Silksong
Image: Nintendo Life / Team Cherry

It's Indie World time! Yes, Nintendo has announced that on Wednesday 17th April we're getting 20-ish minutes' worth of indie game announcement goodness, following on from the February 2024 Nintendo Direct and the Pokémon Presents in the same month.

And what's a Direct without some Direct predictions, eh? Okay, it's not strictly speaking a Direct, but hey, it's a Nintendo presentation that showcases a bunch of upcoming games, and with so many excellent-looking indies lacking in the release dates department, there's plenty to be excited about if you're a Switch owner looking at Nintendo's 2024 slate at the moment and feeling a little sour.

So, let's see what Nintendo Life staff are wishin' and hopin' to see in the upcoming Indie World Showcase — and let us know what you're eager to hear about in the comments at the bottom.

Nintendo Indie World Showcase Predictions

Alana Hagues, deputy editor

Demonschool
Image: Ysbryd Games

Let's start with this: no, I'm not saying that game.

Anyway, now that's out of my system, I think Rift of the NecroDancer is going to make an appearance and possibly get a release date. It was at an Indie World this time last year, and we've not had much news since (other than some surprise Crypt of the NecroDancer DLC). Now is the time to drop some sick beats onto the world.

Personally, I'd love to see some Demonschool — I'm loving the old-school horror vibes mixed with Persona and SRPG gameplay. Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure only recently got announced so while I want to see more of it, I'm perhaps not expecting it. And what about Neva, the game from GRIS' developers? That looks stunning.

Ollie Reynolds, staff writer

Loco Motive
Image: Chucklefish

I honestly couldn’t say with any degree of certainty what might be shown during this latest Indie World broadcast, but if I had to guess, I’d say Loco Motive probably has a good shot at cropping up. It looks like development is progressing nicely, and it frankly looks like the perfect kind of game to benefit from Nintendo’s spotlight.

Other than that, I’m really not sure. I know that Little Kitty, Big City recently went gold, so I would imagine that one is likely a safe bet. It’s been cooking for a long time now, but we were pleasantly surprised during our hands-on session last year. If it’s getting a release date soon, then I’d bet money (not much, mind) on this being announced during the showcase.

Jim Norman, staff writer

Plucky Squire
Image: Devolver Digital

I don't want to get my hopes up too high but honestly, there are a lot of really exciting indie games that I'd love to see crop up tomorrow (aside from that one). D-Pad Studios dropped the announcement for Vikings on Trampolines a while back and then bounced (sorry) onto Savant, so it'd be great to hear some more on that. Maybe a date for Mina The Hollower too... please?

It has to be about time that we hear of a Plucky Squire release date, right? I feel that one has been on the books (again, sorry) for ages now. Oh, and let's have a stab at Pizza Tower on Switch while we're there — surely those Wario Land vibes couldn't find a better home anywhere else.

Gavin Lane, editor

Metal Slug Tactics
Image: Dotemu

Perhaps Metal Slug Tactics isn't sufficiently 'indie', even though it featured in an Indie World Showcase way back in August 2021, but I'm eager to hear more about that one.

Beyond that (and all the crackers picked above), I'd also like to see some confirmation of Rhythm Heaven-like Bits & Bops coming to Switch. We haven't seen Nintendo's series at all throughout the Switch generation and I'll take anything I can get at this stage.


What are you expecting to see in tomorrow's Indie World Showcase? Let us know down there in the comments.