Happy Indie World Showcase day! We just saw a Nintendo Indie World Showcase that included over 12 indie games coming to Nintendo Switch in 2023 and 2024, including several brand-new game announcements. Major reveals include the reemergence of a lost Shantae game, Outer Wilds' long-awaited Switch debut, and much more.
If you missed it, here's a quick rundown of everything we just saw at Indie World:
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution
Announced earlier this year, Shantae creator WayForward has reached deep into its vault of canceled titles and brought back something we never thought would see the light of day. Back in 2001, WayForward was working on a GBA Shantae game called Shantae 2: Risky Revolution. The game was never finished, never released. But now, the studio has brought back much of the original development team to complete what's now known as Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, for a 2024 release. It's built on the original game but with a restored/remastered look and a new, four-player local battle mode. It's coming in 2024.
Core Keeper
Core Keeper, a top-down sandbox game set in an underground world, has been in early access on Steam since March of last year. It's now coming to NIntendo Switch with a full release in 2024, including an online multiplayer for up to eight players.
On Your Tail
Newly revealed at Indie World, On Your Tail is a sleuthing game set in the seaside town of Borgo Marina, where anthropromorphic animals are enjoying holidays by the sea. Town exploration, minigames, fishing, and other life sim elements are interspersed with detective work as the main character tries to uncover the mystery behind a strange masked figure appearing in the town. On Your Tail is a timed console exclusive coming to Switch in 2024.
Howl
Howl is a turn-based, tactical folktale set in medieval times when a strange, sound-based plague called the "howl" is ravaging the land. The main character is a deaf prophet trying to save the locals as they search for a cute. Howl is out later today.
The Star Named EOS
The Star Named EOS is a narrative puzzle game where players use photography to explore the world and uncover the truth about the disappearance of the protagonist's mother. It's coming out in the spring of 2024.
Backpack Hero
If you like inventory management, this is the game for you. Backpack Hero is a roguelike about collecting items, organizing a bag, and using your organization skills to fight off enemies more effectively. It previously released in early access on Steam in 2022, and is coming to Switch later today.
Blade Chimera
Newly-announced sidescrolling 2D action game Blade Chimera has you wielding the Lumina Sword, which isn't just a weapon to repel deadly demon attacks. It also can interfere with time itself, such as restoring broken platforms to help you make your way through the city you're tasked with protecting. Blade Chimera is a timed console exclusive coming in spring 2024.
A Highland Song
From the studio behind 80 Days, A Highland Song is a narrative adventure about exploring the highlands of Scotland, where the paths you choose to take will impact how the story plays out. Set to Scottish folk music, A Highland Song intersperses open platforming with rhythm sections. It's coming out on December 5, 2023.
Moonstone Island
Previously released on PC via Steam in September, Moonstone Island is finally coming to console in spring of 2024 as a timed Switch exclusive. Moonstone Island is a creature collection life sim game set in an open world of sky islands. There are over 60 different monster spirits to collect via card-based combat, alongside crafting, farming, befriending villagers, and exploring.
Death Trick: Double Blind
When a circus' star magician goes missing, a pair of unlikely partners must team up and track down what happened to them. Death Trick: Double Blind is a detective game, an investigative visual novel set in a circus with point and click exploration and an emphasis on speaking to suspects and finding contradictions in their stories. It's coming out in 2024.
Outer Wilds: Archaeologist Edition
Developer Mobius has been teasing us on a Nintendo Switch release for Outer Wilds for a long time now, and it's almost here. The Archaeologist Edition for Switch is coming out on December 7, 2023, with a physical version planned for sometime next year. It includes both Outer Wilds, and the Echoes of the Eye expansion.
And more!
Today's Indie World Showcase ended on a montage of other games coming to Switch, including:
- Enjoy the Diner, out today
- Heavenly Bodies, coming February 2024
- The Gecko Gods, coming spring of 2024
- Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist, out today
- Urban Myth Dissolution Center, coming in 2024
- Braid: Anniversary Edition, coming April 30, 2024.
And that's it for Nintendo Indie World. And if this wasn't enough, while you wait for some of these to come out, we've got a list of the best indie games of all time that's full of gems you can play right now.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
