5 Faves from Day of the Devs Summer Game Fest Edition

Happy Friday, Happy Summer Game Fest, and Happy Day of the Devs to us all! 

I’m writing this a little ahead of time, so I’m putting out into the universe that everything went well with SGF, people loved the show, and that I didn’t fall over or something on stage.

(That opening will be particularly embarrassing if I do fall over on stage) 

Thank you all for the tremendous support so far on lookingforgame! I will write a sappy post once the dust has settled, but the launch has gone better than I ever could have hoped, and it’s all thanks to you. 

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Launching during June means that there’s no shortage of games to talk about, but for this issue, I’m focusing on my picks from Day of the Devs. If you’re unfamiliar, Day of the Devs is a nonprofit that spotlights indies through in-person events and online shows. Some incredible games have been a part of their showcases over the years, including Animal Well, Consume Me, Celeste, Untitled Goose Game, and many, many more. They do an outstanding job, and their Summer Game Fest lineup was, as usual, bloody excellent. 

Before I go into my five picks from the show, remember that I have an exclusive extended demo of Wish Upon A Llama in this week's issue, so make sure to scroll to the bottom and grab it!

And with that, here are my five favorites from Day of the Devs.

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Blood Dungeon

Nidhogg absolutely took over my life in 2014, so I’m beyond thrilled to say that Messhof’s new game, Blood Dungeon, also has the sauce. Mix autoshooting (or are we calling them Bullet Heavens, like the updated Steam tag wants us to?) with 2D platforming for an outrageously fun gameplay loop that will become your new obsession. The demo is already mine. 

Kite rats, monsters, and all kinds of creatures around the map as you dodge projectiles, find treasure, level up your abilities, and unlock new areas, all in an attempt to escape. If that’s not enough, there are leaderboards, unlockables, and incremental upgrades to buy between runs to keep you going back for more. The parkour is fast and sticky, with climbing and hail mary leaps becoming second nature in no time. I’m ready for this to take over my life when it releases in late Summer 2026.

Apple Crumble

I absolutely adore Berlin-based developer Happy Broccoli’s quirky Duck Detective games. While I had hoped for another Eugene McQuacklin mystery this summer, I’m more than happy to grab a big bowl of their new thriller, Apple Crumble, instead.

It’s your grandmother’s birthday, and someone is trying to kill her. Look, no family is perfect, but this seems extreme, no? Everyone is a suspect, even that weird guy in your attic, so it’s up to you to explore the nooks and crannies of your family home and root out the culprit.

Duck Detective and its sequel are very much traditional de-duck-tion games, so I’m intrigued that Happy Broccoli cites MOUTHWASHING and Knives Out as inspiration for this new thriller. The 60-90 minute (it just gets better!) game comes out later this year.

Slap Out Of It!

Just as Thank Goodness You’re Here! pioneered the “slapformer” genre, Slap Out Of It! aims to do the same for “slap-and-solve.” As a new employee of a SaaS (Solutions as a Service) company, Puzzl, you solve problems for customers by… slapping stuff. 

And man, it feels really good to slap stuff. 

Set in the escape room-esque Puzzl headquarters, you take the elevator from floor to floor as you solve strange problems for even stranger customers. The unconventional approach to puzzle solving provides some excellent “Aha!” moments, and the irreverent humor pops from the get-go. I genuinely laughed out loud when I figured out one particular bathroom puzzle, but I’ll leave it at that. I can’t wait to get slap happy when it launches in 2027.

Tenebris Somnia

Those folks at New Blood Interactive have got me again, this time with Tenebris Somnia: a survival horror game that blends 2D with live-action cutscenes, complete with ghastly practical effects, no less. 

The mix works incredibly well. The 2D segments are slow and anxiety-inducing, and while they have a retro aesthetic, you do get some flashes of modernity, like reflections in mirrors. The switch to the live-action cutscenes toys with the tension, and the horrific monsters the team has created are realised in all their gruesome glory. An award-winning Argentinian film crew makes the live-action parts, and wow, have they done a wonderful job.

And of course, at the heart of it all is a dark mystery and puzzles to solve, so if you’re a survival horror sicko like me, go check out the demo on Steam right now.

Prove You're Human

Mesa believes she’s a human being. It’s your job to convince her otherwise. 

Mesa is your company’s AI, and so to argue with her, a digital copy of your consciousness is set up for the task. The premise is absolutely delicious: reminiscent of the Black Mirror episode White Christmas, and the gameplay is a mixture of exploring the digital world, talking to Mesa, solving CAPTCHA (prove you’re not a robot, indeed), and checking in on your physical form. 

With 1000XRESIST developer Sunset Visitor at the helm, no doubt it’ll send me into an existential spiral, but I am ready for it. 

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Yes, there have been plenty of World Premieres today at SGF and Day of the Devs, but there’s time for one more! 

I’m thrilled that Millionhare Studios and Whitethorn Games have chosen to release the brand new extended demo for Wish Upon A Llama with lookingforgame! 

In Wish Upon A Llama, you are a rancher who rears all manner of fuzzy creatures and helps build a bond between the local townsfolk and the animals who live there. There's relationship building and, yes, romances!

The demo is available right now! Click the button below to head to Steam and grab it.

The full game is coming later this year on Xbox systems and via Xbox Play Anywhere, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and, of course, on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. 

Check out the new trailer below:

Thank you again to Millionhare Studios and Whitethorn Games, and I hope you’ll have a great time in Llama Town!

Next week, I'll start digging into some must-play Steam Next Fest recommendations, catch you then!