• Guide
• News

Everything announced at Day of the Devs: Summer Game Fest Edition 2024

Here's a full recap of the upcoming indie titles revealed during the 2024 Day of the Devs: Summer Game Fest Edition presentation.

Ozzie Mejia

June 7, 2024 5:04 PM

Day of the Devs

2

Following an exciting Summer Game Fest presentation from Geoff Keighley and company, the indies took the stage for another eye-opening showcase. Day of the Devs: Summer Game Fest Edition gave the spotlight to over a dozen indie titles and developers. Beyond the major AAA blockbuster lies some off-the-radar gems, so if you missed this presentation, Shacknews has you covered. Here's everything you saw or may have missed from this year's Day of the Devs: Summer Game Fest Edition.

Everything announced at Day of the Devs: SGF Edition 2024

Simpler Times

The next game from the iam8bit Presents publishing label has been in the works for a while. Developer Stoneskip showed off a new look at Simpler Times, a game about simply soaking in your surroundings in the comfort of your home and being zen with everything that makes your space your own. It's not the first time this game has been shown off, but there was a big kicker at the end of the latest trailer. The game is out today.

Simpler Times is available now on Steam. It's one of those games with a memorable soundtrack, too, so those interested in checking that out can pick up the vinyl record from iam8bit starting on Thursday, June 20.

Battle Vision Network

This is the next game from Capybara Games, the team behind hits like Below and Grindstone. We wrote about this game in a separate post, so be sure to check that out to learn more about Battle Vision Network.

Cairn

This is a tale of a treacherous journey up a mountain from the makers of Furi and Haven. This was also covered in a separate post, so feel free to check out more details about Cairn.

Petal Runner

The two-man team at Nano Park has put together a throwback to the Game Boy Color days with this new adventure. Petal Runner follows a motorcycle courier who delivers pets to the denizens of Sapphire Valley on behalf of a company called HanaPets. HanaPets has assembled devices called Leap Cells to power its next generation of digital pets. Cali is one the couriers who can deliver and power the Leap Cells by inserting the flowers that power the devices and completing various mini-games to get them functional.

The visual resemblance to classic Pokemon games is strong. The chiptune soundtrack also sounds like a delightful throwback. There's also a very Ash/Pikachu-like dynamic between Cali for her pet Kira, who's a first-generation digital pet that comes to terms with being seen as obsolete by greater society.

Petal Runner will be among the latest games released under the iam8bit Presents publishing label. It's coming soon to PC.

Karma: The Dark World

Publisher Wired Productions is getting behind this debut effort from Shanghai-based Pollard Studio. Karma: The Dark World is a first-person psychological thriller set in a dystopian future. Main character Daniel works as a member of the Leviathan Thought Bureau and his job is the enter people's minds to uncover the truth behind certain events.

As one might imagine, the memories of the people Daniel inhabits can become twisted places filled with psychological trauma. Beyond the horrors that Daniel witnesses in people's minds, he'll also uncover chilling truths behind the Leviathan Corporation and how it came to power.

Karma: The Dark World promises to terrify players with its cinematic visuals. A demo is currently in the works, but isn't ready quite yet. Karma: The Dark World is coming soon to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

UFO 50

This is an ambitious 50-games-in-1 collection curated by Mossmouth, the mind behind the Spelunky series. It features games from multiple genres designed from a timeline stretching from 1982 to 1990.

There's more to say about this, so check out our full story on UFO 50.

Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit

Spry Fox has been working hard on the sequel to Cozy Grove for several years. It's finally ready to roll, but as part of the team's acquisition from Netflix, it will only be coming to mobile devices for now.

Read more details about Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit.

Koira

Publisher Don't Nod has another indie title in the works, this one from Belgian developer Studio Talima. The developer's debut project follows a mysterious lead character who wakes up lost in a snowy forest. She finds a trapped puppy and frees it, leading to the two adventuring together and trying to find their way home.

The forest is a musical one, filled with random notes and sounds. In fact, the whole story is told without text or dialogue. By exploring the surrounding area and tapping into its music, Koira's bond with her doggo friend will deepen and they can interact with the world. Players will come across puzzles, which can be solved through the power of the mind, but also through the power of play, as games of fetch and hide-and-seek will help open the way forward. However, it's not all fun and games, as mysterious hunters with bad intentions are on the search for them.

Don't Nod and Studio Talima are currently working on a demo for Koira and it will be available later this summer. The full version of Koira is coming soon.

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure

David Helman (Braid), Nick Suttner (Carto), Tomas Batista (Per Aspera, Ethereal), and Nicolás Recabarren (Ethereal) have all banded together to create the studio known as Furniture & Mattress. They're not here to sell a king-size bed, but rather to present their first collaborative effort called Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure.

Arranger follows an adventurous girl named Jemma, who journeys along the world and moves grids as she goes. Players will discover towns filled with quirky characters, as well as dungeons filled with monsters. This game is about more than figuring out the rules of movement, but also using them to solve puzzles and engage in combat.

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is set to release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on Thursday, July 25. This Netflix Games-published joint will also be available on mobile devices for Netflix subscribers.

Fear the Spotlight

Readers likely will not recognize the name Cozy Game Pals. However, they might recognize the publisher's name: Blumhouse Games. Yes, the company known primarily for horror romps like M3GAN, Night Swim, and the Five Nights at Freddy's adaptation is now going into video games. The first game under the Blumhouse Games label is (Surprise!) a twisted horror story that harkens back to the teen-led terror tales of the 1990s.

Fear the Spotlight follows teens Vivian and Amy, who sneak into their school after hours, take part in a seance, and investigate the disturbing mystery behind a tragedy that unfolded on campus years before. Players can explore and solve puzzles to get closer to the truth. However, no matter how dark things might get, nothing good happens when you step into the spotlight.

Don't step into the light when Fear the Spotlight comes to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch sometime in the future.

Screenbound

Chances are that readers may have seen this game come across their social media timelines at some point. Screenbound, from Crescent Moon Games and Those Dang Games, sports one of the most clever ideas in a video game in some time.

In Screenbound, players are stranded in a 3D world, but they're magically bound to their handheld device, which is running a 2D platformer. Player movement happens simultaneously across the 2D and 3D worlds. However, that's not all that's linked. Player health is also linked together, so taking hits or falling down pits in either game will lead to death in both worlds.

Screenbound is coming soon with platforms to be announced down the road.

Zoochosis

The title might suggest a fun romp with zoo animals, but developer Clapperheads has put together something more harrowing. In Zoochosis, players will take on the role of a friendly nighttime zookeeper in the middle of an outbreak. Zoo animals are being infected all over, so the idea is to put together a vaccine to treat and cure them.

The horror comes in exactly what this infection does to the animals. When the parasite infects them, they gradually morph into horrific visions straight out of Geiger or Lovecraft. You could see a cute kangaroo one second and a drooling beast with a fanged second mouth along the pouch the next.

There are several possible outcomes in Zoochosis, so players are challenged to succeed across multiple playthroughs. Zoochosis is coming this summer to PC.

Tom the Postgirl

This narrative-based game from the Swiss team at Oopsie Daisies Studio follows a postgirl named Tom, who's simply out to make her deliveries. However, she has a bad habit of spying on her clients. Players will aid Tom in delivering her package, while also occasionally peeking in on the homes of the recipients.

It isn't long before Tom starts to run into some Rear Window scenarios, only encouraging her voyeurism further. Get to the bottom of what folks are up to when Tom the Postgirl comes to PC. It's coming soon.

Psychroma

Venture to a cyberpunk future, where a futuristic house is haunted by a literal ghost in the machine. That's the idea behind Psychroma, from the team at Rocket Adrift. This 2D narrative-driven adventure ratchets up the tension as players take on the role of an amnesiac non-binary protagonist and explore what it means to be human, all as the house around them begins to behave in mysterious ways.

Step into a different kind of future experience with Psychroma. It's coming soon to PC.

Building Relationships

There's wordplay at work in that title. Building Relationships from Tan Ant Games is about a literal house trying to find love. Players will meet different sorts of buildings (yes, including bachelor pads) en route to hopefully finding the structure that's meant for them.

Some might be asking, "Wait, how... what?" The answer is, houses move exactly the way you would expect them to. (They do also wavedash, the way houses do.) Then, you go around talking to different buildings... like you do.

Building Relationships looks delightfully weird. It's coming soon to PC.

A Little to the Left: Seeing Stars

Developer Max Inferno had so much fun putting A Little to the Left together that it's putting out some new DLC. Seeing Stars adds 33 new puzzles with another five that are unlockable, each with multiple solutions. Look for new interactive items that will help spruce the puzzles up a notch. Plus, look for some new cats.

The Secret Stars DLC will release on all platforms (including Xbox Game Pass) on Tuesday, June 25. A Little to the Left's base game is available now on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

Hello Again

Soup Island is the name for developer Dwight Davis' solo studio. He's put together a cozy game that keeps the good times going again and again. In Hello Again, players are shipwrecked on an island filled with ruins, secrets, and colorful characters. It's all set in a cozy game setting that will want to keep players coming back. It's a good thing, too, since there's a time loop mechanic at work. The player's ultimate goal will be to find the source of the time loop and ultimately break it.

Davis calls this a mix between Outer Wilds and Animal Crossing. Players will get to experience it themselves when Hello Again comes to PC in 2025.

While Waiting

Optillusion Games took a look at a lot of life's most mundane activities. Think about all those times you've waited in line for something or standing in an elevator. While Waiting has turned all of this into a game in itself. Follow main character Adam as he finds ways to pass the time while waiting for life's most boring moments to pass.

It's a clever premise, one in which the developer has been able to add fun achievements and interesting mini-games. Players will ironically have to wait a little while for While Waiting, but it's coming soon to Steam.

Afterlove EP

Indonesian development studio Pikselnesia steps in with this narrative adventure. It originally started as the vision of Coffee Talk creative director Mohammad Fahmi, who tragically passed away in 2022. Afterlove EP follows a young musician named Rama in the heart of modern-day Jakarta. Rama is coming off the tragic loss of his girlfriend to illness and is finding difficulty moving past it, partly because he still hears her in his head. However, Cinta isn't trying to haunt him, but rather she's trying to help him by guiding him through the joys of life and helping him find true happiness by loving himself first and eventually coming to love others.

Afterlove EP is described as part narrative adventure, part dating sim, and part rhythm game. There are many ways that Rama's story can go, so expect to find multiple endings.

Afterlove EP is aiming to release sometime in October on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. However, a demo is available now.

Phoenix Springs

Developer Calligram Studio makes a big splash on the point-and-click adventure genre with Phoenix Springs. This is a colorful mystery set in a neo-noir world. Players take on the role of Iris, who is in search of her missing brother. It builds on the 90s formula, but eschews the idea of an inventory and rather has Iris collect thoughts and ideas. She'll then connect them in the right situations to help her progress.

The mystery goes to some twisted places. To see how far this goes, players can pick up Phoenix Springs on PC. It will release on Monday, September 16.

Tides of Tomorrow

Day of the Devs: Summer Game Fest wrapped up with a look at the latest effort from DigixArt, the makers of 2021's Road 96. It's a fascinating adventure, one that could play out differently, not only depending on your actions, but the actions of a friend on a previous playthrough.

Check out our full story about Tides of Tomorrow.

That's everything revealed during this year's Day of the Devs: Summer Game Fest Edition. Be sure to take a look at all of those titles and keep it on Shacknews. We'll continue to bring you news of the biggest announcements coming out of this packed weekend.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?