Not to be outdone by Sony’s rapid-fire State of Play that unveiled the anticipated Resident Evil 3 remake, Nintendo held a 20-minute showcase highlighting indie games coming to Nintendo Switch from now until 2020.
There’s a lot to unpack from the presentation, from a Golf Story sequel to Axiom Verge 2, Dauntless, and much, much more. Needless to say, if you’re a Nintendo Switch owner and fan of indie games, there’s a lot to be excited about heading into 2020.
Let’s get started with Sports Story.
Sports Story
Nintendo first served up a new trailer for Sports Story, the follow-up to the smash indie hit Golf Story. Sports Story, though, takes things beyond the golf course. It is a full adventure with tennis, golf, soccer, volleyball, baseball, dungeons, spies, and enemies to overcome.
Sports Story looks like it shares all the quirky humor of the original. The game will launch on Switch in 2020.
Axiom Verge 2
The next big surprise was, per usual, saved for last: Axiom Verge 2. Tom Happ, the creator of Axiom Verge, showed off a new sneak peek of the next installment in the series, Axiom Verge 2.
The Metroidvania sequel is very much in the same vein as the original, though this time around, you’ll explore a wider variety of areas in a snow-themed world. Axiom Verge 2 releases sometime in fall 2020.
Gleamlight
Gleamlight, a game developed by the makers of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, tells a different kind of story than the 2019 Symphony of the Night inspired Metroidvania.
Gleamlight is a mysterious journey told in stained glass style, featuring a sword as the main character. This sword fights the darkness with the help of children, though it’s not clear what the darkness is yet or how the children are involved.
Still, It’s a gorgeous looking game that obviously takes inspiration from Hollow Knight. However, one innovation here is that there is no user interface and there are no words. Gleamlight will launch on Nintendo Switch in early 2020.
Bake n’ Switch
Bake n’ Switch, a party brawler centered around little doughy things, looks as chaotic as Overcooked and has plenty of food-themed goodness and mind-crushing obstacles to overcome.
The goal here is to bake the cute ol’ doughs and serve them up as offerings to angry deities, which naturally means it’s everyone for themselves.
SuperMash
SuperMash takes inspiration from RPG Maker, letting you pick two game genres and create something completely unique out of it. Every game created in SuperMash is random and different, though you can control certain elements with DevCards.
Players can mesh six different genres together, from Metroidvania to stealth, shoot ’em up to JRPG. Games can be shared with friends and saved for posterity, and there will even be a story mode.
SuperMash will release in May 2020.
Sail Forth
It’s not Sea of Thieves, but Sail Forth is pretty darn close. In this high-seas adventure, you’ll explore the vast oceans with your customized boat, take on pirates, find hidden quests, and adventure to your heart’s content.
Although much more detailed, the game’s aesthetic evokes a very Burly Men at Sea vibe. However, there’s a lot more to do here than replay the same levels over and over again for different endings.
Sail Forth will launch in 2020.
Dauntless
Dauntless, Epic Games’ take on the Monster Hunter World formula, received an update during the presentation as well, along with a new expansion announcement in Stormchasers.
Part Monster Hunter, part MMORPG, Dauntless brings players together to explore a colorful world, take down massive monsters, and use loot to craft even better weapons and gear.
The other news? Dauntless is available on Nintendo Switch today for free, and Dauntless cross platform, cross region play, and cross save is supported on the Switch version.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD
Oddworld has had a rocky relationship with Nintendo, but wild shooter Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is coming to Nintendo Switch on January 23, 2020. It is currently available for pre-order.
You will take on bounties, avoid enemies looking to turn you in for a bounty, and rely on your trusty crossbow that uses live ammo — literally live, like rodent bullets — to keep from pushing daisies in this action-adventure game set in the Oddworld universe.
Liberated
Liberated, a cyberpunk-inspired game told in the form of a graphic novel, is basically a futuristic 1984. The world is always online, and the government takes advantage of that by keeping tabs on everyone at all times.
Liberated combines platforming and action and will launch first on Nintendo Switch in 2020.
The Survivalists
The Survivalists is a new crafting-survival game set in The Escapist universe where you train monkeys to help you establish a village on your deserted island. Because of course.
Gathering resources leads to new recipes that let you explore further on each procedurally-generated island, uncovering new items to help you survive. Of course, you uncover new threats along the way. The Survivalists will release in 2020.
That’s it for today’s Indie World news, but stay tuned to GameSkinny for more Nindies news as it breaks.
