Summer Game Fest is off to a great start with the main show, but the fun is only just beginning, as the annual Day of the Devs showcase has just aired, showcasing what’s to come from developers all over the world. SmashPad’s staff was so blown away by the games shown off at this year’s showcase that we had to share some of our highlights!

Michael Fertitta’s Highlights

Into the Unwell

Ever since Cuphead came out, I’ve developed a growing appreciation for media that embraces classic visual and animation styles. First revealed at Summer Game Fest 2025, Into the Unwell takes the rubber hose animation style and cranks the tomfoolery up to 100. Since the initial reveal, I’ve been interested to learn more about this game, and I’m so happy it made an appearance in Day of the Devs this year. The gameplay looks like a exceptionally enjoyable roguelite adventure on the level of Hades, but with a lot more cartoonish charm. The music in this trailer was also delightfully headbang-worthy, almost like a Saturday morning cartoon opening. While it’s unfortunate that I have to wait until 2027 to dive into this game, it’s great to see more of what to expect when it finally comes out.

Threads of Time

I think it’s safe to say all of us were completely enamored with the world premiere of Threads of Time. As a JRPG fan, this immediately grabbed my attention with its clear inspiration from Final Fantasy and other iconic franchises in the genre. The premise sounds very similar to Live A Live and Chrono Trigger; a turn-based RPG where the player travels through different points in time to defeat a larger threat and collect companions along the way to build a party that spans time itself. With a gorgeous visual style on par with Octopath Traveler and the return of turn-based combat, this game is everything I could ever possibly want in a new RPG to play. I’m gutted to see that there is no release window even mentioned in the reveal, but rest assured that I will be picking this up day one.

Lazy River

Where do I even begin with this one? When a game pitches itself on the premise of “some guy peed in the pool and the pee mixed with the space water and turned all the guests into zombies that want to kill you,” it doesn’t get much more unserious than that. Lazy River looks like the most chaotic raft-building multiplayer experience ever, and I love it. The necessity of being resourceful with stuff you find around the water park to build a sturdy but functional raft sounds super fun, and I can see myself shooting down pool-pee space zombies with my friends for hours (that’s a sentence I did not expect to write). While I was hoping to jump into the lazy river this summer, I know exactly what game I’ll be making my friends buy in Summer 2027 when Lazy River releases.

Danreb’s Highlights

Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble looks like a really hilarious “whodunnit.” Developed by Happy Broccoli, known for their short and sweet Duck Detective games, Apple Crumble appears to be following the same formula, except the game is in first-person 3D and not a cartoon like the Duck games. If it finds ways to be as creative as it is zany, we could see something special.

N Plus Infinity Times Two

I have a lot of love for the N+ series, as it was actually one of the first reviews I did for Gamer 2.0. It’s just a really fun platformer, and seeing all the things they’re doing now in a different dynamic with multiplayer? I can already see countless hours of enjoyment.

Prove You’re Human

This is a funny situation because I know it’s going to be my cup of tea, primarily because it was developed by the same people behind 1000xRESIST. Why is that funny? I never played 1000xRESIST (I just haven’t found the time) either, but everything I’ve seen and hard of it seems like it’s in my wheelhouse. The gameplay looks like it’s a bunch of CAPTCHA, which is more annoying than fun, but that’s the thrill of it. Watch it score over a 90 on OpenCritic.