Indie developer Cosmo D has announced his next game, following the award-winning Betrayal at Club Low.
The 2022 role-playing game impressed with its tabletop-inspired dice-rolling mechanics and bizarre, surreal world. It followed a protagonist tasked with extracting a compromised undercover agent from a nightclub.
It was a real highlight from that year, and went on to win the prestigious Grand Prize, as well as the Nuovo Award, at the 2023 Independent Game Festival Awards.
Cosmo D's follow-up game is Moves of the Diamond Hand, described as a "first-person narrative RPG set in a surreal dystopian jazz-drenched city".
Related: One of the best puzzle games in recent years is getting a spin-off
It is set once again in Off-Peak City, the world that is the setting of many of Cosmo D's previous games, and looks to emulate the tabletop experience in a more ambitious way, building on many of the mechanics that featured in Betrayal at Club Low.
What to Read Next
The description for the game teases "deeper dice-driven gameplay, a richer, more mysterious narrative, and plenty of player choice and consequence".
The main character's quest is to find a way to join the legendary Circus X by exploring the neighbourhood, engaging with a cast of strange characters – many with their own agendas – and taking advantage of leads.
It takes place against the backdrop of a bizarre mayoral election, plus the presence of a figure called The Diamond Hand, who seems intent on causing trouble.
Related: Indie game spotlight: Keep Driving is a unique road-trip RPG
Moves of the Diamond Hand is split across four chapters, with Chapter One out now as a demo on Steam.
The game will launch in early access in mid-2025 with Chapter Two's release. Chapter Three is set for late 2025 and Chapter Four is planned for early 2026. Each chapter features "a few hours of playtime".
The full trailer, featuring a look at the dice-rolling gameplay and the world – as well as lots of pizza, of course – can be viewed at the top of this article.
Moves of the Diamond Hand's first chapter is out now as a demo on PC via Steam. The game launches in early access later this year.
