Devolver’s indie game showcase had yakuza, cults, and a creepy reality TV show

Devolver Digital’s keynote events tend to be, let’s say, unique. And the publisher’s presence at Summer Game Fest 2024 was no exception. Like last year, Devolver focused on just a handful of really interesting indie games, which ranged from a game about fighting through an interdimensional catastrophe to an expansion that somehow makes Cult of the Lamb even weirder. There was both a first-person kicker and a thirst-person shooter. If you missed it live, here are all the reveals.

A slick side-scrolling action game from the creators of Solar Ash and the Hyper Light games, Possessor looks absolutely gorgeous. It also sounds like it’ll be plenty challenging. Here’s the official setup:

Play as Luca, the host, and Rehm, her less-than-cooperative counterpart, as they explore a quarantined city ripped apart and flooded by an interdimensional catastrophe. Their only hope of survival is by learning to co-exist.

Tenjutsu is the first release from Deepnight Games, a new one-person studio helmed by Sébastien Benard, who previously worked on Dead Cells. The game puts players in the role of a renegade yakuza fighting through the criminal underworld and mixes pixel art visuals with some fast-paced action. In keeping with its retro aesthetic, it’s planned for a release in 202X.

This is a first-person shooter where you also do a lot of kicking, and also — obviously — collect sneakers. It comes from Free Lives, the studio behind Broforce and Cricket Through the Ages, so you can expect it to be both very silly and very violent when it launches this summer.

The Crush House sounds like a solid concept for a strategy game, tasking players producing a reality TV show circa 1999. But there also appears to be a more sinister side to the game, as you can explore the house at night in search of darker mysteries beyond cast gossip. It’s developed by Nerial, the studio behind the excellent Reigns series.

In addition to upcoming games, Devolver also showed off some new content for two of its bigger titles. First up, Cult of the Lamb, the surprisingly charming cult simulator, is getting its Unholy Alliance expansion on August 12th. The free update includes some new quests, gear, and items, but more importantly, it adds a co-op mode so you can experience the unhinged game with a buddy.

Meanwhile, on June 14th, the cerebral puzzler The Talos Principle 2 is getting its Road to Elysium expansion. It introduces a host of new challenges spread across three chapters — Orpheus Ascending, Isle of the Blessed, and Into the Abyss — each with their own look and storyline.