Look, let’s just get ahead of it: no, Hollow Knight: Silksong did not shadow-drop. There was neither hide nor hair of the long-awaited Hollow Knight follow-up at today’s April 2024 Nintendo Indie World Showcase, and no amount of “SKONG”s in the chat could have summoned it.
And honestly, side-bar, I don’t think that Silksong is going to resurface at an event like this. Despite the ratings boards and store listings pointing towards an imminent release, that’s the sort of thing that shows up at a big showcase. Your hopes should reside in June, Silksong faithful.
What we did get today was a whole slew of new indies and familiar faces, with dates, demos, shadow-drops, and more. I’ve said before that the indie showcases always manage to surprise me, and today was no different. Here’s the rundown of intriguing games we got a glimpse of today.
Little Kitty Big City is first up on the docket. The adorable cat-sim sees you playing as, guess, a little kitty in a big city. It does look fantastic, adorable, and like a good time for cat lovers. It’s arriving on May 9, 2024.
For our first big reveal, there’s Yars Rising, a team-up from WayForward and Atari that sees the Yars series return. Yet, as our own Zoey Handley puts it, this doesn’t seem very Yar. Looks like a neon-infused Metroid-y game, and I guess we’ll see how it continues the Yar legacy sometime this year.
Our internal chat was certainly impressed with Refind Self, a personality test game with striking graphics and an interesting premise. It’s a choice-driven game that tracks your actions and uses that to map out your personality, which can be shared with other players. It seems novel, at the very least. It hits Switch this summer.
For sticker fans, Sticky Business lets you stick to your heart’s content without ruining your good stickers. It’s frustrating, personally, when I mess up stickering. You get to run a sticker shop and interface with customers, too. Live out your sticker shop fantasy today, as both the game and its DLC drop onto Switch today.
Do you love this new wave of Wario Land-alikes? Antonblast is here to add more fuel to the fire and lord, does it look fantastic. It’s easy to say that, whether you’re a Wario fan or joined with more recent successors like Pizza Tower, this is worth looking out for on November 12. A demo hits Switch later today.
Valley Peaks is an interesting exploration game, where you do some first-person platforming and take on sidequests, minigames, and more as you climb mountains. It’s got an interesting contrast between serene views and tense platforming, so I’m curious about it as it climbs towards a launch this year.
I will have more to say about Lorelei and the Laser Eyes in a separate piece, but suffice to say, if you were expecting another Sayonara Wild Hearts from this team, this isn’t quite that. Simogo’s latest is a deep, engrossing puzzler that demands you get out a pad and pencil, and if that appeals to you at all, it’s worth keeping an eye on. Look for it on Switch on May 16.
Europa is a project from Helder Pinto and friends, with a watercolor art style and lots of exploration to uncover. I really dig the look of it, even if these sorts of platformer-explorers aren’t always my vibe. This could be a bit of a surprise when it arrives this year. If you really want to check it out, a demo is out later today.
Another Apple Arcade game has escaped and made it onto other platforms. TMNT Splintered Fate brings its co-op, rogue-y take on the turtles to Switch as a timed console exclusive in July 2024.
We just saw it at the Triple-I Initiative, but for those seeking adventure and cats in equal measure, there is Cat Quest 3. The series has eluded me over the years, but if you’re looking to hop on, it arrives on August 8.
Stitch is another shadowdrop with an interesting premise. You basically stitch hoop patterns that are like puzzles, as you have to determine the placing of different rows and blocks. It’s got quite the look, and a ton of puzzles, with even daily puzzle options. It’s out today on Switch, and might be good if you’re looking for something to cool down with at the end of a long day.
It’s montage time! That classic portion of every Direct and showcase where we blast through a bunch of games and dates. Here’s the lowdown:
- Bzzzt – Summer 2024
- SCHiM – July 18, 2024
- Animal Well – May 9, 2024
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami – May 23, 2024
- Another Crab’s Treasure – April 25, 2024
And our “one more thing” of the showcase is SteamWorld Heist II, a very well-deserved follow-up that sends the Heists out of space, and into the high seas of naval combat and raids. Everything here looks like a fantastic expansion on the original’s formula, and I’m very, very keen to see more of it as we head towards an August 8 release date.
