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Day of the Devs brings surprising sequels, a truffle pig RPG, and more must-see games

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Another edition of Day of the Devs, a regular indie game live stream, took place ahead of this year’s Game Awards ceremony. The show highlighted 20 indie games, including surprise sequels to Genesis Noir and Kind Words.

Day of the Devs usually runs a live stream every year alongside Summer Game Fest. This year, the indie showcase put on a second, hourlong event ahead of The Game Awards. While it largely highlighted some previously announced games like Braid: Anniversary Edition, it brought several new announcements as well.

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Chief among those were three sequels. Nirvana Noir is a follow-up to the stylish Genesis Noir that features a psychedelic art refresh inspired by bands like Pink Floyd. Kind Words 2 (Lofi City Pop) expands the scope of its predecessor, a popular letter-writing game, by allowing players to leave notes around a small city. Point-and-click puzzler Tangle Tower is also getting a sequel in the form of The Mermaid’s Tongue.

Characters sit at a table in Nirvana Noir.
Feral Cat Den

As is always the case with Day of the Devs, a few of the announcements are especially eclectic. Hermit and Pig is a turn-based RPG about a truffle pig that draws inspiration from Paper Mario and Earthbound. The second installment of Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master series (following The Making of Karateka) was unveiled, and it’s a playable documentary about game creator Jeff Minter featuring 42 playable games. The best game title of the show goes to Janet Demornay is a Slumlord (and a Witch), which is a horror game about an evil landlord.

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The live stream also gave us notable news in the form of a release date for Open Roads following years of silence after Fullbright founder Steve Gaynor left the project amid toxicity allegations. The title will now launch on February 22, 2024.

Here’s the full list of games shown off during Day of the Devs, as well as the developers behind each.

  • Militsioner (Tallboys)
  • Nirvana Noir (Feral Cat Den)
  • Thanks Goodness You’re Here (Coal Supper)
  • Flock (Hollow Ponds, Richard Hogg)
  • Kind Words 2 (Lofi City Pop) (Popcannibal)
  • Hermit and Pig (Heavy Lunch Studio)
  • Dome-King Cabbage (Cobysoft Co.)
  • Ultros (Hadoque)
  • Loose Leaf (Kitfox Games)
  • Holstin (Sonka)
  • Oddada (Sven Ahlgrimm, Mathilde Hoffman)
  • Cryptmaster (Paul Hart, Lee Williams)
  • Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story (Digital Eclipse)
  • Drag Her (Fighting Chance Games)
  • Braid: Anniversary Edition (Thekla)
  • Open Roads (Open Roads Team)
  • Resistor (Long Way Home)
  • Home Safety Hotline (Night Signal Entertainment)
  • Janet Demornay is a Slumlord (and a Witch) (Fuzzy Ghost)
  • The Mermaid’s Tongue (SFB Games)

A Vampire Survivors crossover with Among Us was also revealed at the show’s end. For those interested in getting hands-on with some of the games shown, Day of the Devs is holding a public showcase in Los Angeles on Friday, December 8. The event will feature playable demos for 40 games, including newly announced ones like Kind Words 2 and several that weren’t featured on the stream. Tickets are available now.

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Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni Colantonio
Section Editor, Gaming
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
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