The seasonal Nindie Direct has arrived, and while there weren’t any shocking announcements, the solid lineup revealed still points to one of the Nintendo Switch’s key strengths as an indie game powerhouse. Interestingly, Nintendo seems to be focusing on multiplayer experiences, as many of the core titles highlighted have some sort of cooperative or competitive mode. The presentation ended with a montage of upcoming titles as well as a surprise shadow release. Clocking in at just over 15 minutes, the Nindie Direct didn’t make too big a splash with gamers, but it nevertheless presented a slew of promising titles that will surely bolster the Switch’s library going forward and attract many indie game fans.
Here is a general breakdown of the trailer’s main points:
- First up, critically acclaimed 2D action RPG Hyperlight Drifter will land on the console next week with an exclusive costume for the port.
- Some multiplayer-oriented games mentioned include Towerfall, a competitive archery-combat game where six players can battle it out, and unique puzzle game Treasure Stack that offers local, online, and cross-platform play for even more variety. Zarvot is a cube-based arcade-shooter set in a 3D world with a story about friendship as well as a versus mode.
- In bigger news, Mineko’s Night Market, a quirky, cat-based game consisting of gorgeous 2D art, will launch first on the Nintendo Switch. Players can look forward to cute mini games, engaging quests, a night market where they can sell goods, an expansive map to explore, and over 20-hours of story-based gameplay.
- Platformers are incredibly popular right now, and it doesn’t look like the hype will die anytime soon. Samurai Gunn 2 and Bullet Age are some of the upcoming titles of the genre, both boasting unique art styles and complex gameplay. On the other hand, Level Head goes beyond even that. Taking a page out of Super Mario Maker, the game takes the genre even further by allowing players to share levels they’ve made and play the creations of others as well. King of the Hat looks to be another competitive platformer where friends can challenge each other with a distinct combat system.
- For games that just don’t fit into traditional genres, Nintendo has underscored The World Next Door, an adventure title with branching dialogue trees for different story progression and a puzzle combat element, and perhaps the most anticipated title of this Direct, Untitled Goose Game. The never-before-seen premise of the game involves players controlling a contentious goose, with the goal of wreaking havoc amongst the inhabitants of the eccentric, 3D world.
- The ending montage of the Direct had some surprises as well. Supergiant Games’ beloved classics Bastion and Transistor will both be coming to the Switch. Capybara’s mobile hit Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery EP and InXile’s Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut are both getting Switch ports as well.
- Finally, to everyone’s surprise, Nintendo ended the presentation by announcing that the highly acclaimed Into the Breach strategy game will launch on the Switch today.
For a full list of and the release dates for the indie titles announced today, check out Nintendo’s official website for more details.