Sea of Stars Banner
Sea of Stars
In practical terms without flaws, and filled with thoughtful and creative touches from top to bottom, this game truly is a star
Spiritfarer Banner
Spiritfarer
While many gamers enjoy blowing away enemies, racing through hairpin turns, or guiding their team to victory there’s a g...
GRIS Banner
GRIS
As the game starts you’ll witness the main character, Gris, losing her voice. This seems to be both literal and symbolic...
Katana ZERO Banner
Katana ZERO
Katana Zero was absolutely one of the best games of 2019 and I’d be shocked it if didn’t end up in my Top 10 (and those...
The Gardens Between Banner
The Gardens Between
When we first saw footage of this title in one of the Nindie Directs it was already clear that the game was brilliant v...
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth Banner
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
If you don’t mind the sometimes glacial pacing of the adventure aspects, the art and story here are top-tier within the space
Chained Echoes Banner
Chained Echoes
This single-developer passion project sets a standard for how the classic 16-bit JRPG can still be improved upon
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Banner
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
Absolutely one of the most original games I’ve played recently, this story-driven affair swings for the fences and somewhat gets there
A Musical Story Banner
A Musical Story
I’ve truly enjoyed the diverse set of indie titles that have come to the Switch under the category of rhythm and music. ...
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! Banner
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
First developing quite a notorious reputation as a free title, DDLC has finally made its disturbing way to Switch… and w...
Overboard! Banner
Overboard!

While I typically look to games to provide some action and excitement there are sometimes games that come from less h...

Signs of the Sojourner Banner
Signs of the Sojourner
There’s just something about this game that feels so brilliant and yet there’s also something unassuming about its natur...
Shady Part of Me Banner
Shady Part of Me
There’s something pretty delightful when you encounter games that you’ve never previously heard of that, once you begin ...
Horace Banner
Horace
Horace is an odd title in that much like the title character robot of the same name it is quite unassuming and humble bu...
Transistor Banner
Transistor
As the follow-up to Bastion, Transistor has some of the same base elements as an action-oriented RPG but they're very di...
Bastion Banner
Bastion
While people with access to other systems may well have played Bastion before since it's been around for a number of yea...
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie Banner
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie
In many ways playing out as a more mature and deeper Choose Your Own Adventure take, Harmony offers great dynamic storytelling
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood Banner
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
Undoubtedly different and wide open for possibilities based on your choices, this is a text-heavy but interesting affair
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero Banner
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero
While it very much feels like a traditional JRPG, there’s just a flair to this title that pulled me in
Beacon Pines Banner
Beacon Pines
Can you make the crucial decisions it takes to save your friends and your struggling town?
Killer Frequency Banner
Killer Frequency
While perhaps its VR-ish setting is only minimally functional, the parts that deliver like the voice acting, suspense, and humor work wonderfully
Gerda: A Flame in Winter Banner
Gerda: A Flame in Winter
Discover the challenge of navigating Nazi-occupied Denmark in this historically-inspired indie
Lost Words: Beyond the Page Banner
Lost Words: Beyond the Page

I’ll admit that this is a title that got off to a bit of a rocky start for me, with me essentially wondering wh...

The Excavation of Hob's Barrow Banner
The Excavation of Hob's Barrow
Delivers a mix of rural character, old-school adventure, and some legitimately chilling revelations
Hindsight Banner
Hindsight
There’s just something about playing the right story-driven game that speaks to some aspect of your own life or trials t...
South of the Circle Banner
South of the Circle
Telling a tale that spans multiple times and places, it makes for a different sort of romantic journey
FAR: Changing Tides Banner
FAR: Changing Tides
Picking up roughly where the original FAR left off, and generally offering up a very similar (though longer and refined)...
Welcome to Elk Banner
Welcome to Elk
One of the subgenres of games that has been extremely well-represented on the Switch has been story-driven games, and th...
Wytchwood Banner
Wytchwood
When I think of games that heavily involve crafting my mind usually goes to survival titles, a genre I’ve struggled with...
Life is Strange: True Colors Banner
Life is Strange: True Colors
While there are many excellent story-driven titles in the Switch eShop, the tendency is more usually on grand tales or b...
Lamentum Banner
Lamentum
I’m sad to say that more often than not, on the Switch, games pushing “horror” in some way have struggled and failed in ...
Black Book Banner
Black Book
Whenever you see new titles show up in a genre that seems to be currently having its moment you end up taking a moment t...
Sumire Banner
Sumire
Though I love running and gunning and high-intensity games there’s no denying that games with a compelling and heart-fel...
Layers of Fear 2 Banner
Layers of Fear 2
“Walking simulators” that play out as horror titles on the Switch, more often than not, have tended to be a bit of a bus...
Cozy Grove Banner
Cozy Grove
While bludgeoning or blowing away bad guys can always be good fun, everyone should have some time in their lives to slow...
Chicken Police  Paint it RED! Banner
Chicken Police Paint it RED!
While it has been a pretty long time since the genre was even remotely in style I’ve always been a fan of the hard-boile...
Along the Edge Banner
Along the Edge
On a general level interactive fiction titles haven’t been my cup of tea. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate that such an ...
Roki Banner
Roki
When you’re young your imagination can truly be a powerful (and sometimes scary) thing. Being fed by your parents, the m...
Through the Darkest of Times Banner
Through the Darkest of Times
While games are a great vehicle for departing from reality and enjoying an escape they’ve increasingly been used as a me...
The Complex Banner
The Complex
Having played “interactive movie” style games since way back when CD-ROMs first allowed them to exist with the likes of ...
Afterparty Banner
Afterparty
The indie scene, in general, has seemed to fully embrace the concept of a “story-driven adventure”, less focused on acti...
Knights and Bikes Banner
Knights and Bikes
Memories from my childhood, while often involving playing games on a variety of systems or in arcades, involve a pretty ...
198X Banner
198X
As a child of the 70s and 80s who spent an enormous amount of time in the arcades there’s no doubt 198X was made for me....
80 DAYS Banner
80 DAYS
Though the act of traversing the world is no longer such a grand feat in the time of Jules Verne, when he wrote Around t...
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Banner
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Whether played solo or with a friend Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons makes for a thoughtful and generally satisfying puzzle...
The World Next Door Banner
The World Next Door
As the final credits rolled The World Next Door felt like a satisfying experience on the whole but I was also left with ...
Cinders Banner
Cinders
Pretty well instantly upon finishing my initial version of this story I was compelled to start up and try another path a...
Figment Banner
Figment
This is probably the most action-oriented and challenging game in this small list but it also has a somewhat sad family-...
Last Day of June Banner
Last Day of June
In order to reveal next to nothing at all of the overall narrative, for fear of ruining pretty well anything, I’ll leave...
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf Banner
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
If the game was merely an interactive novel of sorts, where you’re simply making decisions that branch the storyline, it...
Night in the Woods Banner
Night in the Woods
Returning from a failed attempt at going to college you'll play the part of Mae, a young woman with a checkered past who...
Children of Silentown Banner
Children of Silentown
Forgoing the typical adventure tendency towards humor, Silentown instead sprinkles in a sense of foreboding that’s refreshing
The Gallery Banner
The Gallery
Two different and tense stories from different eras come to life in this well-acted FMV game
Ten Dates Banner
Ten Dates
This well-timed release drops you into the bumpy ride of looking for love, as you try to make a positive impression on a variety of dates
Trek to Yomi Banner
Trek to Yomi
Despite its action mostly being on the middling side, the game’s artistic style and story make it a compelling experience
A Space for the Unbound Banner
A Space for the Unbound
Some surprising depth and creative storytelling mechanics help this pixel adventure stand out
Foretales Banner
Foretales
How do you make a splash on the Switch eShop? You polish, polish, polish…
The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition Banner
The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition

Among the indie titles that I’ve played and loved on the PC there aren’t too many that still haven’...

Frank and Drake Banner
Frank and Drake
Aside from featuring the fantastic city of Baltimore and a wonderful rotoscoped style, there’s an intriguing story to enjoy here
Hello Goodboy Banner
Hello Goodboy
If you’re into dogs and feel-good vibes, even if there’s not a load of compelling gameplay to match it, this is a soothing and touching adventure
Jack Move Banner
Jack Move
Fans of Cyberpunky vibes, turn-based battling, and a bit of techno-jargon being thrown around should enjoy this one
Aspire: Ina's Tale Banner
Aspire: Ina's Tale

From an “elevator pitch” angle there’s something great about being able to cite popular and success...

A Juggler's Tale Banner
A Juggler's Tale

With its marionette characters and associated string-based challenges, rhyming narration, and a healthy dose of charm...

Project Dark Banner
Project Dark
Focused almost entirely on what you hear, allowing you to even play it with your eyes closed, Project Dark is a unique experience
FATAL FRAME: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse Banner
FATAL FRAME: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
While its predecessor had the elements of a creepy good time present, Mask of the Lunar Eclipse brings it all together
RE:CALL Banner
RE:CALL
With its time and reality-bending story-telling revisionism, RE:CALL makes for a unique experience
Wayward Strand Banner
Wayward Strand
In a world of narrowly-focused objectives in games, it’s sometimes nice to simply choose your own path
ANNO: Mutationem Banner
ANNO: Mutationem
If you enjoy exploration and world building with a cyberpunky edge, you'll likely find ANNO to have some appeal
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery Banner
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
While I love blasting off faces and racing to the finish line, there’s absolutely something to be said for slowing down ...
A Memoir Blue Banner
A Memoir Blue
I’ve been impressed so far this year that story-driven games on the Switch have continued to show up in force, but most ...
Unforeseen Incidents Banner
Unforeseen Incidents
With the classic point-and-click adventure genre in full-on renaissance mode and a preponderance of options available to...
The Artful Escape Banner
The Artful Escape
One opportunity that the smaller teams and budgets behind typical indie games have is to take bigger risks, either blend...
Lacuna Banner
Lacuna
I’ll admit that I tend to always be excited to check out an adventure with a noir sort of flavor, even if in the case of...
Necrobarista - Final Pour - Banner
Necrobarista - Final Pour -
I realize that more often than not I’m a sort of wet blanket in the area of visual novels, especially those that allow l...
Night Book Banner
Night Book
I’ve continued to be impressed with the strides the FMV game genre has made since its more humble CD-based beginnings. I...
Mutazione Banner
Mutazione
With an unusual art style and even more unusual characters you’ll encounter on a remote island Mutazione just feels diff...
Astrologaster Banner
Astrologaster
Inspired by the spirit of Shakespeare’s Renaissance England, Astrologaster features a unique pop-up book art style, chor...
Embracelet Banner
Embracelet
This, for me, is one of those titles where it’s hard to articulate why I’m so taken in by it. With its low-poly look, it...
Liberated Banner
Liberated
This is a title that easily caught my eye the first time I saw footage of it, the black-and-white comic book style and c...
Monster Prom: XXL Banner
Monster Prom: XXL
In the event your days as a teenager in high school weren’t traumatic enough, and you’re looking to recapture some of th...
A Fold Apart Banner
A Fold Apart
When looking at an eShop full of puzzlers and story-based experiences it can be difficult to separate the merely average...
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Banner
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
When a game starts up showing a warning that establishes it isn’t meant to hold your hand I’ll admit my “Ruh Roh Raggy” ...
My Memory of Us Banner
My Memory of Us
Overall, this is yet another great visually-impressive puzzle adventure to add to the Switch library. The art and the na...
Late Shift Banner
Late Shift
I must say that on pretty well all levels Late Shift is an amazing exercise in interactive storytelling. While I’d imagi...
A Normal Lost Phone Banner
A Normal Lost Phone
Overall, if you’re receptive to what I would consider a very honest and genuine study of someone going through a difficu...
Old Man's Journey Banner
Old Man's Journey
The gameplay over the pretty brisk 2 - 3 hours is interesting, mainly because of the beautiful hand-drawn landscapes tha...
Journey of the Broken Circle Banner
Journey of the Broken Circle

Who knew that an incomplete circle (who looks suspiciously like a certain gaming icon) and an oddball mix of plants a...

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly Banner
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
This return to the all-night coffee shop means more brewing satisfying drinks and taking the time to listen to, and often help, your patrons
Venba Banner
Venba
One part exploration of culture, another puzzles in the form of food prep, Venba has a fresh feel but requires some patience
GrimGrimoire OnceMore Banner
GrimGrimoire OnceMore
Interesting characters, some drama, and a pretty light but engaging take on real-time strategy help this stand out some
The Smile Alchemist Banner
The Smile Alchemist
Combining together an upbeat tone, some fun characters, and a mix of puzzles and crafting this keeps things light and fun
Operencia: The Stolen Sun Banner
Operencia: The Stolen Sun

While there have been quite a number of dungeon crawler RPGs on the Switch none of them has quite convinced me to sta...

Moon Hunters Banner
Moon Hunters

All said, Moon Hunters is an ambitious and well-executed exercise in storytelling as much as it is in implementing th...

Fall of Porcupine Banner
Fall of Porcupine
While the story it tells feels unique and worthwhile, the inconsistency of the mini game implementation detracts from the experience
End of Lines Banner
End of Lines
If you don’t mind opportunities to make decisions being periodic, even if seemingly of consequence, the post-Apocalyptic story does work
Evan's Remains Banner
Evan's Remains

This is a bit of a tough one as the overall package is an interesting mix, but whether you’ll be game for it wi...

MADiSON Banner
MADiSON
Undoubtedly dark and creepy, the survival horror of MADiSON can grab you but isn't perfect by any means
The Cruel King and the Great Hero Banner
The Cruel King and the Great Hero
It’s great that this far into the Switch’s lifespan there are enough RPGs that even genre fans don’t necessarily have to...
A YEAR OF SPRINGS Banner
A YEAR OF SPRINGS
While I’m not typically a huge fan of visual novels there are times where one does something that helps is stand out fro...
Bloodshore Banner
Bloodshore
It has been fascinating in the last generation or so to watch the FMV genre not only return to the fold, but really make...
2023

Nindie Spotlight

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