Nintendo highlights indie games for Switch; new Switch Lite color launching in May

The whole 20-minute long presentation is worth watching, but for those who just want the highlights, here’s a roundup of some of the upcoming indie games featured.

Road 96

This narrative-focused game by DigixArt offers a mix of adventure, exploration and puzzle-solving.

Road 96 tells a procedural story with thousands of potential paths to take. Meet characters from all walks of life and learn their intertwining stories. The decisions you make—both big and small—can drastically alter your experience. There are many roads. Which one will you take?

Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield

This is not your typical “runner” game! Run, jump, slide and dash through a futuristic Tokyo-styled Detroit to a head-bopping soundtrack as the protagonist Wally to save what’s left of the future. A demo is available at the Nintendo eShop.

OlliOlli World

The bold new entry in the OlliOlli series from Roll7 is here!

In OlliOlli World, tear up the streets of Radland and search for the mystical skate gods in this slick action platformer. With super-tight controls and level design that flows with your combos, you’ll have a blast mastering tricks, meeting colorful characters and discovering the hidden secrets of this vivid and vibrant world.

OllliOlli World arrives Winter 2021.

Hindsight and Last Stop

Annapurna Interactive, the publisher behind titles like Journey and What Remains of Edith Finch, revealed that two of its upcoming games are headed to the Switch.

Hindsight is a poignant narrative game featuring an older woman discovering memories through objects.

Last Stop

Last Stop is a single-player third-person adventure set in modern-day London, where you play as three separate characters whose worlds collide in the midst of a supernatural crisis.

Both games are expected to launch this year.

The Longing

The Longing, from Germany-based Studio Seufz features a beautifully glum hand-drawn art style and intriguing premise inspired by a tale of a slumbering king of an underground realm.

As the main character Shade, the last servant of the king, you must wait 400 days in real time for him to awaken. While waiting, you can explore dark caves, complete time-based puzzles and collect items. 

FEZ

Fez is a perspective-shifting puzzle game where you explore a serene and beautiful world full of secrets, puzzles and hidden treasures

Gomez is a 2D creature living in a 2D world. Or is he? When the existence of a mysterious third dimension is revealed to him, Gomez is sent out on a journey that will take him to the very end of time and space. Use your ability to navigate 3D structures from four distinct classic 2D perspectives.

Aztech Forgotten Gods

Aztech Forgotten Gods from Mexican studio Lienzo offers a grand adventure inspired by Aztec mythology blended with modern technology.

Gain powerful arm upgrades, traverse different areas within an advanced Mesoamerican metropolis and encounter all sorts of characters to uncover ancient secrets.

There is No Game: Wrong Dimension

This experimental point-and-click comedy adventure is filled with riddles and puzzles. If you’re looking for something different and surprising, you might want to check this out.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Cowabunga! With a blend of retro and modern visuals, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge finds the four favorite turtles kicking some serious shell in classic arcade-style beat-’em-up action.

Up to four players can play locally or online in this bodacious game developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu, who also published Streets of Rage 4 and Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap.

Cris Tales

Drawing inspiration from classic and modern JRPGs, Cris Tales incorporates time traveling into its storyline and combat with a variety of surprise effects, like making enemies younger and thus easier to defeat. While exploring this handcrafted, dark fairy-tale world, you’ll recruit a diverse cast of allies and discover new realms.

GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon

Showcasing a stylized Japanese aesthetic, GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon delivers a dynamic hack-and-slash roguelite experience, filled with perilous dungeons, fierce boss battles and intense, skill-based combat.

Skul: The Hero Slayer

From South Korea’s SouthPAW Games, Skul: The Hero Slayer brings a twist to the usual hero story, with it’s titular protagonist.

As Skul, you take on an entire army to rescue your king in this 2D fast-action roguelite. To progress in the game, you’ll need to swap abilities, which is done by swapping heads.

The game features 90 playable character variations, each with their own special abilities.

Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective

Adapted from the children’s book series, Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective takes you across incredibly detailed mazes to retrieve a powerful artifact.

On your quest, you will interact with more than 500 items or characters, find over 100 hidden objects and wander about in beautiful locations.

THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: Remake

The classic arcade shooter from 1997 is back with a new makeover and exciting gameplay changes!

In this multiplayer game, you’ll suit up as a pair of government agents sent to investigate disappearances only to find hordes of undead monstrosities.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals

Nintendo ended the presentation with a surprise sequel for the supernatural mystery graphic adventure game Oxenfree—which takes inspiration from classic teen films—developed by Night School Studio and published by MWM Interactive.

Set five years after the events of the hit 2016 game, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals features Riley, a researcher who returns to her hometown of Camena to investigate mysterious radio frequency signals causing curious disturbances.

The event also showcased a handful of other titles at the end in a quick highlight reel. You can watch the entire Indie World Showcase presentation below for more cool games.

For those who don’t own a Nintendo Switch system yet and want to try it out this year, a new Nintendo Switch Lite color is also expected to debut in May, alongside Nintendo’s previously announced Miitopia game.

Nintendo announced on Tuesday that the cool blue hue will be released globally on May 21 for $199.99 (roughly P9,600-plus). This color variant is the fifth color in the handheld-only Nintendo Switch Lite lineup, which already includes turquoise, yellow, coral, and gray.

Introducing a fresh new blue color #NintendoSwitchLite, launching on 5/21 for $199.99. The blue Nintendo Switch Lite will release separately on the same day as the hilarious adventure game, #Miitopia! pic.twitter.com/WD6FAc8pqr

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 13, 2021

The smaller and lighter Nintendo Switch Lite is designed mainly for handheld gameplay, unlike the regular and more expensive Nintendo Switch, which can be played handheld and docked and paired with a larger screen.

(Images via Nintendo)