A puppet boxer, a survival roguelike basebuilder, and a mixtape-fueled coming-of-age story walk into a showcase…
Summer Game Fest and Day of the Devs 2025 just dropped a treasure trove of indie gems. Whether you’re into surreal horror, laid-back adventures, or chaotic food fights, there’s a little something weird and wonderful for everyone. Let’s take a closer look at the standouts, games that aren’t just fun but feel handcrafted with personality and purpose.
Felt That: Boxing – Puppets. Punches. Pure chaos.
Kicking off Summer Game Fest’s indie offerings with a left hook (literally), Felt That: Boxing is a deliriously inventive puppet boxing game that feels like Punch-Out!! got tangled in the strings of a late-night adult swim cartoon. You play as Ezra “Fuzz-E” Wright, a down-on-his-luck puppet with a heart of gold and a mean right jab, fighting his way through a cast of absurdly creative opponents in the “Tournament of a Million Punches” to save his childhood orphanage.
It’s silly, it’s soulful, and it somehow manages to blend heartfelt storytelling with physical comedy and slick mechanics. Add in a Flying Lotus-produced soundtrack and punch physics that feel satisfyingly thwacky, and you’ve got a game that’s not pulling any punches.
ILL – Gore-soaked horror that gets under your skin
ILL stood out as one of the most viscerally disturbing games on display, and I mean that as a compliment. It’s a body-horror first-person survival game rendered in grotesque detail thanks to Unreal Engine 5. But it’s not just shock for shock’s sake, the disfigured, decaying world you explore is dripping with atmosphere and dread, with puzzles, grotesque enemies, and story beats that feel uncomfortably real.
The combat is intense and tactical, your movement feels sluggish and desperate, and the “mutilation system” adds gruesome consequences to every encounter. It’s not one for the faint-hearted, but horror fans should keep this one firmly on their radar.
Mixtape – Nostalgia, rebellion, and mixtape magic
Let’s talk about the perfect ending, Mixtape. This dreamy, narrative-driven adventure from Beethoven & Dinosaur (creators of The Artful Escape) closed out Day of the Devs with a literal banger.
You play as three teens on their final night of high school, reliving key memories through playable mixtape tracks. Each one is a fully styled vignette inspired by the music of The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, Joy Division, and more. It’s part road trip, part coming-of-age daydream, drenched in ‘90s vibes and punchy with emotion.
Visually, it’s stunning. Cinematic transitions, music video energy, and abstract, memory-fueled gameplay that constantly shifts tone and style. But beneath the aesthetic, it captures that weird, fleeting, perfect feeling of being on the edge of something big. A moment where life might never be the same again.
Big Walk – Get lost, together
From the minds behind Untitled Goose Game comes something completely different, a multiplayer walking sim about going for a really long walk with your friends. Big Walk is cozy, cooperative chaos, where players help each other navigate the terrain, solve puzzles, and just… vibe. It’s a bit like Death Stranding if you swapped out Norman Reedus for a bunch of awkward, giggling birds and turned stress into serenity.
You can honk, point, emote, and even get lost in mysterious underground caves. It’s all about the joy of discovery and the fun of trying to interpret what your friends are trying to tell you using only gestures and sound.
Snap & Grab – Stealth, snapshots, and sticky fingers
Snap & Grab is a charmingly chaotic stealth puzzle game that puts a disposable camera in your hands and sets you loose in a world full of things to steal. You play as a crafty thief infiltrating increasingly bizarre locations—like neon-lit arcades and surreal museums—where your only tool is your trusty camera. But this isn’t about capturing memories—it’s about capturing plans.
Take photos to freeze objects in place, clone them, or create environmental distractions. The more creative you get, the cleaner your getaway. The aesthetic is bright and blocky with a satisfying lo-fi vibe, and the puzzles encourage experimentation over perfection. Every level is a toy box of opportunity, with multiple solutions and a healthy dose of silliness.
Please, Watch the Artwork – Paranoia in the gallery
Studio Waterzooi, known for the serene puzzle game Please, Touch the Artwork, takes a darker turn with Please, Watch the Artwork. This upcoming title is a psychological horror experience where you play as a nightwatch at the Museum of Animated Modern Art (MaMA). Your job is to monitor security camera feeds and report any changes in the paintings. However, as the night progresses, the line between reality and illusion blurs, leading to feelings of paranoia, loneliness, and alienation. The game draws inspiration from the works of American painter Edward Hopper, enhancing its eerie atmosphere .
Dosa Divas – Sisterhood, spice, and spirit-mechs
Dosa Divas is a vibrant, narrative-driven turn-based RPG from Outerloop Games, the creators of Thirsty Suitors and Falcon Age. Set to release in 2026, the game follows sisters Samara and Amani as they reunite after years apart to battle a corrupt fast-food empire threatening their community. Piloting an upgradable spirit-mech, they traverse colorful villages, cook traditional meals, and engage in turn-based combat to reconnect with loved ones and restore cultural traditions.
The gameplay blends exploration, cooking, and strategic battles, emphasizing themes of family, heritage, and resistance against cultural erasure. Players will discover new recipes, build relationships with local communities, and experience a heartfelt journey about reconciliation and the power of food to bring people together.
Consume Me – A slice-of-life RPG that feeds your soul
Consume Me is a life-simulation RPG developed by Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson, in collaboration with Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, and Ken “coda” Snyder. The game follows Jenny, a young woman navigating her final year of high school, as she juggles the pressures of dieting, academics, and relationships.
Players make meticulous scheduling decisions to maximize their “glow-up,” solve the puzzle game of dieting, and evade distractions while pursuing scholarly success. The game features over 13 possible endings, most of them bad, and offers a darkly humorous coming-of-age story that explores themes of body image, self-worth, and societal expectations.
Relooted – Reclaiming heritage, one heist at a time
Relooted is a stylish puzzle platformer developed by Nyamakop, the South African studio behind Semblance. Set in a near-future world where a new international treaty mandates the return of African artifacts held in Western museums, the game follows a crew of repatriating vigilante-thieves operating out of a hidden base in South Africa. Players coordinate high-tech heists to reclaim over 70 real artifacts and return them to their rightful owners.
Gameplay unfolds in three phases: scoping out the facility, infiltrating to retrieve the artifact, and executing a flawless escape. The game emphasizes fluid parkour mechanics, including sprinting, vaulting, rolling, grappling, wall-jumping, and sliding beneath closing security doors. Each heist is an opportunity to construct a unique escape route, offering a fresh experience with every mission.
BALL x PIT: The Kenny Sun Story – A whimsical roguelite where balls and strategy collide
BALL x PIT: The Kenny Sun Story, developed by Kenny Sun and published by Devolver Digital, is a unique blend of base-building, ball-fusing, and survival roguelike gameplay. Players descend into a mysterious bottomless pit teeming with monsters, armed with magical projectiles that serve as both weapons and resources. As they progress, they rebuild the mythical city of Ballbylon, fusing over 60 types of balls to create hundreds of combinations, each with distinct abilities.
The game also features deep base-building mechanics with over 70 unique buildings to construct, unlocking new characters, power-ups, and resources to aid your adventure. Diverse realms—from deserts to frozen caverns and savage forests—offer varied challenges and enemies.
Players can recruit fellow treasure hunters, each with unique skills that add strategic depth to combat and base development. Devolver Digital’s spotlight on BALL x PIT at Summer Game Fest highlights its inventive gameplay and promising replayability, making it a fresh and compelling roguelite to watch.
Indie games often show us the side of the industry that’s most human, and this year’s Summer Game Fest and Day of the Devs were bursting with that spirit. From stealthy heists to cozy hikes, possessed artwork to competitive dosa-frying, and a mixtape that made us cry a little, these games prove there’s no one way to make magic.
If this is just the start of indie season, we’re in for one heck of a year.