Indie World March 2020: Top 10 Reveals

Nintendo has once again aired an Indie World showcase, spotlighting some of the most exciting indie games coming to Switch this year. As the dust settles, we’re here to roundup some of the coolest announcements from the presentation. While there was too much in the showcase to discuss every game in depth, here’s ten of the best reveals from the lineup.

10. Cyanide & Happiness: Freakpocalypse

The dark, cynical, and often surreal Cyanide & Happiness is one of the most popular and long-running webcomics out there, and now it’s entering the game world. Cyanide & Happiness: Freakpocalypse centers on a high school student who just wants to make the world a better place but finds everything stacked against him–teachers hate him, prom dates reject him, and school, as always, sucks. To try and overcome these odds, you’ll solve puzzles and explore a post-apocalyptic version of the Cyanide & Happiness universe. It looks just like a playable version of the comics, so if it keeps up the comics’ signature attitudes and can deliver in the gameplay department, it should be worth keeping track of. Like so many games from this showcase, it will release this summer as a timed Switch console exclusive.

9. Eldest Souls

Eldest Souls is a dark pixel art boss-rush game that tasks you with defeating a gauntlet of fearsome gods. Given the concept, it makes sense that surviving this gauntlet will be no easy task, but the game aims to offset this by offering plenty of weapon customization to create a playstyle that perfectly suits your battling preferences. Hardcore, pixelated action games might be a dime a dozen nowadays, but Eldest Souls looks like it could be something special. It’s certainly very ambitious as it aims to “revitalize” the souls-like genre, and it’ll be interesting to see if it achieves this lofty goal when it releases on Switch this summer.

8. Sky: Children of the Light

This announcement may have been relegated to a sizzle reel at the end of the showcase, but that doesn’t make it any less significant. Published and developed by thatgamecompany, the creators of the iconic Journey, Sky: Children of the Light is a moving “social adventure” about exploring the vast world of the Sky and connecting with other players. The game is beautifully rendered with cel-shaded watercolor visuals, and its open-ended environments should be a delight to explore. After releasing on mobile devices last year, Sky: Children of the Light is finally releasing on Switch this summer.

7. Summer in Mara

Maybe there’s a certain other tropical island game on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a few more. Summer in Mara is a relaxing exploration game about discovering the secrets of the many islands in a wide ocean. There’re plenty to see in these environments including land to farm, locals to befriend, and quests to complete. With over 300 quests and more than 20 islands to discover, there will be a good deal of do on this laid-back adventure. Enveloped in colorful visuals and a charming style, it looks like Summer in Mara should be worth getting lost in when it releases this spring on Switch.

6. Quantum League

Nintendo consoles haven’t always had the broadest libraries of first-person shooters, but when they do get shooters, they tend to lean towards the weirder side. Quantum League fits in with this pattern. This creative FPS is all about creating clones of your past and future selves to help you out on the battlefield–and as complex as that sounds, it should create some extremely unique gameplay scenarios. If developer Nimble Giant Entertainment can pull it off, Quantum League should be a welcome addition to the Switch lineup when it launches late this year.

5. The Good Life

Can life get any better than riding a sheep around the English countryside? Probably not. And that’s a mentality that cult classic developer Swery is bringing to his new debt-paying life simulation game The Good Life. It puts players in control of a journalist who retreats to a secluded British village to escape her crippling debt. There, she’ll interact with a bizarre cast of villagers who tend to turn into dogs and cats during full moons. The Good Life has all the signature weirdness that players have come to expect from Swery, so for those looking for something a little stranger, it should be well worth reporting on this summer.

4. PixelJunk Eden 2

2008’s PixelJunk Eden was a cult classic on the PS3, captivating audiences with its strikingly stylish visuals and audio. Now it’s getting a surprise sequel with PixelJunk Eden 2, with original composer and multimedia artist Baiyan returning to create all-new beats for the game. You’ll discover multiple alien worlds that change as you play, and you’ll come face-to-face with numerous otherworldly entities to create what is described as “a distinct sensory experience.” On top of all that, PixelJunk Eden 2 even offers 2-player local co-op so you can wander through these mystical levels with a friend. This fan-favorite sequel is coming to Switch this summer.

3. Blue Fire

Blue Fire is an ambitious 3D action game set in a dark and expansive world. Players will face massive, imposing foes as they attempt to uncover the secrets of the world of Penumbra. There will be plenty of obstacles throughout the adventure which will ultimately challenge players to master the art of movement to leap across chasms and slash through monstrous opponents. Its mix of fast-paced action and intense 3D platforming certainly looks interesting, and together with its beautiful stylized visuals, it should be an exciting journey when it launches this summer.

2. I Am Dead

You can always count on Annapurna Interactive, the publishers of indie hits like Journey and Kentucky Route Zero, to bring out some daring and creative indies. This holds true with I Am Dead, a quirky puzzle adventure game that puts players in the role of a dead museum curator in a tiny island on the edge of destruction. To save the eclectic island of Shelmerston, players must peek into the lives of island residents to uncover their secrets and piece together the truth behind the island’s ancient mysteries and save the residents. Developed by the creators of Hohokum and Wilmot’s Warehouse, I Am Dead looks like it should be a distinctive, creative, and extremely unique puzzle adventure. It’s releasing this year on Switch as a console exclusive.

1. Exit the Gungeon

Nintendo always ends their showcases with a bang, and this Indie World was no exception–literally. The explosive roguelike hit Enter the Gungeon is getting an all-new sequel, fittingly titled Exit the Gungeon. While the previous game was a top down shooter, the sequel is a chaotic side-scroller that promises to be even more hectic than the original. After first releasing last year on Apple Arcade, this sequel is finally coming to Switch as a console exclusive–and best of all, it’s available now on the eShop. If you want to know what you’re getting into before you buy, you can read our impressions of the PC version here.

Those are just ten of the best reveals from the latest Indie World. For everything the presentation had to offer, you can find the full video below.