NINTENDO Indie World - 18/08/2020 (Nintendo Switch)

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Indie World - 18/08/2020 (Nintendo Switch)

 

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The best announcements from Nintendo’s Indie World, ranked by cuteness


A jam-packed Indie World stream shows there’s plenty coming to Switch



Nintendo streamed a new Indie World presentation on Tuesday that was packed with games, both new and familiar. There were newly announced Nintendo Switch ports of Supergiant Games’ Hades, Capybara Games’ Apple Arcade hit Grindstone, ’90s internet simulator Hypnospace Outlaw, stylish puzzle game Manifold Garden, and undersea survival-adventure game Subnautica (and its expansion, Subnautica: Below Zero).

There were also a slew of new game announcements that stood out for their cuteness, adorableness, and preciousness. In fact, it was a lot to keep up with, and points to a strong release calendar for the Nintendo Switch, at least on the indies side.

Here are some of today’s biggest Nintendo Switch announcements, based on how cute they are:



TAKESHI AND HIROSHI

Image: Oink Games
Players take on the role of Takeshi, a young game designer hoping to keep his younger brother Hiroshi entertained with a new game. Players need to keep Hiroshi engrossed, while balancing difficulty and ensuring that baby brother can still win. The stop-motion visuals shot Takeshi and Hiroshi to the top of our list. Takeshi and Hiroshi is out today on the Switch eShop.

BEAR AND BREAKFAST

In Bear and Breakfast, you’ll play as a bear … running a bed and breakfast! Hank, a teenage bear, stumbles upon a shack that he turns into a tourist destination. Though Hank is described, of course, as a dangerous wild animal, he’s clearly a smart, budding entrepreneur. He’s also very cute: Hank’s a little brown bear with a scruffy tuft of fur on his neck and a little round belly. Bear and Breakfast is a management adventure game, so you’ll have to help Hank keep things running and upgrade the bed and breakfast. It’s expected out on Nintendo Switch in 2021.

A SHORT HIKE

A Short Hike was one of our favorite games of 2019, and now it’s coming (Tuesday!) to Nintendo Switch as a timed console exclusive. A Short Hike scored cute points for its colorful and expressive art style and setting in Hawk Peak, but it’s really in the pixelated cartoon animals where we’ve awarded it most of the points. Claire, the main character, is the cutest of them all, with her big head and flappy wings, but the others dotted around the mountain are close seconds.

GARDEN STORY

Probably the only thing as cute as anthropomorphized animals is animated fruit. Sure, we’ve got Bugsnax coming eventually, but there’s plenty of talking food in Garden Story, too. Players take on the role of Concord the grape (Get it?) to restore the Stardew Valley-esque island.

SPIRITFARER

Spiritfarer is a game about death, but it’s really emitting the sad-but-cute vibes. For one, there’s a fluffy white cat that you can hug. Two, there are plenty more animals in the game that you can also hug. Spiritfarer was surprise-released on Tuesday on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One. (And, hey, read our review!)

AN UNTITLED GOOSE GAME UPDATE

The cuteness of the goose from Untitled Goose Game is certainly up for debate. But the charming visuals of House House’s aggravating goose simulator are made doubly endearing by the addition of a second goose. There’s two-player co-op coming, offering double the honks, this September.

CARD SHARK

Rounding out the bottom of the list is the not-quite-cute-but-absolutely-charming Card Shark, a game about cheating at cards while ascending to the top of 18th century French society. Developed by Reigns studio Nerial, Card Shark arrives on Nintendo Switch in 2021.