Day of the Devs is a beloved GDC institution. A stage for the best and brightest independent developers to strut their stuff, there was an overwhelming amount of games on display at this year’s San Francisco edition. With only a handful of hours and a small presence at GDC itself—just a fraction of its games were available at the main event—I wasn’t able to play everything, and I highly encourage you to look at some of the event’s official pages to find other cool games. If you’re able and interested, a handful of these games have demos available on Steam and are well worth your time. Here are the best games I played at Day of the Devs this year.
Anger Foot
Anger Foot is as goofy as it is intense. This first-person kicker draws its inspiration from the likes of Hotline Miami and DOOM, and feels incredible to dash around in as you stick it to the dregs of Shit City. It’s equally grimy and colorful, with Day Glo levels and dilapidated urban architecture maze-like corridors that are just wide enough to dodge the occasional bullet, but just narrow enough to make it tough. Kicking down doors to activate a bullet time-like slowdown and take out the baddies lurking behind them just doesn’t get old.
Horses
To talk about why Horses is cool is to ruin the surprise, shock, and awe that you’ll experience while playing it. Mired in unsettling imagery and sound design that take their cues from silent films and old-school horror movies, the whir of an old film projector and an occasional, ominous music cue is all you’ll hear. With each passing second, tension balloons as you explore the black-and-white countryside farm until Horses puts a needle to it and reveals its unnerving secret. Horses was the talk of Day of the Devs because it’s just so shocking and distinct; any fan of cerebral, offbeat horror should wishlist this game on Steam.
Two Strikes
The most tense moment of any fighting game is the bitter end of a close match between two evenly-matched opponents—a digital stare down as fighters exchange blows to their opponent’s block, ravenously digging in their pockets for the right mix-up. Two Strikes distills a classic 2D fighter into a rich, bottom-of-the-burrito flavor bomb of a game in which no round lasts longer than two strikes. Equal parts Samurai Shodown and Divekick, neutral is as tense as it gets in Two Strikes because one mistake will cost you your life. Its stark black, white, and red art style heightens that tension, giving even more weight to every slash and parry.
Combo Devils
I played Combo Devils at last year’s December installment of Day of The Devs in Los Angeles and got lost in it. So lost, in fact, that I barely played anything else at the event. Its exceptional blend of platform and traditional 2D fighting games makes for a gripping and unique combination that’s kept me coming back to try and unpack its every secret. While both iterations of Combo Devils I’ve played had a pretty small roster compared to the hulking titans of the genre featuring Nintendo’s All-Stars, it makes up for that with tight controls, competitive-friendly design, and devilishly clever innovations on the genre that come together to play an irresistible siren song at every Day of the Devs event that I’ve been to.
Darkweb Streamer
During my brief demo of Darkweb Streamer, I was tormented by a doll with the same name as my real-world ex, infected by leech-like parasites, surfed Geocities-inspired websites, and pushed myself to the brink of insanity for views as a live streamer on a fictional streaming site. Darkweb Streamer does a great job of establishing tension and fear not through cheap thrills, but by putting you through the almost real hell of being a live streamer who specializes in occult artifacts and forcing you to come to terms with the terrifying consequences of your own actions. Despite its roguelike exterior, Darkweb Streamer’s writing felt shockingly genuine and specific to my situation, which is something I heard from several colleagues who tried it out and remained consistent with the various demos I watched other people play.
Sulfur
Don’t let its cute protagonist or endearing art style throw you off; Sulfur is tough as nails. This Dark Souls-inspired roguelike FPS is just as challenging as any gritty boomer shooter with your favorite manly lead. Crawling caves with a loaded pistol and a Resident Evil 4-style inventory system makes for an enthralling loop that always keeps you thinking about what will suit your run and playstyle best as you blast the goblins that block your path. Guns feel crunchy, but never in a way that betrays Sulfur’s low-poly art style and chill vibe.
Hyper Light Breaker
Hyper Light Breaker was the belle of the ball at Day of the Devs. Lines for the sequel to the beloved Hyper Light Drifter remained long during its multiple showcases and demo opportunities. Tons of people came to Day of the Devs specifically to play Hyper Light Breaker, and for good reason; even if you haven’t played Hyper Light Drifter, Breaker’s gorgeous, colorful art style and tight, responsive combat prop up the prestige behind its name. I wish I’d had more time to get comfortable with Heart Machine’s roguelike because (like in any roguelike worth its salt) it had a ton going on underneath the hood.
Thank Goodness You’re Here
Thank Goodness You’re Here feels like playing a Cartoon Network show. And not in the way that people ascribe playing a Ratchet and Clank game to playing a Pixar film, but in a more holistic sense. From its tone to its setup to its animation style—all the way down to its gameplay—Thank Goodness You’re Here brought me back to the era of Cartoon Network that I grew up with in the best way possible, infusing a charming art style with exactly the kind of cheeky, dry slapstick comedy you’d expect from a comedic puzzle platformer set in the northern English countryside.
Wild Bastards
I played nearly 40 games during my trip to GDC and PAX, and out of every demo I played, Wild Bastards seemed like it was the biggest—and the toughest to wrap my mind around. The spiritual successor to Void Bastards, developer Blue Manchu infuses its latest take on the FPS with a cowboy vibe, injecting a slightly goofier vibe to the genre as you blast futuristic western-painted enemies in colorful showdowns. Dozens of systems were at play in the two short runs I went on, each interacting with another in a fascinating way. Whether it was choosing to split up a party or parsing out which equipment to add to each member of my party to make sure I had the right tools to succeed in a shootout, I felt challenged and wanted to learn more.
Haste: Broken Worlds
With its obvious emphasis on speed and platforming, Haste: Broken Worlds reminded me of a 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game. Bright and sunny, taking place on a floating island peppered with forests and interesting landmarks, Haste: Broken Worlds evoked the feeling of running down a hill as a little kid. The speed is scary but exhilarating, and stopping short would mean certain injury, but all that matters is just going. The same goes for Haste, where your goal is to pick up as much speed as possible before jumping off a hill as if you were skiing before trying to time your landing just right. It sounds simple—and it is—but it’s also challenging and will pull you in with its sense of speed.
Charlie Wacholz is a freelance writer. When he’s not playing the latest and greatest indie games, competing in Smash tournaments or working on a new cocktail recipe, you can find him on Twitter at @chas_mke.