Danial Norjidi
The latest Indie World Showcase recently streamed online, putting the spotlight on a selection of indie games from around the globe that will be coming to the Nintendo Switch.
The April 19 showcase kicked off with Mineko’s Night Market, which developers Meowza Games describe as a narrative-driven social simulation adventure that celebrates Japanese culture.
Set to arrive on the Switch on September 26, the game sees players assume the role of a curious girl named Mineko and introduces “a heartwarming story about friendship, tradition, and many, many cats.”
Next up was adventure role-playing game My Time at Sandrock by Pathea Games. Set in the same world as its predecessor My Time at Portia, this new title is scheduled for summer release and is set in a mysterious city located in the heart of a desert.
As director Xu Zhi and creative director Zifei Wu from Pathea Games shared in the showcase, “In this sequel to the My Time series, we are expanding the story while introducing more in-depth narratives, fascinating characters and richer gameplay.”
Another upcoming title is PlateUp! by developer It’s Happening. Releasing in October this year, the game combines “chaotic kitchen and restaurant management with strategic planning and development to create a delightful roguelite dish unlike any other.
“Up to four players build and run a restaurant from scratch, choosing dishes, buying and placing appliances – some of which can be daisy-chained together to create ambitious automatic kitchens – cooking food and serving customers”.
Quilts and Cats of Calico from Monster Couch was also shown with a fall 2023 release, and is described as a “cosy board game in which the player’s main task is to make a quilt from patterned fabric scraps.
By smartly combining the colours and patterns of the scraps, the player can not only score points for the completed design but also sew on buttons and attract adorable cats, who have their own preferences for bedding patterns.”
Speaking in the showcase, Marek Rutkowski and Monika Jarzqbek of Monster Couch said, “Quilts and Cats of Calico is a game created out of our love for board games and cats.”
The digital presentation continued with a look at Rift of the NecroDancer, a rhythm game from Brace Yourself Games.
Scheduled to arrive on Switch this year, this upcoming title is spinoff to Crypt of the NecroDancer, and sees the player help protagonist Cadence “navigate the modern world while repairing the rifts that have torn her life apart”, and features “rhythmic battle via rift mode, minigames, and boss battles”.
The spotlight then shifted to downloadable content (DLC) and updates for already-released titles, beginning with the Cupboards & Drawers DLC for A Little to the Left, a puzzle game from Secret Mode which sees players “sort, stack, and organise household objects into just the right spot”.
Launching in June, this new DLC features a mixture of cupboard and drawers themed levels and traditional organisation levels.
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon Puzzler’s Pack was the next DLC shown. A title from Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is described as an action-packed puzzle adventure mashup, and this new DLC for the game adds two new playable characters, unique “Quandary Challenges”, new collectible relics, run modifiers and expansive new areas to explore.
Also featured was a new update for Cult of the Lamb, a rogue-like action-adventure game developed by Massive Monster. This new update brings with it “dozens of new items, relics and enemies scattered across remixed dungeons”, guarded by new versions of four bosses.
There are also new buildings to construct, new followers to recruit and a new unlockable quest.
In addition, after beating the game, players can access new Permadeath, Gauntlet and Boss Rush modes.
Adventure platformer Animal Well from developer Shared Memory was another title shown. Launching on Switch early next year, the game features an atmospheric pixelated world in which the player searches for treasures while gradually uncovering a dense environment, exploring and collecting items in whatever order they choose.
June 30 will see the release of Crime O’Clock by Bad Seed. This puzzle exploration title about investigating cases through time and evolving maps by unveiling a multi-eras linked story.
The player assume the role of a time detective, aiming to “solve crimes through time that should never have happened”.
Focus then moved to two titles from Rain Games that are available now, beginning with Teslagrad 2, “a physics-based game where electromagnetic powers are at the heart of survival”.
Centred on a young ‘Teslamancer’ named Lumina, Teslagrad 2 sees the player “embark on a dangerous adventure, exploring a gigantic, abandoned tower looming over a fjordside valley, on a quest to get Lumina home and back to her family.”
Also featured in the showcase as being available now is Teslagrad Remastered, which adds updated graphics, 10 new challenge levels, quality of life improvements and remastered audio to the puzzle platformer that first released in 2013.
The immediate availability of Shadows Over Loathing was also announced in the presentation. This new title from Asymmetric Games LLC is described as “a slapstick-figure comedy adventure role-playing game full of mobsters, monsters and mysteries”. In addition, narrative adventure game Oxenfree II: Lost Signals will be making its way to the Switch on July 12. Set five years after the events of the critically-acclaimed Oxenfree from Night School Studio, this sequel sees protagonist Riley return to her hometown of Camena to investigate mysterious radio signals, where she finds “more than she bargained for”.
The showcase concluded with a montage of various upcoming indie games for the Switch, including: top-down puzzle adventure Paper Trail, which launches in August; adventure game Little Kitty, Big City, releasing in 2024; Chants of Sennaar, a puzzle game releasing on September 5; Brotato, a top-down arena shooter roguelite title releasing this year; Escape Academy: The Complete Edition, a puzzle title launching in fall 2023; horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, which is available now; and action-adventure title Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, launching on August 18.
