Indie games and titles have seen quite the surge in popularity in recent years, and the Nintendo Switch is a veritable goldmine for dozens and dozens of wonderful games by indie studios. From shoot-em-ups and Metroidvan✤ias to action-platformers and puzzle games, the Nintendo eShop has a little bit of everything.
The only problem with this scenario is that there are just so many indie titles available. So the question is where do we start? Fortunately, with rating scale, we've compiled a list of ten indie titles as different and imaginative as their respected studios. Here are Metacritic's ten best indie Switch gam🔴es.
10 ✨ 🧸 Hyper Light Drifter (80)
Hyper Light Drifter is a unique and intriguing experience every Zelda fan needs to play. If you were to set A Link to the Past in a sci-fi wasteland with strange creatures, sw🐽ords, and blasters, you'd get the basic gist of the ꦡgame. Needless to say, it's more than your average adventure title.
The essential plot of the game is anyone's guess. Its narrative is told entirely through vi💜suals and gameplay, without a single spoken word of dialogue. It's up to you as the Drifter to explore this treac🐼herous pixel art world to discover it all for yourself.
9 Tetris 99 (83)💛 📖
Tetris is the cockroach of the video game world, and we mean that in the best way possible. You can have your fully-rendered 3D character models, your virtual reality consoles, and your new and impressive software, but Tetris is a tried and true creation that will never go out of style. Enter Tetris 99.
This ridiculously popular take on the classic retro puzzler takes the familiar formula of Tetris and turns it into a brilliant, nail-biting battle royale. Compete against 98 other players in an all-out Tetris brawl, clearing lines of bꦫlocks before your opponents and knocking them out of the game. Did we also mention that it's free to play?
8 𒁏 Axiom Verge (87)
There are swarms of Metroidvania titles out there, particularly on the Nintendo Switch, but no game comes closer to being a spiritual successor to the original Metroid games than Axiom Verge. With its impressive array of gadgets, haunting alienꦯ wor꧃ld, and 8-bit inspired art style, we're one Varia Suit away from a Samus game.
When a scientist named Trace gets transported to the ancient alien world of Sudra, he's forced to use his Axiom Disrupter to protect himself against the horde of monsters and creatures that prevent him from returning home. Though lacking the brain-eating parasites, we're still getting some serious Metroid vibes from the plot alone.
7 Stardew Valley (87) ꧂
Okay, so maybe hostile alien planets and competitive Tetris aren't your thing, we totally u♛nderstand. So, why not hop on a bus to your own little 16-bit patch of heaven to grow some pixel🍸ated veggies, make a few scarecrows, and hey, why not fall in love while you're at it?
The best way to describe Stardew Valley is that it's the Harvest Moon title we never knew we needed. This game is so mellow and wholesome, it's a 🐷perfect palate cleanser after 𝐆hacking away at some ultra-violent action title. Not your average RPG, but one we highly recommend.
6 Cup♍head (87)
Though first premiering as an Xbox One exclusive, Cuphead has since foun🌼d a loving home on Nintendo's newest portable console. After losing a deal with the Devil himself, Cuphead and his pal Mugman have to collect soul contracts from his other debtors. The result is a difficult run-and-gun platformer with a deceptively charming art style.
If Walt Disney made Contra, this would be the result of that fevered imagining. Cuphead, though visually inspired and darkly comic at any given time, is an absolutely brutal platformer that will test even the hardest gaꩵmer's skills. E🐼njoy responsibly, friends.
5 Dead Cells (89) ♉ 𒉰
Strange, unique, inspired, repetitive, and hard-hitting are just a f𒉰ew choice words we'd use to describe this interesting Metroid✅vania title. With a minimalist plot, retro-inspired design, and randomly generated environments, you can bet your pixels you're going to be occupied a good while with this title.
The terms rogue-like and Metroidvania don't often blend together, but with a score of 89 and a different✃ experience with each playthrough, something has to work for this game to be so successful. Perhaps it's the ever-changing action, the hypnotic replay v♔alue, or the seemingly endless mass of enemies to wreck that keeps us coming back for more.
4 Hollow Knight (90) 🔯
When it comes to both Metroidvania games and indie classics, Hollow Knight is right up there with the best of them. Though it might be labeled and lopped in with the rest of the Metroidvanias, this game definitely focuses mor🎉e on the Vania portion of that title.
With its dark designs, endless labyrinth of a world map, swordplay, and monstrous bosses, we're definitely seeing more Castlevania influences with this game than anything found on Planet Zebes. Take up your sword and plunge deep into the dark depths of Hollowꦓnest to try this game for yourself and see what we're talking about.
3 🌠 Shovel Knight (91)
And now for something completely different. If you blended Mega Man 2, Ducktales, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you'd get this ultimate ღlove leꦆtter to the days of the NES. With perfect platforming, brilliant and beautiful 8-bit graphics, and a charming fantasy realm, it's a retro gamer's dream.
When an evil sorceress and her Order of No Quarter threaten the citizens of the Valley, it's up to the courageous 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Shovel Knight to bounce, slash, and dig his way to victory. If you're looking for a new plat🥀forming adventure, steel thy shovel and play this fantastic platformer.
2 🌟 Celeste (92)
One of the newest on ou♚r list, but definit๊ely a title that has more than a few gamers' collected attention. Though it might look like a 16-bit adventure, it goes much deeper than that. Its crisp, challenging, and fast-paced platforming paired with its Metroidvania-inspired elements and emotional story make it truly a stand out indie title.
We don't normally associate platformers with heart-gripping, emotional storytelling, but in Celeste's case, we're willing to make an exception. Though it might have 𓆏bright colors and f✤un gameplay, that's only the tip of this truly beautiful and breathtaking iceberg.
1 🍬 💛 Undertale (93)
And now, at last, we come to our undefeated champion of indie games. What can we say about the magical world of Undertale that hasn't already been said? This delightfully charming and delightful game has been a fan favorite si꧒nce it first debuted on the PC. Thanks to Nintendo, the game is more accessible and playable than ever.
An RPG where you win by making friends and forming bonds with various in a fantasy world? Sign us up for that any day! Ridiculously wholesome and with deep enough lore to satisfy any hardcore gamer. Undertale takes the crown in more ways than one.