Best of Switch Indies – 21 Nov 2021

With the bumper Black Friday sale in full swing, I honestly didn’t expect another large week of releases on the Nintendo Switch eShop, but here we go again: 44 new games, of which 6 indie titles are vying for both your attention and money. Do game devs not want us to have any savings?

Dumpy & Bumpy

Released: 18 November 2021

Price: AU$7.50 / US$4.99 / GB£3.99

Genre: Puzzle / Adventure / Arcade

Developer: Programancer

Publisher: Screenwave Media

Join Dumpy & Bumpy in a puzzle adventure bursting with 80 charming but challenging levels to bite, blow up, and push through. Dive in as Dumpy, or bring on a bestie as Bumpy to crack each level’s code and crush the evil Ghostlord. Be sure to make haste though, or the Ghost minions will make waste of you!

Why this excites me

What at first looked like yet another uninspired “push block” puzzle game, actually revealed itself to be a clever, more challenging game with unique mechanics for the genre: such as taking bombing and throwing inspiration from Bomberman, using environmental dangers to solve the puzzles and playing golf just to name a few.

The cute 16-bit pixel art graphics also fit perfectly with the theme, which is more than can be said for the awful “cover art”. Publishers, if you’re reading this, first impressions matter!

Grow: Song of The Evertree

Released: 17 November 2021

Price: AU$39.95 / US$24.99 / GB£19.99

Genre: RPG / Action / Adventure

Developer: Prideful Sloth

Publisher: 505 Games

Grow your own worlds and nurture a deep natural connection with everything they hold. See your actions change the world for the better. Bring the Evertree back to life in this breathtaking, world-crafting sandbox, with life management and adventure elements.

Why this excites me should excite you

I have to be honest, it doesn’t excite me at all, but I don’t write these previews solely for me; I want to showcase the best games for everybody. Funnily enough, I recently tweeted:

And this is exactly what Grow: Song of The Evertree evokes: part Harvest Moon, part Animal Crossing, mostly boredom. I really have no desire to play a life sim. Aimlessly building a town, creating a community, crafting and farming does nothing for me. However, Alan from I Dream of Indie feels the same and loves this game; it seems everybody loves this game!

I’ll admit the graphics are stunning, as is the music with its sweeping orchestral score. It’s also created by an Aussie studio, so I should probably feel some kind of allegiance there, however, I’m not sure I could ever want to play it, sorry! Perhaps you’re more of a well-rounded, relaxed gamer and will enjoy this for what it is. Let’s hope so.

Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story

Released: 17 November 2021

Price: AU$13.50 / US$9.99 / GB£8.09

Genre: Music / Rhythm / Platformer / Arcade

Developer: Choice Provisions

Publisher: Riot Forge

In this fast-paced rhythm runner, every action has an explosive reaction and no amount of mayhem is too much. Take on the role of Yordle and Hexplosives expert, Ziggs, as you rampage through the neighbourhoods of Piltover.

Bomb, bounce, and bop to the beat of the music to avoid obstacles, disarm enemies, and light fuses to achieve maximum chaos. Cause musical mayhem while outrunning no-fun-allowed, Heimerdinger, in your quest to build the greatest bomb the world has ever seen.

Why this excites me

“League of Legends?! That’s not indie!” I hear you cry, but please, bear with me.

Riot Forge, the publishing spin-off from Riot Games is working with indie developers to bring their unique flavour to the League of Legends universe. For Hextech Mayhem, they’re working with Choice Provisions, arguably the best in the business at rhythm action games, with the excellent Bit Trip and Runner series under their belts.

This looks like frantic fun, with every beat causing outright mayhem. And unlike traditional rhythm games, there are also invisible prompts that cause even further destruction, but you have to be truly attuned to the music to “feel” their presence. Insert Jedi joke here.

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story

Released: 17 November 2021

Price: AU$44.95 / US$29.99 / GB£24.99 (also available in a Deluxe Edition Bundle with additional DLC)

Genre: RPG / Strategy / Adventure

Developer: Airship Syndicate

Publisher: Riot Forge

Unite a party of League of Legends Champions, explore Bilgewater and set sail for the Shadow Isles to uncover the secrets of the deadly Black Mist.

Why this excites me

In the second of this week’s League of Legends shadow-drops, developers Airship Syndicate have created a massive, narrative-driven, isometric dungeon crawler RPG with turn-based combat that looks truly spectacular in every way.

Build your party and fight the oncoming threat of the Ruined King using the innovative Lane Initiative System, which adds another layer of strategy and complexity to encounters and requires you to change the course of battle by modifying the speed and power of your abilities in response to the enemies’ specific mechanics and actions.

Space Moth Lunar Edition

Released: 18 November 2021

Price: AU$10.50 / US$7.99 / GB£5.79

Genre: Shooter / Arcade / Shmup

Developer: 1CC Games

Publisher: Chorus Worldwide Games

1CC Games’ first shoot ’em up returns with totally overhauled visuals, all-new enemies and attacks, a deeper scoring system, a remixed soundtrack and fresh player powers. Space Moth: Lunar Edition is the ultimate version of the beloved cult classic.

Why this excites me

This psychedelic bullet-hell shmup is an absolute feast for the senses. Even players of the original Space Moth DX will find a lot to like here, as the breadth of changes in this version makes it a practically new and significantly improved game.

Its Soul Drain and Skull Mode mechanics set it apart from its peers, providing huge scoring, risk-reward and defensive opportunities when used at the appropriate time.

The Wild at Heart

Released: 17 November 2021

Price: AU$37.50 / US$24.99 / GB£19.99

Genre: Adventure / Puzzle

Developer: Moonlight Kids

Publisher: Humble Games

Welcome to the Deep Woods.

Wield an ever-growing herd of quirky creatures to rebuild broken paths, battle perilous beasts, and solve peculiar puzzles in a rich, interconnected world. Join two young runaways as they unravel the mysteries of a lost realm in this nostalgic storybook fantasy!

Why this excites me

Moonlight Kids obviously found the “How to make an indie gem” recipe:

1. Start with beautiful, hand-drawn, watercolour-esque Autumnal visuals;
2. Throw in an emotional, humorous and relatable story;
3. Mix with Metroidvania-lite exploration, then;
4. Top with adorable, Pikmin-like Spritelings to solve environmental puzzles and defeat the hostile adversaries.

A pretty niche recipe, I know.

Without a doubt, everything about this game fills me with delight. I can’t wait to join Wake on his journey through the Deep Woods. Will you come with me?

I think you’ll agree that the Switch has once again seen another fine week of new indies. Hopefully, I can help prevent some of them from drowning in the deluge of the hundreds of other games released and on sale. 🤞

Read last week’s round-up