After the Summer Game Fest, Double Fine and iam8bit lined up for the tenth anniversary of the independent Day of the Devs presentation. As usual, the show curated a vibrant selection of independent games in development, from friendly management simulators to viral horror train games.
In total, 16 games were shown during the event, all of which we’ve summarized below, with everything you need to know: trailers, release dates, and planned platform releases.
Time Flies, by Michael Frei (children) and Raphaël Muñoz, is described as a partly open world, partly a flight simulator, and you play like a fly. It is expected to be released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Windows PC in 2023.
From developer Wishfully Studios and publisher Thunderful, Planet of Lana is a sci-fi “movie puzzle adventure” game coming to Windows PC and Xbox in 2022.
You might remember Choo-Choo Charles, a terrifying train horror game, that went viral in 2021. It still looks horrifying, and is expected to come out in 2022 from developer Two Star Games.
Escape Academy, a game about a school for escape room experts, will be released on July 14 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Windows PC.
The pet puzzle game A Little to the Left showed its sorting, stacking, and organization puzzles during Developer Day. It is expected to be released on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC via Steam.
Bear and Breakfast, the most beautiful bed and breakfast management simulator, will be released on July 28 on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC via Steam.
Animal Well is a trippy puzzle game, and its trailer is actually a jigsaw puzzle. The first 10 people to find out win the game. It will arrive on PlayStation 5 and Windows PC via Steam.
Roots of Pacha, by developer Soda Den, is an agricultural simulator set in the Stone Age. Yes, there are woolly mammoths. A demo of the game is available on Steam.
Naiad, a swimming nymph puzzle game, will arrive on Windows PC in 2022. It looks beautiful and full of serene aquatic environments with beautiful colors.
The developer of Monument Valley and Alba: A Wildlife Adventure us two games announced Desta: The Memories Between. It has turn-based gameplay mechanics integrated into its unique story.
SCHiM is a very stylish 3D platformer that makes players jump from shadow to shadow.
Fox and Frog Travelers: The Demon of Adashino Island
Fox and Frog Travelers: The Adashino Island Demon is still a few years away, but it looks promising: Play as a fox traveling with a frog.
Goodbye World is a standalone game about independent game creators, created with pixel art mimicking Super NES and Gameboy Advance games. It is expected to be released later this year.
Do you want to make a creature with bones and organs? Yes? (It’s surprisingly beautiful.) Then Birth is the puzzle game for you. Birth is expected in August.
In this platform adventure game, you enter a dream world full of toys, sweets and stuffed animals, and play as Little Nemo. It premieres on Kickstarter on Thursday.
How to Say Goodbye is a game about a ghost trying to accept his recent death. It looks beautiful, like a children’s book with lots of puzzles. It will be released in 2022.