Day of The Devs (Summer Game Fest 2025)
The Day of the Devs Showcase from Summer Game Fest 2025 was very impressive and featured something for everyone including many new premieres from studios that have been quiet for a while and updates on games that people have been hungry for more information on. There were so many amazing titles including Possessor(s), Moonlighter 2 and Big Walk, but we had to pick our favs, so let’s countdown the Top 5 moments from Day of The Devs, Summer Game Fest Edition.
DAY OF THE DEVS BEST 2025 BEST ANNOUNCEMENTS
#5 Please, Watch The Artwork
Easily one of the weirdest games of the showcase and is a psychological spot the difference game where you are the night watch at the museum of animated modern art. Your job is to watch the artwork and report any suspicious behaviour including Sad Clowns, Demonic Possession, Intruders, Distortion and even the smallest differences like a moved object.
Please, Watch The Artwork is based on Edward Hoppers pieces, a modern American artist at the turn of the 20th century who depicted themes of loneliness and urban isolation, which pairs well with the psychological aspect of the gameplay. An even better pairing is Please, Watch The Artwork is expected to release around Halloween.
#4 Mixtape
Mixtape is the new game from Beethoven and Dinosaur, the BAFTA award winning studio. We listed it as one of our most anticipated games of 2025. The bad news is that we still don’t have a release date yet, which is a bummer, but the good news is that we learned a little bit more about Mixtape. We learned about a few more musical artists that will be featured on the soundtrack, but we also learned that the game itself will be a Mixtape of sort that will feature all kinds of different gameplay mechanics, art styles and eras. However, just like the best mixtapes, there is a common theme.
#3 Sword of The Sea
One of our most anticipated games heading into 2025 was Sword of The Sea from Giant Squid, which is staying true to what the studio is good at: Atmospheric Adventure. You explore the remnants of an ancient culture on your bladeboard, as you try to restore the ocean beneath the desert. Sword of The Sea is heavily inspired by the skateboard and snowboard classics like Tony Hawk, 1080 and SSX.
The studio who have a direct lineage with games like Journey and Abzu is trying to emulate that outer-body spiritual experience that you get when fully connected with the world. Giant Squid is trying to capture that transcendent experience that you get when you are able to harmonize with the environment. In the words of the studio director “you get to understand nature that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise and connect with the world in a deeper way”
#2 Neverway
Neverway was just revealed about a month ago at the iii showcase and while it looked interesting, it looked like a life sim with a twist. However, what Neverway is seems much more intriguing than I initially thought. Neverway is equal parts horror RPG as much as it’s a life sim. It feels like if you crossed the early Zelda adventures with Stardew Valley and gave it a dark twist.
Neverway is being developed by Cold Blood Inc from Vancouver, but had some special help. The pixel artist from Celeste as well as Disasterpeace, the composer from Fez, Hyper Light Breaker and It Follows are both here to lend their talents.
Neverway is about Fiona, a girl who has just left her dead end job to start over on a farm in an attempt to escape the world. Unfortunately, Fiona finds herself in a predicament with a dead god and must repay a debt. The Neverway is a nightmarish, decaying reality that is slowly leaking its way into the real world. Fiona must venture deep into the post apocalyptic world to learn whats happening and kept these worlds from colliding. Fiona isn’t alone, as she can befriend and romance more than 10 characters, but also provide unique combat abilities in the Neverway.
#1 - Blighted
One of the of world premieres from Summer Game Fest was the new title from Drinkbox, the talented, Toronto based team behind Guacamelee and Nobody Saves The World. The great news is that Blighted sees the studio return to the Metroidvania genre, but the even better news is that it will be the first time the studio has moved into 3D. At the Day of The Devs, we got a deeper look at what Blighted has to offer.
Blighted is a hardcore action Metroidvania that is set in a psychedelic western nightmare. As the lone survivor of your people, your goal is to hunt down those responsible and recapture their memories.
The unique selling point for Blighted is the blighted mechanic. As you become afflicted with the disease, enemies become more aggressive and unpredictable. It also changes your perception of the world. You have two choices, you can find ways to cure and suppress the blighted, but you also decide to embrace the darkness making you even more powerful as you gain enemy powers by devouring their brains. This is how you adapt and evolve in this metroidvania as embracing the blighted will not only help with combat, but will also greatly improve your exploration skills and reveal hidden locations.
If you think any of these games look great, please wishlist them as it truly helps out the developers.
