New Nintendo Switch Games: Nindies News Roundup

It's been a good week for Nintendo Switch fans looking for something new. Wednesday was home to the Nindies Spring Showcase, a Direct-style video stream that ran for 30 minutes and focused exclusively on indie games. During it, Nintendo revealed some new games--including some surprise ones--and further detailed others we already knew about. Maybe best of all, it also released a few new games that you can download right now.

One of those big surprises came right at the start of the stream: Cuphead, previously an Xbox One and PC exclusive, is headed to Switch, where it'll even boast Xbox Live support following a post-launch update. (We've subsequently learned that Microsoft was apparently the driving force behind making this release happen.) The stream was capped off with another out-of-nowhere announcement, as Nintendo announced that a Zelda-themed successor to Crypt of the NecroDancer called Cadence of Hyrule is in development. The latter is an exciting game in its own right, but it's also notable that a western developer will be taking the reins on a Zelda-themed game like this.

Below, you'll find a roundup of all the games and news from the event, along with many of the best new trailers. For more, check out our coverage of the new Switch game sale that's now live on the Eshop in the US. If you own a PS4 or Xbox One, you can look forward to next week, when Sony and Microsoft respectively will host their own Nintendo Direct-style broadcasts.

Also of note, this presentation didn't include all of the day's Nintendo Switch news. Separately, during Epic's GDC keynote, publisher Funcom and developer The Bearded Ladies announced that XCOM-like game Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden will release for Switch on June 25. It will launch alongside a new DLC expansion.

Cadence of Hyrule - Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring the Legend of Zelda

Brace Yourself Games is making this spin-off follow-up to its 2015 indie hit. Cadence of Hyrule takes the familiar rhythm gameplay from Crypt of the NecroDancer, but this time Cadence finds herself in the land of Hyrule, assisted by Nintendo's Link and Zelda. It's coming this spring.

Switch Gets Zelda-Themed Crypt Of The NecroDancer Crossover This Spring

Cuphead

The acclaimed 2D action game Cuphead, noted for its gorgeous 1930s cartoon-style visuals and brutal difficulty, is officially coming to Switch. Notably, the Studio MDHR-developed game was previously an Xbox One and PC exclusive. The showcase specifically shouted out Nintendo's "friends at Microsoft" for helping to make this port possible. The game releases on April 18.

Cuphead Coming To Nintendo Switch Next Month

Stranger Things 3: The Game

The retro Netflix show is getting a game to match, with this co-op action game that sports a 16-bit style. In Stranger Things 3: The Game, you can fight your way through Hawkins and the latest threats from the Upside Down as one of 12 playable characters. It will release alongside the Season 3 of the show (which just got a new trailer) on July 4.

Red Lantern

Red Lantern is set against the harrowing backdrop of the real-life Alaskan Iditarod race. As the Musher for a team of five sled dogs, you’ll have to contend with bears, frostbite, and catching food to survive as you navigate the wilderness and make your way back home. It’s coming this year.

Rad

Double Fine is teaming up with publisher Bandai Namco for an action roguelike called Rad. A post-apocalyptic wasteland is crawling with monsters and mutants, but you'll develop your own mutations to unlock new powers and attacks as well. It's coming this summer.

Katana Zero

Devolver Digital's stylish action-platformer Katana Zero arrives in the Switch Eshop on April 18. As an assassin known enigmatically as "The Dragon," you'll cut your way through side-scrolling levels, using your precognitive powers to see into the future and manipulate time. You'll need to tread carefully, however, as a single hit from an enemy will be enough to bring you down--but even if you fall in battle, you'll rewind to the beginning of the level and get another chance.

Nuclear Throne

Vlambeer's Nuclear Throne is out today for Switch. The roguelike-style shooter first launched for PS4, PS Vita, and PC in 2015, but is now available for download on Nintendo's hybrid console.

Super Crate Box

Another Vlambeer game coming to Switch is Super Crate Box, which releases in April. It's a single-screen action game in which you fight off an endless horde of enemies and collect weapon crates in an attempt to set a high score. On Switch, there will be exclusive multiplayer modes for two players, with co-op and competitive options available.

Vlambeer Arcade with Ultrabugs

Whereas the previous two Vlambeer games are existing ones, the third is something new and different. Vlambeer Arcade will serve as a collection of "bite-sized games" that will expand over time. The first of these games it will include is Ultrabugs, an action game in which you kill enemies using a spaceship but then have to deal with the additional enemies those spawn when defeated. Vlambeer Arcade is slated to launch with Ultrabugs later this year.

My Friend Pedro

My Friend Pedro is a quirky balletic action game that has you running and gunning and pirouetting through a series of gangsters, with the help of a talking banana named Pedro. The game from Devolver Digital and developer Deadtoast is coming this June.

Creature in the Well

This dungeon-crawler gets an unlikely influence from pinball games. In Creature in the Well, you'll make your way into a haunted mountain and charge energy orbs, ricocheting them to solve puzzles, uncover gear, and make your way to a deadly creature dwelling inside. It launches this summer.

Blaster Master Zero 2

Blaster Master Zero II is another of the games that is already available for download from the Switch Eshop. It's a sequel to the 2017 3DS platformer Blaster Master Zero, itself a remake of the NES's 1988 title Blaster Master.

Pine

Described as a primeval fantasy, Pine stages a war between anthropomorphized moose, foxes, and alligators. Five different factions do battle across six biomes, and you'll have to harvest and craft your wares to take on the other tribes. It launches in August.

Bloodroots

Bloodroots is a top-down action game built around pulling off combos and using every tool in the environment to your advantage. The fast-paced revenge tale launches this summer.

Overland

The squad-based survival game Overland is coming to Switch this fall. The procedurally generated levels will get increasingly hazardous as you make your way westward, in a post-apocalyptic roadtrip.

Darkwood

Darkwood is a survival-horror game played from a top-down perspective. It doesn't feature a single linear path and is said to not rely on jump scares to terrify you. The game is set in a European forest where evil is abound, and you're forced to fight back by injecting an "essence" from mutated plants into your blood to obtain new powers. It releases in May.

Neo Cab

Neo Cab is a narrative-driven survival game from Fellow Traveler and Chance Agency that puts you in the shows of Lina, the last human rideshare driver in a city driven by automation. You'll need to pick up fares and control your emotions while searching for your missing friend. It’s coming this summer.

Swimsanity

Swimsanity is a side-scrolling multiplayer shooter that is set underwater. You can play with a total of four players (or bots) through online and local multiplayer in co-op and competitive game modes. Based on what we saw, the game has a vaguely Castle Crashers-like vibe to it. It releases this summer.