The Best Games We Saw At Day of the Devs December 2024
Given the glut of videogame showcases that have sprung up following the death of E3, it can be difficult for any individual stream to stand out from the crowd. But despite this overabundance, the Day of the Devs has consistently proven itself one of the best events for getting a glimpse at many of the most interesting smaller-scale games on the horizon. To put it into numbers, last year’s December showcase highlighted seven games that ended up on Paste’s Best Games of 2024 list, which is particularly impressive given that many of the games shown haven’t even come out yet. Thankfully, this year’s lineup at Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition 2024 was quite promising as well, and during this digital preview, we got a look at everything from felt-crafted stop-motion ‘shmups to movement-heavy platformers for genre freaks. Let’s run down the five games we’re most excited about coming out of the event.
Ultimate Sheep Racoon
Ultimate Chicken Horse is a delight of a party game, so it’s exciting to hear that Cleaver Endeavor Games is working on a spiritual follow-up, Ultimate Sheep Racoon. Much like its predecessor, this is a multiplayer game where you and your friends work together to forge challenging levels before competing to see who reaches the end of your collectively crafted abomination first. However, instead of being a traditional platformer, in this case, everyone is mounted on bicycles, offering some very different core gameplay. We saw these animals navigate deadly tracks full of traps and utilize power-ups to get ahead. While I’m curious if Ultimate Sheep Racoon’s bike relays will match the frantic platforming of the previous game, hopefully, it will once again provide a canvas for creating diabolical levels to torment your friends; what more could you want?
Sleight of Hand
There’s no shortage of card-based videogames these days, but Sleight of Hand offers a unique spin by adding third-person stealth to the equation. Set in a smoky, magic-infused noir backdrop, you play as Lady Luck, a spellcaster trying to take down her old coven. As for how cards and stealth interact, your deck lets you activate abilities to navigate undetected, with a new hand being drawn at the start of each encounter. In the example we saw, it seemed that abilities could be combined in clever ways: they used a card to link the condition of two enemies, set a trap, stunned both foes at once, and then used another combination to teleport and turn invisible. It’s easy to imagine how this deck-based setup could create situations with tons of different solutions, and the developers mentioning Dishonored as an influence certainly didn’t hurt either.
Curiosmos
I’m not sure playing God has ever looked as cute as Curiosmos, a space sim where you craft charming planets that smile back cheerfully. Things begin with forging a planet from surrounding debris before getting into the nitty gritty of shaping mountains, valleys, and even organisms. While the actual planet sculpting seems on the simpler side, there is an undeniable personality on display that is reminiscent of Katamari Damacy and its cosmic weirdness. Additionally, it appears like there will be some amount of overarching structure to the experience, as the ultimate goal seems to be to stop an encroaching black hole that threatens to destroy what you’ve built. But even with this existential threat, Curiosmos looks like a deeply relaxing time spent crafting little guys amidst the stars—we all need a little break from planet Earth right now, and this seems like it just may deliver on that front.
Demon Tides
Sometimes, it only takes a relatively minor detail to get excited about a game, and for me, seeing the protagonist of Demon Tides hit the Super Mario 64 side somersault jump teased a part of my brain that’s usually only satisfied by a certain mustachioed plumber’s 3D outings. Fabraz, who previously worked on the well-received Demon Turf, seems to be taking this specific brand of platforming a step further with a massive array of customizable traversal abilities, including airdashes, glides, and more, that can be linked together to create stylish sequences. While I’ll reserve full judgment here until getting hands-on, as game feel is particularly essential with this type of experience, this studio’s previous work is a strong endorsement.
Incolatus: Don’t Stop, Girlypop!
Incolatus: Don’t Stop, Girlypop! is undeniably going for it in the best way. Combining the high speed of arena shooters with a heavy dosage of self-described early aughts girly-pop, this is an FPS where moving faster quite literally makes you stronger. As you gain speed, your gun physically expands, gaining added firepower, barrels, and vestigial scopes. The key to traversing quickly seems to be “wave hopping,” a technique that expands on Quake-style bunny hopping but with more in a more intentionally designed way. Add in a layer of customization inspired by old-school dress-up games, and the result is a shooter that looks technical, frenetic, and very pink.
Elijah Gonzalez is an assistant Games and TV Editor for Paste Magazine. In addition to playing and watching the latest on the small screen, he also loves film, creating large lists of media he’ll probably never actually get to, and dreaming of the day he finally gets through all the Like a Dragon games. You can follow him on Twitter @eli_gonzalez11 and on Bluesky @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social.