The latest Indie World Showcase only lasted for a bit longer than 15 minutes, but that small time window didn’t stop Nintendo from featuring some truly cool-looking games. The Witchbrook release date announcement kicked things off for the presentation. While definitely exciting, that’s not what enthralled me the most.
That’s because the next unveiling was Winds of Viridia, an action-adventure game from developer Shark Jump that appears inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You play as a brown-haired boy who teams up with an adorable mothbug. But the cute companion is also apparently lethal against foes. Other things we’re digging about this single-player title is how much the protagonist does stylistic spin moves as well as Hollow Knight: Silksong composer Christopher Larkin’s involvement with the music. Plus, there’s a demo available now on Switch 2, with a full release expected for early next year.
City of None followed up Winds of Viridia and kept our eyes glued to the screen. The retro pixel art is stunning, and this is coming from someone who feels burnt out by a lot of the throwback aesthetics these days. Maybe the changing four-color palette is what ultimately does it for me. Anyway, the action-puzzle platformer comes from Celeste co-creator Noel Berry–along with his brother, Liam. Celeste is one of my favorite 2D games of the past 10 years, so that connection alone has me standing up. City of None is coming to Switch and Switch 2 in 2027.
The next title worth mentioning gives Square Enix a run for its money in the HD-2D space: Threads of Time. The JRPG from Balor Games and Riyo Games seems heavily influenced by Chrono Trigger, with players traveling to the Middle Ages and even a cyberpunk future. The turn-based battling looks classic yet captivating, and we’ll see if the story can match the grandiose nature of the setup. It’s aiming for a Summer 2027 launch on Switch and Switch 2.
Obviously, these three games were just a sample from the Indie World Showcase, but they really stood out. A few other things we noticed from the show were multiple titles featuring raccoons, oddly; a popular golf game on Steam coming to Switch 2; and a roguelike brawler from a Dead Cells developer called Tenjutsu.
