Indie Games Burst Onto Nintendo Switch Promising Adventure, Cozy Vibes, and Curious Cat Mischief
18 April 2024 - 12:30AM
Business Wire
Presentation Highlights Include Little
Kitty, Big City, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate and
3D Action Platformer Europa
During a new Indie World presentation, Nintendo showcased a
vibrant line-up of games from independent publishing and
development partners that will be heading to the Nintendo Switch
family of systems throughout 2024. Among the many highlights, the
video gave gamers a release date for the anticipated game Little
Kitty, Big City, a whimsical adventure that puts players in
control of a curious kitten trying to find its way home. Players
will get the chance to explore the ruins of a fallen utopia and
learn the story of the last human alive in the 3D action-platformer
Europa, launching in 2024, and the iconic heroes in a half
shell return this summer in roguelike brawler Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, tasked with traveling through
time to rescue their kidnapped mentor, Splinter.
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Little Kitty, Big City releases on
Nintendo Switch on May 9. (Graphic: Business Wire)
The showcase also featured a wide-variety of unique game
experiences from the cozy to the cosmic, including the turn-based
tactical shooter SteamWorld Heist II, the latest entry in
Thunderful’s popular SteamWorld franchise, launching Aug. 8; Cat
Quest III, the latest instalment in the adorable action-RPG
series, which invites players to set sail across the Purribean in
search of mythical treasure, launching on Aug. 8; and Yars
Rising, a side-scrolling action-adventure game that continues
of one of the classic Atari’s best-known titles, Yars’ Revenge,
arriving later this year.
To view the whole Indie World presentation in its entirety,
visit https://www.nintendo.com/us/indie-world/showcase/. See below
for more detailed information regarding the featured games:
- Little Kitty, Big City from Double Dagger Studio:
A peaceful catnap turns into a whimsical journey as you take the
role of a curious kitten on an adorable adventure to find your way
back home. There's plenty to do along the way: explore the vibrant
city, complete quests, lend a helping paw to other animals in hairy
situations, and make friends with chatty strays. You can also wear
over 40 delightful hats while causing a total ruckus in a
bite-sized open-world playground filled with surprises. Little
Kitty, Big City releases on Nintendo Switch on May 9. Pre-orders
begin later today in Nintendo eShop.
- Europa from Helder Pinto / Novadust Entertainment and Future
Friends Games: On the moon Europa, an android named Zee sets
out in search of answers behind the mystery of a fallen
civilization. In this 3D action-platformer, use Zee's Zephyr
jetpack to glide, fly and boost across breath-taking landscapes
full of lakes, meadows and mountains. Solve puzzles and navigate
hidden dangers amongst the ruins as you discover the story of the
last human alive. Europa releases on Nintendo Switch later this
year. A free demo will be available later today in Nintendo
eShop.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate from Super
Evil Megacorp: The heroic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles need to
fend off the Foot Clan in their first roguelike adventure,
travelling through reality-bending portals to rescue their
kidnapped master, Splinter. Every level has the potential to change
with randomised power-ups, changing room layouts and boss
modifiers. Permanently upgrade and strengthen your Turtle powers by
spending in-game currency on ability-enhancing artifacts and use
your increased skills to take on more challenging runs. Explore
iconic New York City locations solo or jump online* with up to
three other players in drop-in/drop-out co-op play. Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate jumps onto Nintendo Switch as a
timed console exclusive this July.
- SteamWorld Heist II from Thunderful: Get ready
for an epic adventure on the high seas in SteamWorld Heist II, the
sequel to the critically-acclaimed SteamWorld Heist. All is not
well on the waves of SteamWorld – the waters are turning corrosive,
eating away at the metal bodies of its robotic denizens. As the
captain of a rag-tag crew of Steambots, you’ll lead the way through
intense turn-based gunfights, where bullets can ricochet with
deadly precision. This time around, there’s a world-map to explore,
featuring real-time naval combat against enemy vessels. Also new
for this sequel is a job system with in-depth character
customisation options – combined with more than 150 weapons,
utility items, and ship equipment pieces, you can strategically
craft your crew to best fit the mission at hand. Plunge into the
adventure when SteamWorld Heist II launches for Nintendo Switch on
Aug. 8.
- Cat Quest III from The Gentlebros and Kepler
Interactive: In the cute, casual action-RPG Cat Quest
III, you’ll play as a swashbuckling feline privateer, sailing
the Purribean in search of the North Star– a long lost mythical
treasure. But beware! The seas are swarming with Pi-rats, under
orders from the Pi-rat-King to hunt you down. Explore a gorgeous
new world solo or in local co-op and encounter fierce battles with
the newly refined combat system (now featuring weapon swapping and
tighter attack combos). And, for the first time in the series, sail
the seas and battle in your very own ship. The Purribean is yours
to explore when Cat Quest III launches for Nintendo Switch on Aug.
8. Pre-orders begin later today in Nintendo eShop, with a free demo
also available.
- Yars Rising from WayForward Technologies and
Atari: From WayForward, the renowned development studio behind
Shantae and River City Girls, comes Yars Rising, a side-scrolling
action-adventure exploration of one of Atari’s best-known classic
titles – Yars’ Revenge. Take control of the young hacker Emi
Kimura, who is hired by a mysterious patron to infiltrate the
shadowy QoTech corporation. Run, jump, sneak, and hack your way
through waves of robotic and alien enemies as you slowly unravel a
complex secret shrouded in intrigue. The game also features a
series of challenging retro minigames that pay homage to the
original Yars’ Revenge. Yars Rising sneaks its way onto Nintendo
Switch later this year.
- Sticky Business from Spellgarden Games and Assemble
Entertainment: In the cozy business simulation Sticky Business,
you run a sticker shop in which you create and ship stickers to
customers. There are over 400 design elements to choose from, and
you can get upgrades — including effect foils — for even more
options. Learn more about each customer’s life as you fulfil their
unique requests. Plus, the Plan With Me paid DLC adds ten more
customer stories revolving around the theme of journaling, and over
100 more sticker elements. Start your own sticker shop in Sticky
Business today, with both the game and DLC** launching as a timed
console exclusive on Nintendo Switch ... A bundle containing the
game and the DLC will also be available later today!
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes from Simogo and Annapurna
Interactive: In this non-linear puzzle game developed by the
team behind Sayonara Wild Hearts, a woman, summoned to participate
in a project in an old hotel somewhere in central Europe, becomes
embroiled in a game of increasingly nightmarish and surreal
illusions. The third-person adventure features over 100 handcrafted
puzzles with shifting mechanics and perspectives, each of which
leads players closer to deciphering the enigma. Everything is a
puzzle in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, launching first for consoles
on Nintendo Switch on May 16.
- stitch. from Lykke Studios: In stitch., create
beautiful embroidery patterns by solving puzzles (called Hoops) of
varying difficulty and sizes. Complete Hoops in whatever order
you'd like – each one offers a relaxing and calming experience,
featuring a handy hint feature as well as various accessibility
settings. After completing a Hoop, you can play it again in Free
Stitch mode. The limited-time Daily Shikaku puzzles offer a
challenge and no hints, while weekly Hoops are inspired by
real-life events and filled with trivia. stitch. launches as a
console exclusive on Nintendo Switch later today.
- ANTONBLAST from Summitsphere: The devil himself
has stolen your prized spirit collection, and you’re on a rampage
to get it back in ANTONBLAST, a dynamic action-platformer that
combines destructive action with gorgeous hand-drawn pixel art.
Wielding the Mighty Hammer as Dynamite Anton or the Massive Mace as
Dynamite Annie, you’ll lay waste to wacky worlds and go toe-to-toe
with brutish bosses. Smash up the scenery to forge your path and
find new areas to explore. After reaching the end of each level, a
detonator will start ticking down, so you've got to rush back to
the beginning before everything explodes. Get ready for a
destructively good time when ANTONBLAST launches for Nintendo
Switch as a timed console exclusive on Nov. 12. A free demo will be
available later today in Nintendo eShop.
- Refind Self: The Personality Test Game from Lizardry and
PLAYISM: In this exploration-based adventure game, you take on
the role of an android, the creation of a now-deceased doctor.
There are no right or wrong choices on this journey, and every
decision you make reveals a little more about who you are. Travel
to places from your memories, interact with other characters, and
gradually piece together the future your creator envisioned for
you. At the end of your journey, your personality type will be
revealed, and with 23 personality types to discover, you can make
different choices in each playthrough and see where they lead you.
You can even share your results with other players and compare your
choices. Find out who you really are when Refind Self: The
Personality Test Game launches on Nintendo Switch as a timed
console exclusive this summer.
- Valley Peaks from Tub Club and Those Awesome Guys:
Valley Peaks is a first-person rock-climbing platformer set in a
pastel mountain range, filled with ribbiting villagers. As the new
technician assigned to the peaks, explore to your heart's content,
and attempt to overcome seemingly impossible challenges. Between
climbs you can chat with the froggy folk and take on small side
quests like filling out stamp cards for equipment unlocks.
Alternatively, kick back and relax with minigames as you tend to
the needs of the valley's inhabitants. The mountains are calling in
Valley Peaks, climbing onto Nintendo Switch this year.
In addition to the featured titles listed above, the
presentation included a montage of even more indie games in the
pipeline for Nintendo Switch, including:
- ANIMAL WELL, an action-adventure game which challenges
players to explore a dense, interconnected labyrinth and attempt to
uncover its many secrets, releasing May 9.
- Another Crab’s Treasure, where you play as a hermit crab
trying to reclaim your prized shell in an epic treasure hunt across
a polluted ocean, launching on April 25
- SCHiM, a 3D platformer that blends elements of light and
shadow directly into its gameplay, launching July 18.
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, a narrative adventure
in which players will need to use their powers of de-duck-tion to
inspect evidence, fill in the blanks and quack the case, releasing
exclusively on Nintendo Switch May 23.
- BZZZT, a fast-paced platformer with a retro-future feel,
releasing summer 2024.
For the latest news and updates about indie games on Nintendo
Switch, follow the Indie World X account @IndieWorldNA and check
out https://www.nintendo.com/us/indie-world/news/.
Remember that Nintendo Switch features parental controls that
let adults manage the content their children can access. For more
information about other features, visit
https://www.nintendo.com/switch/.
* Any Nintendo Switch Online membership (sold separately) and
Nintendo Account required for online features. Membership
auto-renews after initial term at the then-current price unless
canceled. Not available in all countries. Internet access required
for online features. Terms apply. nintendo.com/switch-online
**Full version of game required to use DLC. Sold separately
unless otherwise noted.
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From the launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System™ more than 30
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GOLIN Thierry Nguyen 213-280-8680 tnguyen@golin.com