Future of Play Direct was the first showcase today, and it’s also when they all started bleeding together. Still, it featured some really great game announcements and trailers. This is one of those showcases where everyone can find something new and interesting. The smaller studios are set to make some big waves! Start with ten minutes of mood-setting music, take a deep breath, and let’s play.

Catch up on last year’s Future of Play Direct here.

Game highlights

All Systems Dance (Mighty Yell, Strange Scaffold)

Mighty Yell, I’m yelling from the rooftops that I’m a big fan! The Mighty Con was right up my alley, and the Toronto-based developer’s next game is equally as stylish. When in the game, don’t believe “their” messaging. They’re not the true face of Woosh. “We” are being watched, we need to fight back, and we’ve discovered their weakness – the art of dance! Dance is non-violent combat. It’s always a great way to create new experiences. Despite the lighthearted form of battle, the game touches upon very real and very serious topics including issues of automation, body dysmorphia, and unregulated greed; but it’s also accessible, heartfelt, and funny, so it should work out okay.

All Systems Dance will be released for PC via Steam.

LOK Digital (Letibus Design, Icedrop Games, Draknet & Friends)

I love to see intricate puzzle games at larger events, and LOK Digital is one that I will certainly remember moving forward. The charming puzzle adventure has you learning world-changing words, mastering their mind-bending effects to help the LOK creatures thrive through their civilization’s advancement. You’ll come to understand the rules as you progress, with each word having an ability to change the world. I also love the kind of sketchy, greyscale visuals. The game will feature daily puzzles.

LOK Digital will be released for PC via Steam.

Reka (Emberstorm Entertainment, Fireshine Games)

There’s a demo for Reka, and that means it’s time for a new trailer! There’s something extremely cozy about the game, even though visually it sends a chill down my spine (it is set in autumn, after all). Become infamous Baba Jaga’s apprentice, travelling with your magical chicken-legged cottage. Forage ingredients, practice magic, and help those who need it. Or take a break from the outside world to decorate your inner sanctuary.

Reka will be released for PC via Steam.

Copycat (Spoonful of Wonder, Nuuvem, Neverland Entertainment)

Get some tissues ready if you’re planning on playing narrative-driven game Copycat: it’s all about rejection, belonging, and the meaning of home. A shelter cat has recently been adopted – wonderful! Dawn always thought she was meant to be wild, but she changed her mind when an elderly woman takes her in. They bond, healing each other’s broken hearts. But when the woman falls ill, Dawn falls too… to an elaborate plan that has a jealous stray stealing Dawn’s spot in the house! Dawn will wander the neighbourhood with reflective pacing. I’m so upset for Dawn my heart is already weeping… I didn’t even know it could do that!

Copycat will be released for PC via Steam in September.

Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut (Serenity Forge, Black Tabby Games)

Psychological horror visual novel Slay the Princess (2023) is getting a definitive edition, labelled as The Pristine Cut. In the game, you’re on a path in the woods. At the end of the path is a cabin. In the cabin’s basement is a Princess. And you’ve got to kill her, no matter how much she charms you and makes you promises. If you don’t, the world ends. You don’t want that, right? Every choice has drastic consequences. You’re going to die. A lot. And then start all over, but it’s a little bit different each time. The Pristine Cut includes 35 percent more gameplay (as if someone figured that out): three new chapters, new princesses, expansions to familiar routes, and a new ending. It also features a gallery of your memories, over 1,200 new hand-illustrated frames, and over 2,500 new lines of fully-voiced dialogue.

Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut will be released for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, and Xbox One in Q4 2024.

Full list of featured games

• Abyss X Zero (Studio Pixel Punk) – launching for PC via Steam, other platforms will be announced soon
• Zodiac XX Leo (Virtuoso Neomedia)
• Battle Suit Aces (Trinket Studios, Outer Sloth) – launching for PC via Steam
• All Systems Dance (Mighty Yell, Strange Scaffold) – launching for PC via Steam
• Yooka-Replaylee (Playtonic) – launching for PC via Steam
• Nova Hearts (Lightbulb Crew) – launching in Q4 2024 for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, Xbox One
• A Date with Death (Two and a Half Studios) – launching December 9 for PC via Steam/itch.io
• LOK Digital (Letibus Design, Icedrop Games, Draknet & Friends) – launching for PC via Steam
• Croakwood (Texel Raptor, A Shell in the Pit) – launching for PC via Steam
• Cozy Marbles (Pixel Pea Games) – launching for PC via Steam
• Phoenix Springs (Calligram Studio) – launching on September 16 for PC via Steam
• Reka (Emberstorm Entertainment, Fireshine Games) – launching for PC via Steam
• Sandara: City of a Thousand Eclipses (Studio Malosi) – launching for PC via Steam
• Airborne Empire (The Wandering Band, Stray Fawn Studio) – launching for PC via Steam
• Dungeon Clawler (Stray Fawn Studio) – launching for PC via Steam
• N.O.D.E (Lapsus Games) – launching for PC via Steam
• Copycat (Spoonful of Wonder, Nuuvem, Neverland Entertainment) – launching in September for PC via Steam
• Light Odyssey (Ssun Games, Gravity) – launching in Q4 2024 for PC via Steam
• Psychroma (Rocket Adrift, Weird Ghosts, Gamma Space) – launching June 11 for PC via Steam
• Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut (Serenity Forge, Black Tabby Games) – launching in Q4 2024 for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, Xbox One
• Echo Generation: Midnight Edition (Cococucumber) – launching on July 19 for PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch
• Rooster (Sticky Brain Studio) – launching in 2025 for PC Steam
• Alzara Radiant Echoes (Studio Camella) – launching for PC, consoles
• Timberborn (Mechanistry) – available now in Early Access for PC via Steam
• Bubblegum Galaxy (Smarto Club) – launching for PC via Steam
• Retro Gadgets (Evil Licorice) – launching for PC via Steam
• Nomori (Enchanted Works) – launching for PC via Steam
• Margin of the Strange (Future Cat LLC) – launching for PC via Steam
• Rose and Locket (Whistling Wizard) – launching for PC via Steam
• Ra Ra Boom (Gylee Games) – launching for PC via Steam
• Genokids (Nukefist) – launching for PC via Steam
• Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip (snekflat) – available now for PC via Steam

Watch the showcase

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