It’s another busy week for new Nintendo downloads, and an eventful one at that thanks to the arrival of the first third-party release with cross-buy support.
That game is strategic underwater RPG Squids Odysesey. It’s due to launch on 3DS this Thursday, priced at £9.99…or for the sum of sweet nothing if you already own the Wii U version. Reviews haven’t been too shabby, so you may want to consider this deal. ONM handed out a solid 75% while Nintendo Life served up an 8/10.
Squids Odyssey isn’t this week’s eShop highlight though – it’s the return of Chibi-Robo. The pint-sized robot has been absent for some time, especially in Europe where the DS curio Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol passed us by altogether.
Chibi-Robo! Let’s Go, Photo! sees the helpful one taking photos to fill a museum. Your snaps – which must meet certain criteria – are turned into pieces of art which are then put on display. The cleaning aspect still remains – tidying up the museum earns ‘Silhouette film’ for the camera – while the cast of eccentric characters includes a bear-shaped washing-up sponge who wishes to become a DJ. Word.
Although it certainly has an interesting premise, reviews have been mixed – everything from 8/10 from Pocket Gamer to 3/10 from Dark Station. A few critics claim that the 3DS’s camera simply isn’t up to the job and others found it downright boring. Conflicted? We aren’t surprised. Given the £11.69 price-tag it may be an idea to try the demo first.
Also out on 3DS this week: puzzler Quell Reflect (£3.49) and an eShop release of Pokémon Art Academy (£29.99) which is also due out as retail release this Friday.
Over on Wii U, Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition (£9.99) is worthy of your attention. This Metroidvania-style platformer went down well on PlayStation 3, bagging a steady string of 9/10s. Influenced by Mexican culture, this revamped version includes improved visuals, extra abilities and more content. Expect to hear a lot of talk about this one over the coming weeks as it’s also the next Xbox One ‘Games with Gold’ freebie.
Armillo is likewise a platformer, and one that’ll only set you back £4.00 until 24th July. Featuring a sci-fi theme, it entails the titular armadillo Armillo rolling around in spherical 3D mazes. Missions set in a parallel universe meanwhile offer “speed-run inspired†2D stages. A few videos can be found on Nintendo’s site.
Flowerworks HD: Follie’s Adventure costs even less – a mere £2.00. That’s until 31st July, anyway – after that it’ll cost £4.00. It’s a HD remaster of a WiiWare title, now running at 1080p/60fps. Nintendo Life found the 2D puzzle-adventure a good deal, especially with a 15-20 hour playtime. They did however point out that its last-gen roots are still all too evident.
Good old Adventure Island is the week’s only Virtual Console release. Master Higgins sprints onto Wii U at a not to be sniffed at £3.49. If you enjoyed the first Wonder Boy on Game Gear and Master System then consider this – it’s practically identical.
Finally, some discounts. Don’t get too excited as they’re a rather uninviting bunch – Doodle Jump Adventures on 3DS drops to £9.99 and Tappingo to £1.69. Then there’s Kung Fu Rabbit on both Wii U and 3DS, down to £2.19 until 10th July.
With a bit of luck, next week will see Shovel Knight lead the way.