Today brought us the asobu Indie Showcase, which serves as a rather enjoyable build-up to BitSummit, the Kyoto-based expo and online event. It was an excellent video showcasing 60+ games, 20 of which were BitSummit selections, and pleasingly a good number of them were Switch projects.
In this article we've focused on new or less-known games that were showcased; though it is a Japan-centric show, the English-language support points to the broader goal of enabling more of these developers and their games to be shared globally. For each game we've shared some brief details and some relevant footage; we reckon there are some rather exciting titles in the mix.
Without further ado here are 12 games that are on the way to Nintendo Switch.
BEAT! TALK! - Fall 2021
Potentially the most niche and Japan-specific game in the showcase, this is a rhythm game designed to help those learning English to master the tempo of speaking the language. Perhaps this one won't release globally, but it was an intriguing project to see in the showcase.
NeverAwake - June 2022
A shoot 'em up in which a girl battles her nightmares; the visual style blends a 3D game character with artistic hand-drawn enemies and backdrops.
OU - 2021
This is a game that aims to 'challenge the player's preconceptions of what an adventure game can be', as it tells the tale of a child exploring a mysterious and ever-changing world; the visuals are certainly eye-catching, and with various languages supported on the Steam page we're hopeful of seeing this on Switch globally.
Slumhack - 2021
A game touching on recent global events, you play as a girl stuck at home trying to hack her way into various establishments and locations. It'll combine 2D platforming with puzzles to tell its story.
METALLIC CHILD
This is a particularly stylish 'rogue-lite' action game, blending hack-and-slash with beat-em-up mechanics from a top-down perspective. It promises an interesting story alongside the action, and some of the showcased stages and boss fights look like a lot of fun - definitely one to watch.
Chikaro
An undeniably atmospheric 2D exploration puzzle game, it clearly has a big focus on immersing us into the world and unravelling mysteries, with 'out of body' mechanics set to be a key part of the experience.
Crystal Story: Dawn of Dusk - 2021
A follow-up to an itch.io release, this is a debut professional project from Bred Frown Games, an action RPG with a strong 16-bit influence.
Grand Exile
This is an 'action RPG' that aims to blend beat 'em up gameplay with elements of precise fighting games; it'll be interesting to see how development progresses.
Raging Blasters
This shoot 'em up is already available on the Japanese Switch eShop, offering its fast-paced take on the '90s era; here's hoping it makes its way to Nintendo's hybrid system in the West.
Fading Afternoon - September on Steam
Developer yeo is well known for his previous releases, The friends of Ringo Ishikawa and Arrest of a Stone Buddha, which are often praised for their approaches to storytelling. This latest title puts you in the role of a middle-aged yakuza recently out of prison; it'll have beat 'em up action, a city to explore, minigames to discover and multiple endings.
UnMetal - 1st October
From the developer of UnEpic, this is a '2D stealth action-adventure' that pays homage to and satirises some genre classics, with the older Metal Gear titles clearly a heavy inspiration. It looks like it could be very entertaining.
Demolition Robots K.K. - 2021
This is a game where the goal is simply to destroy cities and objects as efficiently as possible - hey, smashing stuff can be enjoyable!
Those are the main titles that were freshly confirmed or showcased for Switch; let us know which ones stand out to you in the comments!
Comments 19
Grand Exile looks like it does a better job of what Indivisible wanted to do. Very intriguing!
Demolition Robots seems to have some Blast Corps vibes.
In the Fading Afternoon
Sun sets as shadows lengthen
Waiting for the Switch release
Liking the look of Never Awake, Cup Head + Cotton?
Grand Exile is the only one here that catches my eye. The gameplay looks nice and varied, even if the animation seems a little slow. Great character designs too.
I'm interested in UnMetal and Crystal Story. Let's see!
@Magician why do I feel like you’re gonna CTRL + F “Metroidvania” in this article lol
@ChromaticDracula I'm alright. I just loathe the thought of any developer potentially wasting their time on a tired genre; one that Hollow Knight has practically perfected.
UnMetal is gonna be a day one for me, but I also really liked the old metal gear games..
Grand Exile seems interesting too.
Metallic Child looks like it might be a good time...Grand Exile...seems to have a good plot.
@Primarina No, you're not alone. https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/nintendo-switch/metallic_child
I see Solid Snake finally returns in UnMetal!
I'm kidding of course, but man, they really are leaning in hard on that parody.
If there’s one country that could bring indie games to another level, it’s Japan. I am speaking in general terms, not specifically about the games shown here. But take the shumup “Raging Blasters” for example, they get the music so damn right, it’s fascinating.
Grand Exlie and Metallic Child look like ones that I could enjoy but I'll obviously need reviews.
There may be more to others that the trailer can convey hence reviews will be required for those too I guess.
Ou looks like it could be something special. So does Grand Exile.
Grand Exile has my attention even though main character Atessa looks ridiculous. Love rpgs with beat em up mechanics.
OU looks like the type of game that reminds me of why I am still a gamer.
@somnambulance The two games that stood out the most to me, too!
Quite a few of those look promising, but I had to stop the video of Demolition Robots after 9 seconds because those first 9 seconds looked abysmal.
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