Indie World & Partner Showcase August 27, 2024: Information and Reactions

As we inch ever-closer to the… eventual announcement of the Nintendo Switch’s successor, every big Nintendo presentation has a certain degree of weight behind it. After all, it could be the one, right? That’s part of what made the June show such a blowout; it wasn’t just that it was full of stuff in a somewhat small year for the industry and less somewhat small year for Nintendo, but that it was sending off the system on a shockingly high note. The fact of the matter is that we don’t need to prescribe big, dramatic meaning to what are basically efficient trailer machines, but it’s understandable why we do.

Anyway, yesterday Nintendo came on with a sudden announcement: a forty minute show that wasn’t a showcase for their third party partners, and not a showcase for independent developers, but both, teaming up like a superhero comic. But unlike those, these events didn’t have a shared plot line, and unlike those, these showed off a bunch of stuff, a lot of which was pretty good! So let’s dive in, starting with…

Indie World:

Casually alluded to weeks earlier by creator LocalThunk, 2024 indie roguelike poker hit Balatro will be getting DLC crossovers with modern RPG classic The Witcher III, maliciously addictive roguelike Vampire Survivors, modern crossover king Dave the Diver, and also modern crossover king Among Us in the free Friends of Jimbo update. It’s sure to enthrall players like me who’ve played Balatro for… dear god, I’ve played it for over a hundred hours?! Releases today!
Producers at Gris creator Nomada Studio appeared to show off more of Neva, a gorgeous and colorful platformer about a woman exploring and protecting a young wolf cub. Releases October 15.
Moth Kubit is a surreal RPG set in a corporatized insect society, in which a moth employee must make friends, fight enemies, and solve some sort of world-threatening intrigue. Releases “Spring 2025.”
Several of the producers, writers, and localizers behind Coffee Talk series have announced Coffee Talk Tokyo, making this the first entry since the passing of series creator Fahmi. The footage shown was relatively short, but it appears to continue the series’ trademark graphics, character design, and bittersweet storytelling. Releases in “2025.”
Sea of Stars, the 2023 juggernaut I hated but seemingly everyone else in the world loved, has its free Throes of the Watchmaker DLC formally announced. Features new party members and new mechanics for the leads. Releases “Spring 2025.”
Powerwash Simulator is getting the Shreck Special Pack DLC, which to be honest makes me feel like an old man in ways I do not fully understand or enjoy. But hey, Powerwash Simulator is really rad, so I ain’t gonna complain. Releases “this fall.”
Morsels, a roguelike hack ‘n’ slash starring a mouse by new Canadian studio Furcula, announced. Its “grungy, whimsical world” features top-down fighting, gorgeous and trippy art, and at least one enemy with a giant washing machine. Releases “February 2025”
The first game of anime voice actor-founded Sass Chap Games, Date Everything! follows dating simulators like Boyfriend Dungeon and Dream Daddy as a jokey gimmick dating game. The gimmick: everything—furniture, ennui, and Date Everything! Itself—is a fully-voiced character and love interest. This game, which appears to be a playable version of ProZD’s “Chairem Anime” running gag, releases October 24.
Peglin, a pixelated Peggle-like that started life in a 2019 Game Jam, turns Peggle’s style of gameplay into a turn-based RPG with magical powers. Initially released on PC in 2022, it debuts as a timed console exclusive today!
2020 open world, physics-based life sim Wobbly Life is coming to Nintendo Switch. Releases “December 2024.”
Pico Park 2, a Boxboy-esque puzzle platformer and the sequel to a seemingly forgotten 2019 Pico Park, features eight-player co-op and wild looking puzzles. Releases as a timed console exclusive later today!
The sizzle reel: Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX (“2025”), Europe (October 11, demo available), Cuisineer (January 28), On Your Tail, (November 21), Metal Slug Tactics (“Fall 2024”), The Plucky Squire (September 17).
Pizza Tower, the wonderfully demented Wario Land / Nineties Nickelodeon homage from last year, is coming to Nintendo Switch today!

Image: Nintendo. Coffee Talk Tokyo was one of the most surprising, and exciting, announcements.

Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase:

Tetris Forever is an “interactive documentary” for Tetris’ 40th anniversary. Primarily, it’s a collection of fifteen classic games, including Tetris for the Famicom, Hatris, Tetris 2 + BomBliss, Super Bombliss, Super Bombliss DX, Tetris Battle Gaiden, Super Tetris 2 + Bombliss, Super Tetris 3, and “an accurate recreation of the first version of Tetris on the Electronika 60.” Other inclusions are the “Tetris Time Warp” mode that jumps between individual gameplay styles and new documentary videos about the series’ history. Releases in “2024.”
- In addition, the NES version of Tetris will be releasing on Nintendo Switch Online “this winter,” and Tetris 99 will be getting a “Maximus Cup” event.
Star Overdrive, a hoverboard game set on an alien world, announced. Releases as a timed exclusive in “2025.”
2022’s Goat Simulator 3 was shown off, featuring all the early-2000s random humor and co-op you could want. Releases today (with the physical version coming in November)!
The surprisingly early sizzle reel: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st (“2025”), Season 3 of Star Wars Hunters (September 26), S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy (“November”), Worms Armageddon (September 26), Disney Dreamlight Valley (whose new event starts September 4).
- This is the first time we’ve seen the 1st, a remake of the 2004 RPG. In the Japanese Direct, it got a longer trailer.
Spongebob Squarepants: The Patrick Star Game announced; it stars Patrick and “the inner machinations of his mind.” Releases October 4, with pre-orders starting today.
Rhythm Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer features various mechanics meant to provide new experiences, like a Quick Workout mode, Mitt Drills, and “Sit Fit Boxing.” Also features thirty brand new songs (including stuff by Billie Eilish, Rick James, Madonna, and Fall Out Boy), additional instructors, and the ability to change their hairstyle. Releases December 5.
Hot on the heels of the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection, the Capcom Fighting Collection 2 was announced. Features eight fighting games, including its crossovers with SNK: Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro, Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, Project Justice, Capcom Fighting Evolution, Street Fighter Alpha 3 UPPER, Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, Power Stone, and Power Stone 2. Yes, Power Stone is back! In keeping with Capcom’s standards, each game has new training modes, online, and art and music galleries. Releases in “2025.”
- Speaking of Marvel, pre-orders start today.
The latest entry in the long-running, relatively niche Atelier JRPG series, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, was announced. Releases in “early 2025.”
Suikoden I&II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars, which had been announced back in 2022, adds new QoL features like the ability to speed up battles. Releases March 6.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake lets you customize party members’ class and voice. It also features a class that copies monster powers that calls “forward” to later games’ monster catching and raising features. Releases November 14, with pre-orders now available.
The long-awaited Castlevania Dominus Collection announced; it features the Nintendo DS Casltevania games Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia (as well as both the original and remake of Haunted Castle, along with customary art and music galleries). Releases today!
Previously announced at Gamescom, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII features new historical figures and civilizations. Releases February 11.
Tales of Graces f Remastered, a re-release of the 2010 PS3 game Tales of Graces f (itself a re-release of 2009 Wii game Tales of Graces), announced as something of a 30th anniversary game for the Tales series. Releases January 17.
Leaked in part in multiple occurrences days before the show, slightly bizarre 2007 Wii Sims spin-off MySims is coming to Nintendo Switch… with My Sims Kingdom from 2008, as part of the MySims Cozy Bundle. From what I can tell, this is the first release of this branch of The Sims empire since the days of the Wii. Releases November 19, with pre-orders now available.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2, a sequel to the 2020 FNAF spinoff of ill repute, announced and shown off. Releases “this holiday season.”
Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach will be getting a free Ruin DLC, also “this holiday.”
A second sizzle reel, oh my: Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed (September 24), Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game (“Holiday 2024”), Just Dance 2025 Edition (October 15), Funko Fusion (“Holiday 2024”), EA Sports FC 25 (September 27), LEGO Horizon Adventures (“Holiday 2024,” though PlayStation leak suggests November 14).
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma stars an “earth dancer” who uses dancing and a magic parasol to revitalize the land, directly combining the Rune Factory series’ RPG and life simulator aspects. Releases “Spring 2025.”
2016’s Yakuza 1 remake Yakuza Kiwami was announced as the final reveal, making this the second time Like a Dragon has ever appeared on Nintendo hardware after a forgotten remaster of the first two games released on the Japanese Wii U. Yakuza has been notoriously reticent about appearing on Nintendo consoles, making this a fairly major “one more thing” for what appears to be a straight port. Releases October 24.

The Direct, and Source Gaming’s video reaction:

Wolfman’s Soapbox: So the live stream didn’t work on YouTube. I ended up having to join Nintendo Life’s stream a few minutes late, proving unambiguously that it’s helpful for these news sites to do text-based live reactions.

Anyway, I enjoyed this, even if a lot of that is because my three favorite Castlevanias should be out by the time this publishes (even better: it makes it quite easy for me to restart my old Halloween tradition of playing them over October). It was fun and packed. Coffee Talk Tokyo is putting even more of a fire under me to play those original games. And… well, a lot of people liked Sea of Stars, so I’m sure a free expansion will only deepen that. Also, Plucky Squire still looks great and proves that the game trailer montage is not inherently useless. Granted, I was already excited for it, so perhaps this conclusion is even less empirical than the live stream one.

As for ports of preexisting stuff—aside from Castlevania and its somewhat strange name, of course—we got a bit. Pizza Tower has looked amazing since it initially came out, and it’s high time I got onto this console. MySims had been leaked, but from what I gather the games actually amassed some degree of love and recognition in a franchise that has mostly discarded it. Kiwami seems like a strange “first” (again, not the first) Yakuza Switch title given its mellower reception, but it is a remake of the first game, and hey, any Yakuza is good. And Power Stone is back after forever! So I’d call this a good, solid show. Not a lot of blowouts, but consistent stuff and a lot of strong material. And a ton of shadowdrops, too, like six of them, with one even being a collection that only got announced here.

So I guess with this done, maybe I should play some Balatro and check if the update’s happened. See if I can play a Full House of three Geralts and two Among Uses, or get an all Dave the Divers as a prelude to finally playing Dave the Diver.