Over 20 indie games in one place!
After Geoff Keighley walked off the stage and Summer Game Fest Live signed off, the scene switched to Tim Schafer enjoying a nice drink as he introduced this year’s Day Of The Devs: Summer Game Fest Edition presentation.
22 different indie games made an appearance during the event, which included the latest projects from Spelunky developer Mossmouth, Cozy Grove dev Spry Fox, and Grindstone dev Capybara Games. The showcase also marked the debut of a few new studios, including the first game published by horror-focused firm Blumhouse Games.
Every game featured during the stream is included in this gallery and ordered by when they appeared in the presentation, which can be viewed in full here.
Simpler Times
The showcase kicked off with Simpler Times, a “lo-fi experience” from Stoneskip. The game lets players complete a series of relaxing tasks at their leisure, with the trailer showing a birdhouse being built and put into a tree, as well as a puzzle involving looking at stars in a telescope. Simpler Times also marked the showcase’s first shadow drop, as the game is available now.
Battle Vision Network
The first “world-premiere” announcement was next up: Battle Vision Network, a competitive 1v1 “puzzle battler” from Below developer Capybara Games–and a game the developer calls a “spiritual successor” to its 2009 game Might And Magic: Clash Of Heroes. Players will control a team of minions and its captain, and they must attack their opponent’s board by matching minions on their side of the board. Battle Vision Network is currently slated for a 2025 release.
Cairn
The Game Bakers–whose previous games include Furi and Haven–was next in line, as it presented the first-ever gameplay trailer for its upcoming mountain-climbing game Cairn. Cairn mixes survival elements with climbing the mountain, as players must juggle fatigue, hunger, and thirst as they make their ascent. Cairn is scheduled to launch in 2025.
Petal Runner
Next came another “world-premiere” debut in Petal Runner, an 8-bit adventure game from Nano Park. Petal Runner follows Cali, a new recruit in the Petal Runners– a delivery service which delivers new pets to houses across Sapphire Valley. There’s a catch, however: Pets in this world are “grown” via a device powered by flowers. No release window for Petal Runner was announced during its segment.
Karma: The Dark World
First-person dystopian horror Karma: The Dark World–which host James Spafford called “as Orwellian as it is Lynchian–was next on the docket. The gameplay trailer included creepy humanoids with TVs for heads, body horror, floating corpses in a room filled with movie reels, and other completely normal scenes. No specific release window was announced during the event.
UFO50
Spelunky developer Mossmouth was next to be highlighted, as its new project UFO50 is launching on September 18. Mossmouth apparently wasn’t content on making one new game, as UFO50 is a gallery of 50 full experiences–the segment specified that these are “not minigames”–which span multiple genres. The game will have an overarching story following a timeline between 1982 and 1990, with the technology becoming more advanced as the timeline progresses.
Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit
Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit–the follow-up to 2021’s Cozy Grove–was the showcase’s next “world-premiere” announcement, as members Cozy Grove developer and recent Netflix acquisition Spry Fox appeared to reveal the upcoming sequel. Camp Spirit will see players craft, build, and camp on a mysterious island populated by restless spirits who need help finding peace. You won’t have to wait long for this one, as Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit launches June 25.
Koira
Koira, from French developer Studio Tolima, follows a forest spirit who finds and befriends a small dog. The two roam the wilderness in a game with no dialogue; instead, the duo communicate through music, which is also used to tell the game’s overarching story of friendship and what someone is willing to do to protect it. Koira is set to launch in 2025, though a demo is planned for this summer.
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure
Next up was Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, a unique puzzle game where players move the world around them in order to solve puzzles and advance the story. Whenever the protagonist Jemma moves, the row or column she’s standing in moves with her horizontally or vertically, which serves as the main mechanic for the puzzle-based gameplay. Arranger is scheduled to launch on July 25.
Fear the Spotlight
The first game published under horror studio Blumhouse’s gaming wing, Fear The Spotlight is a PS1-era retro survival-horror game that follows two teenage girls who sneak into their school after hours in order to solve the mystery of a tragedy decades before. Fear The Spotlight is described as a “creepy love letter to ’90s teen horror stories,” and it is planned to launch later this year.
Screenbound
Screenbound–which made the rounds on social media earlier this year–appeared next, with a new trailer showing off its unique 2D/3D hybrid gameplay. Developers on the project, speaking over the in-game footage, highlighted how the player must pay attention to both the 2D and 3D space in order to progress during the segment. Screenbound does not have a confirmed release window as of the presentation.
Zoochosis
A complete change in tone was up next, as Bulgarian developer Clapperheads revealed more information on Zoochosis, its upcoming horror game. Zoochosis follows a zookeeper who must protect the animals from a nasty parasite which, upon infection, turns them into horrifying Eldritch nightmares. Zoochosis is slated for release later this year.
Tom the Postgirl
Oopsie Daisies Studio took center stage next with Tom The Postgirl, which follows the titular Tom as she delivers packages to the locals in her village. As she delivers, however, she is compelled to peek into the windows of her neighbors, where she learns more about them and their surprising hidden lives. Tom The Postgirl will launch in Q3 2025.
Psychroma
Next up was Psychroma, a side-scrolling narrative adventure in which players must explore a cybernetic house while solving the mysteries of its past. Using what’s described as a “cybernetic tarot,” players can travel between timelines and time perioud, while their in-game choices in the past can affect the house in the future or in a separate timeline. Psychroma has no set launch window, but those interested can wishlist the game on Steam now.
Building Relationships
Next was Building Relationships, a unique adventure where all of the characters are buildings and the main character is a house on a date. The house must explore a large island while meeting other buildings along the way, like Mint the apartment and Millie the windmill. Building Relationships does not have a confirmed release date as of this presentation.
A Little to the Left: Seeing Stars
Seeing Stars is the second DLC expansion for A Little To The Left, the 2022 puzzler from developer Max Inferno and publisher Secret Mode. The same stacking and organizing gameplay will return–as will the mischievous cats–through 33 new levels, each with multiple solutions available. The Seeing Stars expansion is coming to A Little To The Left on June 25.
Hello Again
Hello Again is a puzzle-adventure game that takes players to an island filled with ancient ruins. The island is currently impacted by what is described as “the world’s coziest time loop,” as progress resets after a set amount of time. The inhabitants of the island don’t know about the loop, however, so players can use their knowledge of what’s coming to influence events later. Hello Again will launch in 2025.
While Waiting
Next up is While Waiting, a game about passing the time while waiting for something to happen. One scene sees the player waiting for their luggage, while another scene puts the player under an awning while waiting for a storm to pass. Each scene includes a list of optional tasks that add a bit of exploration as you wait. While Waiting is set for a 2025 release.
Afterlove EP
The next game of the showcase was a musical adventure called Afterlove EP, which comes from Indonesian developer Pikselnesia. The game features a “unique mix of narrative adventure, dating sim, and rhythm” elements, with multiple endings possible depending on the player’s choices throughout. A demo for Afterlove EP is available now on Steam.
Phoenix Springs
The penultimate game of the presentation was Phoenix Springs, a point-and-click mystery adventure from Calligram Studio. Players assume the role of Iris, a reporter who recently reconnected with her brother Leo and now must find him within the large desert community of Phoenix Springs. Calligram has confirmed that Phoenix Springs will launch September 16.
Tides of Tomorrow
The final game of the presentation was Tides Of Tomorrow, the latest game from Road 96 developer DigixArt. Tides Of Tomorrow is a “multiplayer narrative adventure” where two players explore the world of Elynd together, and choices made by one player will affect the story of the other–and vice versa. Tides Of Tomorrow is “coming soon” according to DigixArt, and the game can be wishlisted now on Steam.
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