The fifth instalment of Summer Game Fest 2024 has been and gone and developers big and small got to showcase all of their brand new never-before-seen creations and shed light on long-awaited games that have been in the works for quite some time. Many of the showcases and presentations gave fans plenty to be excited about with sneak peeks of exciting big game sequels like State of Decay 3 and Doom The Dark Ages (prequel) and even out-of-the-blue shock additions like Gears Of War E-Day, so we decided to show some love to the smaller developers at the showcase and made a list of the indie games and announcements we can’t wait to get our hands on.
Killer Bean (The Game)
Jeff Lew’s Killer Bean has become quite the internet sensation over the last 10 years from humble beginnings as a couple of short animations to a full-fledged movie and now a full-on video game adaptation.
The story follows Killer Bean as he sets out on a journey to take revenge on his former employer the Shadow Organisation. From the short gameplay trailer we got Killer Bean looks to take inspiration from other action games like Max Payne and GTA shown by the slow-mo bullet time esc sequences along with the gunplay, vehicle-based combat and the almost open world style to the playable area.
The murderous Bean we all know and love will be fighting more than just some generic beans with guns as we also got to see some of the enemy variety which included a super fast bean that can dodge bullets, a piloted mech and a giant robot which is sure to be a boss fight. Though Jeff has not given us a full release date yet, Killer Bean will be available through early access this summer.
Cuffbust
Gavin Eisenbeisz burst onto the scene of video game development with Choo-Choo Charles (2022), a creepy take on a certain sentient tank engine who wants nothing more than to eat you. Fans have been begging for a sequel to this little horror gem for a while and so Gavin decided to throw a complete curveball and create a cute jail escape simulator called Cuffbust.
You and your friends take control of Jaliens (Gavin’s official name for the characters) as you come up with a plan to escape prison in a very cartoonish and over-the-top fashion. There are tons of ways you and your friends can break free and plenty of tools you can find to get the job done like screwdrivers, surveillance systems and bombs, but the guards of the prison will do everything in their power to stop you even going as far as to shoot you out of the sky with anti-air guns if you decide to steal one of their helicopters.
If you are a fan of chaotic co-op games be sure to wish list Cuffbust on Steam and get ready for a possible 2025 release (Gavin isn’t sure about the release date).
South Of Midnight
Compulsion Games are no strangers when it comes to eye-catching games with the likes of Contrast (2013) and We Happy Few (2016) being a part of their library and they once again returned to the spotlight with their brand new action-adventure game South Of Midnight which was teased nearly a year ago and is set to release some time in 2025.
South Of Midnight follows Hazel who after a violent storm is brought to a strange gothic world where nothing really makes sense. She awakes with magical powers that let her fight monsters and travel around her new surroundings. On top of all this her mother is missing, there’s a killer alligator the size of a house and a talking catfish with a deep Southern accent. Talking fish and giant alligators are strange enough, but what most people noticed about South of Midnight was the stop-motion-like art style used for the game.
Compulsion Games are known to be creative when it comes to their games but South Of Midnight is on a whole different level in terms of their past work and many fans can’t wait to learn more. Us included.
Blumhouse Games
One of the biggest shocks at Game Fest was seeing one of the biggest horror film producers Blumhouse proclaim that they would be making and distributing horror games. Another shock was having Jason Blum appear at the showcase in person. Seems they have gone full circle from adapting horror games into films as they did with the popular indie horror franchise Five Nights At Freddy’s, and rather than just go for a typical hack-and-slash approach like most people thought they would Blumhouse has said that they want to provide a platform for independent developers to make unique and interesting horror games that cover a wide range of genres and subgenres. A fan of both farming simulators and murder mysteries? Then Grave Seasons should definitely be on the top of your wish list, or maybe you’re a fan of retro uncanny horror in which case Fear The Spotlight may pique your interest.
This announcement hasn’t just been great for horror game fans and developers as it acts as another avenue for them to be heard and show off their terrifying yet exciting new ideas.
OuterSloth announcement
Blumhouse weren’t the only one looking to provide a platform for indie developers as during the Xbox showcase InnerSloth revealed to the masses that thanks to all the support they had received over the years for their virtual goldmine Among Us, they wanted to create a brand new production company that could help get smaller developers games off the ground which led to the creation of OuterSloth. Whereas Blumhouse Games are rightfully focused on horror games, Outersloth is going for a more wholesome approach to keep in line with their family-friendly image, but that’s not to say any of these games should be condemned to being aimed solely at kids.
If anything this gives OuterSloth the chance to elevate some of the most unique games on the market which was shown in full with the wide variety of genres on display like Battle Suit Aces a card battler RPG, One BTN Bosses a boss rush game that only requires you to use one button and Project DOSA where the player builds and customizes their mech while exploring an island and cooking up meals for local patrons.
In a very unforgiving industry, especially to those who are just getting started, it’s nice to see developers want to help each other out and maybe if this was practised more we would get less battle-ridden snooze fests and more innovative ideas.
This year’s Game Fest 2024 was one to remember for the sheer amount of exciting new projects coming very soon. Even looking past all the fancy triple-A giants it felt like a lot of focus was put into making sure the indie side of the industry was equally celebrated and the additions of Blumhouse Games and Outersloth the pool for great indie games can only get bigger.
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