiona quits her job, starts a new chapter on a farm and, in something of a departure for the genre, gets recruited as the immortal herald of a dead god. It’s got all the usual stuff – fishing, farming, friending, crafting, and a mortgage to pay off as Fiona tries to keep her life on track – but a weird reality is starting to leak in. And that means nightmarish monsters to fight, which you can do using your sword, hook shot, and other abilities you’ll gain as you start to make friends. There’s no word of a release date for Neverway yet, but it’s coming to Steam.

Relooted

Image credit: Nyamakop

Developer Nyamakop’s Relooted has an immediately intriguing concept, whisking players to a future where the west has signed a treaty promising to repatriate African artefacts – inevitably, however, museums have found a loophole. You play as a band of thieves determined to return these artefacts to their rightful home, in a game melding action and puzzling. In the first phase, you’ll case a joint, collecting information about the obstacles you’ll face and where each artefact is stored (locations are invented, but the artefacts you loot are very much real and you’ll learn a little about each one as you play). Next, you’ll roam the level, making sure the pieces are in place for your daring escape, then finally you execute your plan, hopefully evading capture with your prize. Relooted is coming to PC and Xbox Series X/S at some undisclosed future time.

Ratatan

Image credit: Game Source Entertainment

Here’s another one that’s been popping up all over the place recently. Ratatan is the spiritual successor to Sony Japan Studio’s beloved PlayStation Portable rhythm-adventure Patapon, and it’s being helmed by original Patapon creator Hiroyuki Kotani. Ratatan’s Day of the Dev showing offered another small peek at its roguelike, rhythmic side-scrolling action, in which players build an army of 100 Cobun to take on foes. It continues to look pretty delightful, but what we still don’t have is a release date. Ratatan was originally due to arrive on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC this April, but it’s now targeting a more nebulous “2025”.

Thick as Thieves

Image credit: OtherSide Entertainment

After its grand unveiling last year, Thick as Thieves is back for another airing. It’s the work of Otherside, a studio co-founded by the father of the immersive sim Warren Spector, and is described as having “all the bells and whistles” of the genre, but with a multiplayer twist. It’s essentially what you’d get if Spector’s Thief – or the likes of Arkane’s Dishonoured – had a bunch of other player-controlled naughty sorts running around. Each match promises a fresh experience out in the labyrinthine city, be it with different weather, different available shops, or different objectives for players to stealth their way through. Thick as Thieves’ Day of the Devs showing brought a bit more gameplay, which’ll have to tide you over until its PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S arrival next year.

Pocket Boss

Image credit: Playables

Developer Playables calls Pocket Boss a “short game about the small joys of manipulating data”, but as delightfully nerdy as that sounds, it’s not quite the spreadsheet orgy you might be picturing. Instead, Pocket Boss presents players with a world where all sorts of charts have come to life and, through a series of mini-games, you’ll need to tame them. “You are in touch with your boss through a chat interface, where you get all kinds of requests,” explains the official blurb. “Erase competitors with a finger swipe, navigate the stock market without crashing… Your boss will verify if everything looks correct – and, most importantly – beautiful.” Pocket Boss, with its “intimate encounter with data”, is out later this year on Steam.

Consume Me

Image credit: Jenny Jiao Hsia

Consume Me is a “darkly humorous” autobiographical coming-of-age story about creator Jenny Jiao Hsia’s relationship with food, and it started life as a “collection of prototypes which drew from [her] past experiences with dieting and disordered eating.” It sees players taking control of Jenny in her final year of high school, where they’ll need to “make meticulous scheduling decisions to maximise [their] glow-up! Solve the puzzle game of dieting! Evade distractions as you pursue scholarly success! Do chores to get money from mom at a rate much lower than minimum wage!” It promises a bit of puzzling, some strategic decision-making, and over 13 possible endings, “most of them bad”. And if that appeals, it’s out 25th September on PC.

Off

Image credit: Mortis Ghost

I’ll be honest, cult role-playing game Off was entirely unfamiliar to me before its Day of the Devs appearance, but it’s apparently a pretty big deal. It launched back in 2008, and was the open inspiration for Toby Fox’s beloved Undertale, as well as similar successors such as One Shot. It sees players, in the role of the Batter, seeking to “purify an uncanny and hopeless world haunted by spectres, guided by a cryptic, grinning cat called The Judge”. And now 17 years after its original release, one of its creators, Mortis Ghost, is reviving it for modern platforms. This updated version includes six new bosses, a new soundtrack, and revamped combat – and it’s coming to Steam and Switch on 15th August.

Tire Boy

Image credit: GameTeam6

Stand aside Mario and Sonic, Tire Boy is here! In developer GameTeam6’s open-world action- adventure platformer, players are cast as the fast-and-nimble Tire Boy, a gentle sort who’s roaming the vast landscape searching for traces of his past. Along the way, he’ll help a quirky cast of characters, solve environmental puzzles, and engage in “whimsical” combat using roll-based abilities and found objects ranging from dried fish to saxophones – all in an effort to piece together a broken radio transmitter. GameTeam6 calls Tire Boy “weird, heartfelt, and full of little surprises”, and it’s on its way to Steam.

Toem 2

Image credit: Something We Made

And finally, developer Something We Made has returned to debut first gameplay of its photography puzzler sequel Toem 2. Just as before, you’re touring a whimsical world to snap pictures of strange phenomenon, but there’s something new to seek out this time. Along the way, you’ll meet NPCs known as “friends”, each with own their quest lines that’ll unlock new camera tools expanding the ways you can interact with your surroundings. You’ll get scissors for cutting through stuff in your viewfinder, for instance, and a hammer for smashing things, and these’ll work in conjunction with Toem 2’s expanded mobility options, including jumping and climbing. Sadly, there’s still no word of a release date, but it’s coming to PC.

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