Nintendo Indie World showcases upcoming indie games coming to Nintendo Switch

Image+provided+by+Nintendo

Image provided by Nintendo

By Ali Wire

Nintendo held its Indie World Showcase stream to preview upcoming independent games for the Nintendo Switch in mid-April. The stream was on Youtube and amped up fans for what’s to come in indie games for this year. Viewers heard from game developers themselves, and got to take a deeper look into the gameplay features.

Indie games are usually known for somewhat simplistic gameplay, with lots of focus on storylines and artwork.

The following games are just a few of many different titles that are coming to the Nintendo Switch eShop in 2021.

Image of Road 96 provided by
Image of Road 96 provided by Digixart Entertainment

Road 96

Road 96 is a single-player action adventure game taking place in an authoritarian nation known as Petria during the summer of 1996. The gameplay is out on the open road, embarking on a dangerous journey to the border of Petria. During this road trip, different characters, stories and secrets are discovered.

The game is driven by player decisions; meaning they decide what the character says, thinks and does. However, players should be warned that certain actions will have consequences, and whether those are good or bad is up to them. There are thousands of routes to go down, so each player has the opportunity to have a unique experience in their gameplay.

Road 96 is by Digixarts Entertainment, a French development company. The game has many iconic filmmaker influences; ranging from Quentin Tarantino to Bong Joon-ho. This can definitely be noted in their use of color, and story-telling depth. Road 96 will be available on the Switch in the summer of 2021.

Image of Aerial_Knight's Never Yield provided by Headup Games
Image of Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield provided by Headup Games

Never Yield

 

Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield is a 3D scroller game that takes the player on a non-stop parkour adventure through a futuristic Tokyo-style Detroit. Protagonist Wally discovers information about his city that will help him save the world.

The art design in the game almost resembles a comic book with its bold, neon colors and the use of panels to direct players through the story. While the idea of a runner game isn’t unfamiliar to most gaming audiences, the familiarity of the game, mixed with the innovative creativity of the world discovered, makes Aerial_Kight’s Never Yield feel perfectly balanced.

Never Yield comes from Detroit based developer Aerial_Knights, and is referred to by the developer as a passion project. The unique soundtrack is created by Detroit artist Danime-Sana, and uses vocal artists from all across the world.

The game will be released on May 19, 2021, and a demo is currently available in the Nintendo Switch eShop.

image provided by Nintendo
image provided by Nintendo

Last Stop

 

Last Stop is a single-player third-person game that offers complexity and adventure in its three entangled stories. The game follows the stories of three different characters; Donna, John and Meena, who all live in present day London. As events unfold, the trio’s worlds collide and intertwine as they all face the same supernatural crisis.

The game not only allows the player to roleplay as these different personalities, but it also puts power into the players decisions, as their choices help shape and create conversations.

Last Stop is fully voice-acted by English voice actors, and features an entirely original soundtrack from award-winning Composer Lyndon Holland, and performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The dramatic music helps build up the suspense and intrigue of this complex game.

The full list of independent games showcased on the stream can be found here. Most of the games are set to release within the upcoming year, but a few are available to download demo versions in the Nintendo eShop now.