August 2021 Indie World Direct News Roundup

It’s time for another Indie World Showcase Roundup! I’m always excited for these since Indie World showcases often show off really cool gaming experiences that I may not have been aware of yet. The indie scene has been really solid recently on Switch, so let’s strap in and see what Nintendo has for us next!

The showcase began with a reminder that has been standard in a lot of these Nintendo Directs since last year. All release dates mentioned here and in the Direct itself are subject to change due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. After that quick warning, we dove right into the first announcement, for something called Bomb Rush Cyberfunk.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is a Skating and Parkour game where you start off in a sprawling metropolis as a nobody and slowly build up your crew. You’ll perform tricks, tag things with graffiti art, and explore the metropolis, all backed by a fresh, varied soundtrack. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk will be a timed Nintendo Switch exclusive, but we only have a 2022 release date so far.

Next up was a weird (yet cute) little monochromatic game called TOEM. TOEM (also called TOEM: A Photo Adventure) will have you wandering around cute, monochromatic environments, taking pictures, and interacting with a varied cast of NPCs. The environments are inspired by the Scandinavian countryside, and TOEM has a really cozy feel to it. We don’t have a firm release date yet, but it will release on Nintendo Switch sometime this fall.

After that, the show transitioned to Loop Hero, a Devolver Digital title that I’ve been keeping an eye on since its PC release. In Loop Hero, you create the world around your hero. Playing cards provides unique environments for your character to travel through, with the ultimate goal of defeating the evil Lich. Yet again we don’t have a firm release date, but Loop Hero will release sometime this holiday season.

From the creators of Far: Lone Sails, comes a new game that is seemingly a sequel. Far: Changing Tides will be coming to Switch next year and puts you in the role of a boy traversing a sunken world and vast ocean with his ship. You’ll solve puzzles, explore sunken areas, and overcome various obstacles on your journey to find a new home. All we know about the release date right now is an Early 2022 release window.

Next, we’ve got a game I remember Keiran raving about on PC. Necrobarista: Final Pour is coming to Nintendo Switch. In Necrobarista: Final Pour, you run a coffee shop where the dead get one last chance to mingle with the living. Necrobarista: Final Pour is a director’s cut of the original, with new scenes, enhanced visuals, a studio mode to create new stories and dialogue, and more. Necrobarista: Final Pour is a timed console exclusive to the Switch and is now available!

Previously featured on Indie World showcases, Garden Story is now available on Nintendo Switch. Become the Guardian of the Grove and play as a cute little grape, saving the inhabitants of a cute pixel world. With fun combat, home building mechanics, puzzle-solving, quests, and more, Garden Story looks like a fun little experience.

Boyfriend Dungeon is also available today! Blending Dungeon Crawling and Roguelike mechanics with a Dating Sim, Boyfriend Dungeon lets you bring your dates on adventures with you! Every run you make gives you more currency to spend on wooing your potential dates, making for a unique blend of action, romance, and story-driven gameplay.

Another surprise release was Axiom Verge 2, a prequel to the hit Indie Metroidvania Axiom Verge. In this prequel, you play a new heroine, who is empowered by microscopic machines that are simultaneously strengthening her and siphoning away her humanity. Axiom Verge 2 is now available on Switch.

Next we have a surprise announcement for Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon. This matching Puzzle game puts you in the role of various Shovel Knight characters, solving puzzles, exploring dungeons (sort of?), and fighting enemies. Between single-player and multiplayer modes, there is a lot of fun puzzle content to be had here, and Pocket Dungeon even supports Shovel Knight amiibo figures! Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon will release this holiday on Nintendo Switch.

Islanders, a game I have spent way too many hours on with the PC version, is now available on Switch! Islanders is a calm, chill City/Worldbuilder where you try to place buildings on an island, slowly building up your score. Some buildings need to be closer together and give more points, while others will give you a deduction for placing them too close to certain things. Islanders: Console Edition is a timed exclusive, now available on Switch.

The next game on the agenda was Metal Slug Tactics, which premiered at Summer Game Fest earlier this year. Now it seems that Metal Slug Tactics will also be launching on Nintendo Switch along with PC. Metal Slug Tactics brings back the characters you love from Metal Slug, while putting them in a new genre of gameplay with tactical turn-based combat. Place your characters correctly, and you can unleash sync abilities which will do extra damage with multiple characters. Metal Slug Tactics will release next year on Nintendo Switch.

After that, there was an announcement that Tetris Effect: Connected is coming to Nintendo Switch. As a lover of Tetris, I’m super excited for this. Tetris Effect is an audio-visual experience, taking you on either a single-player journey or letting you duke it out with friends in multiplayer. You can also play connected mode with a friend, clearing three fields of play together! Tetris Effect: Connected also supports cross-platform multiplayer. Tetris Effect: Connected will release on October 8^th, 2021. Next up we have a rapid fire of games that are coming to Switch soon. Here they are:

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

Now, there’s one final announcement that the Indie World showcase had in store for us. Chucklefish’s new game Eastward is coming to Switch! Eastward is a mysterious Post-Apocalyptic game where a miner discovers a young girl underground. Travel across the world together, solving puzzles, exploring dungeons, and more. Eastward will be releasing as a timed Switch exclusive on September 16^th, 2021.

There you have it folks! Lots of cool stuff to be seen out of this Indie World showcase. The Indie World team never disappoints, and I’m eager to go try some of these out. Expect reviews for some of these titles (specifically the recently launched ones) in the coming weeks!