There are two events that Nintendo fans look forward to each season —NintendoDirects and Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase. Since it’s launch, the Switch has become perhaps the best platform for indie studios to publish games. Indie games seem to just be made for on-the-go gaming, and the Switch has provided the ultimate “best of both worlds” case for console and portable gaming.
Although indie game fans didn’t get theHollow Knight: Silksongnewsthat they were hoping for, there were still plenty of gems to be found in this week’s Indie World Showcase. From life stories to lamb-led cults, here are all the games that were announced at the May 2022 Nintendo Indie World Showcase.
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Ooblets
Oobletscould be best described as a mix betweenfarm-life simulatorStardew ValleyandPokemon. Not only is this cute indie game a farm sim, but players will be planting, cultivating, and farming adorable little creatures called Ooblets. Once matured, these little creatures will trail along behind the player’s character as they go on their adventures.
That’s not all players can expect to do inOoblets. One of the biggest draws to the game is pitting Ooblets against Ooblets in dance battles, utilizing points and power cards to win against their opponents.
Oobletswill be released in Summer 2022.
Batora: Lost Haven
Batora: Lost Havenisa fast-paced, hack-and-slash adventuremeets twin-stick shooter that carries a deep, non-linear story. Players take on the role of Avril, a teenaged girl with awesome mental and physical powers, who had lost her home and everyone she knows through a devastating, planet-destroying event.
In an unlikely turn of events, Avril now has to traverse the galaxy through colorfully designed planets. Throughout her journey, she has to make decisions that will lay upon her conscience, and shape the planets she visits.
Batora: Lost Havenreleases on the Nintendo Switch in Fall 2022.
ElecHead
Inspired by the likes ofMegaman,ElecHeadhas players playing as the cute robot Elec. In a world shrouded by darkness, Elec brings hope and light into the world in this puzzle-platformer, where anything the little robot touches within the trap-ridden factory activates through the power of electricity.
Players can also have Elec detach his head and throw it to trigger things remotely, making the game seem like a single player version of the hitmultiplayer gameIt Takes Two. However, Elec can’t have his head separated from his body for too long, lest his entire being deactivates.
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Soundfall
Soundfallis arhythm-based dungeon crawlersimilar toCrypt of theNecrodancerandNo Straight Roads. Players play as a Guardian of Harmony as they defend Symphonia from the forces of Discord — either solo or in groups of four.
The closer the player is to the beat, the more powerful their attacks will be against the enemies they face. This action adventure game blends the looter-shooter genre with music-based weapons, taking on five different characters to choose from that are customizable with over 500 pieces of equipment.
Soundfallis available now.
Wildfrost
Wildfrostis a card battler meets roguelike adventure. Players craft unique decks for their journey as they battle through Pengoons, Gobblers, and various boss monsters to reach the Sun Temple to free the world from the Wildfrost.
After each run, they take shelter in the town of Snowdwell, where players can upgrade their card companions, construct buildings to unlock new cards, tribes, and events to aid them on their journeys. This addition to thepopular deck-builder genrewill take players on unique adventures similar toSlay the Spire.
Wildfrostreleases on the Nintendo Switch this Holiday season.
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
The wildly popularTotally Accurate Battle Simulatorwill finally be coming to the Nintendo Switch. Players take control of red or blue wobblers in thisphysics-based strategy gameas they battle against enemies from different biomes.
With over 100 wobbler units to choose from,Totally Accurate Battle Simulatoralso features a unit creator, where players can create their very own wobbler to send into battle. If the single-player campaign starts to feel a bit bland, players can also send their wobblers to battle against friends or even other players in online multiplayer.
Totally Accurate Battle Simulatorreleases for the Nintendo Switch in Summer 2022.
Gunbrella
InGunbrella, players take the role of a revenge-seeking woodsman armed with his trusty Gunbrella — a gun-loaded umbrella, like those in theKingsmanmovies. Thisside-scrolling action platformer gameis also filled with mystery, as the woodsman seeks to investigate what has happened to his bleak, skyless world now filled with vicious supernatural beings.
Players explore vast, pixel-art designed locations while gliding, swinging, dashing, and gliding with their Gunbrella to fight enemies, find resources, and gather clues in this noir-punk game.
Gunbrellais coming to Nintendo Switch in 2023.
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We Are OFK
We Are OFKis an interactive biopic split over five episodes about the virtual LA indie band, OFK. First teased atthe 2021 Game Awards, the game tells the story of Itsumi Saito and her three friends as they juggle their lives while trying to break into the LA music scene.
Each episode will also feature a single launch from the band’s EP, along with interactive music videos.
We Are OFKreleases in Summer 2022.
Silt
A gorgeous, hand-drawn underwaterpuzzle-game with deep lore,Silttakes players underwater as a lone diver. Uncover the mysteries of the deep, dark waters by exploring underwater ruins and avoiding gigantic, harrowing creatures looking for their next dinner.
Players can possess some of the sea creatures they encounter to solve puzzles and travel deeper into the darkness. This dark, moody takes players on a journey to uncover a long-forgotten power that has lain dormant for centuries.
Siltreleases on the Nintendo Switch in June 2022.
Mini Motorways
Everyone hates traffic.Mini Motorwaysis aunique city builder gamethat takes that negativity and turns it into a unique puzzle game where players solve congestion issues in cities around the world. Players draw roads and highways to connect houses and places of work to keep their bustling metropolis running smoothly.
Originally released on Apple Arcade,Mini Motorwaysis a follow-up to Dinosaur Polo Club’sMini Metro, allowing players instead to take charge of the world above ground. As their cities grow and expand, players can also update the roads they build to ensure smooth traffic runs throughout.
Mini Motorwaysis available now for the Nintendo Switch.
Wayward Strand
Wayward Strandsees players taking control over Casey Beumaris as she spends her long weekend in the summer of 1978 helping out at a mysterious airborne hospital where her mother works. Secretly, Casey seeks to write an article of her visit for her school’s newspaper as the hospital prepares for the arrival of an important official.
Thisdeep, story-driven gameis dubbed a “living world” by its creators, as characters throughout the floating medical center carry on with their lives without interactive prompts from the player. Each character’s story weaves into and overlaps across another, allowing for near-endless replayability as players discover the various stories onboard the flying hospital.
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Cult of the Lamb
InCult of the Lamb, players take control over a possessed lamb indebted to a mysterious stranger who saved its life. In return, players venture out to explore curious regions to build a community of worshipers, spreading the Word and become the one true Cult.
Therandomly generated game worldofCult of the Lambsees players utilize their flock to destroy rival cult leaders and assert dominance throughout the realm. Build structures to populate the cult’s village, perform dark rituals, and give sermons to reinforce the flock’s faith in this adorably dark game.
Cult of the Lambwill release sometime in 2022.
Another Crab’s Treasure
Asoulslike adventure gameunlike any other,Another Crab’s Treasurefeatures Kril the hermit crab who embarks on a treasure-seeking adventure to buy back his repossessed shell. Use trash as temporary shells and weapons alongside learned Umami Techniques to battle against enemies multitudes larger than the hermit crab.
Players also have a mystery to solve — that of the polluted ocean itself. Traverse kelp forests, dark coves, and coral reefs to collect valuable treasure in this approachable soulslike game made for players of different abilities.
Another Crab’s Treasurereleases in 2023.
Nintendo Indie World Showcase Quick Mentions
While the thirteen games above may be more than enough to satisfy indie game fans,May’s Nintendo Indie Showcasegave players a quick glance at an additional seven games coming to the hybrid console in the coming months.
Withthe cancellation of E3spreading out the gaming industry’s upcoming announcements, there are still many indie titles that video game fans are looking forward to. Whether Nintendo will host a separate Nintendo Direct this summer featuring these games is yet to be seen.
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