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Everything announced at Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition 2024

A full day before Geoff Keighley's bombastic awards show, Day of the Devs puts the spotlight on the indie gaming world.

Ozzie Mejia

December 11, 2024 10:15 AM

Day of the Devs

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The Game Awards 2024 takes the big stage this coming Thursday and is expected to be filled with dozens of game announcements and updates. However, with a little more than 24 hours to go before the show, Geoff Keighley is helping to give the spotlight to the indie gaming space with Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition 2024. Just as with previous years, this showcase offers dozens of news, updates, and reveals from various indie game developers. And, because it's The Game Awards, there are a handful of world premieres among them.

Everything announced at Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition Digital Showcase 2024

Here's everything that was revealed during the Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition Digital Showcase 2024.

Faraway (World Premiere)

If this game looks familiar, that's because Faraway first captivated players over a decade ago. In fact, we remember seeing it all the way back in 2012. It was originally conceived as a procedurally-generated experience about exploring the cosmos and creating constellations. With single-button controls and a soothing soundtrack, this was designed as a cozy indie gaming experience. However, the game was never released.

Fast-forward nearly a decade and Faraway is finally about to see the light of day. Developer Little Eyes, led by original creator Steph Thirion, is reimagining Faraway with Annapurna Interactive attached as publisher. Expect refined mechanics and a completely overhauled visual style, but with the same level of simplicity that made the original pitch so appealing.

Faraway is expected to release sometime in 2025.

Ultimate Sheep Raccoon (World Premiere)

Those who have followed the indie gaming scene may remember a fun party game called Ultimate Chicken Horse. This is the long-awaited sequel from the French-Canadian team of Clever Endeavour Games. Pick between various animals, including sheep and raccoons, and race on bikes through some wacky platforming challenges. Each character can be equipped with different items to help guide them through dozens of harrowing tracks. Some of these trap-filled tracks can even be created cooperatively from scratch with friends.

Ultimate Sheep Raccoon is coming soon to PC.

Sleight of Hand

RiffRaff Games is back to show off a fun mishmash of genres, some of which might not necessarily mix at first glance. First revealed back in March, Sleight of Hand is a noir-style detective story that unfolds over the course of a third-person adventure game. There's a lot of stealth involved, but it also utilizes deck-building card mechanics, similar to what something like Marvel's Midnight Suns would do. The end result is a fascinating tale of magic, curses, and intrigue.

Sleight of Hand is coming soon to PC and Xbox Series X|S. It will also come to Xbox Game Pass.

Demon Tides

This game may be better known by its former title: Project Tides. Developer Fabraz has put together a third-person open-world adventure set after the events of the team's previous title, Demon's Turf. It features a heroic demon named Beebz who can jump around, collect talismans, and put them to work. There's a central island that spans a long distance and also reaches skyward. To explore everything, players will need to mix and match any talismans they collect to chain together various platforming moves. This can include air dashes, double jumps, and even transformations. Multiplayer features will be included, such as the ability to express one's self through graffiti and show their work off to friends.

Demon Tides is coming to PC in 2025.

Kingmakers

Redemption Road, the makers of Road Redemption, has assembled a game that's all about massive third-person skirmishes across giant sandboxes. Kingmakers has players travel back in time 500 years to guide a large army of thousands of soldiers across the English countryside. A giant number of AI soldiers await the player's orders over the course of intense real-time battles. Of course, part of the advantage of venturing back 500 years in the past is the option to cheat by bringing in 21st-century weaponry to tilt the odds in your favor. Up to four players can dive into this Sherman-esque march through history.

Look for Kingmakers to hit Steam Early Access in 2025. Be on the lookout for playtests in between now and its early access launch date.

Recur (World Premiere)

Developer AstraLogical gives new meaning to the idea of your life flashing before your eyes. Recur follows a main character at the moment before their grisly death. Instead of dying, however, time has simply frozen. Players must then explore the world to get to the bottom of what's happening, making sure to manipulate time to your advantage.

Recur is coming soon to PC.

Blue Prince

Blue Prince should look familiar to Shacknews readers. We first spotted this game at this year's Game Developers Conference and were enthralled by the idea of a roguelike puzzle game that focuses purely on exploration. Players must make their way through a mysterious mansion in search of Room 46. The catch is that the mansion's layout totally changes each day.

As revealed during last week's PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted presentation, there's now a release window for Blue Prince. Look for it to come to PC in spring 2025.

Incolatus: Don't Stop, Girlypop!

Funny Fintan Softworks has put a unique spin on first-person shooters. As its title might imply, Incolatus: Don't Stop, Girlypop! is a shooter with a girly pop twist. That means a wide spectrum of bright colors, leaning along the pink side of the spectrum, and infectiously bubbly pop music. Don't let the glamorous aesthetic fool you, though. The key to winning is mastering the bunny hop technique, the same kind that a series like Call of Duty often demands for success. As you build your combo meter, your gun gets bigger and is capable of dealing greater damage. Keep going and, whatever happens, don't stop moving!

Incolatus is coming soon to PC.

LOK Digital

Icedrop Games and Letibus Design have joined forces to create a different kind of word-based puzzle game. LOK was originally envisioned as a physical game, one that word aficionados would complete on the written page. This new video game incarnation of the game, called LOK Digital, challenges players to discover new words from a strange cryptic language, each of which has different effects. As new words are uncovered, discovery gradually grows both simpler and ensuing puzzles also become more difficult.

LOK Digital is available on PC right now. If you're looking at it and thinking this would be a good mobile game, no worries. It's coming to mobile devices early next year.

Neon Abyss 2 (World Premiere)

Veewo Games is back with a sequel to its acclaimed 2020 Metroidvania platform shooter. Neon Abyss 2 explores a new world, adds imaginative weapons, and challenges players to survive an entirely new labyrinth. The new weapon system allows players to lean more into their preferred playstyle, whether it's up close and personal with melee weaponry or strange firearms that have unpredictable effects. Players are encouraged to experiment with weapon synergies to create something that pushes boundaries and crushes enemies.

Neon Abyss 2 is coming to PC in 2025.

Crescent County

Developer Electric Saint takes players onto a massive open world filled with sci-fi and magic witches. Players ride across the world aboard their broom making new discoveries and delivering packages to neighbors. Odds jobs are also available, like rounding up sheep, and when you aren't on the clock, you're making friends and maybe cozying up to some new love interests. Players can use their earnings to upgrade their motorbroom and give it a little more power, as well as make it look a little slicker.

Crescent County is coming soon to PC. Electric Saint already made a splash with it during last week's PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted presentation, dropping an early playtest on Steam that's still playable right now.

PBJ - The Musical (World Premiere)

Food is all around you in PBJ - The Musical from developer Kamibox. This is an oddball narrative game, one that focuses heavily on original music. Over the course of ten acts, players will experience the events leading up to the discovery of man's greatest invention: the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The game features a totally unique visual style, one that utilizes paper cutouts and collages to tell a story.

PBJ - The Musical is coming soon to PC.

Curiosmos

Celine & The Silly Stars is the team behind this colorful venture into the cosmos. Players will explore an almost Claymation-like universe, starting at random stardust and reaching all the way out to undiscovered planets, asteroid belts, and drifting satellites. The idea is to eventually start life across the solar system and help it evolve into a civilization, all while discovering the secrets of the universe. Just beware of a pesky black hole, which seems to be getting closer as time rolls by.

Curiosmos is coming to PC in 2025.

Bionic Bay

A vast Metroidvania platformer awaits in Bionic Bay. Here, players will explore a dangerous world, jump across platforms, and stop time to keep danger at bay. This game plays out with a third-person perspective, with the camera intentionally kept at a distance to create a greater sense of harrowing danger. Players will gradually master the mechanics of gravity, time, and sweet jumps over the course of an exciting journey. They'll not only learn the secrets of reaching the end of this strange world, but they'll also learn to race other players in a fun multiplayer racing mode.

Bionic Bay is coming to PC and PlayStation 5 on March 13, 2025.

Inkonbini

Nagai Industries is exploring the world of a small Asian convenience store in Inkonbini (a.k.a. inKONBINI: One Store, Many Stories). This convenience store simulator has been in the works for a while and challenges players to keep the store in shape, help individually unique customers, and experience a story about family and what it means to run a mom-and-pop shop. While it sounds stressful to run a shop, players can chill to a soundtrack inspired by the 90s Japanese music scene.

This is another game that captivated the Shacknews crew back at this year's Game Developers Conference and we're excited to see more. Inkonbini is coming soon to PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Feltopia

Wooly Games has a new story to tell through the medium of stop-motion. First revealed earlier this year, Feltopia starts out as a traditional arcade-style bullet hell shooter, where the idea is to blast enemies and transform them back to their adorable selves, bringing them back from the darkness. Think of something like Sonic the Hedgehog, in that sense. The forces of darkness are strong, led by the insidious Smog Spirit.

Feltopia's unique qualities come from the usage of stop-motion animation and its environments, which are entirely hand-crafted with felt and other materials. Because there's so much work going into every aspect of the game, this game will take a little while to be ready. Feltopia is coming to PC in 2026.

Blippo+ (World Premiere)

In what can only be described as the most bizarre reveal of the day, publisher Panic is back with its latest twisted take on gaming. Following Untitled Goose Game and Thank Goodness You're Here, Panic is now teaming up with YACHT and Telefantasy Studios for Blippo+, a game that's about channel surfing and discovering some of the most twisted FMV TV shows imaginable. Think of that one episode of Rick & Morty where Rick Sanchez browses through some of the weirdest shows from across the galaxy. What is the goal of Blippo+? Is there a goal in Blippo+? What even is Blippo+? Why is Blippo+? Having seen this trailer multiple times, I am as baffled as anybody else and look forward to discovering the answers along with the rest of the readers.

Little else was revealed about Blippo+. The only information provided by Panic was... cryptic, to say the least. With that said, this is definitely a game worth keeping an eye on, so don't touch that remote. Blippo+ is coming soon to PC.

Hyper Light Breaker

A lot has been said about Heart Machine's latest 3D adventure. The team is now ready to reveal a release window. Check out our full story for more information on this one.

TankHead (World Premiere)

New developer Alpha Channel is coming onto the gaming scene in a big way with the upcoming TankHead. This game takes players into a dystopian sci-fi world, where the main character's consciousness has been uploaded into a drone. Since the main character can't physically fight, the idea becomes to build something that can. Thus, the game becomes about constructing a formidable tank, which can blast enemies to bits and take boatloads of punishment.

Over time, players will upgrade their tank's weapons, motors, armor, and even visuals. Surviving battles means an opportunity to scavenge for new parts. This game has been designed with tank warfare in mind, meaning it'll control slightly differently than a standard third-person shooter. This is a roguelike, so there will be plenty of time for players to get used to the game's mechanics and learn how to take on some of the world's biggest bosses, like a giant mechanical tank built from the remains of a hotel.

Those interested in trying out TankHead won't have to wait long. In fact, it's out right now on the Epic Games Store.

Those are the biggest reveals to come out of Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition Digital Showcase 2024. We'll continue to follow the development of these games, as well as watch for further reveals from The Game Awards, which is set to air this Thursday, December 12.

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?