Nintendo’s final event of 2019 was an Indie World presentation that was filled with announcements for new games, ports of older titles, and shadow drops for games that are coming out today. The last Indie World presentation held by Nintendo announced the port of Ori and the Blind Forest for the Nintendo Switch, so the company had a lot to live up to with its latest event.

The Nintendo Wii U was notorious for its lack of third-party games and indie titles, which led to long dry spells in its schedule. Nintendo has worked hard to ensure that the Nintendo Switch doesn’t suffer from the same fate and indie developers have flocked to the system over the past few years. Nintendo’s support of indie titles is such that they now hold special presentations for their “Nindies”, with lengthy broadcasts filled with announcements for new games in the periods between Directs.

2019 has had some incredible conferences from Nintendo, with the Nintendo Spring Showcase revealing games like Cadence of Hyrule and the Switch port of Cuphead. Nintendo held an Indie World presentation today that had some surprising new announcements, including the return of a game that was released on the original Xbox, the sequel to a beloved Nintendo Switch game, and a skating game filled with birds.

  • Sports Story - One of the biggest announcements made during Indie World is that Golf Story will be receiving a sequel on Nintendo Switch. Sports Story is a game where the player must use their golf, tennis, volleyball, soccer, and baseball skills to overcome obstacles, explore dungeons and sneak into armed facilities. Sports Story is due to be released mid-2020. Streets of Rage 4 - This game has already been announced for the Nintendo Switch, but the latest trailer revealed that Adam Hunter will be returning as a playable character for the first time since the original Streets of Rage. Streets of Rage 4 will be released in the first half of 2020. Gleamlight - It’s obvious that this game has taken a lot of cues from Hollow Knight, with a similarly gorgeous 2D world. Gleamlight puts the player in control of a sword in a stained-glass world, as they explore a story that has no dialogue or even any UI to distract the player. Gleamlight will be available in early 2020. Bake N’ Switch - This is a couch co-op game where up to four players team up to capture living dough creatures and bake them into bread. Bake N’ Switch will be available in summer 2020. Supermash - The game that makes other games. Supermash lets the player choose different genres and combine them into new games, which they can share with their friends. Supermash will be available in May 2020. The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition - The critically acclaimed first-person puzzle game that puts the player in the shoes of an android that has to explore its environment is coming to Nintendo Switch today. Sail Forth - The player has the chance to sail the procedurally generated seas in this game, where they can battle against the terrors that dwell above and below the waves. Sail Forth will be released in 2020. Dauntless - The free-to-play action RPG is finally coming to Nintendo Switch today. Dauntless managed to surpass six million players on the other systems in under a week and it will be interesting to see how well it fares on Nintendo Switch, especially as it’s a system that lacks competition from Monster Hunter World. The Nintendo Switch version also has cross-play and cross-save functionality, so players can pick up where they left off on other systems. Murder By Numbers - Columbo never solved a murder mystery with the aid of Picross, but that’s what the player will need to do in Murder by Numbers, as an actress on a TV show in the ’90s must use a robot to discover the truth behind a death on the set. Murder by Numbers is a timed exclusive for Nintendo Switch and will be released early 2020. Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD - One of the most surprising announcements made during the Indie World presentation was Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD was coming to Nintendo Switch. Set in the Oddworld series, Stranger’s Wrath HD is an action-adventure game where the player has to hunt down enemies and try to bring them in alive for their bounty. Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD will be released in January 2020. SkateBIRD - There are rumors of the first two Tony Hawks Pro Skater games being remade, but they likely won’t include birds as playable characters. SkateBIRD is a skating game that stars birds and it will be released in late 2020. Liberated - This game styles itself as a living dystopian graphic novel and it meshes different gameplay styles together to tell its story. Liberated is coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2020. Boyfriend Dungeon - The people who want to transform their +5 swords into hot anime boys are getting a game tailored to them, as Boyfriend Dungeon is an isometric dungeon crawler where the magic items can transform into husband material. Boyfriend Dungeon will be released in 2020. Dreamscaper - The worlds of reality and dreams collide in this action RPG that blends elements from other genres into its ever-changing dungeons. The actions that the player takes in the real world can influence those in the dream realm, which they can also shape with their own supernatural abilities. Dreamscaper is a timed exclusive for the Nintendo Switch and will be released in early 2020. The Survivalists - The Escapists is receiving a spin-off set on a deserted island, where the player can train monkeys to help them forage and create buildings in order to survive. Up to four players can work together to try and survive the harsh environment of the island and explore the dangerous temples that are scattered around the land. The Survivalists will be available in 2020. Axiom Verge 2 - The critically acclaimed Metroidvania is receiving a sequel. Not much information was revealed about Axiom Verge 2, except that it’s coming fall 2020.

Out of the many indie titles announced, some of the standouts include Murder By Numbers and Dauntless, the latter of which has already seen success of multiple different platforms. There’s definitely no consistent genre theme, either, with the Switch continuing to offer a diverse number of indie titles.

The Nintendo Switch’s 2020 library is currently looking bare outside of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as Nintendo has yet to reveal its hand in regards to next year’s schedule. At the very least, the Nintendo Switch will have some awesome indie titles throughout 2020.

Next: Dauntless Review: Low Stakes Monster Hunting

Source: Nintendo/YouTube