Here’s everything announced at Day of the Devs: The Game Awards 2023 Edition

The latest edition of Day of the Devs has just ended.

Originally founded in 2012, Day of the Devs is a regular showcase hosted by Double Fine and iam8bit designed to promote upcoming indie games.

The latest show, designed to launch the day before The Game Awards, featured a total of 20 games, and we’ve got details and screenshots for all of them below.

Whether you missed the show (in which case you can catch up on it here), or just want a closer look at the games in more detail, here’s all 20 titles, in alphabetical order.

Braid: Anniversary Edition

Jonathan Blow, Thekla

Set to be released to commemorate the game’s 15th anniversary, this Braid remaster will be handled directly by Thekla Inc, the studio founded by Braid creator Jonathan Blow.

It will feature “hand-repainted graphics” by the game’s original artist, as well as improved animations with extra frames for smoother motion, and improved audio, including new mixes and variants of the soundtrack.

Perhaps most ambitious is a planned “extensive and detailed commentary track” which will contain over 15 hours of commentary by the game’s creator Jonathan Blow, as well as nine other contributors.

Cryptmaster

Paul Hart and Lee Williams, Akupara Games

“Say anything in Cryptmaster – the bizarre dungeon-crawling adventure where words control everything,” says publisher Akupara Games.

“Gather your party of undead heroes, then fill in the blanks to uncover their lost memories and defeat eerie enemies, all in the service of a mysterious and capricious necromancer.

“Along the way, choose your words carefully to conquer strange quests, charm weird characters, and play a variety of unexpected mini-games.

“From dark fantasy fishing to bard rap battles, you’ll need to stay light on your feet and quick in your fingertips if you want to survive long enough to conquer the Underland and unleash a whole new kind of spell casting.”

Dome-King Cabbage

Cobysoft, Hyper Real

This pshychedelic adventure follows protagonist Mush as they make their way to a job interview for the mysterious role of Dome King.

The game is part visual novel and part monster-collecting RPG, with a sound track that “seeps into your very soul”.

“The narrative is told through an unmistakable, perception-bending style by the solo-developer Cobysoft Joe,” says publisher Hyper Real.

“Dome-King Cabbage is a vibrant collection of psychedelic visuals, warbled beats, and colorful stories that connect in a harmonious way because of this singular vision.”

Drag Her!

Fighting Chance Games

This 2D fighting game has a roster made up entirely of real-life drag queens.

Fighters include a selection of stars from RuPal’s Drag Race and Dragula, including Alaska 5000, Asia O’Hara, BenDeLaCreme, Kim Chi, Landon Cider and Laganja Estranja.

“Drag Her! is a high-drama, effusively camp 2D fighting game that asks ‘what would a less-gay Mortal Kombat look like?’, says developer Fighting Chance.

“Forgiving to play and fundamentally stupid to watch, our result is a core fighting game with approachable controls and excessive, over-the-top special moves.”

Flock

Hollow Ponds, Annapurna Interactive

Developed by the studio behind I Am Dead and Loot Rascals, Flock is a multiplayer co-op game where players control a team of flying shepherds.

“The game is an ode to the joy of flight and discovery,” Hollow Ponds says.

“Starting with a small herd of hover-sheep, you nurture and fly them toward fresh, untouched pastures.

“Along the way, you will discover the secrets of the beautiful uplands and its wild creatures.”

Hermit and Pig

Heavy Lunch Studio

This turn-based adventure RPG has players controlling a “socially anxious” hermit and his pet pig, as the pair try to help a villager in need.

“With Hermit and Pig, we want to make an RPG where the overworld feels organic and satisfying to explore, with a battle system that rewards the player for thinking on their toes,” Heavy Lunch co-founder Mason Dickerson said.

“Due to a hermit lifestyle, battling enemies and talking with NPCs are equally dreadful and require the same level of focus.

“With Hermit and Pig, we’d like to graciously share our social anxiety with you, the player.”

Holstin

Sonka

This Polish-developed game, which is “aiming for a darker Twin Peaks feel”, received a lot of buzz on social media after its impress perspective-shifting mechanic was shown off.

Players explore the game from an isometric perspective, but can switch to first-person whenever they like, to better aim at enemies.

“Holstin is set in an eerie, isolated 90’s Polish lakeside town in which an ominous presence has slowly enveloped everything and everyone,” says developer Sonka.

“A close colleague of yours came here, looking for answers to a newspaper story. But after a series of incoherent and troubling messages, all contact was lost. Now you need to venture into this psyche-shattering town to find out the truth and the fate of your friend.”

Home Safety Hotline

Night Signal Entertainment

This text-based horror game has you working at a call centre in the ’90s, as you try to help callers asking about the creatures in their homes.

Starting off with normal pests like bed bugs and mice, things eventually get a little more bizarre.

“Using your state-of-the-art 1996 PC interface, you are tasked with answering incoming callers’ questions about what’s inside their home,” says Night Signal Entertainment.

“Read through a vast catalogue of common pests, household hazards, and increasingly cryptic terrors and do your best to become an expert in home safety.”

Janet DeMornay is a Slumlord (and a Witch)

Fuzzy Ghost

Developer Fuzzy Ghost describes this game as a “story-driven, non-violent, escape room, horror-comedy” in which you play as a renter whose landlord is a witch.

The game is a throwback to PS1 survival horror games, and is inspired by ’80s horror movies like Beetlejuice and Poltergeist.

“It is a supernatural take on the very real anxieties of what it is to be a renter in Australia during the housing crisis,” the studio says.

“It is set in the house that the developers lived in for many years, but also features real life stories submitted from all over the world.”

Kind Words 2

Popcannibal

The original Kind Words was released in 2019 and was a source of great comfort for may players during the pandemic.

In it, players could send and request letters from other anonymous players around the world.

The idea was that people could receive actual positive messages from real-life strangers, and potentially brighten up their lives.

This sequel takes the gameplay outside of the player’s bedroom for the first time.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story

Digital Eclipse

The second game in Digital Eclipse’s critically acclaimed Gold Master Series is based on one of the most influential British game designers, Jeff Minter.

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story tells the story of Minter’s career in the 20th century, from his early days of development right up to the release of Tempest 2000 on the Atari Jaguar.

Similar to its previous releases Atari 50 and The Making of Karateka, Digital Eclipse will be using its interactive timeline feature, which lets players progress through Minter’s story in chronological order.

As they make their way through the timeline, players will see photos, design documents, new video interviews and other historical artifacts as they learn about Minter’s career.

It also features 42 playable games from Minter’s back catalogue, including an unreleased demo game for the Konix Multisystem, the mythical never-released UK console.

Loose Leaf

Kitfox Games

Loose Leaf is the latest offering from Kitfox Games, the publisher behind such games as Boyfriend Dungeon and Pupperazzi.

The game has players managing “a tea room between worlds”, as they make tea for a wide variety of customers.

According to Kitfox Games, it will be “the most in-depth tea brewing simulator ever”.

The Mermaid’s Tongue

SFB Games

This is a murder-mystery detective adventure set on a submarine.

The game is the successor to Tangle Tower, one of the higest user-rated Apple Arcade games.

“Magnus Mortuga, captain of the mysterious Mortuga Submarine, has been murdered,” says SFB Games.

“Some say he was a time-traveller. Some say he was a vampire. Only one thing is certain: he’s dead, and it’s up to you to find his killer.”

Militsioner

Tallboys

Militsioner is described by publisher Tallboys as a “first-person surreal immersive runaway simulator”, in which an enormous cop overlooks the environment.

“You’re arrested on this ordinary day in the provincial town where the Giant Policeman lives and works,” Tallboys says.

“You haven’t broken the law, have you? Of course, someone must have been telling lies, but absolutely everyone thinks you’re guilty. Don’t stick around for too long.”

Nirvana Noir 2

Feral Cat Den, Fellow Traveller

Despite the name, this is the sequel to Genesis Noir.

The first game was praised for its unique visual style, and this sequel appears to be no different.

Feral Cat Den describes it as a “noir adventure beyond time and space”.

Oddada

Sven Ahlgrimm, Mathilde Hoffmann

Oddada is described as “a no-pressure roguelite music builder”.

Players can interact with the various tools on offer to create their own music.

“Drop cute houses onto all kinds of places and be rewarded with your own little hand-crafted music track”, the game’s developers say.

Open Roads

Open Roads Team, Annapurna Interactive

This narrative adventure is set for release in February.

It tells the story of Tess and her mother Opal, as they discover a cashe of old notes and letters stashed away in the attic of their house.

The pair go on a road trip “to explore a series of long-abandoned family properties, unearthing the past”.

“They’ll search the ruins of these places that hold buried memories, things Opal has tried for years to forget,” Annapurna says.

“And in this search, they’ll discover not just the truth they’ve been seeking, but each other.”

Resistor

Long Way Home, PQube

Resistor is described as a “turbocharged narrative-driven adventure RPG featuring open-world exploration, stunt-infused racing, and explosive vehicular combat”.

The game is set in the year 2060, where the world’s governments have collapsed and corporate-run city states are in their place.

“To remain ‘competitive but friendly’, the corporations take turns hosting an annual racing tournament for the masses setting the finest teams, and bravest challengers, against one another in a series of exhilarating, high-speed death races,” studio Long Way Home says.

“The ultimate prize? A one-way ticket to permanent citizenship, and a better life, inside the cities.”

Thank Goodness You’re Here

Coal Supper, Panic

“Thank Goodness You’re Here, a ‘comedy slapformer’ set in the fictional northern English town of Barnsworth.

“Created by Coal Supper – a two-man team consisting of long-time friends Will Todd and James Carbutt – the game is ‘a delightfully surreal homage’ to their own northern hometown.

“After arriving early for a big meeting with the mayor of a bizarre Northern English town, a traveling salesman takes the time to explore and meet the locals, who are all very eager to give him a series of increasingly odd jobs,” the game’s description reads.”

Ultros

Hadoque

This psychedelic Metroidvania has players crashing their ship on the Sarcophagus, a “giant, space-drifting, cosmic uterus holding an ancient demonic being known as Ultros”.

“Trapped in the eternal loop of a black hole, you will have to explore The Sarcophagus and meet its inhabitants to understand the part you play,” says developer Hadoque.

“Are you the gruesome breaker of this cycle, or can you become a link from destruction to rebirth?”