2021 seems to be shaping up as a great year for gaming. Halo: Infinite, Resident Evil: Village, and New Pokemon Snap are all set to release this year. But beyond that, it seems like the future seems bright for indie titles as well. Nintendo had its Indie World Showcase, where they gave a spotlight to upcoming indie games, and they all looked fun and incredible.
All of these games are available on other consoles, but there’s something charming about playing an indie game on your Switch. Here are our picks for the 5 best Nintendo Switch indie games coming soon.
5 Best Nintendo Switch Indie Games Coming Soon
- Last Stop
- OlliOlli World
- The Longing
- TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
- Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals
1. Last Stop
Describing itself as a “single-player, third-person narrative adventure game” on its official website, Last Stop looks like it’ll hook you in for a ride from the very beginning. The website goes on to say that the story centers around three characters who connect with each other during a “supernatural crisis”.
Although there's not much more we know about the story, it seems gripping from what they’ve told us so far.
Last Stop is being developed by Variable State and published by Annapurna Interactive. Variable State has developed one game in the past, Virginia. A game that tells the story of a new FBI Agent that’s trying to solve the disappearance of a boy.
It’s safe to say that Virginia was a success, nabbing 2 nominations at the 13th British Academy Games Awards, in the British and Debut Game categories. It would go on to win an award in the Music category. We’re excited to see what Variable State has in store for us in Last Stop, and we won’t have to wait much longer as it releases in July.
2. OlliOlli World
Last year saw the release of the remastered Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2 games, and it seems that 2021 will also have a great skating title. But unlike Tony Hawk, this Nintendo Switch indie game is an action-platformer.
OlliOlli World takes place in Radland where you can skate your heart out. Combining unique characters, with a beautifully visual environment, and fun gameplay, OlliOlli World seems like a good time from beginning to end.
Developed by Roll7, they have a number of games under their belt, including two previous OlliOlli games. OlliOlli World releases in winter of this year, so it might be awhile before we can explore Radland but we’re sure the wait will be worth it.
3. The Longing
The only game on this list that’s already available, we had to make an exception for The Longing. A point and click game, The Longing follows a servant named Shade as he awaits for his king to wake up from his slumber, a slumber that will last 400 days.
It sounds like a pretty cool game right? The curveball is that the 400 day countdown is in real-time. When your king falls asleep, the countdown begins.
The countdown can be sped up by doing certain tasks, such as reading. And you don’t even have to play for 400 days, you can play it once and come back next year to catch the ending. But there are things you can do in the game to stay entertained, Christopher Byrd of The Washington Post described his experience with the game during his review.
He states that you can go exploring, although Shade takes a long time to do that. You also have to wait for events to happen in real time. According to Byrd, waiting for events could take “two hours, a week, or a month…”. You can experience this game for yourself on PC, or on the Nintendo Switch.
4. TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
An ode to games of the past, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is an arcade beat ‘em up game featuring everyone’s favorite mutated turtles. This isn’t the franchise’s first game by a long shot, so TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge knows it has a giant legacy to live up to. But seeing how it’s developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotamu, we think the game is in good hands.
You might recognize the Dotamu name, as they published another beat ‘em up game just last year, Streets of Rage 4. The game was a ton of fun, and we can expect the same from Shredder’s Revenge. Featuring bright, colorful pixel art, this arcade game seems like a good, nostalgic time.
We don’t know the exact release date yet, but we do know that this is one of the most anticipated Nintendo Switch indie games coming soon.
5. Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals
There are plenty of great Nintendo Switch indie games coming out that we’re excited for, but this one has us beyond hyped. Oxenfree is an adventure franchise that takes place on an island where things seem normal, but secrets and mystery are lying underneath the surface waiting to be discovered.
The first game told the story of Alex and her friends who visit this island for a good time, only to get more than what they bargained for. According to the official website, this new game will follow a character named Riley who is trying to learn more about strange radio signals.
Developer and publisher, Night School Studio has made a name for itself based on their adventure games. The first Oxenfree earned a nomination at the 2016 Game Awards for Best Narrative.
Their next game, Afterparty, would go on to receive an 8.5/10 from IGN and a 7/10 from GameSpot. Based on how great the first game was, and Night School Studio’s short, but good track record, we can’t wait for this one to come out.
These are some of the best Nintendo Switch indie games that are set to release this year, and we’re counting down the days until they do. But there are other Nintendo Switch indie games that were showcased in Indie World that also deserve your attention. This year is going to be a good year for gaming.