Nintendo picked the perfect week to release Ever Oasis – it’s absolutely scorching outside. The review embargo lifted today, and we’re pleased to report this RPG shouldn’t be left in the shade.
The Metacritic currently stands at 81%, comprising of a few 7s, a wealth of 8s and a couple of 9s. “Ever Oasis is basically a Harvest Moon-esque game with semi-open world roaming and Zelda-like dungeons. It’s nice, aesthetically and thematically, with lovely solid chibi style characters and some wonderfully twee music that I just can’t stop humming,†said God is a Geek, who opted for an 8.0.
Destructoid dished out an 8.5 meanwhile: “The longer I play, the more I enjoy it and that is far more uncommon than it should be. If this game is to be the first of a new franchise, it’s a damn good starting point.â€
The Switch gets its own Zelda-alike this week, in the form of Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas (£13.49). This one borrows heavily from Wind Waker, and despite its mobile roots, it went down well on Xbox One and PS4. If you don’t go into it expecting a masterpiece of Zelda proportions, you won’t be disappointed.
That’s joined by ACA NeoGeo Fatal Fury 2 (£6.29), which was one of the console’s most popular games. You’d still be better off with excellent Garou: Mark of the Wolves, mind – it’s a tad more refined.
Going back to 3DS, RPG Maker FES (£39.99) also launches on Friday. As noted in our weekly new release round-up, the first review isn’t too encouraging – a middling 5/10 from Nintendo World Report, who warned of a lack of tutorials and a poor interface. Mario Maker this isn’t.
Ingeniously though, the app required to play RPG Maker FES’ creations is free – RPG Maker Player also hits the 3DS eShop this week. In the absence of reviews, it’s probably a good idea to test a few creations out before coughing up £40 (!) for the game itself, just to see what it’s capable of.
The 3DS also gets the medieval themed River City: Knights of Justice (£13.49), which is less of a brawler and more of a role-player, while Runbow Pocket (£10.99) heads to New 3DS.
Demos of both Miitopia and Hey! Pikmin on 3DS are also now available.
Before we get onto discounts, there are two new Wii U games to cover. The Girl and the Robot (£8.99) has been available on Steam for some time, gaining favourable reviews while being compared to the PS2 classic ICO, while Drop It: Block Paradise! (£8.99) is a physics-based puzzler that uses the touch-screen.
Discounts, then. 3DS highlights include GO! GO! Kokopolo 3D for £4.34 and Gurumin 3D: A Monstrous Adventure for £9.98, while Wii U owners can grab Runbow for £3.73 and Shadow Puppeteer for £6.74.
There’s a Sonic the Hedgehog sale in full swing currently too, which includes a mixture of modern titles and Virtual Console re-release. Prices start at £1.74 for Sonic Drift 2 on 3DS, rising to £19.99 for the likes of onic Lost World and Sonic Boom on Wii U. A list can be found on the Nintendo UK site.
Our recommendations are 3D Sonic the Hedgehog, 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Triple Trouble and the Wii U version of Sonic Lost World. Gotta go frugal.