Here's everything that appeared during Nintendo's latest Indie World showcase
Omori! River City Girls 2! Sea of Stars! More!
If you're a fan of Switch and indie games (which I assume you are, unless you got lost browsing the site) but found yourself otherwise indisposed during Nintendo's latest Indie World showcase, you missed a typically packed event. This time around, we got a look at The Messenger developer's gorgeous retro-inspired RPG Sea of Stars, a first glimpse of WayForward's beat-'em-up sequel River City Girls 2, tearjerking fox adventure in Endling: Extinction is Forever, a release date for the striking, skateboarding OlliOlli World, and plenty more. Those wanting a convenient catch-up will find everything shown below.
Sea of Stars
Right out the gate, there was much excitement with the first proper look at The Messenger developer Sabotage Studio's Sea of Stars, which was announced back in March last year. It's a striking retro-inspired RPG, with modernised elements, telling the story of two Children of the Solstice - able to combine the powers of the sun and moon into eclipse magic - as they battle the monstrous creations of evil alchemist The Fleshmancer.
It's already looking lovely - and it should sound just as sumptuous too, given it features music from Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda - but there's still a bit of a wait as it's not due to launch on Switch until winter 2022.
Aliisha - The Oblivion of Twin Goddesses
Next up is developer Underscore's Aliisha - The Oblivion of Twin Goddesses, a puzzle game with a strong local co-op focus that see two sisters attempting to navigate a deserted temple. Although Aliisha's challenges can be tackled solo, two players can take charge of one sister apiece, each utilising a substantially different control scheme - one deploying motion or JoyCon controls and the other using the touchscreen. This one is coming in spring next year.
Loco Motive
Fans of classic point-and-click adventures have something new to keep an eye on in the form of Loco Motive, a comedic murder mystery set aboard the Royce Express. Players take control of three separate characters - lawyer Arthur Ackerman, wannabe detective Herman Merman, and secret agent Diana Osterhagen - who are all, rather inconveniently, also the suspects, meaning they'll need to do some not-so-serious sleuthing in order to clear their name. Expect puzzles, japes, and a fully voiced script when Loco Motive arrives in summer 2022.
Afterlove EP
Afterlove EP is the latest game from Mohammad Fahmi, the designer behind the acclaimed Coffee Talk, and is described as a story of music, loss, and lyricism. Unfolding in modern day Jakarta, it tells the tale of a young musician, Rama, coming to terms with the death of his girlfriend. Developer Pikselnesia calls Afterlove EP a "unique mix of dating sim, rhythm game and narrative adventure", and players will be able to experience its delicate charms when it launches next summer.
Dungeon Munchies
Dungeon Munchies is certainly an odd one, serving up a slice of 2D side-scrolling action-platforming that casts players as a freshly deceased adventurer who wakes in a vast underground facility, suspiciously undead. There's combat, exploration, and a peculiar culinary twist, courtesy of your companion, the Necro-Chef Simmer. The gist is that players can hunt down the monsters they encounter then cook and eat them, gaining new abilities in the process. Dungeon Munchies is out today on Switch's eShop.
Figment 2: Creed Valley
Figment 2: Creed Valley is, believe it or not, the sequel to 2017's well-received Figment. Like its forebear, Figment 2 has a distinctly musical edge, breaking out in song with every eye- (and presumably ear-) catching boss fights as players explore a nightmare-ravaged world inside a human mind. There's puzzling, exploration - set between two switchable world states, Open-minded and Closed-minded - plus a two-player local co-op mode. Figment 2: Creed Valley launches next February and there's a free demo available on eShop from today.
Let's Play! Oink Games
Board game fans might already be familiar with Japanese publisher Oink Games' acclaimed series of dinky tabletop creations, and its new Let's Play offering bundles together four of its most well-known - Deep Sea Adventure, Startups, A Fake Artists Goes to New York, and Moon Adventure - with more to be added in the future. Online and local multiplayer is supported and it's out today on Switch as a timed console exclusive for £17.99.
Endling: Extinction is Forever
Endling: Extinction is Forever, from developer Herobeat Studios, looks like a bit of a tearjerker, casting players as the last mother fox in a world ravaged by humanity. The goal is to traverse the desolate landscape in search of safety with your three young cubs in tow, with players needing to hunt animals on their journey, and teach the cubs new skills in order to make them less vulnerable to predators - with the decisions made along the way influencing which cubs make it through to the end. Expect this one to arrive in spring 2022.
OlliOlli World
OlliOlli World - the ambitious new entry in developer Roll7's acclaimed skateboarding series - got a fresh airing during Nintendo's latest Indie World showcase - with a new gameplay trailer highlighting its skateboard-infused action-platforming, which this time unfolds in the decidedly weird world of Radlandia, a kingdom forged by the skateboard gods. It continues to look wonderful, but the most important news is that OlliOlli World now has a release date and will be coming to Switch on 8th February next year.
River City Girls 2
Developer WayForward's retro-style beat-'em-up sequel River City Girls 2, announced back in June, also resurfaced during Nintendo's showcase, offering up a debut trailer focusing on the four additional playable characters joining Kyoko and Misako for this newest adventure. New moves, enemies, areas, items, and branching paths are promised, and there's also co-op play - both local and online - for two players. River City Girls 2 is set to arrive next summer.
And with all those out the way, Nintendo took a moment to slip in the by-now-traditional montage, showcasing a number of other titles coming to Switch over the next year. There's Washbear Studio's wonderful prehistoric park management sim Parkasaurus and co-op survival in Don't Starve Together, both coming in the spring, plus adorable adventure Chicory: A Colorful Tale, out today on Switch.
Baby storm arrives on 21st January, surreal action-adventure RPG Grime is due next summer, and Gerda: A Flame in Winter - a story-driven adventure set in World War 2 - arrives some time in 2022. Striking stealth puzzle adventure Timelie is out now (and there's a demo available too), and Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery - a "vivid, interactive fiction about an aspiring artist on the cusp of finishing the final piece of her gallery submission" - is out in spring.
Omori
And finally there's the acclaimed Omori, a strange, unnerving turn-based RPG that Eurogamer previously described as "part childhood fantasy and part waking nightmare". It's a game that tackles some difficult subjects - depression, anxiety, and suicide - but one that received a substantial amount of praise on its initial release last year. It comes to Switch in spring 2022.
