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Everything announced at Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition

Here are all of the indie gaming announcements from Wednesday's Day of the Devs: The Game Awards presentation.

Ozzie Mejia

December 6, 2023 9:20 AM

Double Fine

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The Game Awards promises to have dozens of new reveals and major announcements about upcoming titles. Of course, the fun doesn't have to start with Geoff Keighley's awards show. The Day of the Devs team returned for the second time this year to put the spotlight on small and up-and-coming indie developers. Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition featured over an hour of indie game reveals and, for those who missed it, Shacknews is here to go over them all.

Everything announced at Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition

Here are all of the games revealed during Wednesday's Day of the Devs: The Game Awards presentation.

Militsioner

Day of the Devs wasted no time in getting strange and weird with this effort from the team at Tallboys. Militsioner, in development since 2020, is described as a "Kafka-esque, immersive sim" about living in a dystopian village. Players must try and survive from day-to-day, doing their best to escape their village and find a new life on the other side. There's one big difference between this and other sims, however. Here, there's a giant 50-foot police officer overseeing the village.

En route to their escape, players must be cautious of the giant cop watching over them. It's possible to befriend this giant with the game's mood system. Maybe butter up this big guy and get him on your side. If nothing else, maybe he'll show leniency if you wind up getting arrested. Players must also be aware of the various schedules that everything runs on, including the cop himself.

Militsioner is a bizarre escape sim and one definitely worth watching. It's coming soon to PC.

Thank Goodness You're Here

Developer Coal Supper is back with another look at Thank Goodness You're Here. This is a game that first popped up back at Gamescom Opening Night Live. It's described as a "comedy slapformer," in which a diminutive salesman explores a humble British town getting into various escapades and wacky situations.

This is a game that has since made the convention rounds, including at PAX West, where Shacknews got to try it out. It's regional humor on the level of something like Mr. Bean or Monty Python, but physical comedy transcends all languages and we enjoyed what we saw. We're eager to see more of this game when it releases in 2024 on PC and consoles.

Flock

Hollow Ponds first burst onto the indie gaming scene with Hohokum and has since put out games like I Am Dead. The team's next title ventures into the multiplayer space. It's called Flock.

First revealed in July 2022, Flock is about riding through the skies atop giant birds and collecting smaller flying creatures along your way. Players can team up with their friends and explore exotic landscapes in search of increasingly rare creatures, which can be charmed through the bird's natural song. The more creatures are brought in, the bigger the flock becomes.

What exactly are these creatures? As a zoologist, it's ultimately up to the player to determine that. The journey of Flock is set to begin when it reaches PC, PlayStation, and Xbox (including Xbox Game Pass) in Spring 2024.

Kind Words 2 (lofi city pop)

In 2019, Popcannibal released Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to), which was a game about writing letters to people to the tune of some relaxing music. It's a premise that has taken off far more than the developer ever expected, so the team has returned for a full-blown sequel.

Kind Words 2 (lofi city pop) sticks with the main idea of sitting in a room and writing letters to the sounds of relaxing music. However, the sequel will add a new option that lets the player's character go outside. The outside world features NPCs to speak with and new outlets to allow the player to express their written thoughts, whether it's through poetry in the coffee shop or wishes expressed under the night sky.

There's no release date for Kind Words 2 (lofi city pop) just yet, but look for it to come to PC in the future. Popcannibal also hopes to get a playtest underway soon.

Hermit and Pig

Mushrooms are common in video games, so why not focus an RPG on them? Hermit and Pig, the debut title from Heavy Lunch Studio, tells the story of an old hermit and his trusty truffle pig. They set out on a journey to find a rare truffle and run into a slew of enemies along the way. They'll have to use turn-based offense, inspired by games like Earthbound and Pokemon, in order to prevail.

Attacks are executed through key combinations, emphasizing player growth more than experience points. Players will also have to think practically since some attacks will be more effective on certain enemies than others. Players will have to be careful. Some battles will be preceded by dialogue exchanges where it's possible to take "cringe damage," which is likely since hermits aren't exactly known for being social. Be ready to use a variety of truffles in battle since they'll each have their uses.

Hermit and Pig is coming soon to PC.

Dome-King Cabbage

As far as visual novels go, Dome-King Cabbage promises to be one of the stranger and more artistic ones. Utilizing a mixture of art styles, players step into the world of a monster-collecting RPG. However, players aren't there to catch monsters. No, they're trying to get to a job interview.

Battles unfold like they would in a monster-collecting RPG, but players will experience wildly distinct backdrops, totally different art styles, and a story that's more than it seems. Dome-King Cabbage is still in development and can still veer in even more unexpected directions. Whenever it's finished, look for it to come to PC.

Ultros

With a pedigree that includes games like Hotline Miami and Else Heart.Break(), developer Hadoque brings his psychedelic visuals to a new Metroidvania called Ultros. Players will journey through the Sarcophagus with no memory of how they landed there. They must use a tool called the Extractor to explore the world and use its various abilities to find new areas within the Sarcophagus.

Players will unlock different skills by consuming different foods, finding memory tanks, and defeating enemies. They'll find new ways to interact with the world, which will allow them to get farther into the Sarcophagus and discover even more hostile creatures.

Look for Ultros to release on PC and PlayStation on February 13, 2024.

Loose Leaf

Kitfox Games is going in a slightly different direction following the release of Boyfriend Dungeon. The team is sitting down for a spot of tea.

Loose Leaf has players manage a tea house with what studio founder Tanya X. Short calls "the most in-depth tea brewing simulation ever." Players control ingredients, temperature, and every other aspect of tea brewing in order to help any and all guests that come through. Players will unlock new tools, ingredients, and recipes over time and learn how to become tea-brewing experts.

Oh, there's one other detail that's important to mention. This is a tea house for witches. That means reading fortunes with tarot cards, helping them make sense of their futures, and making friends with them over time.

Loose Leaf is coming soon to PC.

Holstin

Developer Sonka has returned with another look at Holstin, a psychological horror adventure. Players are in a Polish town in the 90s where an unknown entity has gradually possessed the populace. The idea is to venture in for answers, but it quickly becomes a fight for survival against feral monstrosities.

Holstin is all about changing perspectives. The biggest perspective change is one in which players can shift from an overhead view to a first-person view when faced against enemies. Exploration is heavily encouraged, as even with the overhead view, it's possible to rotate the camera and see fully fleshed-out textures.

Holstin is coming in 2024 to PC and consoles. There are a few demos up on Steam, with a third one promised for next year prior to the game's release.

Oddada

The two-person developer duo of Sven Ahlgrimm and Mathilde Hoffmann are putting together a musical roguelite called Oddada. While it's touted as a roguelite, it's also being presented as a pressure-free, relaxing experience.

The idea is to drop houses around randomly generated stages. Players will get different instruments to use during each playthrough. If they land on an arrangement they like, they can save their results on a cassette. Players will unlock new stages and instruments as they go along. They'll eventually put together a musical train they can bop their heads to.

Oddada is coming soon to PC.

Cryptmaster

Developer duo Paul Hart and Lee Williams, in conjunction with publisher Akupara Games, are putting together a different kind of dungeon-crawling RPG adventure. Players will journey through a black-and-white world across dangerous dungeons and temples. These areas have numerous seals and locks that can only be opened by solving and decrypting puzzles.

Help the titular Cryptmaster put together these word-based puzzles, which can then be used to help remember various attacks. Those attacks will then help with surviving against powerful enemies. Players can also use the words they put together to converse with various NPCs they meet throughout their expedition.

Cryptmaster is coming in 2024 to PC.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story

Digital Eclipse is largely recognized for its restored collections of classic gaming franchises, having put out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, Mega Man Legacy Collection, and The Disney Afternoon Collection, just to name a few. The team's next project stays in its old-school wheelhouse but also presents something more original. Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story tells the tale of the titular studio founder and the man behind classics like Gridrunner, Tempest 2000, Attack of the Mutant Camels, Polybius, and dozens of titles dating all the way back to the Atari and Commodore 64 era of gaming. Minter remains active to this day, most recently releasing Moose Life back in 2020.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is described as an interactive documentary where players can learn about Minter's life through video footage and 42 playable game titles across multiple platforms. There's even a version of Attack of the Mutant Camels from the Konix Multisystem, which was never released to the public.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is coming soon to PC.

Drag Her!

Picture a fighting game filled with drag queens. That's Drag Her! from the team at Fighting Chance Games.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Drag Her! is that it will feature real-life drag performers as the main fighters. Featuring a cartoonish art style and even more cartoonish moves, this looks to incorporate the fundamentals of fighting games and mix it with the flair of a drag show performance. With that said, expect to see some cinematic finishes to go along with a solo arcade mode and 2v2 battle options.

Drag Her! is coming soon to PC.

Braid Anniversary Edition

It has been a very long time since Braid Anniversary Edition was first announced. After some significant delays, it looks like Jonathan Blow is ready to re-reveal the remaster to the 2009 classic.

Look for updated visuals, 4K support, and over 15 hours of developer commentary. With nine pixels for every one pixel featured in the original, Braid gives new life to this platformer about rewinding to solve puzzles and get out of sticky situations.

Braid: Anniversary Edition now has a release date. Look for it to come to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and mobile devices via Netflix Games on April 30, 2024.

Open Roads

Open Roads has been in development for quite some time. To help make up for the wait, star Keri Russell popped up during the Day of the Devs presentation to offer an update in the form of never-before-seen gameplay and story footage. Wednesday's presentation featured a first look at a lot of the game's voice acting and dialogue, as well as a new look at where the narrative-based road trip may be headed.

Open Roads briefly hit a roadblock following toxicity allegations against Fullbright studio founder Steve Gaynor. The Open Roads Team and Gaynor's Fullbright have since parted ways, and the former is continuing forward with publisher Annapurna Interactive.

Open Roads is nearly at its final destination. Look for it to release on PC, PlayStation, Xbox (including Xbox Game Pass), and Nintendo Switch in February 2024.

Resistor

Developer Long Way Home adds some fuel to narrative-based RPG adventures. Players take on the role of Aster, who had previously sworn off of racing forever. With their mother falling deeply ill, Aster has returned to the racing world, ready to take on the forces of the corporate city.

Beyond meeting and interacting with various characters, Resistor will feature high-octane races that test players' racing skills, as well as their ability to win over the spectators in the crowd. Vehicles will be just as customizable as the main character, so be ready to build the perfect racing machine.

Resistor is coming soon to PC.

Home Safety Hotline

From developer Night Signal Entertainment, Home Safety Hotline is a throwback to text stories of yesteryear. It puts players in the role of a call center employee in the 90s. Players must navigate the harrowing calls of citizens in the midst of emergencies, both natural and otherwise. Yes, there are elements of horror in this tale and players must navigate through it all with their vintage 1996 PC.

Read through the database of dangerous creatures (again, natural and otherwise) and guide callers through whatever they may be calling about. Make sure you're actually helping these people, otherwise they'll issue a report to the call center supervisor.

Home Safety Hotline is coming to PC in Q1 2024.

Janet DeMornay Is A Slumlord (and a witch)

Developer Fuzzy Ghost tells the tale of an unnamed character living in a trash hole of an apartment. Expect to encounter many of the nightmares that one would find in a broken-down apartment, including broken plumbing, deteriorating floorboards, faulty electricity, and much more. Players will have to fix many of these issues themselves.

However, landlady Janet DeMornay is no average slumlord. She keeps some weird supernatural machines that may hold the key to solving a lot of problems, but they may also cause a lot more and may even attract some unwanted guests.

Janet DeMornay Is A Slumlord (and a witch) is coming to PC in 2024.

The Mermaid's Tongue

SFB Games, the studio behind games like Crow Country and Snipperclips: Cut It Out, is back with a new murder mystery. The Mermaid's Tongue is a follow-up to Tangle Tower and reintroduces the detective duo of Detective Grimoire and Sally. They're investigating the sudden murder of Captain Magnus Mortuga by checking out fully 3D clues and having fully voice-acted exchanges.

While Mortuga's crew believes there may be a murderer amongst them, Grimoire and Sally begin to discover that there may be a curse at work. Is there an actual killer on the loose or is there something supernatural haunting Mortuga's submarine?

The Mermaid's Tongue is coming to PC and consoles in 2024. There's a Steam demo up and running right now.

Nirvana Noir

If this title sounds familiar, that's because Nirvana Noir is the sequel to the 2021 breakout hit Genesis Noir. Brooklyn-based studio Feral Cat Den returns with an evolved art style, a new setting, and a continuation of the Genesis Noir story. Players will get to the bottom of a new mystery in which they'll have to understand different character languages and motivations to get to the bottom of it.

Skillbard is once again working on the soundtrack, but they're going in a slightly different direction for the sequel. Look for a taste of funk to go along with the jazzy tunes this time around.

Feral Cat Den will go the crowdfunding route to help move Nirvana Noir's development along. Once it's ready, look for it to come on Steam and Xbox, including on Xbox Game Pass.

Those are all of the games revealed during Wednesday's Day of the Devs: The Game Awards presentation. These titles, and many others, will all be playable at the Day of the Devs event in Los Angeles, CA this coming Friday, December 8. Shacknews will be on-hand and will look to try as many of these games out as possible. We'll have more to say about several of these titles in the next week, so be sure to visit Shacknews for more on Day of the Devs.

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?