Nintendo has been killing the pre-recorded video game reveal showcase for quite some time now (with Nintendo Directs and Indie World Showcases). In recent years, we’ve seen more and more companies adopt the pre-recorded games showcase (especially during the pandemic). It’s fantastic that we not only get a few Nintendo Direct’s each year, but we also get a sneak peak at which indie games are coming to the Nintendo Switch every few months.

Our last Nintendo Indie World Showcase was about four months ago. While many of those games still haven’t reached the eShop yet I’m glad they are still giving us more games to get excited about. I love my big Nintendo first party games (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Animal Crossing: New Horizons), but I do spend much of my time on the Switch playing smaller indie titles.

If an indie game is coming to both PlayStation and Switch, I usually choose the Switch version just for the convenience of playing in handheld mode. I’ve even double-dipped and bought games I’ve already owned elsewhere just for the shear convenience of playing them on my Switch.

So, let’s go over what we saw yesterday during the Nintendo Indie World Showcase:

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

This Indie World showcase started off strong with a game that features so many of the things I grew up on skateboarding, graffiti, house music and robots! Bomb Rush Cyberfunk seems to have a lot of personality with its cell-shaded art style and robot house party music.

In this game you’ll have to build the baddest skateboard-dance-parkour-graffiti robot crew in the city. Next, you’ll have to become the best robot graffiti artist around, but also watch out for the “robocops” or whoever is in charge of the city around these cyber streets.

Reclaim the streets in Bomb Rush Cyberfunk coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2022.

TOEM

Toem: A Photo Adventure features a beautifully hand-drawn black and white Scandinavian countryside where you listen to chill tunes and take photos of the town. For such a simple looking art style the camera mode features some crazy depth of field and serious settings for some professional grade photos.

Each location in this world is it’s own little diorama. I look forward to jumping in and taking many pictures in this charming hand-drawn laid back adventure game.

Toem: A Photo Adventure is coming soon to the Nintendo eShop.

Loop Hero

Loop Hero is a game I’ve heard many good things about. I feel like it’s based on many of my favorite type of rogue-likes and rogue-lites with some differences. Instead of playing through the same procedurally-generated gameplay loop, you are building one out. And, you’re able to make changes to the loop as you gain new cards and abilities.

It seems complicated, but I’m excited to learn what exactly this game is all about.

Loop Hero is coming to the Nintendo Switch this Holiday season.

FAR: Changing Tides

FAR: Changing Tides is the sequel to FAR: Lone Sails — a game I’ve never played. I don’t see myself going back to play the original game, but this game looks beautiful enough that I would love to give this world a try. This is one of the first games I’ve heard described as post-apocalyptic and relaxing at the same time.

The ship you travel on through the open seas is big and beautiful. I like that you get to explore the open waters, both above and below. There also seems to be lots of land to explore. I’m a big fan of puzzle-solving in my games too, and that was mentioned during the showcase too.

FAR: Changing Tides will release Early 2022.

Necrobarista: Final Pour

Apparently Necrobarista: Final Pour is a remake of an old game. The story seems to be that you are some sort of barista in a cafe who makes coffee for the dead — as they return to the world of the living for one night and choose to come have coffee.

This is a “Director’s Cut” for the original game — which is a term we see in the movie industry which has made it’s way into the video games industry lately. I love the anime characters and I bet this will be a strange story to play through.

Necrobarista: Final Pour (aka Director’s Cut) is available now on the Nintendo eShop!

UPDATES play today:

There are always some breaks during the Indie World showcase where they say, “Let’s catch up on some games we already know about.” or “Let’s see what’s out today!” Here are those quick OUT TODAY ones…

Garden Story

I actually started playing Garden Story last night and I’m excited to keep going. What started as what I thought would be a Stardew Valley type game with animals and food characters has actually turned out to be something different.

Garden Story is available now and I’m excited to share more about my play through real soon.

Boyfriend Dungeon

Boyfriend Dungeon is a dungeon crawler/dating sim, where you’re “boyfriends” are your weapons. The actual dungeon crawling and fighting gameplay looks like a great time. I also like that it’s a dating sim that you do more than just the dating sim part. I’ve never played any dating sim games, because I guess I needed some action too.

Boyfriend Dungeon is on the eShop right now.

Axiom Verge 2

I played a good chunk of the original Axiom Verge, a Metroid-Vania which was very heavily inspired by the Metroid series. When the sequel was first announced it was nice to hear that it was going in a different direction, and not just going to be the same game but newer. I really like that idea.

I’m surprised that Axiom Verge 2 was shadow dropped like this after the first game was very heavily talked about. To be able to get this game directly after the showcase is kind of a big deal. If you haven’t check out the original game and are a fan of Metroid-vanias, you should definitely jump on that.

Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove was one of the first games I bought for my Nintendo Switch, on the eShop. Of course, I started off with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It’s kind of crazy that Shovel Knight was already a few years old at the time, but they still released a good amount of content/expansions for it.

Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon is a different kind of game. It’s a puzzle adventure with some dungeon crawling. I feel that the original Shovel Knight game with it’s expansions (including Shovel Knight Showdown) has turned this character into a much beloved one. I’m not only excited for Pocket Dungeon, but also to see where else they take Shovel Knight in the future.

Shovel Knight’s next big adventure comes to the Nintendo Switch this holiday!

ISLANDERS: Console Edition

I actually came across this game the other day on PC. It looked interesting to me, but I never have time for games like this on my PC. However, now that it was announced for Switch, I may actually give it a try.

Islanders: Console Edition is a procedurally generated, strategy building game where you build out an island. The cool part is that as you build you gain points, points which are used to build more. Once you run out of points and items to build you are sent to a new blank island to start over.

I like the idea of an island builder where it plays like a rogue-like/rogue-lite, in that you keep starting over from scratch. I also really like that each island is unique in layout, size and colors.

Islanders: Console Edition is available now.

Metal Slug Tactics

I remember playing the original Metal Slug run-and-gun style of games. It’s very cool to see a franchise of well-loved games come back in a whole new way. Instead of the classic action game we’re used to with Metal Slug, this one is more of a tactical RPG.

They kept the pixel art style, but have added some nice animated cutscenes and cinematics. They’re also bringing back the characters we know and love from the original series, but putting them in this new style of game. It’s fun to see a team think, What is this franchise today, instead of How can we make that old game, but make it look like today.

Metal Slug Tactics is coming in 2022.

Tetris Effect: Connected

Last year, during the height of the pandemic I purchased and beat Tetris Effect on my PlayStation 4. I am a true lover of Tetris and have played many iterations of it, but this was by far the most beautiful version of Tetris, both in it’s visuals and audio.

Tetris Effect featured a super relaxing solo mode. I didn’t get to play the “Connected” aspect of the game though. This allows you to battle against friends and strangers online and even work together to take out bosses.

I’m very happy to see Tetris Effect: Connected coming to Nintendo Switch on October 8, 2021.

Quick Coming Soon

They also went through a few games coming relatively soon to the Nintendo Switch. I just listed them below and their release windows:

Astroneer – January 2022
Hundred Days: Winemaking Simulator – Holiday 2021
Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition – Later Today
Lumbearjack – 2022
Curious Expedition 2 – Later Today
Gang Beasts – Fall 2021

Eastward

The final game announcement was for Eastward a new game from Chucklefish (who brought us Wargroove, Risk of Rain and Stardew Valley). The game features a wide variety of landscapes, and the trailer has some very cool music

I really love this pixel art style of game and the end of the trailer cuts between many intense scenes from the game. It seems to be a crazy adventure that I’m totally down for. At some points the trailer even gave me some pixelated Rick & Morty vibes.

Eastward will release on September 16, 2021

THE END!

You can watch the entire showcase right here: