August is shaping up to be another incredible month of Indies. But in the wave of releases how can you make sure you buy the best? That’s where I come in. Here are 7 indies you should be checking out this August. From rogues to fighters and even some DLC! Let’s get right into things with a BANG!

DEAD CELLS

LAUNCH DATE: 7th August

PRICE: $24.99 (Launches 20% off at $19.99)

Surely you must have heard of the buzz surrounding Dead Cells? No? Ok… Listen ahead then! Dead Cells is a roguevania which launched last May on steam and is finally hitting Switch this August! Two genres which shouldn’t work, but just do in this beautiful experience. It’s been on our radar for months and we are so excited for its release.

Variety is important in rogue games and Dead Cells has it in bags. A variety of swords, bows, spells and grenades await you. You are also able to mutate your character in order to make each run so much more unique. There are also permanent upgrades ensuring constant progress throughout your game time.

Rogue games are not for everyone. But if you have played games like Binding of Isaac, Flinthook, or Enter the Gungeon, you will love Dead Cells. Play for 10 hours? 100? Eventually, you will succeed, but Dead Cells will not make it easy for you.

OVERCOOKED 2

LAUNCH DATE: 7th August

PRICE: $24.99

How do you explain a game like Overcooked? You cook things, with your friends, and eventually, you will want to smack them with a Joycon. I think that’s pretty fair. Overcooked 2 continues right from where the first game left off. Essentially you work with up to 3 other players (local or online) to complete dishes with each player focusing on different areas. One will chop, one will collect and so on. The biggest addition the second game brings to the table is online play. Now you can threaten your friends verbally too! I mean, politely encourage them?

For many switch owners, the first game was THE cooperative experience on Switch and the second one certainly seems to be continuing with this trend. I wouldn’t say this is a game for solo players, but even 2 players would be enough to have so much fun, and anger, lots of anger. The pickup and play nature of the Switch is perfect for this cooperative experience. If you are someone who is keen to play a brand-new party game in August, look no further than Overcooked 2!

UNEXPLORED – UNLOCKED EDITION

LAUNCH DATE: 9th August

PRICE: $15.99

Another game, another roguelike. Unexplored arrives on Switch complete with all of its DLC in one nice bundle. Described as an action RPG with ‘revolutionary’ level generation, Unexplored really feels like a game well suited to Switch. Of course, no two runs will be the same and there are a healthy number of enemies and combat options to further ensure this.

The Switch has become home to some incredible rogue games and Unexplored certainly seems to be continuing this. For some, this genre of games is a hard pass, and I understand that. But if you are a fan of rogues, Unexplored is an ESSENTIAL game for you this August. The simplistic looking nature will deceive some for sure, not you readers though! We will have a review of the game up around launch and I implore you to take a look at it!

Dungeon crawling and puzzle-based mechanics further ensure that Unexplored differentiates itself from the rest with ease. As a lover of rogue games, I am pumped for some more action in August!

BLADE STRANGERS

LAUNCH DATE: 28th August

PRICE: $39.99

Fancy yourself Smash Bros with all the best indie characters? That’s what you get in Blade Strangers! Shovel Knight, Quote and my favourite Isaac! Essentially that is what Blade Strangers is lining up to be. An awesome collection of characters refined into a fantastic looking fighter. Although fighting games aren’t a favourite genre of mine, the inclusion of Isaac has really made me look again at Blade Strangers!

Of course, we shouldn’t just compare this to smash but when don’t we compare fighters on Nintendo systems, to THE Nintendo fighter. Blade Strangers looks to certainly have some uniqueness to it and is launching at a good time to avoid the competition. The story also looks interesting which is great to see in fighters where it tends to be ignored. What I am very interested in seeing is how the characters like Shovel Knight are adopted into a fighting game and if this can work.

Blade Strangers smashes its way onto Switch at the end of August and is a great way to bookend the month. Be sure to check this out if you are ready to throw it down on Switch this summer.

COSMIC STAR HEROINE

LAUNCH DATE: 14th August

PRICE: $13.49

Cosmic Star Heroine instantly gives callbacks to the golden era of 90s RPGs brought into modern times. In no way is this showcased more than in the art style, similar to that of the freshly launched Octopath Traveler. I didn’t know too much about this one, so I asked Steppen for some thoughts on it as the onsite RPG expert!

Cosmic Star Heroine has gameplay which harkens back to that of Chrono Trigger. This comparison comes from the fact it uses an active turn-based battle system. However, it produces this in an interesting futuristic setting. It is a great place for new Switch players to get into RPGs on the system due to its length and story which will allow new players to get to grips with the gameplay. A short but sweet RPG which launches just in time for a summer playthrough!

If you love an RPG or are new to the genre Cosmic Star Heroine is looking to be a sweet experience this August. We will have a review on site soon so stay tuned!

ICONOCLASTS

LAUNCH DATE: 2nd August

PRICE: $19.99

[This article was all set to publish before I realised we had just received the AMAZING NEWS that Iconoclasts was coming to Switch so soon]

Iconoclasts is an action adventure game which released previously on Steam to critical acclaim. Another example of the classic ‘SWITCH PORT WHEN’ trope, Iconoclasts was long awaited before finally making its way onto the Hybrid System. Iconoclasts explore the story of Robin, a mechanic who goes on an adventure to understand the secrets of a dying planet. Although it is a rather linear experience, that does not detract from the quality of the experience you will get in Iconoclasts.

Iconoclasts was made by just ONE man, Joakim Sandberg, and what an achievement it is. Over 20 bosses ensure you will always be preparing to take on a major moment and the gorgeous art style is a beautiful thing to behold. Intricate puzzles, and fascinating characters galore. What we have here is a stunning platform adventure that is a MUST HAVE on Switch. Be sure to stay tuned for our thoughts on Iconoclasts before it launches August 2nd.

HOLLOW KNIGHT – GODS AND GLORY

LAUNCH DATE: 23rd August

PRICE: FREE

Hollow Knight took the Switch by storm after its shadow drop during E3. I myself have been loving that game despite its cruel difficulty. What is truly incredible is that not only was the base game 15 DOLLARS, but all the DLC including this final expansion is FREE! The DLC so far has all been superb, and I am sure Gods and Glory will continue this and bring together a superb package.

This new content package claims to be the largest yet and will contain new bosses, characters, and even a brand-new game mode. Of course, there will be even more secrets too! Honestly, Team Cherry could announce a Hollow Knight Kart and it would be incredible, so we can trust them to deliver a final slice of sweet Hallow nest pie. Gods and Glory is shaping up to be truly incredible and all of the team here at Nindie Nexus are excited to see what it will offer us on August 23rd!

If you have not picked up Hollow Knight already, now is the time. Buy it, complete it, and then wait till the release of Gods and Glory to play another ten hours. It is THE indie on Switch and August will grant us the end of the Hollow Knight story.

That is, it! The 7 games I believe Nindie fans should be checking out in the month of August. What do you guys think of this list? Do any of these games take your fancy, or maybe you think I have missed something out? Be sure to let us know on our social channels and Discord! There are so many Nindies every month, so I hope this new monthly feature will allow you to dig through the shovelware and find the real heavy hitters on eShop.

Be sure to check out the youtube video of this article! And SUBSCRIBE to get more great Nindie content! We are looking to make more content on the channel going forward.

Thanks for checking out this article about my most anticipated August nindies! Be sure to check out some of our other content such as our review of the highly acclaimed Hollow Knight just in time for the Gods and Glory DLC! If you want to support Nindie Nexus check out our Patreon or Ko-fi.