Everything Shown During Nintendo’s May 2022 Indie World Showcase

Nintendo showcased more than 20 minutes of indie games during today’s Indie World Showcase, and if you weren’t able to catch it, or if you missed the name of the game you’re excited to check out (or even its release date), we’ve got you covered.

Here’s everything announced during today’s May 2022 Indie World Showcase:

Ooblets

Developed by Glumberland, there’s a good chance Ooblets is already a game you’ve played. That’s because was previously released on Xbox One and PC back in 2020. However, it’s now making its way to Switch. It’s the same game, which is to say it’s a very cute farming/life simulation game where you control a highly-customizable character to grow Ooblets upon Ooblets. 

Batora: Lost Haven

Set to release this fall on the Switch (and PC), Batora: Lost Haven is described by developer Stormind Games as a “deeply story-driven game.” It features lots of platforming and combat that blend your physical and mental powers. In fact, you can sacrifice one in combat to benefit and strengthen the other, which represents the push and pull between yourself and your conscious throughout the game’s story. 

“The physical and mental powers of a naive and reckless girl who lost everything are the only weapons to save the Earth from oblivion,” a description for Batora: Lost Haven reads. “Jump on a journey across colorful and mesmerizing planets in this fast-paced adventure where your conscience will carry the weight of your decisions.” 

ElecHead

Developed by one person who goes by NamaTakahashi, ElecHead began life as a proof-of-concept game developed to fit the theme of “Flow” in a school competition. NamaTakahashi took the game to the next level and made it a fully-featured platformer. You’ll use it to solve puzzles, move platforms, and more as Elec, a little electrical outlet-looking character that you control while platforming through a facility in an effort to restore light to the world. It hits Switch this summer, but if you don’t want to wait until then, it’s already available on PC. 

Soundfall

Set to release this spring, Soundfall is a rhythm-based looter shooter action game with “musical gameplay.” Described as a dungeon crawler, you’ll control a girl who is the Guardian of Harmony tasked with saving the world of Symphonia. It’s possible to do this solo or with four other players in co-op. Regardless of whether you go solo or have a friend tag along, you’ll be using physical attacks and guns to shoot and take down enemies to the beat of a great-sounding pop soundtrack. Filled with bosses, dynamic levels that react to the more than 140 tracks in the game, and a beautiful art style, Soundfall is set to hit Switch (and PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and PC) this spring, which hopefully means it’s coming soon. 

Wildfrost

Wildfrost is a “tactical roguelike deck builder” from Deadpan Games, and it looks like a cozy, great time. As you’d expect from that description, it features dozens of beautiful cards, card companions, and items to use to ultimately win fights against snowy creatures ranging from cute to scary but still cute. When you’re done with your battles, you can return to the hub town to upgrade it and unlock new events, cards, and NPCs to interact with. Daily challenges will keep you returning long after credits roll. Switch will be hit by Wildfrost this holiday. 

TABS

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, or TABS as the devs call it for short, is a very ragdoll-ish fighter developed by Landfall Games, and it looks like it’s filled with plenty of laugh-inducing combat. There are more than 100 warriors in each battle, so you could play as any number of characters, including knights, samurai and fencers. TABS also features mounts, woolly mammoths, and other frightening animals that will help you win. You can also create your own wobblers in Unit Creator. This allows you to choose weight, size and speed. TABS will be available on Switch in the summer but can also be played now on Xbox Series X/S and PC. 

Gunbrella

Coming by way of Devolver Digital and developer Doinksoft, Gunbrella is a “noir-punk action-adventure game” with lots of sidescrolling combat and platforming and some fun traversal mechanics too. The shooting looks reminiscent of Spelunky but more advanced because you can use the titular Gunbrella to “dive, swing, dash, and dive.” Plus, you can scavenge this deteriorating world to find parts that you can use to upgrade your Gunbrella. Switch gets Gunbrella by 2023 

OFK is what we do

OFK, an Indie Pop band from Los Angeles is now ready to share their story about how they rose to prominence. Developed by Team OFK, We Are OFK is described as a “music biopic” told episodically, with new episodes releasing every single week until the story is over. Team OFK didn’t mention how many episodes the game would last, though. You play as Itsume Saito, who struggles to make it in LA’s music scene while managing a full-time job, a brutal commute, and more. However, one chance encounter with a rising Hollywood producer could change everything, and you’ll witness that play out by the fully-voiced cast when We Are OFK hits Switch this summer. 

Silence

Developed by Spiral Circus Games, an entirely-remote team, Silt takes place in a “strange oceanic” world that’s monochrome and filled with puzzles galore. You’ll unravel a long-forgotten mystery as you explore a surreal underwater realm with strange machinery, ancient ruins, and dangerous ocean inhabitants. On your journey, you’ll possess sea creatures to solve puzzles using their abilities all while attempting to survive against deep sea goliaths and more. Switch on Silt this June

Mini Motorways

Dinosaur Polo Club’s Mini Motorways is exactly what it sounds like: a game that takes place amongst multiple mini motorways. That’s because you’ll be tasked with bringing these motorways to life, starting with a small town that eventually grows into a metropolis. As a result, you’ll have to revisit these maps inspired by real-life cities to upgrade them with highways and more. You can find Mini Motorways on Switch right now, where you will be able to check out the daily and weekly challenges. 

Wayward Strand

Ghost Pattern has developed Wayward Strand. The game takes place in 1970s Australia aboard an airship that is a floating hospital. Casey is a teenager journalist who wants to hear the stories from the strange patients at this hospital. Each story unfolds in real-time, so you’ll need to decide who to talk to and when to talk to them to advance their stories. In fact, Ghost Pattern says multiple playthroughs are recommended to get the full story and advance storylines you couldn’t in previous playthroughs. Keep track of the information that you get from talking with patients or doctors in your journal. This will allow you to unlock new places, stories and revelations. Wayward Strand will be available on Switch starting July 21. 

Cult of the Lamb

Massive Monster’s Cult of the Lamb continues to look great, melding together rogue-lite action gameplay that looks and feels a lot like Hades with an Animal Crossing-style base building mechanic. Game Informer Cult of the Lamb was recently given an exclusive preview. This Cult of the Lamb New Gameplay Today allows you to watch the gameplay as well as listen to the developers commentary. Massive Monster reports that Cult of the Lamb’s release date has not been revealed, but it will arrive sometime during the year. 

Another Crab’s Treasure

If you’ve been playing Elden Ring lately and have thought to yourself, “I wish I was a crab,” then Another Crab’s Treasure might be for you. That’s because Aggro Crab, the team behind Going Under, describes Another Crab’s Treasure as a souls-like, well actually, a shells-like, to be exact. As you’d expect, it looks like it plays like a Dark Souls game that’s underwater. The crab is able to use shells and cans to build your shell and fight other crustaceans. Switch gets it in 2023. 

The Indie World Showcase ended with a fast-moving montage that quickly showcased OneShot: World Machine Edition, Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, Idol Manager, Card Shark, Cursed to Gold, A Guidebook to Bable, and OPUS: Echo of Starsong – Full Bloom Edition. 

And that’s the May 2022 Indie World Showcase in a nutshell. Did you like any of the games that were displayed? Were there any you were hoping to see that didn’t make an appearance? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!