In this video we’ll show you what indie games do well on Nintendo Switch, and we’ll
also analyze them and try to figure out why so that you can use these learnings for your
own games.
We are are Ask Gamedev, and today we’ll be discussing what indie games sell well on
Nintendo Switch.
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One our favourite videos to work on was our “5 Tips on How to Develop Indie Games for
Nintendo Switch”.
A natural follow up question we get from that video is “What type of game should I make?”
- and it was a tough question to answer… until now!
Luckily for us, Nintendo has recently announced their 10 best selling indie titles on the
console!
Today we’ll take a look each one, and see if we can find any similarities between the
10 that can help inform design decisions.
So without further ado… as of last week, the top selling indie games in terms of units
for Nintendo Switch are (in no particular order):
SteamWorld Dig 2 - SteamWorld Dig 2 is the much anticipated follow up to SteamWorld Dig,
and the spinoff, SteamWorld Heist.
It’s a metroidvania style action platformer, and features a pretty cool digging mechanic
pretty similar to similar to the one in games like Mr. Driller, DigDug, and Boulder Dash.
Stardew Valley - Stardew Valley is top-down farming sim.
You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot, and armed with hand-me-down tools and
a few coins, you set out to begin your new life.
It’s a relaxing game that’s reminiscent of the Harvest Moon series.
Kamiko - Kamiko is a top-down action adventure similar to the Legend of Zelda.
This game was one of the first indie titles available on Switch - that, along with the
fact that it is the least expensive title on the list at $5, might be partly why this
game made the list.
Celeste - From the creator of Towerfall, comes Celeste - a tough-as-nails platformer, similar
to games like Slime-San, and Super Meat Boy.
Celeste is one of the newer titles on the list, showing us that fans are still rabid
for great indie titles on the the Switch.
Fast RMX - Do you miss games like Wipeout, F-Zero, or even the Star Wars Episode 1 Pod-racing
game?
You’ll feel right at home with Fast RMX.
Golf Story - This one might be the most unique game of the bunch.
While Golf Story looks like your standard RPG, it’s actually quite a robust golf game!
Explore different lands, use your golf skills to solve challenges, and play a whole lot
of golf along the way.
Enter the Gungeon - Originally released on other platforms in 2016, Enter the Gungeon
is a bullet hell dungeon crawler following a band of misfits seeking to shoot, loot,
dodge roll through the Gungeon.
This title being on the list shows that a title that maybe be a bit older on another
platform, can still do extremely well, when ported to Nintendo Switch!
Overcooked - Overcooked might be one of the freshest takes on local-multiplayer party
gameplay that we’ve seen in a while!
You and your team of chefs must run a kitchen and push out orders all while surrounded in
chaos and calamity.
It feels it was made for the Switch!
NBA Playgrounds - NBA Playgrounds brought arcade basketball to the Switch.
While NBA Playgrounds currently has a Metacritic of 63%, that didn’t stop it from making
this list!
The fact that it’s on the list shows that maybe gamers might be looking to Switch to
scratch their itches for gaming’s past hits, in this case, the ultimate arcade basketball
game, NBA Jam!
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove - And lastly, of course Shovel Knight makes the list!
The game itself is a love-letter to the legendary platformers of the 8-bit era like the Megaman
series, and Ducktales.
While it is the highest price game on the list, it’s fair to note that the Treasure
Trove edition collects 3 Shovel Knight Adventures.
So… these are the top 10 indie games by units, sold on Switch.
Let’s take a closer look.
First let’s look at the titles objectively:
If we look at them by genre there are: 7 adventure titles (4 being top-down, and
3 platformers) 2 sports titles
And 1 party game It’s interesting to see that there are no
shooter or strategy titles on the list.
By rating, we can see that there are: 6 E for Everyone titles
And 4 E10+ titles It’s important to note that there are no
titles that have a higher rating than E10+.
By price, there’s quite a variety, but all are below $24.99.
There Is 1 game at $24.99
5 games at $19.99 3 games at $14.99
And 1 game at $4.99
Now let’s look at graphics.
In terms of 2D, vs 3D, we can see that the list is dominated by 2D titles.
There are 7 2D-titles (6 with pixel-style graphics)
And only 3 titles with 3D graphics.
Now let’s look at them a bit more subjectively.
In terms of art style, it’s fair to say that the majority of these titles employ a
cute look.
SteamWorld Dig 2, Stardew Valley, Kamiko, Celeste, Golf Story, Enter the Gungeon, Overcooked,
and Shovel Knight all have arguably cute characters, whether it be in-game, on their cover art,
or both.
Even the NBA Playground s characters are stylized to look more approachable.
Aside from being cute, the characters just simply look awesome.
Nintendo titles have always had such a strong emphasis on unique and appealing characters
throughout the years - whether it be Mario, Samus, Link, Kirby, Star Fox - basically anyone
that could appear in Smash Bros.
Because of this, Nintendo audiences may be attracted to playing titles that feature strong
character design.
Another way to look at these titles, that may be subjective, is looking at them as remakes
or games inspired by hits from Nintendo’s past.
As described above, a majority of these titles have similarities with titles found in the
8-bit and 16-bit eras: Steamworld Dig 2 - Boulder Dash, or Dig Dug.
Stardew Valley - Harvest Moon Kamiko - Legend of Zelda
Fast RMX - F-Zero NBA Playground - NBA Jam
And Shovel Knight - Megaman and Duck Tales.
So, if we’re looking at a common thread for the majority of the titles in each of
the categories we looked at, an ideal indie game for the Switch might be:
A 2-D adventure title Made with pixel graphics
That’s rated E. And priced between $15 and $20.
In addition, the game should have strong character design with an emphasis on the protagonist,
and may have elements or mechanics that are reminiscent of hits from the past.
So, now that we’ve looked closely, what can you do now?
Well, there are three things to you can do to get started on making YOUR Switch game.
Play those games!
The best way to get feel for these games, is to play them!
Write down what you like, what you didn’t, what surprised you, and what kept you playing.
A great game designer knows other titles, in and out.
We’ll have links to each one in the description.
Design your game!
We have our recommendations above, but don’t let that limit you!
If you’re struggling with ideas, just use them as a jumping off point!
And lastly, check out Unity or Gamemaker.
There are a ton of Unity games on Switch already, and GameMaker has announced that they’ll
be launching a Switch compatible edition this summer!
Pick one, and get familiarized with it - your hit awaits!
And if you haven’t already, watch our video on developing for Nintendo Switch!
Thanks for watching, we are Ask Gamedev, and we make videos on games, the game industry
and more.
If you like our content, please subscribe!
We’ll be back next week with a new video, in the meantime, let us know what your favourite
Nintendo Switch game is!
Post your favourites in the comments!