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Can Nintendo’s NX Attract Better Indie Games?

Can Nintendo’s NX Attract Better Indie Games?

It’s not news that indie games create innovations in gameplay and story that are not seen in big studio games. Games like Braid , Limbo , and Ico are at the forefront of everything new that companies like Sony and Microsoft wouldn’t dare risk. Limbo , for example, took very simple art, a 2D platform, and created an amazing story that was both fascinating and fun to explore. Or take the more popular indie-style Child of Light , that returned almost the entire gaming world to basic, but very well executed, storytelling. Child of Light presented a story and world that was easy to relate to, with nothing more than watercolor visuals and strong characters. On the other side of the genre, Amnesia: The Dark Decent turned a whole new page for horror games. It reminded everyone that horror wasn’t necessarily about how big the monsters were, or how many jump scares could fit into twenty minutes.

Interestingly, despite Nintendo essentially starting the revolution of indie games, the company hasn’t dipped into the story innovations that indie games provide as much as other developers have. There are a few, to be sure, like Severed (though the Alice in Wonderland story style is a bit overrated at this point), Cave Story (a truly unique game) or Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse . But Nintendo’s most popular indie games have been games like Shovel Knight and Treasurenauts. 2D platformers that are focused on great innovative gameplay, but not necessarily on story.

It’s clear that Nintendo’s indie scene is diminished by the lack of big third-party titles. Ubisoft and Warner Bros., for example, are the two companies that have actually tried with the Wii and Wii U instead of completely withdrawing support. However, the attempts have fallen quite short in the past. The line-up for Ubisoft is kind of like looking at all the Disney rip-offs on Netflix. It’s all the movie-based, cooking, and brain puzzle that you ignore so much you forget they exist. Warner Bros’ line up looks much the same, though it does include the Lego Harry Potter series, Injustice: Gods Among Us , Batman: Arkham City , and Lego The Hobbit.

Can Nintendo’s NX Attract Better Indie Games?

There has been good news recently, however. For Nintendo’s upcoming Nintendo NX console there have been rumors of both Ubisoft and Warner Bros. wanting to hop back on the Nintendo bandwagon. This isn’t new, of course, as mentioned above. Nonetheless, I do hope that this excitement for the Nintendo NX will spur both companies into providing more than just their shall we say ‘recreational’ titles like Just Dance or Lego.

With the addition of such big names, it’s no surprise that indie developer Zoink Games has mentioned that it would like its game Fe to be on the Nintendo NX. I know it’s only one game, but it’s a game that’s got a unique story to tell and it isn’t a 2D platformer. This is in stark contrast to almost all of the indie games made for Nintendo, save for Minecraft and arguably Q.u.b.e.. I am hoping that Fe will be enough to set 3D indie games with extraordinary discourse into motion with Nintendo. Indeed, I hope it opens the door for more advanced storytelling and exploring both emotional and intellectual themes in games.

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