Nindies - Nintendo Indies!: Most Exciting Titles Ranked! (March, 2019)

Nintendo’s March 2019 “Nindies” event happened yesterday and the company announced a whole batch of new and old indie titles arriving on their hybrid console in the near future. I was blown away by how much quality was coming to the console in terms of indie games and I was extremely excited for nearly all the titles announced. With that said, there were also some titles I was no so excited for. In this SUBJECTIVE article, I am ranking every game in order of most exciting (IN MY OPINION). Lets jump right into it!

18. PINE

The first several seconds of Pine had me mildly interested, but after that, the game took a turn for the bad… The game showed in this trailer looks like it's in its alpha phase or maybe early BETA, but that cannot be true considering the game releases for Switch in August. The character models, animations, and environments just look unpolished and some parts of the trailers make the game feel very lonely (although this can be a plus for a game considering how lonely No Mans Sky is). Pine looks to be an open world adventure game set in a world full of different humanoid animal factions. The open world aspect could lend itself to its current condition as that seems to be a hefty project for an indie team, but hey, why not leave this one in the oven longer? I do hope I am proven wrong about Pine. Fingers crossed!

Will I grab this one?: No.

17. Neocab

Okay, I am going to start by saying this: Neocab does not look like a bad game by any means, but in terms of what I like, it just did not appeal to me. The one thing I do like about the game is the story. You play as the last physical cab driver in a overly automated cyber city. Your goal is to find your missing friend by talking to the citizens you pick up, among other methods (at one point the player characters uses their smartphone, for example). As a lover of all things neon and cyberpunk/cybercity themes, I was surprised I did not take a liking to the graphics, the art looks crisp and well made, but its style just turns me off. The gameplay is similar to that of an interactive story where things are heavy on dialogue and gameplay is more towards the stiffer and passive end of the spectrum. I can see many people from various niches enjoying this one, but me? Not so much.

Will I grab this one?: No.

16. Swimsanity

Swimsanity looks to be some great 4-player fun, both on a couch and online. I was impressed with the number of modes it includes, most notably the co-op campaign. The shoot’em looking gameplay looks fine and I the characters remind me of power rangers- fantastic! I am not crazy about the art style, the kind of graphics it utilizes I was never a fan of, it has a shiny and cheap look to it.

Will I grab this one?: Yeah.

15. Stranger Things 3: The Game

I’ve been a fan of Stranger Things since I binged the first seasons with a friend the year it released. The fact that there’s a game being made in the spirit of arcade games during that era is awesome and it looks to be a predictable, but fun romp through the world of Stranger Things and a game I am sure every fan will love. This was already announced before, so there wasn’t too much excitement on my end, but it's cool it's coming to Switch!

Will I grab this one?: Yeah.

14. Red Lantern

This was a game that came out of left field with a interesting prompt: You play as a woman in a dog sledding race, trying to prove to herself she can complete it. Red Lantern's art style is more on the cartoony side and it looks good. The gameplay has some procedural generation to it to shake things up, but the main draw seems to be the story and possibly the player’s relationship with their team of dogs. This is a really cool and unique title, it's not way up my alley, but consider me interested.

Will I grab this one?: Maybe.

13. Super Crate Box

There are only a two things I know about Super Crate Box: It's a title that originally released in 2010 and its made by the same developer, Vlambeer, who created Nuclear Throne (a rogue-lite title I very much enjoyed). From the trailer the gameplay looked overly simple, but I'm banking on Super Crate Box to be of good quality considering the developer's other work. It is also receiving multiplayer for the first time! I am keeping this one on the outer reaches of my radar.

Will I grab this one?: Yeah.

12. Bloodroots

Bloodroots is the story of a crazed man named Mr. Wolf set on getting revenge and he's gonna exact his revenge with speed and style. This game immediately reminded me of a game called Deathspank (respect points to anyone who knows that game series) in terms of its art style and animation, but its gameplay is a whole nother’ beast. In this top-down beat-em-up, your goal is to use anything in your environment, including barrels, trees, chairs, and countless other miscellaneous items, to eliminate all opposition! Bloodroots seems to be a “go for that high score and be creative as possible” type of arcade-y game. Fun!

Will I grab this one?: Maybe.

11. Vlambeer Arcade with ULTRABUGS

Once again this is being developed by Vlambeer and it has a unique twist: Its being sold as a sort of Arcade app that will be added to and expanded upon in the future! I love this concept and it sounds like a great deal. The first game it comes with its called Ultrabugs and looks to be a tiny charmer of a game about blasting ever-multiplying space bugs with your spaceship. I enjoy the art style of this one.

Will I grab this one?: Yeah.

10. Nuclear Throne

Alright, I promise after this there will be no more Vlambeer games! Nuclear Throne is finally finding a home on Nintendo Switch and I could not think of a better place to play it! The brutal rogue-lite top-down shooter about gaining mutations and becoming the one to rule the Nuclear Throne should be a nuclear blast to play on the go or, of course, at home! I am excited that Switch owners will have the chance to play this green glowing rogue-lite gem!

Will I grab this one?: Most likely during a sale.

9. Blaster Master Zero 2

The only experience with Blaster Master that I can speak from is when I played the demo for the original game on the Switch eshop. I thought the game was a fun retro romp and it did some interesting things with its use of different perspectives and gameplay sections. One minute you will be mastering and the next minute you’ll be blasting, am I right guys? I know this game series has quite a large cult following, so I am excited for all the Master Blaster fans who are getting a sequel to their beloved game! Its been a long time coming!

Will I grab this one: Probably not.

8. Darkwoods

This is a creepy rogue-lite about scavenging supplies, building defenses, and bunkering down in house when horrific creatures attack. The map is procedurally generated, so no two Darkwoods will be the same! All the while players can interact with citizens of Darkwood and affect them with their actions. Darkwoods looks like an spooky, ominous, and interesting world to explore and survive in.

Will I grab this one?: Yeah.

7. Overland

We're starting to get into the titles I found to be extraordinarily cool and Overland is no exception! Overland reminds me, somewhat, of a serious Death Road to Canada. This journey is one of with many decisions, turn-based combat, and a story and world that gets progressively more bizarre as you make your way farther through the zombie and monster-filled apocalyptic United States. Overland looks to be a exceedingly cool roguelike story experience with a great art style and for fans of it- turn-based gameplay.

Will I grab this one?: Hell, yeah.

6. Creature in the Well

Creature in the Well has some quality pixel art and sound design. Its mix of brick-breaker-esc ball bouncing combat in dungeon crawler gameplay seems like it will make for a very fun and unique experience. Notably, all the dungeons here are not randomly generated, but rather hand-crafted- something that is pretty uncommon nowadays in the indie game scene. Creature in the Well appears to be a refreshing take on the dungeon crawler genre and I also would like to know what creature, exactly, is in said well.

Will I grab this one?: Yeah.

5. My Friend Pedro

I must admit: I love almost any game published by Devolver Digital. Something else I must admit: I was more excited for My Friend Pedro when it was initially announced for the first time, but that does not stop it from getting a high spot on this list! My Friend Pedro is a reimagining of a popular flash game back in the early 2000s. With completely revamped graphics and physics its looking better than ever! The sheer amount of awesome stylish moves players can pull off in this 2D parkour platformer shooter is among the coolest I have seen in video games in general. You also play as a skilled gunman who has a banana friend who speaks to him. This is utterly wonderful and I may be snagging it on Switch instead of PS4 as of now.

Will I grab this one?: IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION.

4. RAD

There really is a fad going on right now with the nostalgic love for the ’80s and RAD is all over it. This top-down brawler adventure sees the player controller a young man named RAD who, while battling through the wastelands, can gain mutations to enhance his combat abilities. I’m talking growing snakeheads and cheetah legs, all that kind of weird stuff and more! The artstyle and theme is completely off the wall and looks great. This 80’s fueled goofy treat is shaping up to be an utter treat!

Will I grab this one?: For sure!

3. Katana Zero

This newly announced title looks absolutely sick in all the right ways. What looks like one half Hotline Miami and the other half Deadbolt, Katana Zero is about playing as a skilled swordsman and pulling off ridiculously wicked moves and attacks all accompanied by a killer soundtrack and neon color palette. The pixel art here is amazing and exquisitely detailed. This is also a brutal game where one hit will take you down, so trial and error are to be expected!

Will I grab this one?: AB-SO-LUTELY.

2. Cuphead

I think this was the biggest announcement out for the Nindies event and the one most people are looking forward too most! And who should blame them? Cuphead was a title I have wanted to experience since the day it released, but I never had an Xbox One and I don’t often buy games on my PC, nor am I sure i can run most new titles. As most everyone does, I absolutely adore the old-school themes of Cuphead through its soundtrack, art style, animation, and sound effects. I am also always down for a bullet-hell and Cuphead is the most unique bullet-hell I have ever seen. With co-op play through the whole story mode and a breathtakingly gorgeous style to admire, Cuphead is going to be an amazing experience on my Switch.

Will I grab this one?: Not a doubt in my mind.

1 Cadence of Hyrule (Crypt of the Necrodancer 2)

While Cuphead was the “tip of the spear” first announcement of the Nindies showcase, Cadence of Hyrule was the “save for last” surprise reveal at the end and I was caught completely off guard by this one! Not only does, Crypt of the Necrodancer, a remarkably unique rogue-lite dungeon crawler RHYTHM game get an amazing looking sequel, but the sequel is going to be exclusive to Nintendo Switch, take place in the iconic Legend of Zelda location Hyrule, AND feature Link and Zelda as playable characters. The moment this was revealed was truly the moment where my excitement peaked. What a fantastic looking sequel to an already fantastic indie title.

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Well, there you have it: All the games announced at the Nintendo Nindies Event ranked from least to most exciting. I know everyone will have a different set of rankings in mind, but these are mind and I hope that everyone walked away from the event excited by at least one of the titles showcases through the Nindies event. Let me know what your favorite indie game announced here was, down below!