Năm tựa game hứa hẹn tại IndieDevDay 2024 đã chinh phục tôi

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending IndieDevDay in Barcelona. As both my first time at the event and in Spain in general, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. On the whole, I was thoroughly impressed by it all, and you can read more about those impressions here.

But I wanted to dedicate another piece to some of my favourite games from IndieDevDay 2024. In total, I got to see and play a bunch of games, and there were several, in particular, that really stood out to me. Here are my five favourites. (I should note that there was also a demo of Neva, the highly anticipated next title from the acclaimed Barcelona-based Gris creator, but I refrained from playing it because I planned to get a review code for it soon and figured I’d let others line up instead.)

Detective of the Dead

Image credit: Actrio Studio

Developer/publisher: Actrio Studio (Leipzig, Germany)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA 2025

I’m a sucker for noir stories, and so what I love most about Detective of the Dead is how it’s offering a fun spin on that framework. In this Mexican underworld-set narrative adventure game, you play as a goofy investigator who must stop a plot to ruin Día de los Muertos. The game immediately caught my eye through its lovely cultural aesthetic, and I found myself quickly admiring its lighthearted sense of humour. (In one quest, our hero is quite literally hellbent on trying to find a tamale for a hangover breakfast.) All in all, there was an abundance of charm in the demo, and I’m looking forward to playing more.

A free demo is also available on Steam.

Hell of an Office

Image credit: 43 Studios

Developer: 43 Studios (Barcelona, Spain)
Publisher: Joystick Ventures
Platform: PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)
Release date: October 3rd, 2024

The best way I can describe this game is that it’s a glorious cross between the badass hellish metal aesthetics of Doom and the tight, fast-paced platforming of Neon White. It’s a brilliant concept, resulting in humourous imagery (your character is literally using a stapler to hop between boxes, desks and paper shredders) and thrilling traversal sequences. Those would be enough for a worthwhile experience, but then there’s also an assortment of amusingly dry interstitial scenes to further illustrate those 9 to 5 doldrums. But really, what better way is there to game-ify the feeling of working an ungodly office job than by putting you in a literal gauntlet through Hell?

A free demo is available on Steam.

Hotel Barcelona

Image credit: White Owls

Developer/publisher: White Owls (Tokyo, Japan)
Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA

This was the one game coming into IndieDevDay that I knew I wanted to try. After all, it’s the latest work from Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro (Deadly Premonition), with contributions from Suda51 (No More Heroes). That alone is attention-grabbing, but the unique premise certainly made it even more appealing. Inspired by old slasher films, Hotel Barcelona follows a novice federal marshal as she seeks out an infamous serial killer who’s living inside of her. If that weren’t enough, the game mixes slick combo-based action with roguelike and Metroidvania mechanics. I don’t generally like roguelikes, admittedly, but I’m intrigued to see more of what the always distinct and intriguing visions of Swery and Suda bring to the table.

The Midnight Barber

Developer/publisher: Omaet Games (Barcelona, Spain)
Platform: PC (no Steam link yet)
Release date: TBA

I already mentioned how much I like noir, and The Midnight Barber quickly proved to be a fascinating take on the genre. That’s because it’s a mix between a visual novel, rhythm game and a Wolf Among Us-style world filled with supernatural creatures. As the titular midnight barber, you have to solve a mystery by chatting with your colourful clientele, and the only way to do that is to use your hair care tools and products in sequence to the rhythm. There’s a soothing balletic feel to the back-and-forth of those button-matching mechanics here, thanks to the catchy noir-themed soundtrack and the ASMR-style delivery of the barber’s lines. At the same time, you have to be consistent with the pattern-matching to increase your client’s comfort metre and unlock different questioning paths, adding layers of skill and strategy to the mix. All around, this game was a vibe, and I can’t wait to see more.

Musicmenia

Image credit: Symphonic Games

Developer/publisher: Symphonic Games (Barcelona, Spain)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: September 30th, 2024

Out of everything I experienced at IndieDevDay, Musicmenia might be the most unique title. It’s a classical music-centric card game in which you use cards based on famous composers and instruments to rack up points. Essentially, you’re conducting your own symphony, and so you have to make strategic combinations of the likes of oboe, bassoon and flute and icons like Mozart, Beethoven and Josquin des Prés. There’s a surprising variety of cards that both boost your symphonic arsenal and hinder your opponent’s, and once you get into the literal rhythm of the game, it can be pretty rewarding. As someone who grew up on the likes of Yu-Gi-Oh!, I really dug the unique riffs on card battling mechanics here.

These were my highlights of IndieDevDay 2024, but of course, they’re just a small taste of what was featured during the event. In total, a whopping 200-ish games were playable here, so I couldn’t possibly check out even a solid fraction of them. That said, I highly recommend checking out this Steam page which showcases even more of the promising games from the show.

Image credit: 43 Studios