Special Feature: Nintendo Switch Nindies Showcase Summer 2017

In the last few years, Nintendo has done a good job attracting indie support to their platforms. This was expected thanks to the strides indie titles have made in the last half-decade in terms of quality and production values, and how integral they’ve become to the ecosystems of multiple consoles. Not that they didn’t have any problems recruiting and assisting them early on, thanks to Nintendo being rather stubborn when it comes to approaching new deals — especially outside Japan, but it’s smooth sailing these days.

Indie support picked up for Wii U and 3DS when they were halfway through their lifelines, but Nintendo made the wise decision of attracting and recruiting them early for Switch. Their titles helped fill in gaps in its early software lineup, since retail software is often sparse for a new console’s first year. This was also an opportunity for indie developers, as a lower amount of software choices will lead to owners taking a chance on titles they otherwise would have passed on if there were more options. It’s why a title like Inti Creates’ Blaster Master Zero was able to sell well on the platform (and 3DS) in the first two months, which led to them announcing more support for Switch within weeks. The purpose of this newest “Nindies” (as in, indie games on Nintendo platforms) Showcase was to show how the steady stream won’t be stopping.

Super Meat Boy and Nintendo don’t have the rosiest history. Developer Team Meat originally wanted to release the game on Wii, but it was rejected due to exceeding Nintendo’s strict file size limit. This not only shattered the relationship between Team Meat and Nintendo, but hindered the efforts of other developers who wanted to release their games on the system. While it eventually released for Wii U last year, its successor is coming in the form of Super Meat Boy Forever. It will feature similar gameplay mechanics with brand-new levels that will progressively become more difficult as the player ventures through. In other words, it’s an old school-style 2D sequel. It will release for Switch (and PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC) sometime in 2018.

Point-and-click adventure game Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition is coming to Switch, whose episodes have received solid reviews from critics and the general audience. The complete set will release on the system (and PS4 and XB1) alongside the fifth and final episode on PC, Mac, and OSX in 2018. Next Up Hero was also shown, an online action game where a player will leave their echo behind when they die. When they do, other players can recruit the echo to join their party. This will also release in 2018 on Switch, and all the aforementioned platforms.

Frozenbyte’s co-op blast ‘em up title Nine Parchments will also release for Switch and other platforms this fall, a game that actually resembles an old school western RPG, though with every playable character using magic attacks. Also, Mom Hid My Game, a puzzle game that involves finding a handheld that a boy’s mother has hidden in multiple locations in a house (meaning it’s exactly what it says) that previously released for mobile, will release for Switch and 3DS this fall with exclusive content. Mythical action/adventure title Mulaka will also come to Switch with exclusive content when it arrives in 2018.

To show that Nintendo can make deals like other hardware manufacturers, as series of upcoming indie games will launch first on Switch. Steamworld Dig 2 will be one of the the first of these when it releases in three weeks on September 21st, while beat ‘em up Wolverblade will arrive close to it sometime next month. Also among these will be the pretty-looking cooking game Battle Chef Brigade, rhythm-based action game Floor Kids, underwater post-apocalyptic exploration game Earth Atlantis, and physics-based sports game Sausage Sports Club. All of those will release this fall. There’s also Light Fingers, a turn-based multiplayer game where players can manipulate a magical clock board, which will release first on Switch in 2018.

In addition to temporary exclusives, they also care enough about indies that some will be console-exclusive (i.e. They’ll still release on PC). The elephant-starring adventure game Yono and the Celestial Elements will be the first to release on October 12th, while bridge-building simulator Poly Bridge will follow sometime this holiday season, and morphology-based third-person shooter Morphies Law will arrive this winter.

Golf Story, a golf RPG whose concept is reminiscent of Nintendo’s old handheld (and sorely missed) Mario Golf games, will release exclusively for Switch next month. For some reason, Nintendo expressed surprise that a golf RPG could be a thing in their press release roundup despite publishing two of them; perhaps they haven’t made more sports RPGs because they don’t remember them. Someone should tell them, presumably from Camelot.

Shovel Knight feels like a title that will never stop receiving post-release support, but that trend will come to an end with Shovel Knight: King of Cards when it arrives in 2018. It will contain four new worlds and a total of 30 levels, to tell the story of how King Knight ascended to the throne. Since there were no details about its exclusivity deals, it might release for every platform simultaneously.

One of the most attractive games shown on the stream was Dragon: Marked for Death, a side-scrolling sprite-based action/RPG from Inti Creates playable in single-player and multiplayer. In addition to merely looking solid, several veterans of the Mega Man Zero development team are involved, including director Ryota Ito, character designer Toru Nakayama, and producer Takuya Aizu. This game was previously announced by Marvelous Entertainment nearly six years ago for 3DS, but never surfaced. Now, it’s coming to Switch courtesy of Inti Creates themselves, who’s carving out a niche as a self-publisher between this, the Azure Striker Gunvolt series, and the aforementioned Blaster Master Zero. It will release exclusively for Switch this winter.

The final preview was for the official announcement of Grasshopper Manufacture’s Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes. Since the main preview was a pretty, Grindhouse-style all-CG affair, questions were raised regarding why this was shown on a stream focused on indie games. But there’s a good reason for that. This installment will occur seven years after No More Heroes 2, where The Bad has come to take revenge on protagonist Travis Touchdown for the death of his daughter, Bad Girl. During their scuffle, they’re sucked into the Death Drive Mark II; while inside, the player will have to compete in six games to clear the over-the-top bosses.

While the style sounds similar to the first game, what’s unique is how these will be worlds from other indie games, which shows why it was featured on this stream. (Note that director Goichi “Suda51” Suda teased the idea of working on a game with indie developers in October last year, before this game’s announcement in January.) Hotline Miami was the first world teased, but others will be announced in the near future. It sounds promising, especially considering it will have more in common with the well-liked first game. It’s due for release exclusively on Switch in 2018. Perhaps they’ll reveal who the mystery developers are in the near future.

Indie games that didn’t make it to the main showcase received trailers on Nintendo’s YouTube page, including Runner 3, Dandara, and Away: Journey to the Unexpected. Clearly, there are too many games coming.

The gaps in Switch’s big software releases are starting to be filled, since some third-party developers who were hesitant to support it from the outset are announcing ports and releases for it. But it’s nice to see this stream of indie games whose quality is on par with, if not better, than those titles. Hopefully Nintendo can maintain this trend of attracting talent, and fix the eShop’s interface so all these games are easier to find.

If you want to watch the showcase, feel free to do so here.