As previously announced, Nintendo today held its Nindies Showcase presentation for the spring of 2019, and the show was loaded with announcements. Some titles will be familiar to gamers, but others might be completely new. The presentation featured the surprising announcement that Cuphead will come to the hybrid, but there's a lot more to unpack.
One of the biggest announcements at the presentation was Cadence of Hyrule. The title is being developed by the creators of Crypt of the Necrodancer, another indie title, but Nintendo apparently felt comfortable enough lending its characters to a new title. Cadence of Hyrule is heavily inspired by 2D Zelda titles, and it features the two most popular characters from the franchise, Link and Zelda. It's an action-adventure game, much like Zelda games themselves, and it'll be available this spring for Nintendo's hybrid.
As usual, Nintendo announced a couple of titles that are available starting today. One is Vlambeer's Nuclear Throne, and it's a retro-style 2D shooter and RPG. It's been available on other platforms since 2015, but it's now available on the Nintendo Switch for $12.99. You can check out the trailer here.
The other title coming today is the sequel to Inti Creates' Blaster Master Zero, which was itself exclusive to Nintendo hardware. The oddly-named Blaster Master Zero 2 is available today from $9.99, and it gives the Sofia tank and its driver new powers to help them make their way through the many worlds in the game. It features a bigger universe than its prequel, with many planets to explore and items and power-ups to collect.
Other big announcements today include The Red Lantern, a Switch-exclusive title arriving this year. You play as a character trying to leave her mark on the world by finishing the Iditarod race in the Alaskan snowlands. Using a sled pulled by five dogs, players have to navigate the treacherous mountains while keeping themselves and the dogs safe and sound.
And, if you're a fan of the Netflix show Stranger Things, you may be interested in knowing that Strangers Things 3: The Game is arriving at the same time as the third season of the show, on July 4. The retro-style adventure game lets you play through the events of season three of the popular Netflix series, either alone or with a friend.
Aside from that, Nintendo announced a fairly long list of titles, so we'll try to keep things simple. Here's a rundown of the titles showcased today:
- Overland (trailer) is a squad-based survival title that has you navigate through a dark version of the United States overrun by monstrous creatures. You'll have to choose between helping strangers, saving your friends, and fighting monsters, with the world getting weirder as you move towards the west coast. The game will be available this fall, and it's also coming to Steam.
- Devolver Digital's previously-announced My Friend Pedro (trailer) is coming to the Nintendo Switch in June as a console exclusive, though it'll also be on Steam. It's a twin-stick shooter where you play as a character controlled by a sentient banana called Pedro.
- Neo Cab (trailer) is a game where you play as the last human taxi driver in a city full of humanoid robots, trying to find a lost friend who's wanted by an all-seeing corporation. Maintaining a good reputation as a driver is essential, too. The game is also available on Steam.
- Darkwood (trailer) is a procedurally-generated horror game set in an eery forest crawling with monsters, and you'll have to find resources, craft items, and fortify your hideout during the day, so that you can try to survive the night. The game is also available on Steam with very positive ratings, and it's coming to the Switch in May.
- Katana ZERO (trailer) is an action platformer where you're on a mission to kill every enemy in sight, with abilities such as seeing the future and time manipulation. While it may seem overly easy based on that description, a single hit from an enemy attack will make you lose, so you'll need to be careful. It's landing on the Switch and Steam at the same time on April 18, and it's now available for pre-order.
- RAD (trailer), from Double Fine Productions, is an action adventure game where you control a character in a radioactive world which allows you to mutate into a variety of creatures, even laying eggs that can turn into allies. The game is being published by Bandai Namco and it's coming to all major platforms this summer, and Steam users can sign up for a limited beta.
- Creature in the Well (trailer), a top-down action adventure game with mechanics inspired by Pinball, is also coming this summer to both the Switch and PCs through Steam. The player has to venture into an ancient facility to re-awaken a power source that can save the world from a deadly sandstorm.
- Bloodroots (trailer) is another top-down action adventure game where you play as a Mr. Wolf to kill and destroy everything in your path. You can tear down parts of the environment and use the, to your advantage when plowing through levels. It's coming to the Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam in the summer.
- Pine (trailer) is an open-world third-person action adventure game where you can navigate freely and shape the world with your choices. The game has a heavy focus on AI, meaning that it will learn from everything you do. Throughout the world there are five factions of creatures fighting to rule the land, and you'll need to craft and sell items to make a living. The game is coming to Switch and Steam in August.
- Vlambeer has a couple more games in addition to Nuclear Throne, mentioned above. Super Crate Box (trailer) is an endless shooter that has the player deafeating hordes of enemies in retro-style 2D levels. The game isn't new but the Switch version will include an exclusive multi-player mode up to four players when it launches next month.
- Additionally, Vlambeer is lanching Vlambeer Arcade, a collection of "bite-sized" games which will grow over time. The collection will start later this year with the release of ULTRABUGS, a title where you basically shoot at enemies until they die. There are also boss fights.
- SwimSanity! (trailer) is an underwater shooter with co-op and versus multiplayer modes, both online and locally, and a ton of content. There are over 150 challenges across eight game modes. With five versus modes, five worlds to explore in adventure mode, and more, there's a lot to this title. It also features its own voice chat system so you don't have to deal with Nintendo Switch Online. It will be available on all major platforms this summer.
Outside of the presentation, it was also announced that Mutant Year Zero, initially launched last year, is also coming to the Switch this summer. Additionally, the game will also have a Deluxe edition on all platforms, which will include an expansion DLC set to be released on the same date.
In addition to all the titles announced today, Nintendo is celebrating indie developers with a sale on a wide range of indie games, including Firewatch and Yoku's Island Express. The sale will go live later today, so you'll want to keep an eye on the Nintendo eShop to see if anything interests you. If you'd like, you can watch the full 25-minute presentation here.
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