In this Soapbox article, Gavin discusses the warm, confident feeling he experienced while watching this week’s Nintendo Indie World Showcase …
I was planning to start this with a big ‘list o’ shame; all the indie titles I have re-logged on my Switch that I still have to play, many of them have been purchased but never ‘opened’. After scrolling through my alphabetically ordered library and reaching double digits before I go to ‘H’, it’s probably better to skip all that and replace it with a sentence that underlines what everyone who is already learning this: the sheer breadth and variety of gaming experiences on Switch is mind-blowing.
Almost an original sentiment, sure, but it’s one I can not wrap my brain in, even more than three years since the console launched. It just does not want to sink in, perhaps because it represents such a sea change from previous generations. I was a big fan of Wii U, but at the moment I remember being surprised by the (relatively) solid indie support it received. With great retro-inspired games like Axiom Verge, Shovel Knight en Shantae leading from the load, the console attracts more quality independent developers and smaller releases than I have imagined seeing the very modest installation base.
Years before, the Wii certainly had a wealth of software and interesting indi WiiWare experiments, but both Wiis were just pinkie toes in the pool compared to Switch – I feel like I drowned in games here! Watching the Nintendo Indie World Showcase earlier this week underscored the incredible difference again, but more than that, it finally felt like there was no going back in this cozy Nindie relationship.
We asked readers how they felt about the presentation, and the majority of you (almost 40%) were very pleased with what was on display – I certainly fall into that group. Of course several strokes and all that: about 30% found it a decent (if not) amazing) broadcast; 20% saw very little to be excited about; and then there’s the one-in-ten of you who will not be satisfied by anything less than the fleshiest of ‘just’ Nintendo Directs. I understand that desire, sure, but I also find it hard to believe that people have found it nothing at all please in the Showcase. I thought it was absolutely excellent from start to finish.
the number of games with shadows had dropped kinda crazy – and a bit of a nightmare for outlets trying to put out timely reviews
I’m a big fan of Supergiant Games’ Bastion, en Transistor is one of the mentioned games I have bought but not yet played, so seen Hades coming to Switch was a great opener. I must miss Raji: An old episodeRevealed it again, but it caught my attention in the presentation, not least because it’s available on eShop right now.
In fact, the number of games with shadows had dropped kinda crazy – and a bit of a nightmare for outlets trying to put out timely reviews, but that’s not something players should worry about. There is even an argument that net all reviews have to dissect before you buy a game brings a frisson of old-school excitement. Remember when our purchasing decisions were more driven by the screenshots on the box than an aggregate rating score? Always a chance that you will end up with a lemon, of course, but thanks to the fashionable price tags of indie games, any turkey will probably be much less painful than the 60 quid you burned Turok 2 back in the day (hey, I was more of a GoldenEye guy, okay?!).
Sorry, I’m distracted – where was I? Oh yes, all video games. A short walk seems like a fittingly restorative little joke, Hypnospace Outlaw is something I’ve been keeping an eye on since it first launched on PC, Card shark seems like a lot of fun, Manifold Garden and the pair of Subnautics have been on my radar for a while, and both Evergate en Garden story seem intriguing. And there will even be two players Untitled Goose Game! I was less envious of that one than most (yes, there are a handful of Indians I actually managed to complete!), But two-player could be the thing to really hook me up.
It’s been a while since so many interesting games were packed into such a tight presentation, and I’ve gotten about a dozen titles for the backstory, some of which I had somewhere else over and never ran to play. Now I can not play them on Switch!
Jokes about my ever-increasing gaming time, a pleasant and warm sensation came over me as I watched the presentation; a reassuring feeling that Switch is the best possible fit for all this variety of indie experiences and would only fool a fool out of a relationship that fulfills this, this one satisfactory, this one mutually beneficial. Nintendo’s have a good thing here – they’ve been stable for a few years, but the relationship has always seemed a bit tumultuous. It really feels like they are ready to settle down now.
There are times when you should not put it past the company to leave everything – developer support, control schemes and industry standard formats, what then– if it dreamed of a radically new idea
There’s always a nagging feeling that hungry Nintendo, always bordering on novelty, could grab his tie at the drop of a hat and out of the way, Springsteen style. It may seem irregular, but there are times when you should not put it past the company to leave everything – developer support, control schemes and industry formats, what then– when it dreamed up some radical new idea and came up with it, a dream followed as a Darner Dragonfly.
That willingness to take chances makes Nintendo products exciting and unique, of course, but seeing as how smaller developers have helped support the Switch lineup – this year in particular – and with the platformer focusing their attention like never before, you get the sin (finally) that they will not spend any time on it again.
It’s by no means a perfect relationship, and stories that devs struggle to see on Switch eShop are becoming more and more frequent. We’ve talked before about how Nintendo needs to do more with its digital store to solve discovery problems. A ‘happy-ever-after’ requires hard graft and – there is no other word for–work to stay fresh, healthy and interesting. Make no mistake, Nintendo really needs to double down on support and do better where it can if it wants to keep that funk alive.
The argument that people only buy Nintendo consoles to play Nintendo games also holds some water, of course – and huge sales of Animal Crossing: New Horizons highlight that first-party games are vital to their hardware success, but Switch’s ecosystem and convenience are what struck a chord with gamers, casual and core, where Wii U blew a big raspberry. After all, Wii U had the great games, but the fact is that relatively few people bought them dat Nintendo console to play dy Nintendo games – most have since joined Switch and have many times better than original sales, proving their quality and value. Nintendo also releases fewer games (pound-for-pound across its systems) than it did before combining its home and handheld consoles into one platform. The fact that smaller developers have stepped up to fill the software gap – and that Nintendo is working to make them visible – marks the effectiveness of the partnership.
it would be a mistake to discount the enormous number of curios and offbeat indie games of all sizes as just filler while we wait for the ‘real’ deal. These are real deal!
Now, it’s the convenience of Switch in both its form factor en his catalog of brilliant non-Nintendo titles, which is why I struggle today to keep my game head above water. Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either, Looks like BT aint for me either, Looks like BT aint for me either, Looks like BT aint for me either, Looks like BT aint for me either. . These are real deal!
There are no doubt people who find the Switch lineup a bit dry of late, but a drought ?! Personally, I drown in great stuff! Compare and contrast with the Wii U days if you have to, but whatever you cut, the manly buffet with indie treats on eShop is incredibly impressive. For me, that neat 20-minute Indie World Showcase had one of the most diverse and exciting setups I’ve seen all summer, and half of these are currently available.
Long may the Switch stork continue to supply us with beautiful bouncy Nindie dolls!
“Duh, Switch has a lot of great games – do we really need an article about that?” Short answer: yes! 2020 has been a real piece of work, so there is always room for some positivity and optimism.
We’re busy with reviews of games from the Showcase, so look out for those next week or so. Be sure to leave your own drip of positivity below, and let us know your thoughts on everything you have taken from the presentation.
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