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Every indie game shown at Day Of The Devs digital showcase, November 2022Here’s 17 indies to keep your peepers on
Here’s 17 indies to keep your peepers on
Day Of The Devs is back for round two, with even more indie games for you to wishlist and ogle at.Back in June for Summer Game Fest, 15 games were given the showcase’s coveted spotlight, and now a couple of months on Tim Schfer and his crew have given another group of indies the attention they deserve. That’s a lot of games! It’s also the showcase’s 10th anniversary so let’s all pop our party poppers and jump right into the indie list.
As always, the variety this year has been exceptional with entries from diverse developers from all around the world. Curating the list is a group effort from both Double Fine Productions and iam8bit. Specifically, Tim Schafer and James Spafford from Double Fine, iam8bit’s Jon Gibson and Amanda White, and PlayStation’s indie champion Greg Rice.
The indies shown were a mix of world premieres, games that have already been announced, and a handful that have already been released. We’ve listed every one that was shown down below, so take your time and have a pleasant scroll through indie bliss.
Mina The Hollower
Mina the Hollower Announcement TrailerWatch on YouTube
Mina the Hollower Announcement Trailer
Snufkin: Melody Of Moominvalley
Image credit:Raw Fury
Whoever says that the Moomins are creepy is a heartless liar, but they’ll also be happy to know that this Moomin-centric game is actually not about the Moomin family at all, but their nomad friend Snufkin.Snufkin: Melody Of Moominvalleyhonestly looks so delightful - it’s a musical adventure where you get to run around as the green-hatted scamp restoring harmony to the valley after the Park Keeper has taken it away. It looks like a light-hearted and breezy game with (and this was a surprise) music from Sigur Rós, which is kinda awesome. They must be major Tove Jansson fans.
Escape Academy: Escape From Anti-Escape Island
Ed rather likedthe locked room brain teasers inEscape Academywhen it released earlier this year, so escape rooms fans will be happy to know that developers Coin Crew Games are releasing DLC titledEscape Academy: Escape From Anti-Escape Island. That’s a lot of escaping. In the DLC you’re jettisoned from the stuffy halls of the academy and plonked on an uncharted islandfor a lovely holidayto break out of five new hand-crafted levels. Grab a pina colada and some mates for this one, out November 10th.
Frog Detective 3: Corruption At Cowboy County
They’re back! I missed this sweet froggy detective and this last entry in the trio of games has only made my pining stronger.Corruption At Cowboy Countymay be the final adventure in the Frog Detective trilogy, but it’s going out with a bang (get it because, like, cowboys and stuff). This time our favourite amphibian needs to solve the mystery of Cowboy County’s stolen hats which have disappeared from the heads of the locals. It’s quite the mystery, and together with its silly humour and a cast of socially awkward animal characters, this is a perfect finale for the iconic series. It’s out now over onSteamandGame Pass.
Dead Pets Unleashed
Dead Pets Unleashedis a slice-of-life adventure about a 30-something year old having a quarter-life crisis. Is that hitting too close to home? That description alone was the reason I picked upthe demo last Augustand had a riot playing it. You play as Gordy, a bassist for punk rock band Dead Pets who are having their last stint at fame before they give up their guitar-thrashing dreams. You’ll need to help Gordy get her life together through story choices and mini-games including working a side hustle for cash, going on dates, appeasing pushy parents, and not pissing off your bandmates. No release date yet but you can play the free demo over onSteamanditch.io.
Terra Nil
Thirsty Suitors
Surmount
Gunbrella
Graham describedGunbrellaas a game that casts you as “a murderous Mary Poppins” and I couldn’t agree more. This platformer sees you zipping around the world with the eponymous gunbrella, a powerful piece of kit that lets you glide, dash, and zipline through its levels. It also doubles as a powerful shotgun, which you’ll be using a lot in this dark, post-apocalyptic world. Playing as a nameless gruff protagonist, you’ve been tasked with investigating a local cult who have kidnapped the mayor and the town’s citizens. This is another one that I’ve played the demo of (and absolutely loved) and you can read more about it in my entry in ourSteam Next Fest demoround-up from October.
Evolutis: Duality
Evolutis: Dualitylooks like the very definition of a cyberpunk game: lots of violence, guns, drugs, neon alleys, murder, and vengeance. Tick, tick, tick. The story follows three characters. The first is Damon, a guy who’s searching for his pregnant wife, the second is Erick, who seeks vengeance for his cousin’s death, and finally there’s Chelsea, a wrestler trying to keep her father alive. The strange, choppy animation in the trailer certainly gives Evolutis an edge, but let’s hope that developers Poke Life Studio bring more nuance to the genre than what we’ve already seen before.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration
This game collection takes you through 50 years of Atari history all in one neat bundle. The collection is pretty chonky with 100 Atari games (plus six new ones) for you to dive into, including Asteroids, Tempest 200, and Yar’s Revenge. I’m not into retro gaming myself, but the fact that the bundle comes with mini-documentaries and interviews with designers and developers is pretty appealing. There are also product design documents and hi-res Atari artwork which is a great touch. If you’re an Atari fan or just into retro gaming in general,Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebrationseems really cool, and you won’t have to wait that long to check it out as it’s outNovember 11th.
Slime Heroes
Samurai Zero
The second game in theBlack Voices In Gamingsegment wasSamurai Zero. This PvP hack and slash is set in a world where samurai have been bestowed with supernatural abilities through bonds they share with ancient animal deities. The trailer is light on story, but we got to see some bombastic combat, which looks fast-paced with lots of wall-jumping and dashing. Characters include a mysterious automaton called Ryder, purple-haired, clan-member Luna, and ex-mercenary Wraith. You can find out more about Samurai Zero on the game’sSteam page.
Sunshine Shuffle
What The Bat?
One morning you wake up and go to the bathroom to freshen up, but then as you go to turn the tap on you catch yourself in the mirror and see that your arms have been turned into baseball bats! How? When? Why? None of that matters inWhat The Bat?, a goofy VR game from the developers of What The Golf? The game is stuffed full of mini-games all about navigating life with a pair of baseball bats for hands and it looks hilarious. We also shouldn’t have to wait long to experience this usually nightmare inducing experience as What The Bat? will release sometimes in 2022.
Sea Of Stars
Last but certainly not least isSea Of Stars, a turn-based pixel RPG that looks, frankly, super gorgeous. Straight away you can see echos ofFinal FantasyandChrono Triggerin the art style but with much more detail, and the story sounds like it came straight out of the pages of a Square Enix game too. The story follows two ‘Children Of The Solstice’ who, with the combined powers of the sun and the moon, are on a quest to defeat an evil alchemist who’s being a jerk. Sea of Stars was a great game to end the show on, and we can look forward to it releasing sometime in 2023.
