'Tis the season for amazing game announcements and SGF showcases, and this year's Women-Led Games Showcase gave us cozy fans a few things to look forward to - especially for those of us who like to curl up with our Nintendo Switches. The games mentioned in the stream are made by studios either led by a woman or composed of majority-women teams, so we're excited to support the queens of the industry with some games, including Barbie: Horse Ride & Rescue and Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker.
Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker is a prequel to the events of the main game, coming to both Switches, as well Steam on June 9. If you've never played the original, you run a tavern and must serve customers, listening to their stories and chatting with them as you go. The prequel explores a new tavern 36 years prior to the original game, promising returning characters and a whole new world of trouble. The developer, Gentle Troll Entertainment, raised funds for both games on Kickstarter, and promises an overhaul of the drinks mixing system, as well as adding additional quests.
Barbie: Horse Ride & Rescue is a new game by studio PikPok releasing on your mobile and Switch 2, as well as Steam. It'll be here in 2027 and naturally involves some funky horse riding with Barbie and pals. It's your job to rescue the horses, customize your look, and do some riding challenges. It'll be great for younger players, and there's also a story element by the sounds of the trailer, which suggests mysteries in the surrounding Moonrise Valley.
Other upcoming indie games announced for the Nintendo Switch at the showcase include a new rhythm game, Puppergeist, which comes out on July 16 this year, as well as Spook-a-Boo, a couch co-op that doesn't have a release date yet, but will be reminiscent of Luigi's Mansion (plus cute animals). Visual novel game Schrödinger's Call, and Black Jacket, which is a Balatro-style roguelike, are both already out now on the eShop. There was also a Warframe trailer for the new Jade Shadows: Constellations update, which arrives on June 17 on all platforms.
There were plenty of other games announced for PC that you'll be able to pick up on a Steam Deck at some point, too, even though we also think they're perfect for Switch, and may get ported if they do well enough. Some notable games coming are Lily's World XD, starring content creator and Genshin Impact voice actor LilyPichu, as well as A Date with Death 2: Remnants, which should be on Switch along with its predecessor, in my opinion, and Letter Lost, which has gone viral in the cozy games community recently.
What do you like the look of most? Let us know over at the Pocket Tactics Discord server.