Nindies Showcase March 20, 2019 – Information and Reactions

While “Nindie” events for indie and smaller games on Nintendo’s platforms are often smaller, this one started large and stayed that way. From starting with a major (albeit repeatedly leaked beforehand) surprise of a port until its end on an absurd and unexpected crossover, this Direct was bold and boisterous. We’ve got the skinny on all the games presented, as well as the current sale put out in celebration of indie games as a whole and our reactions to the Direct.

Games Shown (games announced for the first time in the Direct in bold)

• Cuphead, the beloved 2017 Fleisher homaging run ‘n’ gun shooter, releases on Switch April 18 and is available for pre-purchase today. The Direct explicitly thanks Microsoft for the game’s port (which is done by original developers MDHR), and the game will also feature offline achievements and a physical release.
  • As a side note, “expect more [Microsoft-owned] games like Cuphead” to come to Switch, according to Microsoft.
• Overland, the 2016 turn-based strategy survival game whose randomly generated elements get weirder as the game continues. Available “this fall.”
• My Friend Pedro, the wacky, balletic action shooter from Devolver Digital comes “exclusive” to Switch in June.
• Neo Cab, the (set to release) cyberpunk taxi cab narrative game announced last year, will release on Switch “this summer.”
• The Red Lantern, an adventure / horror / narrative game based around the famous Iditarod Dog Sled Race, was announced in the Direct via Director Lindsey Rostal. Its current release date unknown.
• Darkwood, a 2017 procedurally generated, top down survival horror game set in a Soviet bloc forest, releases this May.
• Katana Zero, a psychedelic hack ‘n’ slasher with psychiatry elements, releases alongside the game’s Steam version on April 18. Available for pre-purchase today.
• Rad, a top down hack ‘n’ slasher by Double Fine, was announced in the Direct via Tim Schafer and Director Lee Petty. Set in a neon-stained post-apocalypse, players exploit a litany of radiation-caused mutations to battle monsters. Available “summer 2019.”
• Creature in the Well, a post-apocalyptic pinball brawler / puzzle game, has gameplay based around knocking back projectiles as pinballs for fighting and puzzles. Available “this summer.”
• Bloodroots, an upcoming frenetic “Western revenge” brawler with a focus on every part of the world being a potential weapon, announced for Switch. Available “this summer.”
• Pine, a Kickstarter project set for early release on Steam, is an open world survival / action game about exploring various biomes and communities of tribal animal people. Available this August.
• Super Crate Box, the 2010 Vlambeer shooter, with a multiplayer mode exclusive to Switch. Available in April.
• Nuclear Throne, Vlambeer’s 2015 classic roguelike, is out today.
• Vlambeer Arcade, a collection of short arcade games whose library will grow “over time.” The first game planned is Ultrabugs, a SMHUP with high customization based on the DNA of the bosses you defeat. Available “later this year.”
• Swimsanity, a co-op 2D underwater shooter, is available “this summer.”
• Blaster Master Zero 2, with new levels, mechanics, and systems. Announced and available today.
• Stranger Things 3: the Game, announced the same day as the show’s Season 3 trailer, is an era-appropriate River City Ransom take on the series. Available July 4 with the third season’s release.
• Cadence of Hyrule – Crypt of the NecroDancer Feat: The Legend of Zelda, a NecroDancer sequel and crossover marrying its style and panache to The Legend of Zelda. Available this “spring.”

Neo Cab.

Game Sales: in conjunction with the Direct, Nintendo has an eShop sale up between now (the 20th) and March 27 specifically for various indie titles. They are listed below.

Videos

• Blaster Master Zero 2 Announcement / Launch Trailer
• Bloodroots Trailer
• Cadence of Hyrule – Crypt of the Necrodancer ft. The Legend of Zelda Announcement Trailer
• Creature in the Well Announcement Trailer
• Cuphead Nintendo Switch Trailer
• Katana Zero Trailer
• Neo Cab Trailer
• Overland Trailer
• Pine Trailer
• Rad Announcement Trailer
• The Red Lantern Announcement Trailer
• Stranger Things 3: the Game Announcement Trailer
• Swimsanity! Trailer

Reactions:

I was unable to watch the Nindies Direct when it aired live, so I expected that I’d simply hear a trickle of news throughout the day until I gained the ability to watch it. Despite that thought, Cadence of Hyrule caused such a huge reaction from others in the room I was in, I immediately had to start checking things out. Needless to say, that’s my big highlight. As someone who has been getting more and more into rhythm games as of late, as well as a massive Zelda nerd, I think this game looks amazing. I’m incredibly excited to see more from this game, and I think I’d be able to sink tons of hours into it. Beyond my main highlight, seeing Cuphead come to Switch is great, I know people have been wanting it for a very long time…so maybe this will be when I finally give it a try. Katana Zero seems interesting too, a few friends of mine were incredibly excited to see it. I think the last highlight for me is the Stranger Things 3 game coming the same day as the third season of the show. Overall, this was actually a pretty Nindies Direct, and it only reinforces my belief that Nintendo treats indie developers rather well, and the Switch is a fantastic platform for them.

I can’t claim to have been really interested in the Nindies Direct, so much so that I didn’t fret over missing it live. That being said, Cuphead on the Switch is wonderful since I’ve wanted to play it for ages now, and the thought of Microsoft and Nintendo cooperating at this level makes me giddy as to what could come of it in the future. Maybe a slot on the Fighter Pass? One can dream.

[now ThatOneMartini]: I’ll be frank, I thought this presentation was really good. Down to Cuphead’s reveal and it’s really funny trailer, to the announcement of Blaster Master Zero 2 and a new Zelda rhythm game. A lot of this stuff was a surprise considering not a lot of blockbuster announcements usually come from these presentations. However, this one in my eyes more than delivered. Now, as for the game I’m looking forward to the most, it’s probably Blaster Master Zero 2. I own the first one, even though I haven’t played all of it yet. So this motivates me to finally finish the first one and move on to the sequel which is TEN DOLLARS. Talk about a steal. I’m also of course looking forward to playing Cuphead for the first time which should be fun. As for Zelda, it’s definitely not my thing just due to personal taste, but I might look into it if they release a demo or if I see enough gameplay footage to decide.

What I feel most noticeable about this Direct – beyond how good most of the games looked, upon which I’ll expand in a sec – is how new it felt. Of course, the vast majority of this was for ports (with My Friend Pedro being something we’ve known about for a year), even if some of them still haven’t actually released. I don’t really mind that, especially when it comes to former pipe dreams like Cuphead and great looking cult stuff like Neo Cab, but the new announcements felt big. Games as atypical of Nintendo as The Red Lantern and Rad being announced here first, along with Blaster Master Zero taking the always fun “out today!” role, felt “big” in a way that we often don’t associate with the “Nindies” part of Nintendo’s ecosystem. The games look great, with Lantern and Creature in the Well being particular highlights; I’m happy that we got Cuphead “out of the way” so it’d not push out its less hyped counterparts. And ending with a follow-up to one of my favorite indie darlings (albeit one at which I’m awful) that’s also a wild Zelda crossover is nuts. Cadence looks great; it also feels like a smart capper on a Direct that was surprising and exciting in nice, low key ways.

This Nindes Showcase really reminded me that there are more than just the big AAA developers like Platinum, Nintendo, and SEGA that have some amazing titles that are coming out on the Switch. Especially some games with amazing art styles that have captured my eye. Cuphead on Switch is something I have no problem with owning a second time! Blaster Master Zero, although I’ve never touched the franchise before, looks very cool in terms of Jason’s gameplay. Katana Zero and Creature in The Well are two action games with concepts that seem very interesting! KZ’s rewind mechanic that occurs when you fail a level and CITW combining the pinball genre with the action and adventure genre. There’s a lot coming out this year, so the fact that some very unique games will also be coming out with the big titles is very reassuring.

Man, what a solid Direct that was. Nindie Directs are always hit and miss, but I don’t think there was a single bad or uninteresting game in this one (although Pine looked a little rough in some areas). Of course the two takeaways are Cuphead and Cadence of Hyrule (the latter meaning I need to finally try Crypt of the NecroDancer now), however Overland, My Friend Pedro, and Blaster Master Zero 2 also looked really phenomenal. There are too many good games coming to the Switch, who knows when I will get to try them all.

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Wolfman_J

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