It’s the day before The Game Awards, and Day of the Devs is here with a plethora of neat-looking trailers ahead of it. The Day of the Devs – The Game Awards Edition showcase showed off a ton of new and upcoming indies today, and quite a few have already gone on my wishlist.
From new footage on announced projects, to brand-new world premieres, Day of the Devs is usually a pretty good resource for seeing what’s up in indie development spaces. I always seem to walk away from these showcases with at least a few new games to keep an eye on, and this one’s no different. From the clever, creepy Cryptmaster to the fascinating concept of Dome-King Cabbage, there’s a lot here that doesn’t feel like your usual fare.
So here’s a handy guide to everything shown off today, whether you missed the stream or just want to remember a game that caught your eye.
Everything shown at today’s Day of the Devs – The Game Awards Edition
Militsioner by Tallboys is our lead-off batter for this Day of the Devs, and an interesting one at that. It’s the big cop game you might have seen drifting around social media, where you’re trying to escape a city that’s under the watchful eye of a giant policeman. It seems like a creepy, fascinating one to watch for immersive sim fans. No release date yet.
Kitfox Games, the studio behind Boyfriend Dungeon, is working on a witchy tea-brewing sim called Loose Leaf. Manage a team room with a very in-depth, 3D tea brewing sim. Serve guests and complete the journal. It seems pretty cozy!
Ever want to be a lil’ guy and explore the town, helping everyone out? Then Thank Goodness You’re Here! by Coal Supper is up your alley. A unique art style and very British presentation seem to be the driving forces here, which is fun.
The Kind Words team at Popcannibal are back with Kind Words 2, subtitled “Lofi City Pop.” It’s a follow-up to the first with all the same feel-good social mechanics, but even more built on top, expanding out from the room into a social hub. It seems pleasant and nice, and we always love to see that these days.
Flock from Richard Hogg and Ricky Haggett is an exploration game where you fly a bird around, collecting more creatures for your flock. It reminds me a little of Flower, for some reason. For those who want to find and collect data about creatures, Flock seems worth keeping an eye on for spring 2024.
Hermit and Pig is an Earthbound and Pokémon-inspired take from Heavy Lunch Studio on the life of a mushroom-seeking forager and his pig pal. It looks light, goofy, and fun. The kind of vibes that Eastward was trying to catch, in my opinion. I really like the set-up and idea here, and looking forward to learning more about it.
Oh, wow. Cobysoft Co.’s Dome-King Cabbage is wild. It’s hard to even describe what this virtual experience seems like; bits of RPG, visual novel, adventure, and more. It’s got some serious Love-de-Lic energy. This is the sort of indie I get really excited for, because it feels like someone’s passionate vision coming to life. Definitely keep an eye out for this one.
Ultros from Hadoque has had a few trailers in shows now, and really looks fascinating. It’s definitely got some ‘Vania action, but with a gorgeously eerie bio-tech direction. I’d say if you’re looking for a different kind of world to explore in this genre, Ultros is a solid bet. It arrives on February 13, 2024.
I’ve covered Sonka’s Holstin before, but if you missed it then, you need to see it now. It’s a perspective-switching survival horror game that combines high, tilted angles with over-the-shoulder shooting. It looks fantastic, and this seems set to be another surprise survival horror hit in 2024.
Like musical trinkets and bouncing, rhythmic creations? Oddada from Mathilda HOffman and Sven Ahlgrimm seems worth watching. It lets you pick up tons of different little gadgets and doodads that can create one pleasing chorus. Keep an eye out for this in 2022.
Cryptmaster from Paul Hart and Lee Williams is another highlight for me. It’s a dungeon-crawler where you play as a “gaggle” of revenants, using letters to form words and perform actions. It’s got a striking art style and intriguing gameplay pitch, so it’s definitely on my list for indies to watch in 2024.
Digital Eclipse has another entry in the Gold Master series, this time looking at the legacy of a developer in Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story. Follow the developer’s work through the years and check out new footage and interviews, as well as interactive games, of course. 42 different Llamasoft game from eight different platforms, including a demo for the Kamex Multisystem version of Attack of the Mutant Camels and Gridrunner Remastered, are included.
Drag Her! from Fighting Chance Games is a drag-centric fighting game with a fierce angle. It sounds like the crew is trying to make a solid fighting game that’s still approachable, while also bringing a unique vibe to the arena. Keep an eye out for that in the future.
Here’s Braid: Anniversary Edition from Thekla. It takes the original puzzle-platformer from Jonathan Blow and remasters it, alongside adding some developer commentary. Maybe now, Soulja Boy will give it a chance. That arrives on April 30, 2024.
Open Roads returns, after a rocky time for the dev team. Now being created by simply The Open Roads Team, and published by Annapurna, this interactive adventure has some star power behind it too; Keri Russell appeared on the stream to announce her role, alongside Kaitlyn Dever, for the interactive thriller arriving in February 22, 2024.
Are you afraid of your landlord? Well, you should be afraid of at least one, because Janet DeMornay Is a Slumlord (and a Witch). This horror game sees the player living out their days in a new place that really doesn’t seem to operate by normal rules. And maybe has some creepy mysteries to uncover, too. Discover it all in 2024.
Home Safety Hotline from Night Signal Entertainment is exactly my kind of game. It’s an interface-driven, lower-tech, workplace sim game that’s also got tons of mystery and horror. You help callers with household issues, ranging from bed bugs to, uh, bed teeth? Things in the basement? Just general creepiness. Keep an eye out for that in early 2024.
After a few spooky games, it’s time to shift the atmosphere of this Day of the Devs showcase with Long Way Home’s Resistor. The arcade racer sees the main character returning to the race track and winning a spot in the city for their ailing mother. And that involves a lot of chaos, carnage, and explosions.
Time for me to be a little more insufferable than usual. SFB Games have made some stellar projects, including the well-liked Switch title Snipperclips. The crew is picking back up their work on the murder mystery front with The Mermaid’s Tongue, another entry in the Detective Grimoire series. Its predecessor, Tangle Tower, is wonderful, and this new entry looks delightfully creepy and dreary, with new features like fully 3D clues. The Mermaid’s Tongue is set for 2024, and a demo is out on Steam now.
Feral Cat Den’s Genesis Noir holds a special place in my heart, as it was—fun fact—the first review I ever wrote for Destructoid! So I’m pretty happy to see the team returning to the concept with Nirvana Noir, a new adventure game featuring the same world and lead, getting even more trippy and strange. It’s got incredible style, and I’m really excited to see it come together. The studio is crowdfunding this entry, and planning a launch on PC via Steam and Xbox, and also heading to Game Pass.
Oh, and surprise! One last thing – Poncle is bringing the world of Among Us to its hit reverse-bullet-hell Vampire Survivors. The Emergency Meeting crossover arrives December 18!
That’s it for today’s lineup. Those games and more are on display at the in-person Day of the Devs showcase, but for those at home, a few demos did hit online. And we’re not far off now from the big day at The Game Awards tomorrow night, either.
If you dig anything you saw here at the Day of the Devs – The Game Awards Edition showcase, do make sure to wishlist it. I’ve spoken to indie devs a lot over the years, and repeatedly, I’ve heard how important just the simple act of wishlisting can be. It’s an easy way to support games you think are neat. And with all these rad indies we saw today, I know my own wishlist cup is going to run over with new entries.
Published: Dec 6, 2023 11:20 am