Nintendo’s latest Indie World Showcase just wrapped up, providing release dates for some long-delayed games along with a handful of surprise releases in the indie version of the company’s popular Nintendo Direct format. Among them, we finally got our first glimpse of Blasphemous 2, Oxenfree II got a release date, and lots more. Here’s the full list of announcements and trailers from today’s Nintendo Indie World Showcase stream.
Mineko’s Night Market gets a release date after eight years of development
Meowza Games’ long-in-development finally received a release date as part of the Indie World Showcase’s opening act. First announced way back in 2015, Mineko’s Night Market turned heads with its beautiful watercolor graphics, focus on Japanese mythology, and hordes of cats. It will cast players as Mineko as they explore; craft objects; befriend townsfolk, and take part in the local night market, where they can sell virtually everything they find. All in all, it’s not that dissimilar from games like Fantasy Life and others like it, but its art makes it a standout. Mineko’s Night Market launches September 26 on Nintendo Switch, and has also been announced for PC.
My Time at Sandrock lands in Summer 2023
The Nintendo Switch version of My Time at Sandrock received an extended showing at the Indie World Showcase, where developer Pathea Games narrowed its official release window while talking about the inspiration it draws from the Gobi Desert. Currently in Early Access over on Steam, My Time at Sandbox is the follow-up to My Time at Portia, allowing players to assemble machines, build up their workshop, and customize their home. It also features plenty of exploration, with players venturing into ancient ruins in search of relics while battling monsters with melee combat. If that sounds exciting to you, the full version will land on Nintendo Switch in Summer 2023.
PlateUp! combines Overcooked with roguelite mechanics
What if Overcooked were a roguelite management sim? That’s the premise behind PlateUp!, a Yogcast-published game first released on Steam back in 2022. Like Overcooked, PlateUp! teams up to four chefs via local or online multiplayer, but with the added ability to “create, decorate, and automate the restaurant of your dreams” with items like turbo ovens. The ultimate goal is to survive 15 days while serving increasingly fickle customers. PlateUp! has received very positive reviews on Steam, making it an intriguing co-op option when it launches in October 2023.
Quilts and Cats of Calico
Board game fans will be familiar with Calico, a charming board game in which you score points by creating patterns that attract cats. Quilts and Cats of Calico, an official video game adaptation by Monster Couch, visualizes the original board game with a soft-looking quilty and fully-animated (and customizable!) cats. Featuring local and online multiplayer, ranked matches, and weekly challenges, it looks to be a robust addition to Nintendo’s local multiplayer lineup. It’s out in Fall 2023.
Rift of the NecroDancer gets a new trailer
Rift of the NecroDancer received a new trailer for Nintendo Switch. A spin-off of Crypt of the NecroDancer, Rift is a rhythm game with lane-based combat, powerful monsters, and boss fights. In other words, it’s Guitar Hero with monster battles. Rift of the NecroDancer will feature multiple characters and a new storyline, and it figures to be one of 2023’s standout games when Brace Yourself Games releases it later this year.
Animal Well confirmed for early 2024
Shared Memory and Bigmode share Animal Well, a pixelated game in which you play as what seems to be a tiny meatball exploring a dense, interconnected labyrinth. The maze is filled with many dangers, including animals that will try to eat you, but items will help you escape. This atmospheric puzzler will be out in early 2024.
Crime O’Clock gets a release date
Wake up, it’s Crime O’Clock! This new crime-solving game stretches across time and space, featuring cases set in era like the Lost Age and a “cybernetic future.” Events in one era will change those in another, and solving cases will change the map to unlock more mysteries elsewhere. Featuring a rather lovely black and white hand-drawn map and some dense mechanics, Crime O’Clock is set to release on Switch on June 20, 2023.
Shadows Over Loathing headed to Switch later this year
The sequel to West of Loathing is releasing on Nintendo Switch today. Featuring the same black-and-white stick figure art as its predecessor, Shadows over Loathing shifts the setting to a 1920s period filled with “mobsters, monsters, and mysteries.” Despite the time period change, Shadows Over Loathing will retain the original’s sense of humor, with enemies including sentient math among other things. You can also be a Cheese Wizard if you so desire. The digital version of Shadows Over Loathing is releasing today, with the physical release set for later in 2023.
Teslagrad 2 and Teslagrad Remastered are out today
Shadows Over Loathing isn’t the only game getting a shadow drop today. Rain Games announced that Teslagrad 2, a physics-based puzzler in which you harness electromagnetic powers to make progress, is releasing on Nintendo Switch today. What’s more, Rain Games is also releasing a remastered version of the original. Both games can be purchased together in the Teslagrad Power Pack Edition, and you can check out our preview of Teslagrad 2 here.
Blasphemous 2 gets first trailer and release window
Blasphemous received its first official reveal following its official announcement on IGN last year. The new trailer features the return of The Penitent One and the original game’s trademark pixel-based art, which will be paired with newly-added weapons, an expanded moveset, progression systems, and custom builds. We praised the original Blasphemous as an eerie Metroidvania with gorgeous animations and combat while noting that it was “just a tad too one-dimensional.” It seems as if Blasphemous 2 will address the latter while retaining the former, which ought to go over very well with Switch fans. Blasphemous 2 launches on Nintendo Switch this summer.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals gets a release date after previously being delayed
The biggest news out of today’s Indie World Showcase is that Oxenfree II, the sequel to the popular indie by Night School Studio and Netflix, officially has a release date. Set five years after the original game, it will star Riley as she returns to her hometown to investigate strange electromagnetic waves, and will feature a new walkie-talkie system that allows her to communicate with other characters. Oxenfree II was previously delayed so that Night School Studios could make its “best game yet,” and is now scheduled to release July 12, with pre-orders available today.
Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach release, DLC info, and more
In addition to showing numerous games, Nintendo also confirmed release dates for several games, the most notable of them being Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, which launches today. Here’s the full list.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach – Later today
Paper Trailer – August 2023
Little Kitty, Big City – 2024
Chants of Sennar – September 5, 2023
Brotato – 2023
Escape Academy Complete – Fall 2023
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk – August 18
On top of these release dates, Nintendo showed DLC for several existing games, including the already-announced Cult of the Lamb: Relics of the Old Faith, which will feature dozens of new items, relics, and items scattered across remixed dungeons, plus a permadeath mode and more when it arrives on April 24. Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon will also be receiving a major update featuring two new playable characters, new challenges, and many, many hats. It’ll be out this spring.
Today’s Indie World Showcase adds to the Switch’s lready extensive library of indie games, which have found a ready home on Nintendo’s handheld. For lots more coverage of smaller games, check out Hidden Treasures, our indie-focused column by Rebekah Valentine.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.