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Following their Direct that aired earlier this month, Nintendo is back to announce more games, and this time, it's solely about the indies. The Nindies Spring 2018 showcase will be airing today at 11 am CT/4 pm GMT, and will be showing off the indie titles that will be coming to the Nintendo Switch soon. Perhaps we'll see more about Stardew Valley's multiplayer, or a concrete release date for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. What are your expectations for this indie event? Be sure to stay tuned, as the event will be covered as it broadcasts.

Now Live

Mark of the Ninja: Remastered for this fall
Fantasy Strike, a simple fighting game, with local or online multiplayer, summer 2018
Musical bullet-hell game, local or online coop, Just Shapes and Beats, summer 2018, launches first on Switch
Tiny Build's Garage, top down horror game, spring 2018, launches first on Switch
Adult Swim Games' Pool Panic, exclusive for Switch, 2018
Bomb Chicken, launches first for Switch this summer
Lumines: Remastered, spring 2018
Reigns, exclusive for Switch
Light Fall is coming to the Switch, a hardcore 2D platforming adventure, first on Switch this spring
West of Loathing, wild west stick figure RPG, spring 2018, console exclusive for Switch
Pudea, spring 2018
The Messenger, a game that can switch between 8 and 16 bit, plays like Ninja Gaiden, Summer 2018
Bad North, first on Switch this summer, strategy game with permadeath
Banner Saga 3 comes to Switch, summer 2018, Banner Saga 1 and 2 will come later in the year

That's it

EDIT: Hyper Light Drifter was announced 2 hours after the stream. Nidhogg 2 as well.

• Mark of the Ninja Remastered from Klei Entertainment: Originally released in 2012, this high-definition remaster of the critically acclaimed stealth action game is coming this fall. The game really makes players feel like a ninja, as they use silence, agility and wits to navigate beautifully designed 2D levels.
• Banner Saga 3 from Versus Evil: As the epic conclusion to the award-winning Banner Saga trilogy of mature, story-driven role-playing games, players will need to brace themselves for tough battles, difficult choices and tragic losses. Banner Saga 3 launches this summer. The original two games, Banner Saga and Banner Saga 2, are also coming to Nintendo Switch. Players’ personal stories, progress and choices from the first two games will carry over to Banner Saga 3.
• LUMINES REMASTERED from Enhance Games: A bombastic harmony of light, sound and intense puzzle action make this HD remake of the original critically acclaimed LUMINES as unforgettable to play alone as it is with a friend in local multiplayer. LUMINES REMASTERED launches on Nintendo Switch in spring.
• Just Shapes and Beats from Berzerk Studio: This “musical bullet hell” game might be a genre all its own! Navigate deadly shapes solo or in local or online co-op multiplayer, all to a soundtrack composed by 20 chiptune artists. Just Shapes and Beats launches as a timed console exclusive on Nintendo Switch this summer.
• Reigns: Kings & Queens from Nerial and Devolver Digital: As a monarch of the modern age, players face a seemingly never-ending series of requests from peasants, allies and enemies. By swiping left or right in the game, players impose their will on the kingdom. The Nintendo Switch version of Reigns: Kings & Queens, which launches this spring, features an exclusive local co-op multiplayer mode.
• The Messenger from Sabotage and Devolver Digital: The Messenger allows players to transform the game from an 8-bit platformer into a gloriously rendered 16-bit time-traveling adventure. Players will find upgrades, new abilities, hidden levels and great speed-running opportunities as they journey through a cursed land. The Messenger launches on Nintendo Switch this summer.
• Fantasy Strike from Sirlin Games: In a world where fantasy meets martial arts, anything can become a weapon. This gorgeous fighting game employs nuanced mechanics with simple combos and easy-to-perform special moves in local or online multiplayer modes. (Additional accessories required for local multiplayer mode; sold separately.) Fantasy Strike is coming to Nintendo Switch this summer.
• Pool Panic from Rekim and Adult Swim Games: More than 100 levels await players in this game, in which everything – from jungles to deserts to cities – is one giant cartoon game of pool. The weird and wild game has the option to play in local multiplayer with up to four players. (Additional accessories required for local multiplayer mode; sold separately.) Pool Paniclaunches first on Nintendo Switch later this year.
• Garage from tinyBuild Games: Inspired by the gloriously gory VHS era of B-movies, Garage is a top-down shooter set in a gritty underworld. Slay hordes of the living dead using a variety of weapons and skills. Garage launches first on Nintendo Switch this spring.
• Light Fall from Bishop Games: This platforming adventure takes players to the forgotten world of Numbra, where they’ll have to master their surroundings by manipulating the Shadow Core, a magical box used to propel them into the air. In Speedrun Mode, players can race their friends or even the fastest players in the world to place on the online leaderboards. Light Fall launches first on Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive this spring.
• Bomb Chicken from Nitrome: Who wouldn’t want to play a good old-fashioned chicken platformer? That’s the question asked by Bomb Chicken, a fast-paced game that combines action, puzzles and arcade gameplay. Lay bombs to escape tricky situations and discover secret areas when Bomb Chicken launches first on Nintendo Switch this summer.
• Pode from Henchman & Goon: Two unlikely travel companions embark on an adventure in this co-op exploration puzzle game. Pode is inspired by Norwegian art and culture, resulting in stunning environments and gameplay. Pode launches this spring.
• West of Loathing from Asymetric: West of Loathing is a slapstick comedy stick-figure Wild West adventure role-playing game. How’s that for a genre? The hilarious game, full of puzzles, quests and turn-based combat, launches on Nintendo Switch as a console exclusive this spring.
• Bad North from Plausible Concept and Raw Fury: Arm troops, shore up defenses and protect citizens in this rogue-lite real-time strategy game. The Viking-themed Bad North launches first on Nintendo Switch this summer.

 

[Jonna]

Indies are just games like all others. Those who write off games because of some blanket term like "Indie" really don't know what they're talking about.

This is especially true when I can think of more indie games that are positively memorable and fun than non-indie games just this year so far.

 

[m_babble]

I'm down for West of Loathing and Nidhogg 2! More weird games!

 

[Pandaxclone2]

Wait, hold up. Reigns isn't exclusive to Switch though?

Regardless, might be worth getting for the second title.

 

[Xzi]

Not sure why it wasn't included in the direct, but it looks like Hyper Light Drifter it was announced anyway for switch a couple hours ago.

https://twitter.com/HeartMachineZ/status/976177496574996480
https://twitter.com/HeartMachineZ/status/976182921957588992

Oh fuck yes, definitely the biggest news of the day for Switch.

 

[Captain_N]

True. But I forced to see tons of low-quality indie trash in the store, before find any decent game.

Yeah if they would actually make some true SNES/NES games id buy more of them. Instead there is this weird art form. They think they need the weird ass art form.

 

[Xzi]

Yeah if they would actually make some true SNES/NES games id buy more of them. Instead there is this weird art form. They think they need the weird ass art form.

I have no clue wtf you're talking about. Several indie games are styled like SNES/NES games, the only difference is that they're higher resolution. To get that exact look back you usually need a CRT filter or something similar.

 

[geodeath]

Nindies? Ningarbage more likely. Indies littered Steam, now it's time for consoles.

Could not agree more. Any new content anyone, other than ports and indies?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I just want to remind people that two of the largest games in history where indies. Minecraft and Tetris.

Yeah but that was back in the day when *all* you got was almost an indie. Even big game studios acted/worked more like indies do now. When we refer to indies in general today, we mean 99% shovelware titles built with ready made assets that should go straight to trash. There is obviously the odd one out that is great, but it is the exception, where great games done by 1 or 2 or a few people in the 80s were the opposite, as the technology did not need 100s of staff.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Indies are just games like all others. Those who write off games because of some blanket term like "Indie" really don't know what they're talking about.

Who said they are not games? It is just that they became almost 99% shovelware so that's what people treat them like. It is the quality/quantity factor we are talking about not that they need to be huge productions. Could care less about production size as long as the game is solid.

 

[Taleweaver]

Erm...I hate to be that guy, but there aren't exclusives on the list. Reigns is playable on at least android and steam, and pool party also comes to PC.

Not that I mind in the slightest: the games I know are (or at least seem) pretty solid. Heck...I'm even considering picking up a switch at this point.

 

[HaloEliteLegend]

Who said they are not games? It is just that they became almost 99% shovelware so that's what people treat them like. It is the quality/quantity factor we are talking about not that they need to be huge productions. Could care less about production size as long as the game is solid.

The point was not to suggest people think they "aren't games," but that people derive a different connotation from "indie" and automatically think lesser of any game that's marked as "indie." Indie games and AAA games are fundamentally just games. I surmise that the reason people say that indie games are "99% shovelware" is a result of too many games and sensory overload, rather than the actual quality of each individual game being bad. There's more game developers out there than ever releasing a staggeringly large number of games every year. No one person can hope to see it all. Therefore, people create their own gaming bubble of "good" games and automatically consider everything outside it as "bad" (in this case, "shovelware").

My comment was in response to comments like this:

The indie magnet of gaming systems. Nintendo needs to add a filter to hide indie titles. They have over filled the switch like E.T did to a land fill.

It's ignorance on the part of gamers who don't understand how much the market has ballooned (and therefore saturated, for better or for worse). As a shortcut to filter out the enormous wave of new games, people take umbrella terms like "indie" and throw out anything under it. That's why I say that people who write off games because of blanket terms don't know what they're talking about.

 

[doctorfedora]

Been following (and playing a lot of) Fantasy Strike for a long time now (Steam Early Access) and I can't get over how pumped I am to see it officially announced for Switch. I've been playing fighting games since the nineties and, of all things, probably my favorite ever is one that can be played on a single Joy-Con with basically zero compromises to the gameplay. Imagine Smash Bros.-style controls, but without the part where, at even an intermediate level, it becomes insanely high-difficulty execution for everything important.

It's just… man. It's a fun game.

 

[Bladexdsl]

the same shit is happening all over again like with the wii they are focusing on gimmicky shit (labo etc) not releasing any good games (fuck kirby exactly the same as the previous games), getting hardly any 3rd party support (that isn't a fucking indiy) and instead of being overrun by shovelware it's lame indies this time...

havn't turned my switch on since odyssey thank fuck i have Ni no Kuni II to play

 

[Jonna]

the same shit is happening all over again like with the wii they are focusing on gimmicky shit (labo etc) not releasing any good games (fuck kirby), getting hardly any 3rd party support (that isn't a fucking indiy) and instead of being overrun by shovelware it's lame indies this time...

The company is big enough that they can work on more than one project at a time, so Labo isn't their sole focus. Also consider that E3 is coming up close, so game companies keep more items under wraps than usual to accommodate for hype-worthy surprises for that time.
I'm intrigued by why you're against Kirby. Not saying you're wrong, every one is allowed their opinions, I would just like to know why.
As for Indies, I'd like to bring up my argument again that I have found a lot more indie games recently that have been charming, thought provoking, fun and memorable than the products the big companies have been launching. Not all, of course, especially with Nintendo and Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, but great AAA games seems to have converted to being the exception of the majority now contrasted to indies. Plus, I find it more economical to pay much less for games between big releases, rather than pay full price for games that I regret purchasing later because I didn't find them fun.

 

[Kipz]

the same shit is happening all over again like with the wii they are focusing on gimmicky shit (labo etc) not releasing any good games (fuck kirby exactly the same as the previous games), getting hardly any 3rd party support (that isn't a fucking indiy) and instead of being overrun by shovelware it's lame indies this time...

havn't turned my switch on since odyssey thank fuck i have Ni no Kuni II to play

"not releasing any good games"
Smash this year isn't good?

"hardly any 3rd party support"
CRASH BANDICOOT? Multiple AAA Ubisoft titles? 2K games? FIFA??!? You might not like those games, but they're some of the most popular games of this generation, and them coming to switch is a BIG third party move.

 

[aofelix]

Banner Saga would attract me if I didn't have it on Steam.