Nintendo Indie World Direct 14th April 2021

Nintendo have dropped another one of their Indie World direct videos showcasing some of the up and coming indie titles for the next 12 months. In the presentation, there were thrills, spills and more turtles than you can shake a pizza at. We’ve taken a look at what was announced during the 20 minute video and have rounded up the highlights just for you.

Before we get into our picks, we’ve embedded the whole 20 minute video just below. While we could wax lyrical about every game announced and detailed, sometimes it’s best just to watch the show.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals

It might have been the “One more game” at the end of the presentation but the sequel to the incredible Oxenfree certainly headlines our picks. Night School Studio is back to develop Oxenfree II: Lost Signals. This time the story centres around Riley, an environmental researcher who returns to her hometown Camena to investigate mysterious radio frequency signals causing disturbances in electronic equipment throughout the town and stumbles upon ghostly happenings.

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Much like the original, Oxenfree II will incorporate a vast dialogue system to change the story and Riley’s relationships with other characters to make your supernatural exploration more personalised. This is undoubtedly one game we’re looking forward to getting our hands on when it releases in the Autumn.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder’s Revenge

We’re fans of the Teenage Mutant Hero Ninja Turtles and so when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder’s Revenge was announced as a 2D brawler from the folks responsible for Streets of Rage 4, our excitement levels went through the roof. Today it’s been confirmed that Tribute Games & Dotemu are bringing the game to the Nintendo Switch, as well as giving us a look at some of the foot clan our half-shelled heroes will be facing off against. We’re still waiting on a release date but be rest assured, we’ll be letting everyone know when we find out.

Cris Tales

One game we don’t have to wait long for is the time travelling RPG Cris Tales as Modus Games have finally given a 20th July release date for the game. The latest trailer not only reveals the release date but shows off the combat for the first time.

Cris Tales is a love letter to traditional J-RPGs. You play as Crisbell who can travel in time. In fact, the game is replicated three times as you can swap between the three timelines pretty much whenever you want. This is mightily impressive considering the graphics are all hand drawn. Your goal of the game is to help shape the world in the future by helping townsfolk in the past. The decisions you take throughout the journey effect how the environments around you and lead to different outcomes and plotlines. We’ve covered the game previously so needless to say, we’re getting a serious itch to play this.

OlliOlli World

OlliOlli World is the latest entry in the 2D skating series from Roll7. In this instalment, the world has been opened up to you. You’ll skate and trick your way through environments, meeting people, and help them by completing missions. Graphically, this is a massive change for the series. The cartoon approach replaces the pixelated look of the games and we’re all for it!

The OlliOlli series has always erred on the tough side but with OlliOlli World, the difficulty adjusts to a player’s skill level meaning that it’s more accessible than ever. OlliOlli World will release at some point in 2021.

Skul: The Hero Slayer

Skul: The Hero Slayer is a 2D adventure game from SouthPAW games that released on Steam in January and is coming to Switch during summertime. The rougelite has you on a hack and slash quest to rescue your king from demon baddies. You can upgrade Skul by collecting different heads. By swapping your noggin and unlocking new abilities will change up the action as well as letting you progress through the tough environment. Judging by the reviews already available on Steam, Skul: The Hero Slayer is definitely one to keep a look out for.

Annapurna Interactive Reveals Hindsight and Last Stop

It wouldn’t be an Indie World presentation without Annapurna Interactive and today the publisher has announced two story driven titles. Last Stop has previously been announced however the game is now confirmed to be appearing on the Switch as well as other platforms. Coming from developers Variable State, Last Stop is an anthology game, telling three interconnecting stories from the view point of three different Londoners. If that wasn’t enough, this is set in the midst of a supernatural crisis. Last Stop is scheduled to release in July.

Hindsight is an intriguing looking game from Joel McDonald releasing later in the year. You play out the life of a woman from birth to the present day where is coping with the loss of a loved one. As you progress through the story, you’ll find objects throughout the story that offer glimpses of memories. Coming from Annapurna, we expect the game to be packed with emotions and coming to terms with loss.

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Shadow Drops and Blink-and-Miss games

As is tradition with Nintendo Directs of any kind, there is a quick-fire highlight reel along with some games that release after the presentation. Here’s a few that you might be forgiven in missing.

• Excellent platformer; Fez has been ported to Switch and releases today. As of right now it is £11.33 (regular price £12.59).
• The Longing is a brand new game from German developers Studio Seufz which is available right now. You play as a servant who has to wait in a cave for 400 days for his master to awaken. During the playthrough you can explore the cave, mine items and complete time-based puzzles.The timer ticks down in real time, but you don’t have to play the game for that long to complete the game.
• We were intrigued with There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension. The title is out now and is a point and click experience. Throughout the adventure, there are aspects of other genres at play, from Windows 95 inspired pinball, to a Legend of Zelda-esq crawler.
• Labyrinth City: Pierre The Maze Detective reminded us of a Where’s Wally book with it’s art style and that’s not a bad thing. Due out shortly, the game has you looking for clues and solving puzzles across large mazes in order to track down a mastermind criminal known as “Mr X”.
• The House Of The Dead: Remake has been announced in a blink and you’ll miss moment in the presentation. While the look was brief, we’ve spent countless pound coins in the arcades over the years playing this classic shooter. We can’t wait to learn more.
• Key We has you playing as kiwis. It looks to be a third person platform game, and we’re looking for more information. Since you play as a kiwi, we’re sold.
• The name of Art of Rally really sums up the game. Coming from Funselektor this rally game looks absolutely stunning with its minimalist graphics and sleek looking gameplay is one to keep an eye on when it launches in summer.