Today, Nintendo not only unveiled the latest Twitter account joining their official handles, but dropped an indie-centric Direct focused on games mostly coming out from now until the Summer of this year. The Indie World Showcase, highlighted over twenty titles coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2020. One of the themes of the Nindie Direct today was timed console exclusives, with almost half of the titles shown off today designated as such. Here are a few of the games that stood out to us.
Baldo
An anime inspired action-adventure RPG set in a gorgeous world looking like it was ripped from your favorite manga? Sign me up. With the developers commenting on their admiration for The Legend of Zelda it makes me hopeful that this stylized adventure will hold up not only in aesthetic, but gameplay and story as well. Complex dungeons, memorable characters both make Baldo seem like a magical world that I want to venture toward. Originally revealed last year, Baldo has its sights set on a Summer 2020 release as a timed console exclusive on the Switch.
I AM DEAD
Explore the afterlife in Shelmerton in this cute and cathartic puzzle adventure, I AM DEAD. Unraveling the mysteries of the island, investigating the inhabitants as the ghost of your former self allowing you to see in people’s homes, rummage through their belongings in a quest for answers. I AM DEAD is a mood, and a game I’m looking forward to laying down in bed with later this year.
Quantum League
A competitive first-person shooter with time travel mechanics, Quantum League looks to separate itself from others in the genre but adding a unique twist to 1v1 and 2v2 online combat. With what I’m sure will be a learning curve, or I guess a learning loop, for your first few rounds, the time travel aspect of Quantum League makes it seem as though some shenanigans will be constantly at play when playing with you friends, and removes the ceiling for some intense high level play for those looking to dive into their strategizing. Every time you die, your last life spawns a clone of yourself that moves in the same pattern that you played in the previous life. I’m looking forward to seeing how these mechanics play out later this year.
Superliminal
Superliminal is a brain-bending first-person puzzle game where perspective matters most. Manipulating your environment, positioning yourself in the proper angles changes the world around you. With mind-melting maneuvering you can progress through this world with more depth than what initially appears to be present. Reality won’t seem tangible after solving puzzles in Superliminal later this Summer.
Moving Out
We had the chance to get some hands on time with Moving Out a few weeks ago at PAX East 2020 and had a blast working together, and sometimes, without realizing it, working against each other in this physics-based moving simulator. Carry certain items out solo, work together to lift heavier things, and time your throws when more advanced scenarios call for you to get creative in your paths. With a timer, high scores to achieve, and optional tasks to complete you and three friends will test your friendship by moving everything out by cooperating. Following in the same frantic fun of games like Overcooked, you can look for multiplayer mayhem on the couch next month when Moving Out drops April 28th.
Sky Racket
The world’s first shmup breaker– at least that’s what Double Dash Studios is calling their tennis infused scrolling shooter, Sky Racket. With a Saturday morning cartoon aesthetic, whacky enemies, and gameplay that blends shoot ’em ups and brick breaker, Sky Racket looks like a perfect adventure for one or two players to blast through. This one is high on my list, available today, and probably being downloaded as soon as I post this article.
Exit The Gungeon
Originally an Apple Arcade exclusive title, Exit The Gungeon is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Enter The Gungeon. Exit The Gungeon replaces a top down rougelike for a side scrolling one, while keeping the soul of Enter The Gungeon in tact, with bombastic gameplay, enemies constantly bombarding you, and zany weapons you’ll look to shoot and dodge your way out of close quarters elevators you must ride to escape the collapsing Gungeon. With this release, the game has also received balanced updates, new weapons, and more to make your journey a more exciting and rewarding experience. You can download Exit The Gungeon today as a timed console exclusive on the Nintendo Switch– now excuse me, my download just finished.
This is only a small sample of the games that were shown today during the Indie World Showcase, and beyond these picks there are others that are being wishlisted as we speak! Look below for a full list of all of the games revealed:
- Blue Fire – Summer 2020 (timed console exclusive)
- Baldo – Summer 2020 (timed console exclusive)
- I Am Dead – 2020 (timed console exclusive)
- BARK – Late 2020 (timed console exclusive)
- Cyanide and Happiness Freakpocalypse – Summer 2020 (timed console exclusive)
- Summer In Mara – Spring 2020 (timed console exclusive)
- Quantum League – Late 2020
- The Good Life – 2020
- The Last Campfire – Summer 2020
- PixelJunk Eden 2 – Summer 2020
- Faeria – March 2020
- Eldest Souls – Summer 2020 (timed console exclusive)
- Blair Witch – Summer 2020
- Ghost of a Tale – Spring 2020
- Sky – Summer 2020
- Sky Racket – Today
- Superliminal – Summer 2020
- Wingspan – Spring 2020
- Dicey Dungeons – 2020
- Bounty Battle – Summer 2020
- Moving Out – April 28th, 2020
- Exit The Gungeon – Today (timed console exclusive)
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