Yesterday, Nintendo hit us with another Indie World Showcase, just a few days after giving us one last
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom three minute long trailer. What a month April has been!
This twenty minute long Indie World Showcase featured about twenty new games, and a few DLC (downloadable content) updates. Most of the titles shown will be released in the near future, with a couple of surprises available now — and a few not coming until next year.
Catch the entire showcase right here:
Below you’ll find the five games that I’m most ready for from this showcase:
1 – PlateUp!
As I’ve mentioned many times before, my girlfriend and I are always on the lookout for a new Overcooked-type game — we’re also hoping to get Overcooked 3 at some point. We’re not looking for an exact clone, but more a game with the spirit of Overcooked. A game that has us working together.
PlateUp! seems to have some of that Overcooked spirit, since it is a co-op cooking game where customers are waiting for orders. It also features an added element of restaurant management. Although, I’m not sure how I feel about it, I do like the idea of upgrading your kitchen as you play. Instead of the game just getting harder as it goes, this will give players a way to offset the change in difficulty (at least in some way).
PlateUp! is expected on the Nintendo Switch later this year (October 2023).
2 – Rift of the NecroDancer
Crypt of the NecroDancer was a game that I played so much that I actually had dreams about it. Brace Yourself Games has done an amazing job evolving this franchise. From Crypt of the NecroDancer to Cadence of Hyrule, we saw them expand on the first game to bring it into the world of The Legend of Zelda. We also got to hear sweet remixes to the best music in gaming (Zelda music).
With Rift of the NecroDancer I’m noticing some of the same mechanics being utilized in new ways. Instead of battling your way through dungeons, the rhythm game style looks closer to something like Guitar Hero with the addition of combat (or dance fighting).
It’s great to see indie studios take elements from their previous games and push these franchises further to create brand new experiences. I’m a big fan of how Yacht Club Games (Shovel Knight) and Team Meat (Super Meat Boy) continue to push each of their big franchises in new directions.
Rift of the NecroDancer is set to release some time this year.
3 – Teslagrad 2 + Teslagrad: Remastered
The original Teslagrad was released ten years ago. I have never played the original, but watching the trailer for the sequel made me think, “Damn, now I have to look up and play the first game.” Lucky for me, they decided to remaster the first one and release it alongside the sequel.
I’m really digging the two different art styles between these two games that are ten years apart. I also find that one of my favorite things to do now is to play a previous title when a sequel is about to be released. This way I’m able to notice the big changes between titles. It’s because I replayed God of War (2018) that I was able to notice the big changes in God of War: Ragnarok.
Both Teslagrad 2 and Teslagrad Remastered are out on the Nintendo eShop right now.
4 – Brotato
This trailer was shown during the quick “Sneak Peeks” portion at the end of the showcase. At first glance, I thought this was like a potato-themed Contra type game. After re-watching the trailer it looks closer to a Potato-themed Vampire Survivors-type game, or Potato Survivors?
I’ve been asking for Vampire Survivors on the Nintendo Switch ever since I first played it not too long ago. If Brotato is close enough I’ll take it. Also, what’s cuter than a little potato with a bunch of weapons taking out aliens and robots?
Brotato is coming to Nintendo Switch later this year.
It is already available on Steam in Early Access.
5 – OXENFREE II: Lost Signals
The first OXENFREE was a very unique game. It’s a game I still think about all the time. I remember not expecting much from the game, other than a beautiful world and simple story. There was so much more to this game. I’m a huge fan of the art style and the unique storytelling mechanics.
I’m excited to see where the sequel goes. In the trailer alone I have already noticed a few interesting new additions. After Netflix purchased Night School Studio (developers of OXENFREE) I was worried that the sequel would only be available on Netflix. I’m happy to see them release the sequel on the Nintendo Switch.
OXENFREE II: Lost Signals is coming to the Nintendo Switch on July 12th, 2023.
Those were my top five trailers from yesterday’s Indie World Showcase. I did not include the quick DLC (Downloadable Content) segment, but I’m interested in two of those — Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon: Puzzler’s Pack DLC and Cult of the Lamb: Relics of the Old Faith Update. Both of these are free additions to two games I already own, so I will definitely give them a shot.
There was no “One More Thing” at the end of this showcase, but I think we were all hoping for Hollow Knight: Silksong. At this point, I don’t think we’re getting our next update on that game until
Summer Game Fest.
Nintendo started these indie-themed showcases, and it’s great to see that the other big companies (Sony and Microsoft) are also onboard when it comes to showcasing the latest indie titles. As much as I love my Big AAA games and Nintendo first-party games, I spend a great deal of time playing indie games. Indie developers deserve the attention, so that more gamers can find these games.
One last note I have on this Indie Showcase, and possibly every Indie Showcase is there are too many games about cats. Today, we could probably have an hour-long showcase featuring only games featuring cats. In this showcase alone there were about three (maybe four) cat-themed games. Perhaps cat games are the new card-based games from a couple of years ago.
What upcoming indie games are you most excited for? What’s the next trend you foresee coming to indie games (cats, cards, what’s next)?
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