While Summer Game Fest may be the big ticket show, Day of the Devs deserves just as much attention as it is filled with incredible indie games from developers around the world that are creating some of the most creative and unique experiences around.
This year’s show was no different and featured 15 games, including another look at Cocoon, which is the upcoming puzzle-adventure game from one of the designers of Inside and Limbo. We were also treated to a game called Hauntii, which stars a ghost who can haunt objects and use their abilities, and Été, which promises to deliver a black-and-white world that begs for you to add color to it.
There were so many more, and we encourage you to read all about them below and watch all the trailers of these games to see which may be the next one to add to your wishlist!
Beastieball Is a Wonderful Mix of Pokemon and a Turn-Based Volleyball RPG
Beastieball is the newest game from the developer behind Chicory and Wandersong and looks to be a wonderful mix of Pokemon and a turn-based volleyball RPG. Your mission is to train a team of volleyball players, who are actually adorable creatures! Unlike Pokemon, the goal is not to catch all of the Beasties, but is instead to build the perfect team and work on building their relationships with one another. Beasties can become besties, partners, rivals, or sweethearts, and these relationship statuses will come with a powerful combo move that can help secure a hard-fought victory.
Beastieball will be released in 2024.
Hyper Light Breaker Gets a Brand-New Gameplay Trailer
Hyper Light Breaker is set to enter Early Access later in 2023, and today’s Day of the Devs stream gave fans a brand-new look at the game in action. This co-op rogue-lite adventure will see fans heading off into the Hyper Light universe and experiencing a prequel story that is set decades before the original. Additionally, the action takes place in 3D and features procedurally-generated biomes that will ensure no two runs are ever the same.
For more, be sure to check out our exclusive Hyper Light Breaker gameplay preview from back in March 2023.
Simpler Times Is All About Showcasing the ‘Beauty of the Ordinary’
Simpler Times aims to highlight the “beauty of the ordinary” by joining Taina on a trip down memory lane as she is getting ready to embark on a new journey and leave her childhood home behind. Simpler Times is a first-person game that will have you learning more about Taina through her things and the place she grew up. As the devs have said, “this is a contemplative, cozy experience. There is no score, no combat, no failing, and no anxiety. Just vibes.”
Simpler Times is coming soon to PC and other platforms.
The Reality-Bending Puzzle Game Viewfinder Gets a New Gameplay Trailer
Viewfinder is one of those unique and intriguing games that you just have to see to understand why it’s special. This puzzle game is all about using pictures to bring what’s inside them into the real world, which means you can take a picture of a bridge and place it in front of you so it will allow you to cross a chasm that was previously impassable. Viewfinder’s team is also built with devs from all over the world and many have brought their cultures with them into the game.
Viewfinder will be released on PS5 on July 18 and a demo is available now. The game will also be released on PC.
Hauntii Stars a Ghost Who Can Haunt Things and Gain Access to Their Abilities
Hauntii, alongside its striking visual style, stars a ghost who is tasked with going around the world and haunting things and using the abilities they possess. This means you can jump into a ladybug to climb a tree and fly away or haunt a roller coaster to go on a joy ride. Hauntii is also a twin-stick shooter that is not so much about the chaos of other titles with that control type, but more about using it to solve puzzles. The goal of Hauntii is to find stars, as they will unlock pieces of ghosts’ past lives and will allow you to learn more about this world and those who inhabit it.
Hauntii will be released on PC and consoles in 2024.
Cart Life Brings Back a Lost Game From 2014 In a New and Improved Way
Cart Life is one of the more interesting titles featured at Day of the Devs as it’s goal is to bring back Richard Hofmeier’s Cart Life that was removed from Steam in 2014 after Hofmeier released the source code for the game for free. In this new version, complete with new story content, art, controls, and mechanics, players will once again learn the tale of three characters who are trying to make it in the world as street vendors. Cart Life is described as a retail simulator and will challenge you with taking care of yourself, your loved ones, and your customers. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough time or money to properly focus on everyone.
Cart Life will be released on PC and consoles later this year.
Helskate Brings Demons and Roguelite Gameplay to a Game Heavily Inspired by Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
Tony Hawk fans need to pay attention to Helskate as this skateboarding action roguelite is aiming to bring the best of those games and mix it with a bit of demonic goodness. Players will use their skateboarding skills to take down the monsters of Vertheim and, when they die, they will use what they learned and gained to become even more powerful in the next run.
Helskate will be released in early 2024 via Early Access.
Henry Halfhead Is a Sandbox Filled with Items You Can Become to Accomplish Normal Things
Henry Halfhead, much like the name suggests, stars a character who is half a head. In this new title, players will need to accomplish normal things in unique ways that only Henry can by actually becoming various items, like turning off an alarm clock by becoming the batteries and rolling out to becoming the covers and pillows to make your bed. The trailer also shows Henry becoming soap to get a bath ready, cutting up food by becoming a knife, drinking coffee by becoming the cup, and more.
Cocoon Is a World-Jumping Adventure That Has You Using the Worlds in Your Adventure
Cocoon is a very unique game that not only features multiple worlds to explore, but it allows you to jump out of those worlds and use them to solve puzzles and escape danger as you grow and they become small orbs when you leave them. Cocoon is from a dev team that includes Jeppe Carlsen, the lead gameplay designer of Limbo and Inside, and it also features combat, a cosmic story, and so much more.
Cocoon will be released on PC and consoles in 2023.
Été Is a Blank Canvas Waiting to Be Colored With the Experiences of You, the Painter
Through the eyes of a painter, Été tasks you with bringing color to a world that’s described as a blank canvas. As you color the world, you will earn EXP that will let you paint the world faster. You will also meet other locals who may commission you to create a work of art for them. You can use anything in the world that you’ve already colored to make these pieces of art, and you are in control of how to build the perfect piece. If that wasn’t enough, you can also befriend others and open your very own paint studio.
Été will be released in early 2024.
Summerhill Is a ‘Folktale About Life, Love, and Livestock’ and Stars a Shepherd and Their Dog
Summerhill is a new game from the developers behind the Alto’s Adventure series and is described as a ‘folktalke about life, love, and livestock.’ In this peaceful and beautiful adventure, players will take control of a shepherd and their dog as they work to rescue their sheep and learn more about the world you call home.
Eternights Is a Dungeon Crawler That’s Just As Much About Dating as It Is About Exploring and Fighting
Eternights looks to mix the best parts of dungeon crawling and dating, and it’s all set in a post-apocalyptic world that could surely use a bit more love. Following a infected outbreak of sorts, players must battle their way through a dangerous world, all while building relationships with those around them.
Eternights will be released in September 2023.
Retro Gadgets Puts the Power of Creation In Your Hands
Much like PICO-8 and Shenzen I/O, Retro Gadgets is more of a platform than a simple game, and it allows you to “invent, build, solder, code, and customize your own electrifying gadgets, then share them with the world.” The gameplay trailer showed players creating devices that very much resembled such items as a Game Boy or a Calculator, and these will clearly only scratch the surface as to what’s possible. If any of that intrigues you, Retro Gadgets is now available on Steam via Early Access.
Mars First Logistics Take Players to Mars And Asks Them to Solve Tasks By Building Custom Rovers
Creativity is key in Mars First Logistics, a game set on Mars that has players building rovers to help complete tasks that will assist in establishing a colony. The missions are usually simple in concept as they want you to take item A (like a pizza!) to location B, but the how is where you step in. Use your mind to build the perfect rover to complete the goal and have a ton of fun failing until you succeed.
Mars First Logistics will be released on Steam via Early Access on June 22.
Saltsea Chronicles Follows the Crew of a Ship Who Lost Their Captain
Saltsea Chronicles is a story-driven adventure game that follows a crew of a ship that lost their captain. After they steal back their ship, the crew has to take to the high seas in a post-flood world and find their captain. However, the adventure they go on to get there will be anything but normal and smooth. Along the way, players will visit an island where the people live symbiotically with cats, learn the rules of a card game called Spoils, and so much more. Saltsea Chronicles is all about “laughs, tough choices, and meaningful moments.”
Saltsea Chronicles will be released in 2023.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
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