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Top 5 indies on Switch?

Lupin3

Lupin3

Targeting terrorists with a D-Pad
What are your top 5 indie games on Nintendo Switch? And why?

EDIT: On the lookout for new games. Haven't played anything except the Blaster Master Zero demo, which was really nice.
 
Manus

Manus

Member
Is Golf Story worth owning? I love the Camelot GBC Mario Golf game. Is it any similar to that?
 
tassletine

tassletine

Member
Greatest Ever said:
One that should not preface games that have multiple distinguishing qualities that adhere themselves to proper genres, i.e. action games, RPGs, adventure games, etc.
Click to expand...

I understand where you are coming from but unfortunately budget often dictates how these games are presented and sold. Wanting something cheap and most likely gameplay/retro based is what most indies offer, to say nothing of the fact that a lot of indies are much more experimental than AAA titles.

It's also a genuine question (and category) because so much attention is a paid to AAA titles. If you don't dig then you may never come across a great indie title because there is no advertising budget. You simply wouldn't know they existed. Having a separate category gives them a fair chance.
 
Z

Zero83

Member
My favourite eShop titles have been Stardew Valley, Picross and FAST rmx. I haven't have time to dig much further into what's on offer. Next one I'll buy is Battlechef Brigade, for sure. Stardew Valley and SMO are going to keep me occupied for quite some time now.
 
Jodast

Jodast

Member
Manus said:
Is Golf Story worth owning? I love the Camelot GBC Mario Golf game. Is it any similar to that?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say super similar but I feel its definitely worth owning. Mario Golf is kinda more like a golf game with some RPG elements. Golf Story is more like an RPG heavily themed around golf.

Whereas Mario Golf's goals at each club are to win the tournament and beat the pro, Golf Story might be more like getting the course match ready or helping recover missing treasure, which you do via a series of activities. The solutions are nearly always golf related (might have to hit a ball in a certain area or beat a player at a chipping and putting challenge) but the act of playing golf isn't as big a focus in the game.

Personally after replaying Mario Golf recently, I much prefer Golf Story and hope that Camelot and Nintendo take some inspiration from it for the next Mario Golf.

On topic, so far my favourite inde games have been Golf Story, Kamiko, Pan Pan, Blaster Master Zero and Phantom Trigger.
 
M

MrKeinov

Member
1) Steamworld Dig 2

Amazing metroidvania experience that offers tons of rewarding challenges with awesome soundtrack and art style. It lasts roughly 10 hours and I dont think its even comparable to first game in terms of its scale and passion that developers have put into.

2) Golf Story

Did not finish it yet but I'm around 7 hours in. The tone and humor in the first couple of hours made me enjoy this game more than I ever expected. Its a little sad that it starts to become more straight forward golfing game around 3rd or 4th world. Anyway I think its well worth the money. A great exclusive on the system.

3) Thumper

Very different sort of rhythm game that I would suggest to even gamers who would normally ignore rhythm games. Its very terrific, but putting your headphones on and focusing only on this game really comes close putting me a deeper state of mind. The experience that I have gotten from thumper is not comparable to anything in this medium.

4) Shantae: Half Genie hero

I think it has a very catchy soundtrack. The game requires a lot of backtracking without offering the brilliant crafted maps and level design like good metroidvania games does.Its simplified even compared to older Shantae games. (which weren't really great metroidvanias to begin with) Contrary to all this whining, I enjoyed the game. I like these characters and even bought the risky-boots dlc. I think its a high quality game.

Can't find a fourth fav. even though I've bought two dozens of eshop titles. My wishlist got quite populated in the last 2 months but I will try to focus on Xenoblade2/Skyrim and actually finish the games before buying more. I think eshop is finally starting to get populated with such quality titles (Axiom verge, Oxenfree, Sexy Brutale, etc etc) but aint nobody got time for all that :(
 
Lupin3

Lupin3

Targeting terrorists with a D-Pad
MrKeinov said:
3) Thumper

Very different sort of rhythm game that I would suggest to even gamers who would normally ignore rhythm games. Its very terrific, but putting your headphones on and focusing only on this game really comes close putting me a deeper state of mind. The experience that I have gotten from thumper is not comparable to anything in this medium.
Click to expand...

Actually didn't even know this game existed until yesterday. Sure is on my radar now. Is performance good on Switch? Not sure if I should buy it for PS4, Switch or PC.
 
M

MrKeinov

Member
Lupin3 said:
Actually didn't even know this game existed until yesterday. Sure is on my radar now. Is performance good on Switch? Not sure if I should buy it for PS4, Switch or PC.
Click to expand...

60 fps locked on switch both docked and undocked. But if you have the VR headset you might consider ps4 version. I mostly play this game during nights when I'm laying in the bed so switch is my go to console.
 
Feeroper

Feeroper

Member
tassletine said:
I understand where you are coming from but unfortunately budget often dictates how these games are presented and sold. Wanting something cheap and most likely gameplay/retro based is what most indies offer, to say nothing of the fact that a lot of indies are much more experimental than AAA titles.

It's also a genuine question (and category) because so much attention is a paid to AAA titles. If you don't dig then you may never come across a great indie title because there is no advertising budget. You simply wouldn't know they existed. Having a separate category gives them a fair chance.
Click to expand...

Well said! I agree completely. I came here to see if any suggestions are present that I was unaware of myself.

As to the topic at hand, here are my favorites in no particular order (so far):

1. Shovel Knight Treasure Trove
2.Golf Story
3. Stardew Valley
4. Steamworld Dig 2
5. Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
 
IISANDERII

IISANDERII

Member
I can’t believe nobody has mentioned Crypt of the Necrdancer. This moment, more than any other in this year, I am ashamed of neogaf
 
V

Vitacat

Member
Shovel Knight TT
Fast RMX

Those are the only 2 I own so far. Both are great.

Strongly considering Rive UE next. Gives me positive Metal Slug vibes when I watched trailers.
 
P

Pepboy

Member
Manus said:
Is Golf Story worth owning? I love the Camelot GBC Mario Golf game. Is it any similar to that?
Click to expand...

It's pretty funny but the game itself is a chore. 95% of the tasks are "hit this target from this stationary position". They barely let you actually golf. For example in golf if you mess up a shot, it influences the difficulty of the next shot. In the target minigames its basically just keep repeating until you get the 5 out of 10 or whatever they want.

There's very little sense of character progression. You can only buy like one new club per chapter. The power up stat grows incredibly slow. And there's not really much in the way of "grinding".

If you like adventure games where the minigame is target practice, go for it. If you want a golf RPG, probably best waiting for a sale.
 
T

Theognosis

Member
I’ll rank the ones I own. Scores are relative to other indie games only and are not absolute.

1. Wulverblade (5/5) - I love beat em ups so this one’s a no-brainer. The presentation is AAA level. Will get even better when patched. The lore is incredible. My favorite indie on the Switch. It makes 99% of the indie games look cheap by comparison.

2. Steamworld Dig 2 (5/5) - Perfect controls. I prefer the random maps of the first game though.

3. Stardew Valley (5/5) - Plays great. Will get back to it once I finish the action titles.

4. Slain Back from Hell (4/5) - Great art and music. I died a lot but fortunately there’s zero loading time when trying again. For metalheads only.

5. Enter the Gungeon (4/5) - Fun for short blasts but the controls hurt it a bit. You need to detach the joycons to avoid messing up your aim when pressing the shoulder buttons.

6. Axiom Verge (4/5) - Metroidvania made by one person. Reminds me of how it used to be in the late 80’s when I was making my own games.

7. Overcooked SE (4/5) - Awesome local multiplayer but there’s no reason why this one isn’t running at 60 fps.

8. Rocket League (4/5) Been playing this for years on PC and I think I’m tired of it already. A competent port.

9. Retro City Rampage DX (3/5) - Cheap fun.

10. The Mummy Demastered (2/5) - A game like Contra needs infinite ammos for specials. Patch this one please.
 
trugs

trugs

Neo Member
I tried getting into Steamworld Dig 2, but I wasn't enjoying it. I found the core concept of it being quite boring. I'll try to come back to it in the future.

My favourite this year is Golf Story.
 
M

MindCollizion

Member
I picked up Gorogoa since I saw it as someone's top game of 2017 (forgot which site), and I absolutely loved it. Finished it last night and the game definitely made you think hard and was a reward on its own figuring things out. I highly recommend it to everyone, although it is a bit on the short side. I can't tell how long it took me since there isn't a game play timer.
Edit: according to the switch parental controls app, 3 hrs 20 minutes. Great the entire time.
 
Liliana Eileen

Liliana Eileen

Member
Theognosis said:
I’ll rank the ones I own. Scores are relative to other indie games only and are not absolute.

1. Wulverblade (5/5) - I love beat em ups so this one’s a no-brainer. The presentation is AAA level. Will get even better when patched. The lore is incredible. My favorite indie on the Switch. It makes 99% of the indie games look cheap by comparison.

2. Steamworld Dig 2 (5/5) - Perfect controls. I prefer the random maps of the first game though.

3. Stardew Valley (5/5) - Plays great. Will get back to it once I finish the action titles.

4. Slain Back from Hell (4/5) - Great art and music. I died a lot but fortunately there’s zero loading time when trying again. For metalheads only.

5. Enter the Gungeon (4/5) - Fun for short blasts but the controls hurt it a bit. You need to detach the joycons to avoid messing up your aim when pressing the shoulder buttons.

6. Axiom Verge (4/5) - Metroidvania made by one person. Reminds me of how it used to be in the late 80’s when I was making my own games.

7. Overcooked SE (4/5) - Awesome local multiplayer but there’s no reason why this one isn’t running at 60 fps.

8. Rocket League (4/5) Been playing this for years on PC and I think I’m tired of it already. A competent port.

9. Retro City Rampage DX (3/5) - Cheap fun.

10. The Mummy Demastered (2/5) - A game like Contra needs infinite ammos for specials. Patch this one please.
Click to expand...

This is an excellent list.
 
D

Deleted member 1235

Unconfirmed Member
Rocket league
Enter the gungeon
The end is nigh
super Meatboy
Steamworld dig 2
Binding of Isaac

Are all titles I suck 'stupid' amount of hours in
 
T

Taco_Human

Member
I bought Floor Kids hoping for a good rhythm game. I only had one long session but it's very....make up your own pace and points in a way? I kinda felt ripped off. I'll have to keep playing it, and I heard it's very short. I like the art style but it doesn't make up for it being kinda easy. Maybe the devs will make something better in the future.
 
Scopa

Scopa

The Tribe Has Spoken
My post about Ironcast seems to have disappeared during the forum transition to Xenforo. Anyway, I won’t type it all out again, but it’s a very good game.
 
Malcolm9

Malcolm9

Member
The ones I have played so far and enjoyed are Golf Story, Blaster Master and Enter The Gungeon. All 3 are great games.
 
CloudStrife_ca

CloudStrife_ca

Member
I don't have 5, I only have 2... Golf Story has so much charm, its random, fun and I was all in when I heard there was frisbee golf (disc golf) my second indie choice and I only got it this weekend and have never played it before. Stardew Valley, I got it with the intention of something for my fiance to play, she laughed when she saw me playing it but it literally consumed my whole weekend. It is beyond addicting and I was actually blown away at how much there is to do, this should be a must for any Switch owner at this point and if it comes out as a physical release, I'll buy it again to show my love for this game.
 
T

Theognosis

Member
Been playing NBA Playgrounds "Enhanced Edition" since release and for $10 until Jan 18, it's a steal. I think the devs have refined the engine a bit. At the discounted price, 4/5 if you like bball games, 2.5/5 if not.

Finished the story mode of Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive and had a lot of fun doing crazy 200-hit combos. Will replay it again for other characters and level them up. 4/5 since it's just $10.

Sonic Mania (I consider this an indie game published by Sega) is good but I think Sonic 2 with 3D effect on 3DS and its feature to save game states is a better game. 4/5

I prefer short gaming bursts and get lots of action per second and the Switch is turning out to be the best platform for indies. Titles that don't work well with consoles and PC's end up looking and playing amazing on the small screen--and with zero lag. I plan to get Thumper, Golf Story, Rive, Floor Kids and Blossom Tales once I get a 128 micro SD card. My Switch's internal memory is full already and I can't have enough of these amazing games! I've been playing so much indies I haven't touched my AAA retail games since finishing Mario Odyssey last Christmas.
 
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SpiceRacz

SpiceRacz

Member
1. Shovel Knight
2. Super Meat Boy (Comes out soon. One of the best platformers ever made.)
3. Stardew Valley
4. The End is Nigh (One of the most overlooked games of 2017)
5. Axiom Verge
 
Toadthemushroom

Toadthemushroom

Member
This is a tough one, but I'll probably settle for these five...unranked of course because they are so different to one another:

Snake Pass - a novel yet well thought out take on the 3D platformer, where learning how to slither and wrap yourself around the environment as a snake is an act of mastery in itself.

TumbleSeed - One of my favourite roguelikes. You balance a seed on a platform which can move along one axis, and tilt along the other. On your way you'll encounter potholes, and all sorts of enemies to avoid and roll around (or into). Excellent use of HD Rumble too.

Blaster Master Zero - Inti Creates has served up a superb take on Sunsoft's old series. Not only is the level design well pitched, but the presentation is also top notch.

Overcooked - Assuming the role of up to four chefs in a frantic kitchen is a recipe (sorry) for laughter. Perfect for local multiplayer.

SteamWorld Dig 2 - an enthralling MetroidVania that's more confident about itself than its predecessor.

Would replace any of those picks with Gorogoa, though. It was a tough list!
 
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T

Theognosis

Member
Phantom Breaker Battle Grounds is perfect on the go and has high replay value.

And don't miss Celeste. It's my GOTY 2018 so far.
 
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