Everything We Saw At Nintendo’s Latest Switch World Showcase

Claire Jackson

19 April 2023 at 1:30 pm·7-min read

The latest Nintendo Indie World showcase presentation arrived today, April 19. For a solid 20 minutes we were treated to new looks at charming, exciting, hopefully must-play upcoming games for Nintendo’s hybrid console. As you’ll see, Nintendo packed a lot of games into today’s event. Continue scrolling for the lowdown, or if you’d like to watch the showcase yourself, you can do so here.

Mineko’s Night Market

Meowza Games / Nintendo

Mineko’s Night Market looks like a fun adventure with wonderfully cute visuals and a mythological backdrop about a magical cat god who has since disappeared and entered into the status of fairy tale. Perhaps you will unravel the truth as you explore the 2D world and a fantastical night market.

Mineko’s Night Market launches September 26, 2023.

My Time At Sandrock

PM Studios / Nintendo

Looking for your next farming simulator? My Time At Sandrock has you restoring a desert world, inspired by the developer’s visit to the Gobi desert. Here you’ll set out to explore and find essential resources. Another entry in the My Time series, the presentation promises more narrative and expanded gameplay opportunities, shown off with some intricate farm management in a desert community.

My Time At Sandrock arrives in the summer of 2023.

Plate Up

A roguelite management sim, Plate Up has you take on the role of a cute, featureless chef tasked with the endless job of keeping a kitchen running, customers fed, all while planning for the future of your culinary business with various expansion opportunities.

Plate Up hits the eShop in October 2023.

Quilts and Cats of Calico

Monster Couch / Kotaku

The developers of Quilts and Cats of Calico showed off their super-chill board game sim (and adorable cat, Darwin), which adapts the physical version of the game to the digital realm. You get to sew a quilt while petting cats in solo or multiplayer matches. There’s also cat customization, including the ability to give them a hat that is far too adorable.

Quilts and Cats of Calico will be available this fall.

Rift of the Necrodancer

Brace Yourself Games / Nintendo

This spin-off of Crypt of the Necrodancer isn’t just a rhythm game, but also features lane-based combat. Each of the characters features their own story-based minigame with a variety of different rhythmic challenges.

Rift of the Necrodancer arrives in 2023.

Animal Well

Shared Memory / Nintendo

Ya’ll, this looks like a trip. Animal Well is a labyrinth explorer with a bold and elegant visual style. The game promises freedom of exploration, with hidden items and deadly foes—but also some friends.

Animal Well lands on the Nintendo Switch in early 2024.

Crime O’Clock

Just For Games / Nintendo France

Lookin’ to solve some crimes as a cute humanoid rabbit? Crime O’Clock is a map-based crime-solving adventure that sends you traveling through time, with your actions influencing events in different time periods. The concept seems a little mind-bending, but that seems fitting for any game that sends you traveling through time.

Crime O’Clock arrives on June 30, 2023.

Teslagrad 2 and Teslagrad Remastered

Raingames / Gematsu

With physics-based puzzles and electrifying “Teslamancy” powers to deploy in some cool-looking combat scenarios, Teslagrad continues its nordic-inspired adventures with a sequel set in some gorgeous environments. The first game, Teslagrad, is also getting a remaster treatment that juices the graphics and adds new challenges. It will be available with Teslagrad 2 as a bundle, or separately.

Both Teslagrad 2 and Teslagrad Remastered hit the eShop later today, April 19, 2023.

Shadows Over Loathing

Asymmetric / Nintendo

This hand-drawn, stick-figure style mystery-solver is set in the 1920s, and is described as a “slapstick RPG.” You’re tasked with aiding the operations of an antique shop...but things don’t go according to plan. You’ll have to do battle with various threats, including sentient math (I think I do that every day), and other fearsome, eldritch foes.

Shadows Over Loathing is available digitally today, April 19, 2023. A physical release is expected this Fall, 2023.

Blasphemous II

The Game Kitchen / Nintendo

Oh hell yes. Blasphemous, the macabre 2D action platformer is getting a sequel and it looks like what we came to love about the first, with three new weapons and methods of gorgeously eviscerating your foes.

Blasphemous arrives Summer 2023.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals

Night School Studio / Nintendo

Oxenfree’s sequel is set five years after the first game. And it packs some thrilling, earth-shattering supernatural mysteries set in beautiful 2D world. The narrative shifts based on your actions, so don’t expect unraveling the paranormal secrets of the universe to come without consequence.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals launches on July 12 2023.

A Little to the Left: Cupboards and Drawers DLC

Secret Mode / Nintendo

If you long to return to a world where your only responsibility is arranging drawers and shelves, well then A Little to the Left’s new DLC promises to offer even more of that. The expansion adds 25 puzzles with brand new scenarios.

A Little to the Left’s DLC launches as a paid expansion in June, 2023.

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon Puzzler’s Pack DLC

Yacht Club Games / Nintendo

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is getting some new DLC as well, with two new playable characters and even more puzzle challenges. The expansion offers new hats and relics to tweak the challenge even more.

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon Puzzler’s Pack arrives this Spring, 2023, for free.

Cult of the Lamb: Relics of the Old Faith Update

Massive Monster / Nintendo

So you have your little cult and you’re thinking: I need to recruit more members. Well lucky you, because Cult of the Lamb is getting a new update that doesn’t just task you with brainwa—I mean, inviting new folks into your little community, but also gives you some new challenges, a permadath and boss rush mode, and new buildings to put up around your compound.

Cult of the Lamb: Relics of the Old Faith arrives for free on April 24, 2023.

Paper Trail

A person lies on a bed in a colorful swirling environment.

What we saw from Paper Trail was brief, yet still intriguing. With interlocking, water-color-style environments that can move and overlap one another, the mood and color themes sure are alluring.

Little Kitty, Big City

A cat has a piece of bread in its mouth.

Sometimes ya just feel like the little guy in the big city, or at least that’s the vibe Little Kitty, Big City appears to be going for. There wasn’t a whole lot on display from this game, but we can trip people over by walking under their feet and steal their packages, so that’s definitely a win.

Chants of Sennar

A character approaches a mysterious gate with cloaked figures talking.

At first I got major Journey vibes from this quick look at Chants of Sennar, but then we’re in a shop buying shields and swords? This neat-looking game appears to feature various puzzles, with a nice, near-minimalist art style I’m hoping to see more of.

Brotato

How about some shooting? Another one of the brief glimpses of upcoming indie titles Nintendo tossed in at the, Brotato looks like another twin-stick shooter we’d like to see some more of for sure.

Escape Academy: The Complete Edition

A board shows several options with a possible way to escape from a room.

We’re all trying to escape from something, I suppose. So why not have a bit of fun with the theme? Escape Academy launched in 2022 on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles, but the complete addition is expected to arrive on the Switch this fall, 2023.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

Scott Games / Kotaku

Arriving on the Switch later today, April 18, 2023, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach promises more creepy things going on in otherwise innocent locations. Whether it’s flipping through security cam footage, or trying to dodge possessed animatronics, it all seems to feature that same atmosphere we’ve all come to love from this long-running series.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Team Reptile’s Jet Set Radio-like arrives on the Switch on August 18, 2023. The limited showing of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk featured neat tricks on skateboards, BMXs, and rollerblades set in a cyberpunk city.

With so many genres and possibilities on display at this presentation, it’s hard to pick out the standout favorites. One thing’s for sure, we’re all about to very busy on our Switch’s with some cool indie titles. Which ones caught your eye?