May 2022 Indie World Showcase Roundup

Other people get excited for the “proper” Nintendo Direct. These days, I get way more excited for Nintendo’s Indie World Direct, showcasing new and upcoming indie titles coming to the Nintendo Switch. There’s always at least a handful of games that interest me, so even before watching, I know I likely won’t be disappointed. Today’s showcase promised about twenty minutes of indie games. Let’s dive right in, shall we?

First off, the adorable creature collector and farming sim Ooblets is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch. You can imagine it as a mix between Pokémon and Stardew Valley. In terms of Pokemon inspiration, instead of monster fights, you let your creatures compete in fun, turn-based dance battles.

Next up was Batora: Lost Haven, a story-driven Action-RPG with an interesting artstyle. The game will take you on an adventure through the cosmos this fall. It looks quite interesting, with a mix between strategic combat and challenging puzzles to keep you busy.

If you’re a fan of 2D puzzle-platformers, ElecHead is the game for you. This game was created by a solo developer and gives your character the ability to detach their head from their body. This seems like it will make for some interesting puzzle concepts, at least according to the trailer. ElecHead will release on Switch this summer and is already available on PC.

Soundfall absolutely sounds like a game for me. I’m a huge fan of rhythm-based games, so the idea of a rhythm-based dungeon crawler which generates the level and enemies based on one of the over 140 songs you select has me already tapping my feet. What’s even better is that the game released shortly after the presentation, so I made sure to pick it up right away.

I’ve been cautious when it comes to deckbuilding roguelike-games since there’s just so many of them. However, Wildfrost, a game set in a dangerous and ice-cold environment looks interesting enough to check out. The art style looks deceptively cute, and the game releases this holiday. On a side note, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator gets a Switch-release soon as well.

Gunbrella looks like a game with quite the interesting premise. You play a detective in a noir-punk world using the titular Gunbrella as both a weapon and a mode of transportation. You’ll be floating around the environment before shooting people in the head. It sounds really interesting, and the trailer made the game look quite fun, though we have to wait a bit for the game to release some time next year.

The music biopic-game We are OFK is coming to the Switch this summer, with episodes releasing each week after release. The art style is beautiful, and the plot seems to be emotional and in-depth. Hopefully, we won’t have long to wait.

Another very interesting game that reminds me of both Limbo and Abzu, known as Silt, swims its way onto the Nintendo Switch this summer. It carries Limbo‘s monochromatic aesthetic, along with Abzu‘s creature possession. I’m interested.

Another shadow drop is Mini Motorways, the successor to Mini Metro, which has you building roads and managing traffic to avoid accidents and long waits. It is a perfect game to play on the go due to its more casual nature. As mentioned, the game also released shortly after the presentation.

Wayward Strand has me intrigued for sure. It is a story based on an airship with stories happening in real time. I’ll definitely be picking it up when it comes out July 21st.

Cult of the Lamb is still set to release this year. It is a game with things ranging from resource gathering to dungeon crawling while trying to build your own cult. Hopefully we’ll know more about a full release soon.

For the Soulslike fans among us, Another Crab’s Treasure looks quite interesting. You play as a (you guessed it) crab, trying to buy back your own shell. You’ll be switching between over 50 different shells and battling your way through the harsh environment. This game has a long wait as well, since it’s set to release next year.

Lastly, here’s a list of the games that were only briefly mentioned but might still be worth checking out: OneShot: World Machine Edition, Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, Idol Manager, Card Shark, Cursed to Golf, A Guidebook of Babel, Opus: Echo of Starsong – Full Bloom Edition. Also, check out the full Indie World direct below.