All the Good Stuff Shown at Indie Live Expo 2022
It has been a good few days for the Nintendo Switch and for Indie game lovers as this weekend held the latest Indie Live Expo 2022, and it showcased some of the best Indie titles coming to the console in the coming months. So, lets get straight into it! Here’s everything you have missed, prepare yourself, it’s a hefty one.
Meg’s Monster
Meg’s Monster is an adventure RPG that tells the story of two very unlikely friends, with a unique turn-based battle system in which the player controls a nigh-invincible monster who must dispatch enemies while also protecting a fragile human child with strange apocalyptic powers—because “if she cries, the whole world dies.”
Synopsis
When a lost little girl named Meg (whose tears just so happen to hold the power to bring forth the apocalypse) winds up in a world full of mutants and monsters who eat humans for breakfast, it’s up to a hulking brute named Roy and his pal Golan to help her make it back home. As they scour the Underworld for clues regarding her mother’s whereabouts, the trio will slowly warm up to one another, while also uncovering some truly astonishing secrets about their world and themselves.
Battle System
Starting the game off already maxed out at 99,999 HP, Roy is virtually invincible on his own. But with Meg added into the mix, he’ll have to also be careful not to let any of the tricky monsters they encounter lay a finger on her, or do anything that might make her cry—because if she does, it’s game over for everyone. The system itself is a relatively simple turn-based affair, but each battle comes with its own unique mechanics and minigames to master as you duke it out while protecting and keeping her happy with her favorite toys.
Denizens of the Underworld
Over the course of their journey together, Roy and Meg will encounter a host of quirky and colorful characters, all lovingly rendered in Odencat’s trademark vibrant pixel aesthetic that makes even scary monsters look cute. Whether it’s small-time thugs looking to gobble Meg up themselves, or a human who’s defied the odds and managed to survive in this harsh environment for years, or the distinguished members of the High Underworld Council, there’s plenty of drama and intrigue to be found here—and even previously defeated enemies can be befriended through optional sub-events.
A Feast for the Ears
With music and sound design by acclaimed Monster Hunter and Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy composer Reo Uratani, and a main theme featuring ethereal, otherworldly lyrics written and performed by Laura Shigihara of Plant vs. Zombies, To the Moon, Rakuen, and Deltarune fame, Meg’s Monster is set to have Odencat’s most impressive and ambitious soundtrack yet.
Needy Streamer Overload
Ame – While she may look somewhat low-key and quiet, she’s actually a ridiculously selfish and vapid girl with a tendency to get carried away and a desperate need for approval. She’s, well… kind of troublesome personality. Likes: Her S.O./producer, “P-chan”; psychotropics.
OMGkawaiiAngel – An “internet angel”. Ame’s alter ego, used while streaming. Pretends to be really nice and sweet. Constantly flirts with nerd types.
P-chan: Gender, age, and all details are unknown. Or maybe it’s you?
TOKOYO: The Tower of Perpetuity
Fight your way through a constantly changing tower to solidify your eternal legacy!
You find yourself trapped in a mysterious tower – one that transforms its very structure every 24 hours.
The legacy of your epic struggle shall be carved into the hearts of those who challenge you like an epitaph.
Surpass countless poor fallen souls and make your way to the heretofore unseen top.
Journey to the top and unravel the mystery hidden within the tower!
An auto-generated dungeon that changes daily
This 2D action game is set in Tokoyo – the Tower of Perpetuity – a constantly changing and devilishly deceptive auto-generated dungeon crawling with fiendish monsters and brutal traps. The Tower of Perpetuity is automatically regenerated by the game server every 24 hours (in real-world time), allowing for players around the world to take on the same dungeon each day, and for one day only. Different traps and gimmicks await you each day, and you must compete against other players while battling your way through. The dungeon contains various differing branches, offering a certain degree of free choice and randomization.
Light social elements
Social features utilizing the network have been implemented in the game, in which a gravestone will be placed where a player meets their end, appearing in other players’ games along with their “relics” and “last words”. Take advantage of the different special skills afforded to each character and compete with other players as you struggle to surpass the countless bodies of your less fortunate rivals and fight your way through the impregnable dungeon.
To the Rescue!
To The Rescue! is a dog shelter simulator where you are responsible for taking care of dozens of cute dogs in need of homes. It’s not all cuddles and snoot boops though: running a shelter can be a lot of work. You have to manage all of the dogs’ needs in order to maximize their chances of finding the right forever homes.
Each day brings new challenges and rewards. Dogs have specific preferences, can get infectious diseases, and can have negative traits. But you can also hold fundraisers, get random donations, and, if you work hard, help someone find their new best friend. Unfortunately, there’s never enough room, and always more dogs.
Some dogs are more desirable than others, but maybe if you can afford to wait long enough, just maybe, every dog will have their day.
Kargast
Kargast is a dark, hand-crafted, story and narrative driven turn-based
RPG where every choice you make matters. It tells the story of an unwell
child on the brink of death, and his adventures through his surreal,
cryptic surroundings. You must guide him through a place of torment,
confront the unknown and make vital choices along the way. Travel
through dark and mysterious environments with your shiny little
companion, fight your way through dozens of odd and malformed creatures,
and uncover what strange truths lay hidden before it’s too late.
Features:
- A story-driven turn-based RPG where your choices matter.
- Authentic synthwave soundtrack that fits the atmosphere.
- Original art with thoughtfully crafted locations.
- A naive protagonist.
- Ability to make friends, unlike real life.
502’s Arcade
502’s Arcade is an anthology of fast paced arcade games where your goal is to reach the top of the leaderboards in each one. The games go from a dungeon crawler set in a procedural generated temple where you have to seal spirits, to a cute but challenging puzzle where you have to prepare the orders of a very hectic potions shop. Come and get that good old feeling of competition you got when going to the arcade, or just have fun and challenge yourself by trying to get all the achievements for each game.
- TIMELESS ACTION – The games are designed to be engaging right from the start, it’s up to you if you want to play for just a few minutes or maybe a few hours!
- HIGH REPLAYABILITY – Master all of the games at your own pace, some will be easier, some will be harder, but practice will take you far. You’ll also get plenty of achievements to challenge yourself while at it!
- PAST MEETS PRESENT – Bringing you back to that feeling of being just a few points away of the top score, but now with Daily, Weekly and All time leaderboards, you have a reason to keep coming back to try to best others and yourself.
- AWESOME SOUNDTRACK – Whether you’re fighting frantically with some aliens or comfortably solving some puzzles, each game has the perfect music for it.
Anarkade
Run, jump, and frag your opponents with explosive weaponry that causes hilarious hijinks. With intuitive controls that are easy to learn but hard to master, players can gain an edge over rivals by performing moves like wall jumps and corner hangs to strike from anywhere.
- Customizable characters:
Make your character stand out in the wasteland with an absurd range of hats, gas masks, Viking apparel, and more.
- Contrasting Stage themes with unique physics:
Shoot your way through an eclectic collection of arenas in space, on ice or even in the ancient terrain of Egypt. - Multiple weapons with distinctive tactics:
Bring a knife to a gun fight… or a Gatling gun or a bazooka. Heck, even use a bowling bomb to blow away your opponents!
Make sure you loot crates for power ups and weapons while navigating randomly generated arenas in local matches or online multiplayer.
Sail Forth
Put the wind to your back and cast out into High Adventure over a vast ocean spanning numerous unique regions, each packed to bursting with its own flora, fauna, and ambient music.
Make chase with a pod of curious dolphins, watch the sun sink into an icy horizon, run down a clutch of cowardly privateers and accept their apologies to the tune of wild cannonry.
Your sails are filled to billow and you’re nosing into countless possibilities.
Fathom a Mystery!
It’s said, by some, that the Deepblue was once an endless breadth of sand and steel and tall-tops and glitter-brittle, and that the ocean’s weight belched up from the smoulder and crush of an ancient secret, an Iron Maelstrom, a Famine of the Sky.
What will you uncover on your cut across the crest and baffle of the ‘blue? Will your adventure win you answers? Will you discover the riddle of the sea?
Fire All Guns!
Cry havoc! Man the round shot and let scream the demi-cannon!
Buy, equip, upgrade, and modify your ships’ armament to suit your play-style.
There’s war on the water, and it’s up to you to outfit your ship and make ready to stove and shatter any pirate, privateer, or sea monster martial enough to shiver your timbers.
Ride the Wind!
Catch a bellow and feel the hearty push of full sails. Surge and sway with the rip and roil of rolling waves.
Tack and jibe and heave and cut with a ship and sea realized with enough attention to realistic sailing physics to keep a naval enthusiast engaged while remaining deeply accessible to everyone.
Casual or complex; how you Sail Forth is up to you!
Command a Fleet!
Why captain a single ship when you can marshal an entire flotilla?
Build, manage, and modify a custom cadre of unique and specialized vessels to match your own personality and play-style.
Make ready your sea-stance and take to water with a cannon-bristling clutch of wood, iron, canvas, crew, and ambition.
Re-Live Adventure!
Stay engaged with a replayable rogue-lite experience whose narrative is revealed through free exploration in an ocean-world of ever-changing discovery.
Lean into a chill sailing session or wage raging war on the cracking waves.
On the Deepblue, opportunity is in every direction, and sinking your ship is just the start of another adventure!
Jack Move
Jack Move is a JRPG that features a unique blend of gritty cyberpunk storytelling, turn-based battles, and beautiful modern pixel art. Coming to Steam in 2022.
Take on the role of Noa: A young vigilante hacker from Bright Town. As the overreaching mega-corporation, Monomind, kidnaps her estranged father, Noa has no choice but to get him back, before it’s too late. Help her find her dad, as she finds herself on the way.
Noa won’t be alone on her journey. She’ll be helped out by her best friend and tactical planner, Ryder, as well as her Martini drinking uncle and ex-corporate spy, Guin Blakely.
Jack Move features beautifully animated, exciting, and tactical turn-based battles.
Customize the software of your Cyber Deck to switch roles mid-battle, balancing offense, defense, and buffs. Choosing which software you load during battle is the key to victory! Hardware upgrades can help boost your stats, increase the amount of software you can install or give Noa extra abilities.
- Gorgeous “Hi-Bit” pixel art inspired by retro RPGs and enhanced with modern techniques.
- Battle your foes in cyberspace. Take them down using a multitude of sweet hacking software.
- Explore the dangerous world of Monocity-1 and takedown Monomind, the evil mega-corporation that controls it.
- Play as Noa Solares, a sassy hacker out to save her father and the world.
- Fight your way through a bunch of dungeons filled with all sorts of cyberpunk villany. Street punks, gangsters, corporate militia, secret service agents, and horrific cyber-experiments-gone-wrong will all be battling against you!
Unusual Findings
It’s the 80s and the Christmas is coming, Vinny, Nick and Tony are young and their new cable signal descrambler just arrived. That same night while trying to decrypt a pay per view adult channel, they pick up the distress signal of an alien spaceship crash-landing in the woods near their town… Things only get weirder as they realize that the towering alien is killing very specific members of their community!
Explore the world oozing with nostalgia, check the Video Buster Store for clues, challenge other kids at the Laser Llamas Arcades, go learn a new trick at The Emerald Sword comic store, try to get along with the punk looking Lost Boys at their hideout or even dare to ask THE BULL, the quintessential 80s Action hero, for some help!
Follow the story that pays tribute to 80s classics like The Goonies, The Explorers, Monster Squad, The Lost Boys, They Live, Terminator, and Aliens among others and a gameplay that combines mechanics of Point and Clicks masterpieces like Full Throttle with its own unique twist and more.
Your decisions do matter, and the way you make these three friends interact with each other increasingly affects their friendship and the whole story, changing the way they solve the game puzzles, the locations they visit, the answers they find, the story, everything.
Uncover the truth hidden behind the alien invasion… well sort of. Why here? Why is it killing locals? How can the boys stop it? Will they tune in the adult channel after all? The answers to these and other questions… in Unusual Findings.
You Suck At Parking
Prepare to take part in the world’s most extreme parking experience in You Suck at Parking™, the only game where your driving skills aren’t as important as your parallel parking skills. Race against the clock to yank your handbrake in over 100 wild levels with ever-increasing difficulty.
Going furiously fast to your designated parking spot will not only ensure you remain extremely cool, calm, and collected; but it’ll unlock cool new customization options to pimp your ride with.
Want to show the world your naught-to-sixty skills? Want to prove you’re really worth that number one spot? Climb the global leaderboards and prove to your friends that you truly do have the power to stop. Maybe not the world, but a car, at least.
More cars?
More biomes with MORE tracks?!
More customization options?!
A fully-fledged level editor?!
More, well, everything?!
You Suck At Parking™ will be an ever-growing, always-expanding, forever-changing game. Follow our socials for more information on anything we add, anything we tweak, anything that gets a change under the hood!
Overlord: Escape From Nazarick
At first, Clementine will be unarmed and, thanks to her amnesia, unable to exercise the full extent of her abilities. She will need to explore every inch of the Great Tomb of Nazarick in order to regain her arsenal of weapons and powers and use them to make her escape.
Action-Packed Parkour
Clementine’s incredible agility allows her to perform superhuman feats of parkour that will help her navigate her environment in a variety of ways.
Martial Arts and Magic
Make use of Clementine’s wide array of abilities to boost her firepower and mobility.
Mastery of different types of magic will be essential in exploring the various stages of the game.
Upgrade Weapons
Upgrade the weapons you find around the Tomb to exploit your enemies’ weaknesses and hone your favorites to perfection.
Regain Clementine’s Memories and Uncover the Truth
Clementine’s memories will be hidden throughout the various stages of the game in the form of memory fragments.
Find them to unravel the many mysteries surrounding Clementine’s current predicament.
The rich world of Overlord is yours to explore in this robust, story-driven metroidvania.
Play as fan-favorite Clementine and delve into an entirely new chapter in the Overlord series, brought to life under the supervision of the original creator, Kugane Maruyama.
Whether you’re new to the series or a diehard fan, there will be plenty for you to discover and enjoy in this dark fantasy action-adventure that ensnares you in a web of intrigue in typical Overlord fashion.
Lonesome Village
Lonesome Village is a cozy, quiet town struggling to rebuild after a strange calamity wiped out their homes.
Take the role of Wes the coyote and help bring this village back from the brink of destruction in a puzzle-filled life sim!
Game Features
- Gorgeous, inviting art style – Lonesome Village is the perfect place to rest up after a long day adventuring.
- Discover a detailed and fascinating world full of mystery and adventure.
- Solve mind-bending puzzles to gain entry to and make your way up a mysterious magic tower, one dungeon at a time.
- Hang out and make friends with a variety of cute characters.
- Save villagers from a perilous stay in the tower and help bring them back home to Lonesome!
- Make Lonesome your home – earn land in the village and build and customize your house inside and out.
- Help Lonesome grow by working in your garden and fishing in the nearby lakes.
- Discover the gripping story of Lonesome’s origins and learn about Wes’s secret past.
Monster Outbreak
Monster Tribe
Akama. A lone island, sitting in the middle of an endless ocean, and the site of a magical phenomenon known only as the Rift. It was once a source of limitless power for humanity, through magical creatures called the Ateyan. Capable of incredible and wonderful feats of magic, they lived alongside humanity for centuries – until something destroyed this harmony. The Ateyan disappeared, becoming motes of light on an almost deserted island. Human civilizations crumbled, its formerly great cities and industry reclaimed by nature. Generations passed in the shadow of ancient splendor. Then, something happened: The Rift began consuming the island, threatening the survival of humanity’s remnants.
Monster Tribe puts you in the shoes of humanity’s last hope, a sage born with a natural connection to the Ateyan, capable of calling them forth from the void between the real world and the Rift. Set out across Akama, collect an army of Ateyan, train them, and unearth long-forgotten secrets. Why did Akama fall? What caused the Ateyan to disappear into the void? Can the rift be stopped?
Can a single human make a difference?
Exophobia
Exophobia is a retro inspired sci-fi FPS with modern metroidvania progression, mixing crisp colorful pixel art with intense electronic music for a unique stylish aesthetic!
You find yourself alone in a human spaceship taken over by hostile alien soldiers. Explore and fight your way to find the last human survivors, while you uncover piece by piece the backstory of the spaceship crew, leading to this high-stakes moment at the red planet. Evolve your alien weapon and shoot, slide, stun your enemies and more, in your journey to escape out alive!
Tyrant’s Blessing
The Tyrant landed in Tyberia bearing promises of a paradise, without war, without suffering… and without death. All Tyberians had to do in order to enter his paradise was to simply die at the hands of his Dead Army. The war was over before it even began, with thousands perishing in the Tyrant’s wake, only to be brought into his fold as undying thralls, bound by magic. The few living warriors left are scattered across the remnants of their homeland, tirelessly looking for a way to turn the tables on the tyrannical Tyrant. Lead a great Uprising, defeat the Dead Army, and drive the monstrous overlord back into the depths of the sea from whence he came.
Tyrant’s Blessing is a tactical turn-based game where your ability to plan, adapt, and strategize is more important than min-maxing your units or finding the sharpest sword in the hoard. Select battles every day, make challenging choices, and cleverly use the strengths of these rag-tag insurgents to defeat the undead hordes and maybe – just maybe – bring real life back to Tyberia.
The Crackpet Show
Are you ready to get famous? If so, grab your gun and join the most violent TV show in the history of violent TV shows! Participants will have to shoot, smash and rip through hundreds of enemies on their way to victory!
Don’t be discouraged by THE GIANT BOSSES that are more than capable of turning your innards outwards – just grab the best perks and weapons along the way. Make your gun spew molten lava all over the floor, turn yourself into a berserker, and let your bullets bounce between enemies! All these things stack, so you have every opportunity to turn your furry warrior into a raging death machine.
You’ll still die, though. That’s just how life is, even for those who wield a rail gun. But who cares about death when your audience loves YOU? Unlike real life, here you can make good use of the likes you receive.
Remedium
The fast-paced twin-stick shooter game in the grim post-apocalyptic Renaissance setting.
It had been more than a hundred years since the terrible plague devoured the whole Europe and turned almost everyone there in the maddened mutants. Only a few survivors managed to find refuge behind the huge walls of the fortress-cities. Although you are one of them, your luck has run out as you got infected while foraging outside the city walls. Now your only hope is to fight through the hordes of mutants and chimeras and to find the cure!
Byte Cats
Lead a bunch of kittens through a dystopian underworld and explore brutal levels full of hardcore platforming action and hidden secrets. Catch a variety of little critters to fill up your mice containers and unleash claw-some abilities.
Game Features:
- A story-driven, single-player adventure
- Challenging gameplay
- Simple controls
- Multiple playable cats – each with an unique powerful ability
- Hidden Secrets
- Brutal Bonus Levels
- Catchy Soundtrack
No Place For Bravery
No Place for Bravery is a 2D top-down action RPG which weaves together high-quality visuals, a stirring soundtrack and intense combat moments into a deep and affecting tale of moral dilemmas and personal reflection of choices. YOUR choices.
The game will focus on parries and fast-paced combat. Making mistakes will be punishing and you’ll experience a lingering sense of fragility while facing the dangers of Bravery’s world.
Thorn, a retired warrior plagued by nightmares, stumbles on an opportunity for redemption after finding clues to his daughter’s disappearance from long ago. With the company of his disabled foster son, Phid, it will be up to the player to decide how far Thorn will go, not only to rescue his daughter but also to fulfill his ambitions.
The story of Bravery carries a strong message on the role of parental figures and the consequences of their choices in a troubled world. This message is informed by the developers’ personal life experiences, and the game aims to impart these real, resonant feelings with competence and depth.
Hamster Playground
Prepare for cuteness overload, relentless training, and fierce rivalry as you and your hamsters take on challenges while traversing the maze and riding a skateboard, with more modes coming soon! Be the first to cross the finish line to earn rewards and yummy treats!
- Experience fierce competition in a laid-back style – all you need is a single button, but don’t think for one second that it means you won’t break a sweat!
- Race AI-driven hamsters in mazes and on drag strips – more modes to be included in the full game upon launch;
- Enjoy multiplayer modes – compete with others, whether they’re next to you (up to 4 players locally), or hundreds of miles away;
- Develop your hamsters’ abilities and skillsets to compete against higher-level opponents;
- Look after your hamsters and expand their house – furnish it with new equipment and make it the mansion they deserve;
- Name your hamsters and customise them – there are over 100 cosmetic items!
- Enjoy detailed graphics and cute animations, no matter what mode you’re playing!
Critter Crops
After being banished from her village for practicing magic, Sylvie had only one option left: A strange letter, inviting her to “Mutter Island” and claim ownership of a mansion in the island’s main town, Mur Mur. Upon arrival, she finds the place deserted, save for a bag of farming gear and a key to the inn mysteriously left for her. Shouldering the bag, Sylvie sets off to build a new life for herself on the spooky, yet strangely welcoming island.
Critter Crops is an isometric role-playing/management game, where you take control of Sylvie as she explores the island, raises crops of magical critters, and tries to uncover the secret of who invited her to the island and why.
Phew! And breathe! That was everything shown for the Nintendo Switch at the Indie Live Expo 2022 in Japan. Majority of these games have no set release date, only stating a 2022/2023 release date. But we are super excited! Thank you for stopping by Nintendo Link.
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A massive lover of all things nerdy, Chelly has been games writing for over 3 years now and hopes to gain more experience and knowledge doing so. Her favourite games are Monster Hunter, Borderlands and Pokemon.