Capital Creative Showcase (CCS) is a one day event that brings together game developers and creatives from the local Sacramento area, Northern California, and beyond. Around 120 games were showcased at the event (both in person and via the online Steam event).
It was a fantastic showcase, with more games than I could have possibly played during my short time there in person. I especially liked having the opportunity to speak with devs (some of whom I know from online discussions) who could share insights into their work.
Game Demos I Played at the Showcase
Fugue Shot
Fugue Shot (developed by Rare Dialect) is an arcade roguelike, in which the player selects from various mini-arcade games, called "Omens," to progress through a shifting dreamscape. According to the game's website, the player will be able to power up their character, enabling them to survive the increasingly difficult Omens.
I love the neon aesthetics and the overall concept of the game. Although I personally might struggle with the arcade aspect (since I'm not great at those kinds of games), the roguelike elements will probably suck me in. I'm excited to be able to spend more time in the game, so I can better understand the controls and delve into the powerups — because this could be a very satisfying experience.
HerSalon
HerSalon (developed by Hexwave) is a narrative management game about owning and operating a hair salon. The player chats up clients, getting to know a bit about them and what they want for their hair style. Then, the player combs and prepares their hair, while continuing the conversation, before selecting the final hairstyle to provide based on the client's desires.
The game provides an interesting narrative experience with the joy of styling someone to perfection and helping them to achieve their dreams in the process. Future development will also implement management gameplay, including such as restocking supplies and building the salon's reputation, which sounds like some fun additions.
Prickles
Prickles (developed by Filthy Houseplant) is a narrative drawing game about an anxious artist connecting with her neighbors and building her creative skills. The gameplay involves meeting new people, helping them with their problems, and sketching the things you see along the way. The sketching aspect provides a rough outline, which the player is able to fill in and detail with a selection of palates and tools.
A delightfully weird aspect of the design is that all the characters are free-roaming plants, while tiny humans are grown and kept in pots — which gives the game a surreal and unique style. Prickles herself is a cactus, while her neighbors are trees or herbs or flowers, all reflecting their unique personalities.
The game can be played with a drawing pad or a mouse. I attempted to play with the drawing pad at CCS, which could be useful, especially for the drawing bits. But since I wasn't used to it, I struggled with the controls. I may end up just using a mouse instead.
Puzzle Spy International
Puzzle Spy International (developed by Travel-Friendly Cake) is a spy-themed puzzle game. As Agent Epsilon, the player pursues diamond thieves by solving a series of cryptic puzzles. There are a wide variety of puzzle designs in the game, most of which seem to be different forms of word puzzles.
When I played the demo, I was presented with a puzzle involving two sets of word groups, from which I needed to figure out the word that completes the set to form phrases, which are then used to find the clue to continue exploring the narrative mystery. The puzzle was a bit challenging at first, but two things made the experience awesome. First, the game provides an excellent hint system to help the player out when needed.
Second, a woman who was also curious about the game sat down next to me and we solved the puzzle together. So, it definitely seems like the optimal experience for Puzzle Spy is to play with friends.
Wherever You Get Your Podcasts
Wherever You Get Your Podcasts (developed by Matthew Linder) is a podcasting simulator with cozy horror vibes. I was only able to play the prologue in the demo, which introduces the player to the Spooky Sacramento podcasting team and their plan to record podcast episode at a spooky location. It also provides a short tutorial on editing and cleaning up audio files, so they can be properly heard.
One of the cool things about the game is that its spooky stories are based on real-world legends from the Sacramento area, including the mysterious Dyer Lane, which is known for its urban legends and paranormal activity. I love learning about the local connection, and I'm so interested to see how the audio editing comes into play in the final game.
Wizard Cleaning Simulator
Wizard Cleaning Simulator (developed by 3 Frog Studio LLC) is a cleaning simulator set in a wizard's castle. The player takes on the role of a little scrub brush floating around, scrubbing up messes, and tidying up clutter while meeting quirky characters, solving puzzles, and discovering arcane mysteries. The game is whimsical and charming with the possibility of being wonderfully satisfying.
HexDeck
HexDeck (developed by Lily) is a delightful tower defense game combined with a roguelike deckbuilder. I'm a fan of tower defense games, but always end up a bit frustrated by them. HexDeck has a chance to turn the tides with its addition of roguelike and deckbuilding elements, which provide the ability to power up the deck's capabilities. I had great fun with this one and definitely would have kept playing, if the demo hadn't ended.
Gift of the Primordials
Gift of the Primordials (Chaparral Collective and Unspeakable Pixels) is a puzzle game, in which the player provides ecological restoration to an alien world. The puzzles involves the proper placement of seeds and plant growth to bring creatures back to the area. The game feels perfect for mobile play, something I could happily loose a few hours to while idling away on on my phone.
A Home is Safe
A Home is Safe (Beto Damian) is a point-and-click survival horror game in which your security system turns out to be the most dangerous thing in your home. Surviving requires restoring the system so it won't try to kill you. I played a few minutes and earned myself a decent jump scare along the way. The demo felt a bit puzzle-like in the sense that performing actions in the right order results in survival, but there's a chance the game opens up into letter of patter later on. Definitely seems like the kind of game I'd panic and immediately die in.
Games I Didn't Get A Chance to Play, But Look Awesome
- Blocks for Babies (BunkSoft Interactive LLC) won the Exhibitor’s Choice Award at CCS. This one intrigues me because of how it allows the player to shift from a block puzzle to a first person shooter to solve levels, putting a unique twist on games like Tetris. (Release date to be announced.)
- Goat Game (Ghost Llama Games) won the People’s Choice Award at CCS. The game is a 2D platformer with puzzles about a little goat. I don't know much else about it, but I love puzzle platformers, so I'm intrigued. (Release date to be announced.)
- The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time (Coin Drop Games, Lucas Immanuel, jucobee, and Kyle Chuang) is one I've heard about before — partly because of its amazing title. I'm interested in the meta-narrative aspects of the game and seeing how it will build its many elements into a narrative experience. (Expected to release on May 28, 2026 — right after my birthday!)
- The Lost Froglins (Emanuele Pavarotti and Annlyn Huang) combines platforming with a Vampire Survivors-esque bullet hell. Lots of people were playing this one at CCS and it looks like a blast. (Expected to release in 2027.)
- Goners (Orbit Studios) is a narrative puzzle horror game. The characters and art design have goth vibes, which I love. (Release date to be announced.)
- Ink Escape: Coven Conundrum (Unlucky Planet Games) is another puzzle game, in which ink spilled on a magical book reveals the puzzles. The art is lovely and the tone seems to be soothing. (Release date to be announced.)
- Cardboard Cowboy (Ded Dev Games) is a game of paper shooting galleries set in a cardboard crafter Western world. (Release date to be announced.)
- Project: Autumn (Vultive Entertainment) is a charming adventure game about two robots exploring a beautiful archipelago. It looks like a lovely cozy experience. (Expected to release in 2026.)
