What indie games you should buy when you first get a Switch!

It’s getting to that time of year where people are starting to get nice new shiny Nintendo Switches. With Black Friday behind us and Christmas coming up, I thought I’d make a post for those people who have just opened their new Switches and are looking for some quality indie games to download.

So here is my Nintendo Switch Indie Game Starter Pack. 25 of the best indie games the Nintendo Switch has to offer!

The list is in no order, though number one may be my favourite!

25. Axiom Verge by Thomas Happ Games

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If you like old school, 2D side-scrolling Metriodvanias with NES and SNES inspired art, then Axiom Verge is the game for you. You play as play as Trace, a scientist who wakes up after a crippling injury in an ancient and high-tech world.

24. Wulverblade by Fully Illustrated

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Set in ancient Britain during the Roman invasion, you play as one of three characters trying to push the evil Roman invaders out of northern Brition (modern day Scotland). With beautiful art and a historically accurate story, Wulverblade is one of my favourite games to play on the Switch.

Here’s my review.

23. minit by Vlambeer

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minit is heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda but it has a unique gimmick; your life only lasts one minute. By finding items and reaching checkpoints, your character has to return a cursed sword to a corrupted factory. The sword is the cause of your life short and repetitive life. If you like shorter games, minit is perfect because you can play it in one minute bursts!

Here’s my review.

22. The Adventure Pals by Massive Monster

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If you’re a fan of Adventure Time then you’ll love The Adventure Pals. You play as Winston, a normal kid whose Grandfather gets kidnapped by an evil scientist who plans to turn him into a hot dog. With his best friend Sparkles (who’s a giraffe) Winston needs to defeat the scientist’s minions and use his epic platforming skills to find his grandfather.

Here’s my review

21. Owlboy by D-Pad Studios

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In possibly one of the best looking pixel art games on the Nintendo Switch, Owlboy tells the tale of Otus, a mute owl student. After his town is attacked by robotical pirates, the fate of the world falls on to Otus’s shoulders. In this metriodvania, Otus will have to make new friends to unlock secret areas of his world and defeat the evil pirate captain Molstrom.

Here is my review

20. Severed by DrinkBox Studios

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After an evil dragon kidnaps your family and severs your arm, you take up your trusty sword and enter the dragon’s dark world.

Severed is one of the few games on the Switch which requires the touch screen, as you need to swipe and sever enemies’ body parts off to upgrade your sword and character’s skills.

Severed is an excellent and highly overlooked on the Switch. It has DrinkBox’s unique art style but has a deeper and darker story than Guacamelee! A definite must play on the Switch!

Here’s my review

19. Old Man’s Journey Broken Rules

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Perhaps one of the best narrative driven indie games on the Nintendo Switch, Old Man’s Journey follows an old man as he sets off on a journey after finding out some bad news.

With a beautiful watercolour art style, you will have to help the old man through his journey by manoeuvring the game’s geography to get him from puzzle to puzzle.

It’s a short experience on the Switch but well worth its price tag!

Here’s my review

18. Warframe Digital Extremes

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Having released recently on the Switch, Warframe is a perfect game for any Switch owner. That’s mostly because it’s absolutely FREE to play (you just need a Nintendo Switch Online account)! Though unlike most other free to play games Warframe is absolutely top quality!

You play as a space ninja and Digital Extremes have done everything within their power to make you feel like one! Fly across the map with epic jumps and attack your enemies with fun and responsive gunplay and hectic hack n’slash sword mechanics.

Warframe is an absolute must for the Switch! And if you get it why not join The Switch Indie Fix Clan?

17. Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas Cornfox & Bros

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When you first buy your Switch you’ll probably be picking up The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild along with it. After finishing the game you’ll have an itch for more Zelda (trust me you will) but Nintendo hasn’t release any of the other OG Zelda games on the Switch yet.

Well when that itch comes I highly recommend Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas, an action adventure game that is based heavily on Zelda classics like The Wind Waker and A Link to the Past.

You play as an unnamed protagonist on the search for his father who has gone off to fight the infamous monster Oceanhorn. Solve puzzles, throw bombs and collect heart pieces as you race to find your father.

Here’s my review

16. Dead Cells Motion Twin

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Described as a roguevania, Dead Cells mixes fast paced twitchy combat with procedurally generated levels.

The player has to progress through levels which get harder and harder collecting cells. Cells can be used to to buy new, more powerful weapons, which in theory mean that on the next run you should get further.

If you like games such as Dark Souls and The Binding of Isaac then you’re gonna love Dead Cells.

15. Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King Castle Pixel

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In the same Zelda vane as Oceanhorn, Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is a 2D action adventure game inspired specifically by A Link to the Past.

You play as Lilly, A Knight of the Rose who is givien the task of saving a fairy-tale kingdom from an evil wizard. With beautiful pixel art you’ll take on three unique dungeons, battle bosses and collect heart pieces in the Blossom Tale’s gorgeous world!

Here’s my review

14. Paladins Hi-Rez Studios

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If you like games such as Overwatch then Paladins is a necessity for you on the Switch.

This hero shooter is absolutely free to play and has a ton of content for you to play through (you just need a Nintendo Switch Online account). There’s three different game modes to play through with 39 champions to unlock.

The game looks and plays great on the Switch and is a sure fire way to sink dozens of hours into your new Nintendo system.

13. Floor Kids MERJ Media

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Groove to the beat and jive with the funk in MERJ’s unique breakdance rhythm game; Floor Kids.

Completely hand drawn by JonJon and with music from Kid Koala, Floor Kids will have your head bopping and foot tapping as you combo your way through its varied levels.

Use your best break dance moves to beat your high scores and unlock new hip characters with their own individual dance styles.

Floor Kids is totally unique on the Switch- there’s no other game like it. If you enjoy rhythm games or old classics like the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series then Floor Kids is for you!

Here’s my review

12. Super Meat Boy Team Meat

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If you’re someone who likes a rock-hard challenge and pixel perfect platformers then look no further than Super Meat Boy.

The indie classic looks and plays fantastically on the Switch, but it’s difficultly will have you wanting to throw your new Switch out of the window!

If you’re up for the challenge and countless in-game deaths than Super Meat Boy is a must for you! But the question is; can you save Bandage Girl?

11. Overcooked 2 Ghost Town Games

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If you’re a couch co-op fan then I highly recommend Overcooked 2. Play with up to 4 players in your kitchen as you work as a team (or scream at each other) to get customers’ orders ready. But watch out, some of the stages are not as it seems, you may have to try them a few times to get a full three stars!

Plus, with friends far away the game even has online multiplayer (you just need a Nintendo Switch Online account)!

So if you want to player with friends that also just got a new Switch, then Overcooked 2 is for you!

10. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Wayforward

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The latest game in the Shantae series is as good as ever and is arguably one of the best metroidvanias on the Nintendo Switch. You play as Shantae as she goes up against her old rival Risky Boots to save the Genie Realm.

To confront Risky, Shantae will have to use her head, heart and best dance moves to open up new areas of the world and find hidden treasure!

With a cute anime type art style and lots of hidden secrets this game is perfect for new and old metroidvania fans!

Here’s my review

9. Steamworld Dig 2 Image and Form Games

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Another top quality metoidvania, Steamworld Dig 2 improves in every way on the original game.

This time around you play as Dorothy, a robot in search of her best friend Rusty. After his fight with Vectron, Dorothy is worried something bad has happened to him and goes into the underworld to look for him.

The thing that’s so great about SD2 is that it mixes Zelda with a metroidvania. You go into dungeons to find items that can be used to upgrade Dorothy, which then means you can use Dorothy to open up new parts of the map. Furthermore, each dungeon is uniquely designed making the gameplay so fun and rewarding.

It was the first game I gave a 10/10 to on Switch Indie Fix!

Here’s my review

8. The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth + Edmund McMillen

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If you’re a fan of rogue-like games then why not play the game that popularised them in the modern-era. The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth + is mechanically a close to perfect game and with its procedurally generated levels offers hundreds of hours of replay value.

In addition, the dark adult themes offer something a little different on the Nintendo Switch. In addition, the yearly booster pack updates means that there is always something new coming to the game.

7. The Messenger Sabotage

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Another recent game on the Switch, The Messenger rose to fame because of its new take on the classic Ninja Gaidan series and the fact that the art style switches between 8-bit and 16-bit on the fly in the game.

You play as a Ninja tasked with delivering an important message that could prevent the end of the world. With it’s difficult platforming and combat The Messenger is for serious players. However, it’s light tone and self-awareness make it hilarious to play through!

6. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove Yacht Club Games

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Inspired by classic platformers like Mega Man and Mario, Yacht Club Games took the best parts of those old games, modernised them and added their own charm to create Shovel Knight.

The game has been around since 2014 after a successful Kickstarter, however it is still not completely finished! The Treasure Trove edition is the complete edition, including all the previously released DLC and the upcoming King of Cards DLC.

Shovel Knight is an indie icon and I’d be surprised that even if you’re a totally new Switch player, you wouldn’t recognise the blue horned hero. He’s so popular that he’s even going to feature in Super Smash Bros Ultimate!

For old school platformer fans you need to play Shovel Knight!

5. Golf Story Sidebar Games

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The first indie success on the Nintendo Switch, it could be argued that Golf Story has led the way in bringing so many fantastic indie games to Nintendo’s hybrid console!

Golf Story is a lengthy RPG where (you guessed it) you play golf. However, because of its Game Colour like art style and its quirky story, its an indie game that you will always remember playing.

It’s one of my personal favourite games on the Switch and was my first ever review!

Here’s my review

4. Undertale Toby Fox

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When Undertale released on Steam it was a phenomenon. Created by one guy, the game’s story, mechanics and music blew both reviewers and gamers away! And with it’s multiple endings and potent under tales, the game offers immense replay value.

To be fair, it’s not for everybody but it’s definitely worth checking out!

3. Hollow Knight Team Cherry

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Another top level metroidvania, Hollow Knight leaped to fame on the PC because of it’s Dark Souls like story and difficulty along with it’s stunning art style and multilevel secrets.

To get the most out of the game you really need to devote yourself to it. It’s slow and methodical pace means you’ll be carefully creeping through the game’s eerie world. Looking for secrets and short cuts back to your home base.

If you’re a Dark Souls fan and love metroidvanias then Hollow Knight should be high on your list to pick up!

2. Hyper Light Drifter Special Edition Heart Machine

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By far the best game I’ve played on the Nintendo Switch this year, Hyper Light Drifter is a perfect combination of action, exploration, art and story. At first the game didn’t really gel with me, I thought it was a little too slow and a little pompous. However, after unlocking some upgrades and beating some dungeons I was totally hooked.

The story is left to interpretation but is focused heavily on the lead developer Alex Preston’s battle with heart disease. It was an easy 10/10 for me. If you’re a Zelda fan and like the aesthetics of movies like Blade Runner, then HLD is right up your alley!

Here’s my review

1 Celeste Matt Thorson

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No one really expected much of Celeste when it was released back in January. However, after getting a perfect 10/10 from IGN the game got a lot of attention and is many peoples’ game of the year this year.

The pixel perfect platforming alongside a potent and heart felt story that reaches into the real world connected with a lot of people. The protagonist’s journey to overcome a mountain is not just in the physical sense but an emotional one too.

I still can’t believe I haven’t played this game yet! But according to my peers it’s a game you should be picking up early in your Switch’s life!

So there was my Nintendo Switch Indie Game Starter Pack! I hope it helps those of you that just got your Switch and are looking for new games to buy and play!

If you’d like more Nintendo Switch content be sure to follow me on Twitter or on Instagram. Or if you’d like to talk to other Nintendo Switch indie game fans, be sure to join the Switch Indie Fix Discord server.

We also have a podcast! Available on all Podcast services. Just search ‘The Switch Indie Fix Podcast’!

Furthermore, I’m looking to grow the Switch Indie Fix team. If you’d like to contribute check out this link here.

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