As soon as once more, the annual Summer season Recreation Fest showcase has concluded with a coda that shouldn’t be skipped: Day of the Devs. Now formally a non-profit, Day of the Devs is accountable for each a quantity of digital showcases all through the yr in addition to bodily exhibits of extremely curated indie video games, and their picks are impeccable as all the time.
This yr, Day of the Devs included a whopping 21 video games (final yr’s had 15!), many of which have been newly introduced. They included cozy sims, unsettling horror video games, arcade collections, RPGs, and way more. We couldn’t select our favorites out of the bunch, so right here’s the full rundown of all the pieces you missed – however actually, it is best to watch the showcase your self too.
Easier Instances
Developed by Stoneskip and printed by iam8bit, Easier Instances is the one sport in Day of the Devs making a reappearance from final yr. It’s about highlighting the “magnificence of the abnormal” the place gamers spend time with Taina, who’s on the brink of depart her childhood house. In the trailer, we see the participant listening to information, taking a look at the stars, constructing a birdhouse and birdwatching, and doing artwork. It’s a “simply vibes” variety of sport. Finest of all, it’s out at this time on Steam! You possibly can play it now.
Battle Imaginative and prescient Community
From Grindstone and Under developer Capybara Video games, Battle Imaginative and prescient Community reimagines one other of the studio’s earlier video games: May & Magic: Conflict of Heroes. Battle Imaginative and prescient Community takes place in a special setting (suppose one thing like, house journey meets Eurovision) however is a non secular successor to Conflict of Heroes’ multiplayer, the place gamers compete in 1v1 matches taking turns launching assaults to create color-matched formations of items in assault or protection formation. Gamers can select from totally different groups, every with totally different strategic advantages and weaknesses, after which customise items additional with collectible outfits. Battle Imaginative and prescient Community is coming to cellular, PC, and console.
Cairn
After Fury and Haven, The Recreation Bakers are finishing what the studio describes as its “freedom” trilogy with Cairn, a sport about climbing a lethal mountain. You play as a climber obsessive about climbing what nobody has climbed earlier than, and you employ a practical climbing sim management scheme to get them there. Cairn appears to be like brutal, necessitating attempting again and again to realize new heights and with a restricted quantity of checkpoints the participant can set on their very own to forestall shedding progress. A very tough wall is the equal of a boss struggle. Cairn is coming to PC and consoles in 2025.
Petal Runner
You want GBA-style RPGs? You’re getting a GBA-style RPG from Nano Park Studios. Petal Runner is a stunning throwback to that retro period about two couriers referred to as Petal Runners, who drive round a spot known as Sapphire Valley making deliveries in a world the place flowers are a gas supply powering beloved digital pets. Petal Runner is coming to PC by way of Steam at a later date.
Karma: The Darkish World
From the China-based Pollard Studio, Karma: The Darkish World is a first-person narrative sport the place you play as a person named Daniel. Daniel exists in a dystopian model of the real-world in 1984, the place he, as an agent of the Leviathan Company, dives into folks’s minds and uncovers the fact behind occasions. Over the course of the story, he’ll discover his loyalty to the firm challenged by what he discovers, and people discoveries appear fairly upsetting. Karma: The Darkish World revels in psychological and physique horror, so it’s not for the faint of coronary heart. It’s popping out on PlayStation, Xbox, Change, and PC at a later date.
UFO50
UFO50, from Mossmouth, rests on a premise I’ve by no means heard of earlier than. It’s a set of 50 totally different video games imagined as in the event that they have been launched for a fictional online game console by a fictional firm, known as UFO Mushy. Removed from simply minigames, UFO50 guarantees the assortment has all kinds of full video games ranging the breadth of a fictional firm’s historical past. Some are arcade fashion, some have bigger campaigns, all in several genres and all complete-able with their very own credit. The video games get extra “superior” as you progress by means of the firm’s “historical past,” and a few even have sequels, story ties with different video games, or recurring characters. UFO 50 is out on Steam on September 18.
Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit
These conversant in the first Cozy Grove from Spry Fox will acknowledge Camp Spirit immediately. It’s the identical variety of sport as the unique: befriend ghost bears, assist them discover peace, accumulate supplies, craft, construct, and create a bustling camp website. Camp Spirit is the sequel to the unique, and is coming solely to Netflix Video games subscribers by way of cellular, with no microtransactions or adverts to muck up the cozy expertise. It’ll be out on June 25, 2024.
Koira
Koira, made by Studio Tolima, is a story sport set in a small, snowy forest. The primary character frees a pet from a lure, and the two work collectively to return house by means of the woods, avoiding a gaggle of hunters on their tail that appear intent on capturing the pet. It’s a journey informed in sound and music, with out dialogue, the place puzzles contain use of sound and each character is “voiced” by a singular instrument. Koira is deliberate for launch on Steam in 2025.
Arranger: A Function-Puzzling Journey
From Argentinian studio Furnishings & Mattress, Arranger follows the misfit Jemma on a puzzling journey. Jemma navigates the world in a singular manner – each time she strikes, the row of tiles she’s standing on strikes along with her, conveyer belt-style. Gamers need to information Jemma by means of the world by utilizing her motion fashion to unravel flooring puzzles and overcome obstacles. Arranger is coming to PS5, PC, and Nintendo Change on July 25.
Worry the Highlight
Satirically made by a studio known as Cozy Recreation Buddies and printed by Blumhouse, Worry the Highlight is an old-school throwback to basic horror movies (and unsettling PS1-era 3D graphics) the place two youngsters sneak right into a highschool after darkish and rise up to some spooky stuff. Vivian should save her good friend Amy from evil forces after a seance goes fallacious whereas exploring the haunted college. Worry the Focus will come to PlayStation, Xbox, Change, and PC later this yr.
Screenbound
Please watch the trailer for this one particularly, as a result of the impact of Screenbound is so trippy it have to be seen. Crescent Moon Video games and These Dang Video games have developed a 3D sport the place you discover a world full of puzzles. However you could achieve this whereas holding a GameBoy-like machine containing a side-scrolling 2D sport, the place all the actions you’re taking impression the world of each video games. Monsters killed in 2D make the path protected to maneuver ahead in 3D, and puzzles solved in 3D enable progress in 2D. I don’t understand how anybody retains monitor of each worlds without delay, however I do know I wish to attempt when Screenbound finally releases on Steam.
Zoochosis
There was a stunning quantity of horror in Day of the Devs this yr, however Zoochosis may win the prize for many freaky. It’s a bodycam horror sim the place you play as a zookeeper working at a zoo the place animals have been contaminated with one thing that’s turning them into mutants. You have got the energy to save lots of them by making a vaccine, however you need to survive them first. Zoochosis even options totally different endings relying on participant decisions. It’s made by Clapperheads, and is coming to PC someday this yr.
Tom the Postgirl
Much less horror than Zoochosis, however nonetheless firmly creepy cute, Tom the Postgirl is about, effectively, a postgirl named Tom. Tom has a foul behavior, although: she likes to eavesdrop on her neighbors. And what she finds when she begins stalking them is…not all the time healthful or nice to watch. Tom the Postgirl is by Oopsie Daisies Studio, with hand-drawn settings and lots of unsettling imagery whereas nonetheless being a bit cute. It’s popping out in Q3 of 2025.
Psychroma
Developed by Rocket Adrift, Psychroma is a cyberpunk horror sport with quite a bit to say about id and the horror of having yours stripped away from you. It’s a narrative-focused side-scroller the place you play as Haze, a “digital medium” placing collectively reminiscences in a damaged, cybernetic home, all whereas regaining your individual reminiscences. Psychroma is popping out quickly on PC by way of Steam.
Constructing Relationships
Thai studio Tan Ant Video games describes Constructing Relationships as “like A Brief Hike, however silly,” which is an incredibly efficient tactic at getting me . You play as…a home? Yeah, a literal home, rolling round a 3D map, speaking to different homes and buildings and looking for your self a date. It’s not a courting sim precisely, as the complete sport takes place in sooner or later. It’s only a goofy journey. Treasure chests are hidden round the map, however they’re in a polycule and so they don’t wish to date you. You possibly can fish, however you fish up automobiles. Constructing Relationships will probably be out on Steam at a later date.
A Little to the Left
For those who haven’t but performed this cozy little sport about organizing issues neatly, A Little to the Left is already out and already strong with DLC. However at this time, we acquired an announcement of extra DLC from Max Inferno, known as Seeing Stars. Seeing Stars provides 33 new ranges, 5 additional bonus ranges, 100 new “stars,” and extra cat mayhem to A Little to the Left, largely centered round puzzles with a number of options. The brand new DLC is coming to Steam, Change, Xbox, and PlayStation on June 25, 2024.
Hey Once more
It’s Groundhog Day, however good. A postal employee travels to a distant island, will get stranded, and finds themself in a 12-hour time loop that solely they’re conscious of. In Hey Once more, you’ll discover, remedy puzzles, and attempt to uncover a narrative of an historic individuals who lived on the island 1000’s of years in the past, who could be the purpose you’re on this loop to start with. Everything runs on a clock: tides, climate, circuits in the ruins, folks…all of it. Hey Once more, from developer Soup Island, will probably be out on Steam in 2025.
Whereas Ready
Whereas Ready is predicated on yet one more goofy but pleasant premise: what if there was a sport that was nearly…ready for stuff to occur! From Optillusion Video games, Whereas Ready follows an individual by means of their life, from beginning to dying, focusing in on the moments they spend ready. Ready for buses, for visitors, for strains, for elevators, for rain to cease, and a lot extra. You could be affected person and wait, or you’ll be able to trigger every kind of mischief to attempt to get issues to rush alongside – and there’s even a fidget button if you wish to wait however want one thing to do. Whereas Ready will launch on PC and cellular in 2025.
After Love EP
From the creators of Espresso Discuss and What Comes After, After Love EP is a narrative a couple of musician in Jakarta who hears the voice of his girlfriend after she dies. It’s a story sport with courting sim and rhythm parts that explores grief, love, and discovering methods to like your self, even when it’s laborious. There’s no launch date simply but, however Jakarta-based developer Pikselnesia hopes to launch round October this yr for PC, Change, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Phoenix Springs
Phoenix Springs, from developer Calligram Studio, is a contemporary point-and-click journey a couple of reporter trying to find her brother. She finally ends up at the titular Phoenix Springs, fixing puzzles in a neo-noir atmosphere. Whereas oldschool point-and-clicks often use objects in a listing to work together with the world, Phoenix Springs makes use of a psychological detective pinboard to attach concepts collectively, permitting the essential character to know what to do in a given state of affairs or what to say in a dialog to progress. Phoenix Springs will launch on September 16, 2024 for PC.
Tides of Tomorrow
The ultimate sport of the present, Tides of Tomorrow, didn’t spend a lot time explaining itself – however what I noticed was sufficient to get me curious. It’s an asynchronous multiplayer sport developed by Highway 96 developer DigixArt, the place a number of folks’s playthroughs of the identical story can impression each other, and affect occasions. In the trailer, we see one character escape a decent state of affairs whereas leaving a knife hidden for an additional participant to make use of throughout their escape. Tides of Tomorrow takes place on an ocean planet, the place a lethal “plastification” is killing issues very, very slowly, and gamers might be able to discover a treatment and survive. Tides of Tomorrow is coming to PC, however there’s no launch date but.
That’s all the pieces from Day of the Devs, however there are a lot extra video games the place these got here from. You possibly can atone for all the pieces from Summer season Recreation Fest earlier at this time with our round-up right here, and stick to IGN for the Devolver Direct later at this time, adopted by all the pieces else Summer season of Gaming all month lengthy.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Acquired a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.