The Christmas period saw impressive sales on Nintendo Switch hardware. The Switch’s hybrid nature makes it the platform of choice for indie games for many players. This Wednesday saw the release of another ‘Nindie Showcase’, highlighting some upcoming titles heading to the platform soon. In some cases very soon!
Goat Simulator‘s Surprise Switch Launch
In a surprising twist not only was Goat Simulator announced for the Switch, but it arrived immediately after the broadcast. Goat Simulator is certainly a very distinct title. If you’ve not encountered it before I recommend checking out the short trailer above to get a taste of just how insane it is. The game’s comic, sandbox experience seems like it would make it a great title to play on the go – a natural fit for the Switch. The game also comes loaded with all of its DLC, which seems like a good thing, but has contributed to its biggest drawback: price. The game boasts a hefty price tag £26.99. This is a lot more than many indie offerings, and certainly more than post people paid for Goat Simulator on other platforms. The bundle price with the DLC might make this a reasonable offer in theory but it still seems like it might be priced too highly for a game which has novelty as its main selling point.
SteamWorld Card RPG Unveiled
Image & Form’s SteamWorld series has a new entry, shuffling things round a little with SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. Building on the success of both SteamWorld Dig, Steamworld Dig 2 and SteamWorld Heist, Image & Form seem to be continuing to produce highly polished examples in diverse, niche genres. Its great to see a more fleshed-out role-playing experience being set in the SteamWorld setting, which has always been one of the series’ main draws. The fact that the RPG elements have been merged with a card system seems to have divided opinion somewhat. In a crowded marketplace of retro-styled indie RPGs an innovative, or at least interesting combat system seems essential to making the game stand out. With no release date fixed, just a 2019 window, hopefully we’ll see a lot more of this title closer to its release.
CrossCode is Heading to the Switch
I must admit to not having heard of CrossCode before this trailer. Released on PC in late 2018 the action-RPG (with retro-styled graphics, of course) seems to have garnered positive reviews. It’s dazzling to watch the trailer for CrossCode. It looks like the game you fantasized about for the Super Nintendo. Its nostalgic 16-bit sprites contrasting with big scale maps and flurries of movement. It’s a great trailer that really makes the game stand out. Again, with no specific release date besides a 2019 window fingers crossed we get a more in-depth look at this one before too long.
WarGroove Will Meet Your Advance Wars Needs
The cinematic trailer, posted above, might be a nifty hype builder but sells WarGroove rather short in terms of gameplay. There’s a bit of actual footage in the full presentation, but if you’re a fan of Advance Wars or Fire Emblem then its definitely worth checking Youtube for some more footage. Fantasy Advance Wars is definitely the quickest way to describe it, but it does seem to have injected a lot of its own charm into the mix. Besides, someone needs to make an Advance Wars substitute if Nintendo aren’t going to. The official web page even has a cute little ‘Faction Quiz’ to see which of the game’s 4 armies best suits your personality. Once again I’d like to lament that more of these games don’t receive a physical release – not only for people who prefer physical copies of their games but it seems a shame a game with as much broad appeal as this won’t be lining store shelves. WarGroove is released on the Switch on February 1st.
