Hot diggity damn! Nintendo just dropped some indie greatness on us. While it wasn’t the Nintendo Direct some were hoping for, or what was rumored, it was chalk full of new indies heading to the Switch soon. This was an awesome albeit small showing to kick of 2019 for Nintendo. Hopefully we hear about some bigger titles soon(I’m looking at you Metroid). While we wait for the next Direct let’s look the titles announced today:
Wargroove
Starting out strong we get an animated trailer for one of my most anticipated titles since the launch of the Switch, Wargroove. The trailer looks like something ripped straight out of a 90’s Saturday Morning Cartoon. Chucklefish has been feeding fans regular updates about Wargroove for what seems like forever and much to my surprise I’ll get to finally get my dirty mitts on it….. NEXT FREAKIN’ WEEK?! I never thought I’d see the day.
That’s right, this spiritual successor to Advanced Wars is comin’ in hot on February 1st. It’s up on the eShop now for pre-order.
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech
Next up was SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. This game caught me off guard. This continuation of the SteamWorld franchise seems like the most unique yet. It looks to combine traditional, Party-based, RPG gameplay with card collection and card based combat. The combat in the trailer reminded me a bit of Slay the Spire bit with more depth. SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech’s hand drawn graphics didn’t look too shabby either.
No official release date was given but it was slated for this calendar year.
CrossCode
On to CrossCode. In this meta- game within a game You’ll be playing a character who is playing a character in an MMO. Wrap your head around that. The first few seconds of the trailer looks absolutely insane; Some character zipping around the screen and damage number popping up everywhere. Once the trailer settles down a bit we get to see some of the world of CrossCode. This Retro-Styled ARPG is already available on steam but is making it’s console debut on the Switch with exclusive content. Touting “Butter-Smooth Physics” and “Engaging puzzle mechanics”
CrossCode seems to be one to look out for in the future. Releasing sometime in 2019.
Double Kick Heroes
Double Kick Heroes revs up it’s engine after CrossCode. A rhythm game that is one- part guitar hero, one-part Organ Trail, one-part Mad Max, and a whole lot of badass. Double Kick Heroes asks the question everyone else is scared to. Sure you can slay zombies, but have you ever slayed zombies with the power of METAL?! Battle with your band through the zombie hoards. Double Kick Heros’ 24 levels that and 6 licensed tracks look to melt your face as the only metal based rhythm game around.
Double Kick Heroes is one game I’ll absolutely……rock….. when it releases this summer.
When Ski Lifts Go Wrong
Seemingly equal parts Polybridge and murder simulator, When Ski Lifts Go Wrong is up next. This physics-based puzzler takes to the snowy slopes. Build Ski-lifts, Jumps, bridges, and more to get skiers to their destination OOOOOOOR satiate your undying blood-lust and “Accidentally” jettison them off of cliffs to their untimely doom. I know which of those I’ll pick! It’s the doom!
When Ski Lifts Go Wrong is available right now on the eShop!
Forager
Forager might take over my Switch for a while. It’s up next. As a a recovered Minecraft addict, Forager seems to have all the hooks of it’s blocky predecessor but in bite-sized form. Build a base, battle baddies, and expand your empire! Explore, Level up, and unlock new skills! For those with PC a demo of Forager available here!
Coming “Soon” to your Switch!
Goat Simulator: The GOATY
Goat Simulator flings itself into the presentation after Forager. This game has become so much more than the April Fools joke it started out as in 2014. It’s now a mash-up parody of games and genres that pokes fun at pretty much the entire industry. Goat Simulator has been released on just about every system and platform, so why not Switch?
Available right now on the eShop!
Inmost
Inmost was the game that caught my eye and surprised me the most out of the bunch shown in the presentation. It’s atmosphere and mood came through so well in the trailer and was bursting with character. Inmost is an interconnected tale that follows three characters each with their own unique gameplay style. This beautiful, pixelated platformer will have you Scaling the environment to sneak past enemies, luring them into deadly traps, solving puzzles, and slicing down foes across two worlds.
Inmost is set to probably stress me out sometime in 2019
Unruly Heroes
The last game shown in this Highlights presentation is Unruly Heroes and it certainly packs a punch. This action-adventure game for up to 4 players is inspired by “A Journey to the West” the classic Chinese Novel. This trailer really blew me away. From it’s painted visuals to the variation of mechanics and enemies it hooked me pretty much immediately. On top of it’s solo or co-op campaign, Unruly Heroes offers a smash-style multiplayer mode where you can beat up your friends…because who doesn’t love doing that?
Unruly Heroes is available now on the eShop!
Nintendo loves it’s Nindies
While this may not have been the insane direct that rumors were swirling about it was a great reminder that Nintendo means bushiness with the switch. It’s support of the indie community has taken on a life of it’s own and it’s presence there continues to grow. This whole bunch looked incredible and I’m excited to see what else Nintendo has in store for us for the rest of this year.
