Nintendo showcased nearly 25 minutes of indie games during today’s Indie World Showcase, and if you weren’t able to catch it, or if you missed the name of the game you’re excited to check out, we’ve got you covered.
Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars was announced in 2020 as a prequel to Sabotage Studio’s The Messenger, and while we saw it last year, which is where we also learned that Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda is helping compose the game’s score, today’s Indie World Showcase gave us another glimpse into its beautiful world. We saw a new trailer featuring some of its turn-based combat, stunning pixel art, and we heard a taste of what Mitsuda is cooking up. But perhaps the most exciting part was that we have a release window: Holiday 2022.
Aliisha: The Oblivion of Twin Goddesses
This cooperative adventure has up to two players taking control of either of Aliisha’s twin protagonists, Lisha or Aisha. As you explore a deserted temple together, you’ll rely on each of the sisters’ expertise which requires different control schemes. Lisha’s agile movements make use of the Joy-Con motion controls, while Aisha’s AMBU drone instead makes use of the Switch touch screen. With a striking, painterly art style, UNDERSCORE’s journey of duality will be sure to delight the eyes when it releases in spring 2022.
Loco Motive
Loco Motive comes by way of a new studio called Robust Games formed by two brother developers. It’s a point-and-click adventure game set aboard a 1930s express train called the Royce Express. Oh, and it’s a murder mystery (murder happens a lot aboard 20th Century trains, huh?). After a killing occurs aboard the express train, you play as three characters – a straight-laced lawyer, an amateur detective, and an undercover agent – at different points in the story while attempting to find clues and ultimately clear your name because all three playable characters also happen to be the main suspects. Loco Motive will hit Switch in the Summer of 2022.
Afterlove EP
Part visual novel, part rhythm game, Pikselnesia’s heartfelt story centers around a musician named Rama, who is mourning the passing of his girlfriend. Taking place in Jakarta, Indonesia, Afterlove will see Rama pick up the pieces after this great loss and learn to build relationships again, and maybe even find love once more. With a distinct manga inspiration, featuring a soundtrack composed by Indonesian band L’alphalpha, this game’s style is unique compared to anything in the Indie World presentation. It’s also bound to break us down emotionally, but maybe also give us hope when Afterlove EP releases this coming summer.
Dungeon Munchies
Dungeon Munchies is one of the more exciting reveals of today’s showcase because it’s available to purchase and play today. The announcement trailer showcases beautiful, if a tad grotesque, pixel art, plenty of death, lots of monsters, and a talking cooking pot. And speaking of a cooking pot, you’ll be tasked with helping necro-chef Simmer cook up new recipes by killing monsters and bringing them to her. New recipes might give you a new ability or a special bonus, and between all of the recipes in the game, of which there are over 100, you’re bound to find a new favorite meal.
Figment 2: Creed Valley
A sequel to 2019’s Figment, Figment 2: Creed Valley is a puzzling adventure laced with music. You’ll venture through a world set within a human’s mind with a sword in hand, taking on obstacles and puzzles from an isometric perspective. You and another player can team up to tackle the slate of environmental brain teasers and melodic maladies developer Bedtime Digital Games has cooked up. A demo hits the eShop later today, with the full release coming in February.
Let’s Play: Oink Games
Let’s Play: Oink Games is Oink Games’ spin on some classic tabletop games. Launching later today with four board games, players can play solo or with friends via local or online multiplayer. One board game will task players with some deep-sea dives, while another Monopoly-esque game is all about investing and raising the price of your stocks. A third board game is about drawing and trying to blend in with your artistry, and the fourth and final board game in Let’s Play: Oink Games, for now, is about surviving on the moon. You can play all four today, and Oink Games says it will be updated to include even more tabletop games.
Endling: Extinction Is Forever
In the list of games I can’t bring myself to play, Endling puts you in the fleeting shoes of the last fox mother. You’ll lead your three adorable fox cubs through the dangerous world ravaged by man, where not only your life is in peril, but so are the lives of the little ones. Your choices and actions will ultimately determine how many of the cubs make it to safety in the end. If you have it in you to brave this potentially heart-shattering odyssey, by all means, give this soul crusher a try when it launches this spring.
OlliOlli World
Announced earlier this year, OlliOlli World is an ambitious follow-up to Role7’s Olli skateboarding series. Ditching the more linear layout of previous Olli games, OlliOlli World hopes to present a more creative and rad skateboarding experience. It will do so with the rhythm, platforming, and puzzle elements of previous OlliOlli games. We got a new look at it today and learned we’ll be playing the game on February 8, 2022. Plus, you can preorder starting today, and doing so will net you some exclusive in-game items to use when the game comes out next year.
River City Girls 2
Following up on the success of 2019’s River City Girls, this aptly named sequel brings WayForward’s heroines back, with a few more faces added to the roster of this metropolitan brawler. Misako and Kyoko (and a handful more) return to punch and kick their way through the streets of River City in single-player, local co-op, or online modes. The presentation promised higher stakes and meaner streets set to the music of returning composer Megan McDuffee. Bruise up some bad guys when River City Girls 2 hits the streets in summer 2022.
Omori
It wouldn’t be a Nintendo showcase without one more thing, right? Technically, this was announced during the Indie World Showcase after the games listed below, but considering this was one of the main highlights from the show, we figured we’d bump it up here. First released elsewhere in 2020, Omori is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and somewhat scary game that tasks players with traveling back and forth between two strange and vibrant worlds. You’ll unravel the unconventional story while defeating enemies in a turn-based combat system. As noted by Nintendo, Omori tackles some heavy themes, including anxiety and depression, so be wary of that before jumping in. You can play Omori on Switch in the Spring of 2022.
At the end of the showcase, Nintendo released a shotgun blast of information about some more indies we can expect to see soon and in 2022. Those are listed below:
- Parkasaurus: A cute and colorful Jurassic Park-like dinosaur park simulator coming Spring 2022.
- Don’t Starve Together: The standalone multiplayer expansion to Don’t Starve hits Switch in Spring of 2022.
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale: One of the bigger surprises of today’s Indie World Showcase, Chicory, the colorful and moving Zelda-like adventure game, is out today!
- Baby Storm: You play as a nursery school teacher attempting to manage a classroom full of babies, and it’s as chaotic as it sounds. If you need some of that chaos in your life, check out Baby Storm when it hits Switch on January 21, 2022.
- Grime: A sidescrolling Action-RPG with a beautiful 3D aesthetic coming Summer of 2022.
- Gerda: A Flame In Winter: An isometric survival narrative game coming sometime in 2022.
- Timelie: A stealth-puzzle adventure game with a striking noir-esque art style where you control time hits Switch today, and you can even check out the demo, which is now live, for a taste of what to expect in the full game.
- Behind The Frame: The Finest Scenery: A beautiful and scenic game about an artist trying to finish her masterpiece, and it hits Switch in the Spring of 2022.
And that’s the December 2021 Indie World Showcase in a (rather long) nutshell. What were some of your favorite games shown? Were there any you were hoping to see that didn’t make an appearance? Let us know in the comments below!
