If you’re on the hunt for some new games to try on the Nintendo Switch, you’re in luck. With new games being added to the Switch’s library daily, it’s impossible to run out of new games to play. At times the sheer amount of games available at your fingertips can seem overwhelming, but have no fear! I am here to show you ten great indie games coming to the Nintendo Switch throughout December.

Tools Up!

First up is a couch co-op party game brought to you by All In! Games. Tools Up! Allows up to four players to take the roles of home renovators that are supposed to work together to paint walls, move furniture, and do whatever else renovation services offer. 

The gameplay looks similar to Overcooked. It’s a top-down experience where the characters run around a house completing tasks while avoiding chaos, which inevitably leads to chaos ensuing.

This game looks like a blast to play with friends. The trailer already shows incredible ways to mess with friends, and the comedic value of this game seems astronomical. 

Tools Up! Releases on the Switch, as well as multiple other platforms, on December 3.

Heroland

Xseed, the company that brought you Rune Factory 4, is releasing its newest adventure on December 3. Heroland offers a fresh take on the classic RPG-style games.

Heroland takes place in a theme park that offers visitors an RPG experience. The park employs even the monsters you face, and some have their own stories to tell. The graphics are a mix of 3D and 2D similar to the Paper Mario series, and the gameplay mirrors that of Mother franchise. 

The quirky cast of characters and comedic dialogue make this game look like a hilarious adventure that I so badly want to be a part of. 

Heroland is casting part-time heroes starting December 3 on the Nintendo Switch and other platforms.

EarthNight

EarthNight is an illustrated 2D platformer brought to you by Cleaversoft. This game takes place during what the game calls the “dragon apocalypse” where dragons rule the Earth, and humans are exiled to live among the stars. However, two humans have decided to skydive back down to the Earth in an attempt to reclaim it. 

In EarthNight, you take the role of either Sydney or Stanley and platform on the backs of huge dragons. The skies are filled with substantial colorful dragons that are beautifully illustrated, along with all of the enemies on screen. 

The fast-paced gameplay reminds me of the classic Sonic titles, and the music is a beautifully composed chiptune soundtrack that matches the gameplay entirely. 

If you’re in the market for a unique arcade-style 2D platform experience, you can reclaim the Earth from the dragons on December 3 when EarthNight hits the Nintendo Switch.

Skellboy

It’s a bit of a challenge to describe Umaiki Games’ newest game, Skellboy. In short, it looks fascinating… and it has a theme song. 

Skellboy is a 3D adventure platformer hack-n-slash game where you play the role of none other than Skellboy. You take your newly resurrected skeleton body on an adventure across the magical land of Cubold to help fight off hordes of monstrosities.

What makes this game so interesting is the mechanic of switching out your skeletal body parts for different parts you come across on your journey, and the new parts grant Skellboy new abilities. There are also a ton of weapons to use and master, and the combination of swapping parts and weapons allows players to play the game in whatever way best fits their play-style.

If you would like to reclaim the kingdom of Cubold, pick up a copy of Skellboy releasing on the Switch December 3.

Blacksad: Under the Skin

At first glance, this next game’s protagonist looks similar to a famous bat-themed hero, but I urge you to search again. Microids’ 2019 release Blacksad: Under the Skin is coming to the Nintendo Switch.

The game initially released on November 5, 2019, receiving mixed reviews from critics and fans of the series. The game is based on the Spanish comic series Blacksad, which takes place in New York City set in the ’50s and is inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. 

The player takes the role of John Blacksad, a feline private detective investigating a mysterious disappearance. The further Blacksad trails down the rabbit hole of this big city scandal, the more he puts himself in danger.

The storylines itself with a cast of animals, with their own personalities that you will meet along your adventure. If you’re up for the job, the case is yours. Blacksad: Under the Skin comes to the Nintendo Switch on December 10.

Riverbond

Cococucumber’s wacky shoot-n-slash dungeon crawler, Riverbond, is coming to the Nintendo Switch. For those who love run-and-gun games like Enter the Gungeon, you’re sure to love Riverbond.

The esthetic of this game heavily resembles that of Cubeworld, but the gameplay looks like a chaotic but fun mess you’d come to expect from any hack-n-slash game. The environments are beautiful and destructible, and the design of the monsters you face are unique and exciting. The game offers a single-story mode as well as couch co-op to up to four players.

But perhaps what piqued my interest the most is the indie crossovers this game has to offer. You can play as some of your favorite characters from other hit indie games such as the bullets from Enter the Gungeon, Razputin from Psychonauts, Shovel Knight from Shovel Knight, and many more.

I’m more than excited to jump into the world of Riverbond with a few friends and shoot our way to the end. If you want to join in on the fun, you can grab your copy of Riverbond for the Nintendo Switch when it releases on December 10.

Farabel

Frogames’ Farabel is a turn-based strategy game that you play… backward? That’s right. In Farabel, you play the story backward, traveling back in time to see how the war all began.

The player takes the role of Cendor, Lord of Farabel, and plays through 26 missions, each sending the player further back in time to save the city. Your character starts at max power, and as you beat each task, your character’s level goes down instead of up, making each level more challenging than the last. Think Xcom or Fire Emblem if the story was reversed. 

Throughout the story, you can control 40 different units and cast 18 various spells and abilities to fight your way to where it all began. Although the game doesn’t boast a long story, it does offer a unique twist to the turn-based strategy genre.

If you are up for the challenge, travel back in time on December 20 and grab your copy of Farabel for the Nintendo Switch.

Regions of Ruin

JanduSoft’s 2D side-scrolling RPG, Regions of Ruin, allows players to build settlements in a long-forgotten wasteland. Regions of Ruin offers the traditional elements of an RPG like character leveling, skill trees, and looting while providing an open world waiting to be reclaimed from warring groups that have since ravaged the land.

The game progressively challenges the player the further they sink their teeth into the adventure. In a sense, the world scales with you. Regions of Ruin offer a stylized combat system with a plethora of weapons and equipment at your disposal, allowing you to shape your playstyle the way you want.

The mechanic that most interests me is the town building aspect. You can conquer the land and build your customizable settlements on the remains of your enemies. From there, you can recruit people to live in and work for your settlement. You can even hire mercenaries to accompany you on your journey. 

This game looks pretty tough, but I am excited to accept the challenge and carve my settlement into these barren lands. If you’re also up to the challenge, you can start your quest to build your own settlement when Regions of Ruin is released on the Nintendo Switch on December 23.

Tamashii

Rarely do I ever watch a trailer for a game and feel uncomfortable, but Digerti’s new game Tamashii has accomplished giving me chills after less than a minute of creepy haunting gameplay.

I’m not quite sure what this game is or how I found it (or how it found me). But I do know that for some reason I want to play it. Although its horrifying visuals make my stomach turn, and the chilling music from the trailer makes me feel as if my Switch will be cursed after playing it… I still want to.

All I can tell you is that it looks like a 2D platformer, it looks bizarre, and it comes out on Christmas day. So if you don’t hear from me after December 25, I have been kidnapped by Tamashii and need someone to save me. 

Akuto: Showdown

The last game on the list is another party game that I am very excited to play with friends. Qubic Game’s four-player micro battle royal Akuto: Showdown pits four players against one another in a fight to the death.

Akuto: Showdown reminds me of Gang Beasts and Duck Game. Players have an arsenal of weapons at their disposal and face off on a variety of maps to kill one another. Guns, swords, explosions, environmental hazards. All of these are used against players to determine who is the strongest.

This another one of those games that the comedic value among friends seems limitless. Between unlocking all of the weapons and customizing your characters with different hats, Akuto: Showdown appears like it will be a lot of fun. 

If you’re looking for a new party game to school your friends in, or are wanting a wacky fun time that involves a ton of violence, Akuto: Showdown hits the Switch Eshop on December 26.

So that’s all folks. I hope you found this list to be helpful, and maybe I was able to introduce you to some great titles you weren’t familiar with. Or maybe I gave you a better look at a game you already knew about. Either way, these are some fantastic looking games that I’m looking forward to playing this December.