The Switch 2 Direct Partner Showcase sure had some big-name highlights in the mix, from Octopath Traveler 0 and another HD-2D JRPG to Monster Hunter Stories 3, but the quietest standout for me was a little co-op open-world game where you play as an adorable little mouse.
That upcoming indie game, Hela, is coming from some former Unravel talent at Windup Games and is due to release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and now Switch 2 sometime next year.
“Explore breathtaking Scandinavian-inspired landscapes, solve puzzles, and be a force for good in a land where heartwarming storytelling and the beauty of nature intertwine,” the game’s Steam blurb reads. The setup is that we play as a kind witch’s familiar, but when she falls ill, it’s up to us to gather ingredients that’ll hopefully save her life.
The Switch 2 reveal trailer didn’t hint at too many of those sad possibilities, though. It instead packed countless cool things in a minute and a half teaser. You can grapple across a moose’s horns, play football with your mousy pals, paraglide through magical forests, jump off the bouncy backpacks of your co-op friends, and even skateboard together either locally or in split-screen.
“Engage with objects that behave realistically, adding a layer of immersion to your magical excursions,” the game’s description continues, threatening me with an even more chaotic time.
In its own folklorish way, Hela is somewhat poised to scratch the itch Breath of the Wild left in my life. Reactive physics? Check. Puzzles aplenty? Check. Lots of gliding about? Check. And it even seems like there’s a nonlinear progression here, too: “The more you explore, the more story fragments you’ll discover.”
Looking for something sooner? Check out the upcoming Switch 2 games of 2025.