Nintendo Switch 2 Is Giving Me That Summer Feeling

Between a cool mist of games ready to play at the Summer Game Fest Play Days and a “one last thing” showcase to cap off the summer showcase season, Nintendo was grilling and serving up ample juicy indies. So, from hands-on experiences to announcements that caught my eye, this is what’s giving me those sunny summer vibes from Nintendo.

Among Us Story: On Guard

Developer Innersloth • Publisher Innersloth • Release TBA • Platforms Switch, PC

The minutes were counting down fast. Despite what I had thought was ample time to see everything at the whimsically appointed Switch 2 booth (really much more of an expansive room boasting game-specific booths), I was so wrong. I had even surfed through the doors when my appointment opened just to get a head start on my must-play list of indies. (I need to tell you more about this later, so keep an eye out for more on my determined entrance and the game that inspired it.)

Still, the new Among Us title remained unplayed nearing the end of my time, and its booth showed no signs of clearing out. Resigned, I sat on a comfy nearby couch to at least watch someone else’s progress.

Then, the impossible happened.

The group I thought was waiting for a turn moved away when a staff member called a time check. Likely they hoped to catch another demo before needing to leave, but they missed the current player was actually hitting the end of the demo. Their loss was my gain as I slipped unceremoniously into the hot seat.

Among Us Story: On Guard had only been revealed a few days prior. I didn’t exactly know what to expect when I hit start.

Surprisingly, the game launched looking like the game I had played, not with the higher-res imagery of the announcement trailer. My curiosity was soon sated as I was led to an animus-like machine meant to give me better chances of spotting future imposters by living the lives of other crewmates that had already encountered them.

On Guard follows a guard, unsurprisingly, in the middle of a murder mystery. Having discovered a crewmate’s mangled corpse in the kitchen, he finds himself accused of the crime. The only one who knows the imposter is still out there, he has to solve the case to save everyone and clear his name.

You can play this for yourself now that the demo is up in this, the week of Steam Next Fest. So, I won’t tell you who dun it, but encourage you to go try it out.

Demi and the Fractured Dream

Developer Yarn Owl Studios • Publisher Annapurna Interactive • Release February 2027 • Platforms PS, Xbox, Switch, PC

I need to see more of Demi and the Fractured Dream. Not only is it a beautiful sight to behold, but also because I walked away from my hands-on opportunity at Summer Game Fest’s Nintendo Switch 2 area feeling like I hadn’t seen the best the game had to offer.

A door stood before me. Having no context of what was behind me or what I would be walking into, I was cautious entering what turned out to be a vast chamber centuries past its glory days.

A quick tutorial set me straight on the action-adventure’s familiar move set. Jumping, sword swinging, and blocking all felt par for the course.

Then I ran into a puzzle, and not even the real puzzle I was meant to solve. I stared at a pile of glistening gems buried in sand, trying everything I could to uncover them.

I gave up to move to the “actual” task at hand which then revealed I had the ability to manipulate wind with a giant leaf. Excitedly, I abandoned my directive to run back to the shimmering pile and eagerly blew it away.