Just like the last few Nintendo Directs, we were explicitly told not to expect any news about theSwitch successorduring the latest Indie and Partner showcase. While that would be a strange place for Nintendo to announce new hardware, fans are so eager forthe new consolethat I’m sure plenty of people would still get their hopes up. Instead, this 40-minute double-feature focused on a ton of fantastic games that will ensure your Switch doesn’t gather dust for the rest of 2024.
Indie World is a great spotlight for those smaller games and teams that so often get buried and lost in the stampede of big-budget games with massive marketing campaigns.
Indie World is a great spotlight for those smaller games and teams that so often get buried and lost in the stampede of big-budget games with massive marketing campaigns, and this showcase gave us a nice selection of different styles and tones to check out. If you, like me, were counting on Silksong being present, well, the wait for that might be more painful than theSwitch 2. After Indie World, a regular Partner showcase gave us a few new looks and bits of information about non-Nintendo games on the way in the near future. Most were games we already knew about, but with some new looks and release dates to get us excited. Let’s go over 5 of the most exciting announcements from the entire event.
Should Nintendo implement a Trophy/Achievement system with the Switch 2?
It’s crazy to think that Achievements have been around since 2005. Xbox introduced the concept of completing in-game tasks that all contributed toward an overall gamer “ranking” and it was instantly addicting. Past games had similar ideas where you could do different challenges to unlock things like new characters, costumes, or modes, but Achievements were different. They acted like a badge of honor or proof of one’s total gaming accomplishments for all to see. PlayStation realized the potential and made its own version called Trophies not long after that put a unique spin on it. Instead of contributing to one total number, Trophies were broken down into rarity, with the coveted Platinum being reserved for those dedicated enough to earn all other Trophies. Meanwhile, Nintendo has never even toyed with the idea of any kind of Achievement or Trophy system. The Wii couldn’t add anything like that retroactively as the PS3 could, but neither the WiiU nor Switch gives players any form of met
1Yakuza Kiwami
Be like a dragon on the go
Yakuza Kiwami
We’ve been waiting so long for the Yakuza games on Switch that the entire series has changed its name to Like a Dragon. While I would’ve liked Yakuza 0 more as the first entry, Kiwami is easily the second-best choice. This is a full remake of the original PS2 game and follows Kazuma Kiryu on his dramatic journey through Japan’s criminal underworld. It comes on October 24, which is just in time for the Amazon adaptation.
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2Moth Kubit
Creepy company horror Spring 2025
There’s a very off-beat plot with characters I can’t wait to meet and interact with.
I’m a total sucker for unique horror games, and Moth Kubit looks like the next game I won’t shut up about. The trailer showed off a few of the systems and mechanics that draw from adventure games, RPGs, and even rhythm games. There’s also a very off-beat plot with characters I can’t wait to meet and interact with. It is giving me a lot of Undertale vibes mixed with the unsettling nature of bugs. If it can manage to pull off a great story, good creeps, and strong music and presentation, I think this could be a dark horse for when it comes out next year.
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3Pizza Tower
More than a meme
Pizza Tower
If you have any nostalgia for 90s cartoons or SNES platformers, Pizza Tower is a must-play on your Switch. This game has that delightfully gross animation style and almost too fast-to-control speed and momentum that makes it feel like a game that’s falling apart at the seams. It’s not just a meme-game, either. This will test your reaction speed, pattern recognition, and ability to perform under pressure when you trigger Pizza Time at the end of each level and need to race backwards to the beginning before a giant pizza face catches you. With plenty of levels, secrets, bosses, and unlockables, there’s a lot of sauce in this pie.
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4SpongeBob Squarepants: The Patrick Star Game
Patrick’s time to shine
It’s a little insulting that SpongeBob gets top billing on Patrick’s first game, but it is what it is. For all the fans of the lovable pink starfish, your cries have been answered and Patrick is getting his own game. Set in an open-world Bikini Bottom, you can go on your own chaotic rampage through the town in this physics sandbox. Rather than a main plot or levels, the game appears to be centered around doing small challenges or trials using the various systems. The game promises cameos from all the iconic characters, callbacks to the show, and plenty of outfits to unlock when it launches on October 4.
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