Hollower and Hollower: 8 Things Worth Talking About from Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase

Neverway by Coldblood Inc. and Outersloth

The Nintendo Partner Direct a week ago was the first showcase I knowingly chose to not write about since starting Tactical Reload last October. I was in the middle of a game jam (go play The Eye of the Kraken on itch.io) and while I’m beyond excited for a new Katamari, I couldn’t rationalize spending half a day writing about ports. Great ports, don’t get me wrong, but ports of games you’ve probably already played if you’re a regular here. I got a similar vibe from today’s Indie World Showcase. I knew about these games–but did YOU know about these games? Ultimately, I got out of bed so I wrote about it. 

And besides, skipping one Direct felt fine–skipping two in a row would be unforgivable.

If you already watched this morning’s presentation, don’t hit the panic button, yet–Silksong is going to be at Gamescom in two weeks. 

Here are eight things from today’s shows that I can’t wait to play. 

Mina the Hollower 

I didn’t get a chance to write about Mina during the summer showcase season (at least, I don’t think I did–June and July are a blur) but it’s easily one of my most anticipated titles of 2025. Imagine the best Game Boy color Zelda you’ve ever played but with a cute mouse as the protagonist.

It’s scheduled to be released this Halloween. 

Well Dweller

Oh, hello again Top Hat Studios. 

Well Dweller was one of only three “new to me” games featured in this showcase and its borderline grotesque style caught my eye immediately. 

I haven’t had a chance to play Crypt Custodian, but I am a retired janitor who’s barely alive–so I’m probably the target demographic. 

Neverway

This is at least the third time I’ve written about Neverway, and to be honest, I’m kinda out of things to say about it until we get more info. I’m enamored with its pixel art (not a surprise when you consider some of the talent behind Celeste is working on it). Using different color palettes to further differentiate interiors and exteriors in the same scene is such a cool, creative choice. 

Is This Seat Taken?

Wholesome Games is pulling publishing duty for Is This Seat Taken? and with Professor Layton on an extended sabbatical (seriously Level 5, where are you?), I’m hoping this will scratch a certain logic puzzle itch. 

I see myself in that grumpy pentagon that just wants to read. 

Little Kitty, Big City Free Update

Little Kitty, Big City is totally worth the handful of hours it takes to complete. It has one of my favorite open worlds, and just in case you’re concerned, the animal peril is pretty mild. 

The free update scheduled for later this year is bringing a handful of new features including cat customization. Now, you can make the protagonist an orange tabby–the best variety of feline. Don’t try to argue, it’s already been scientifically proven. 

Unrelated, please don’t tell my black cat I said this. She already doesn’t have much tolerance for my nonsense.   

Tiny Bookshop

The title sums up the game pretty well. 

I’ve been in the mood to plug away in cozy management sims recently (or not so cozy–Crime Scene Cleaner review coming soon to Tactical Reload–maybe). The fact that this one has books moves it to the top of the TBR stack. 

The simple act of manually filling shelves feels like it could fix me. 

It’s releasing today.

UFO 50

While we didn’t get a “one more thing” out of this showcase, we did get the “next best thing.” UFO 50, a 2025 Game of the Year contender (for outlets that have taste, anyway) is coming to Switch later today. 

If I were to cover this, how in depth would you like to see me go? Should I gradually review every game in the package? (I am fully aware that the most interesting thing about UFO 50 is how the different games communicate with each other to paint a larger picture). Let me know! I can’t wait to finally play this. 

Demonschool

While not included in the US broadcast, I wanted to quickly mention that Demonschool (a retro, Persona inspired RPG dripping with style) finally has a release date. It will be available on Steam and all major consoles starting on September 3rd. 

Thanks for reading!

If you’re looking to check out more of my stuff, I published a small review for Minami Lane late last night. It’s on sale now for less than five dollars and is also in the Game Pass catalog. So, if you’re on the fence, you might want to grab it sooner than later. 

I’m going to keep working on my review backlog in the lead up to Gamescom later this month. Enjoy your Friday’s Eve, we’ll chat soon.