We sincerely hope Christmas hasn’t left your wallet empty, as it’s a surprisingly busy week for the Switch eShop. A trio of titles standout, while a few smaller indie releases have also turned heads.
Leading the way are New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition. Reviews of NSMBU, which also features Super Luigi U, have been slightly mixed due to the game’s age – it was a Wii U launch title, lest you forget. Some critics claim it’s still a must play due to the excellent course design, while others felt let down by the lack of new content and the £49.99 price tag.
Review scores for Tales of Vesperia are more consistent, clocking in at 8/10. “If you’ve ever slept on this classic, there’s never been a better way to rectify that error,†said Nintendo Life.
Then we have SEGA AGES Out Run, which features new motion controls, optional mods, and other extras. Nintendo World Report felt the arcade racer was worthy of a 9/10: “While the game remains a short one, plenty of fun options make it one of the best rides out there.â€
Bury me, my Love – an adventure based around text messaging, involving Syrian refugees and tough decisions – also seems to be going down well, gaining an 8/10 from GameSpot and an 8.25 from GameInformer, who praised the refreshing humanistic approach.
The creators of Runbow have a new release out this week too. Double Cross features 2D platforming mixed with adventure-game style investigations. Scores are wildly mixed – everything from Nintendo Insider’s 9/10 (“The combat is surprisingly deep, the platforming is equal parts satisfying and immensely punishing, it is all brilliantly balancedâ€) to DualShocker’s 4/10 (“unoriginal and blandâ€).
After a last-minute delay, Battle Princess Madelyn is finally out in Europe. This Ghouls ‘n Ghosts homage features an excellent, appropriately challenging, arcade mode but the story mode is a bit of a mess, due to poor signposting, cheap deaths, and annoying backtracking. We reviewed the Xbox One version back in December. “This is something that’ll put your finely-honed platforming skills to the test, while occasionally pushing your patience too,†was our final word.
Here’s the full line-up of new Switch releases. The 3DS and Wii U get a new title as well, in the form of the Nokia Snake-alike Azure Snake. Do try to contain your excitement.
New on Switch eShop
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – £49.99
Run, leap and stomp your way through more than 160 2D side-scrolling courses in traditional Super Mario style with New SuperMario Bros. U Deluxe for Nintendo Switch! Up to four players can work together to grab coins and topple enemies on their way to the Goal Pole, or see who can nab the most gold in frantic, friendly – and above all, fun – competition!
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition – £39.99
Dive into the Definitive version of this game with updated full HD graphics, brand-new music tracks, exciting mini-games, bosses, and a collection of unreleased costume DLC!
A Ch’ti Bundle – £14.49
Get the two successful and award winning games Ethan: Meteor Hunter + Inside My Radio in this discounted bundle!
Apocalipsis Wormwood Edition – £8.99
In Apocalipsis Wormwood Edition the static woodcuts from the Middle Ages start living their own life, but the medieval philosophy and occult symbolism go beyond the visuals and inspire the story itself. In this game the music and the graphics work in perfect tandem to immerse you in this bizzare, dreary world.
Battle Princess Madelyn – £13.49
Battle Princess Madelyn is a game that follows the journey of a young knight in training, Madelyn, and her ghostly pet dog, Fritzy. They set out on a journey to save her kingdom and her family from the clutches of an evil wizard.
Bubble Shooter DX – £2.69
This addictive classic bubble blast match-three game comes with clean and modern graphics, hundreds of great challenging levels and some nice special items for better game experience in harder levels.
BQM -BlockQuest Maker- – £11.99
Create & play! New dungeon RPG “BQM -Block Quest Maker†has come to Nintendo SWITCH™!
BQM enables you to create your very own dungeon RPG, packed with puzzles and traps. Secret doors, falling rocks, strong mobs – challenge them all and level up.
Big Crown: Showdown – £9.99
Big Crown: Showdown sees friends become foes as they compete for the crown in 4-player local and online multiplayer combat, set over 3 wacky worlds full of medieval shenanigans. Avoid perilous hazards and engage in frantic fights as you attempt to knock your opponent’s off 15 crazy courses in the ultimate royal battle!
Bury me, my Love – £4.49
Bury me, my Love is a Text Messaging Adventure game about Nour, a Syrian migrant trying to find her way to Europe. Her husband Majd, who remains behind in Syria, communicates with Nour through a messaging app, advising her as best he can so that she reaches her destination safely.
Caveblazers – £11.99
Caveblazers is an action focused platformer roguelike set in a fantasy world. Each game is unique with procedurally generated levels to explore and a massive amount of items, weapons and equipment to discover.
Clock Simulator – £3.59
One of the most original game concepts is now available on the Nintendo Switch! Clock Simulator is a minimalistic rhythm game. It puts the player in the role of the clock itself to explore the concept of time in a whole new way and offer challenge, relaxation, or plain and simple fun. All that a clock needs to do is to advance precisely once every secondDouble Cross
Double Cross – £17.99
Developed by 13AM Games, the studio behind award-winning Runbow, Double Cross is an exciting action adventure game that has players take on the role of Zahra, an agent of R.I.F.T. (Regulators of Interdimensional Frontiers and Technology) whose job it is to maintain peace and order between all dimensions.
Elli – £17.99
A whimsical hand-crafted single-player adventure filled with a variety of puzzles and exciting platforming.
Everything – £11.69
Everything is an interactive simulation game where every single object in the Universe is a playable character, from atoms to animals to planets to galaxies. The player can manipulate the world in infinite ways and construct their own, while exploring the interconnected relationships between everything. Narrated by the late British philosopher Alan Watts.
Hive Jump – £9.99
You and your friends assume the role of JUMPERS, and blast your way through subterranean alien hives in chaotic run-and-gun 2D platforming action. Up to 4 Players band together (Local Multiplayer) to kill aliens, avoid traps, collect treasures and lost relics. Win the final battle against the hive queen to save the galaxy!
Grab Lab – £4.49
Something’s wrong with the gravity, something’s wrong with the laboratory and the whole world! Magnetic anomaly, weather anomaly, gravity anomaly – oh, I’ve done a mess…
Let’s fix it. Help me in collecting all vials and all parts of my time machine to save the world. Rescue my lost friends – scientists and celebrities!
GEM CRASH – £4.49
The game is played simply by rotating the map’s outer ring. Bounce the ball and destroy the gems within the time limit.
HoPiKo – £8.99
HoPiKo is an intense speed run platformer where you get to save gaming. Jump from platform to platform avoiding death, exploiting shortcuts and ripping through 100s of hand-crafted levels, each one dropped into a 5-stage mini run designed to break your mind!
Knock ‘Em Down! Bowling – £13.49
Play with 4 players and 1 Joy-Con! Try fun game modes like split screen, team matches, no gutters, and more! Also includes Variety Bowling where roulette decides the rules! The roulette wheel will have you bowling with strange items like a curling stone or a soccer ball!
Left-Right: The Mansion – £4.00
Left-Right: The Mansion is a little game about a boy, Billy, whose dog named Gigi ran away inside a big mansion. He must journey through this mysterious place, where he will have to find and remember the right path in order to find her. Every room will challenge him with a simple choice to make: left or right. Two doors, yet only one will make him go forward; the other one will bring him back to the beginning.
Lightseekers – £0.00
Epic battles await: Take the role of a powerful magic hero and play the multi-award winning Trading Card Game, now on Nintendo Switch.
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight – £12.59
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight, the critically and publicly acclaimed action-platformer from Bombservice, has finally made its way to Nintendo Switch! Lead Kaho, a priestess from the village of Lun, as she seeks an audience with the Queen of Karst who can surely lift the curse from the land.
Neko Navy – Daydream Edition – £9.89
Neko Navy is an exhilarating horizontal scrolling shooter where you can shoot them up with easy controls. The game offers three difficulties that everyone from a beginner to an advanced player can enjoy.
SEGA AGES Out Run – £5.99
The 3D driving game that launched a legacy returns on Nintendo Switch! Featuring new motion controls, newly added music tracks, and a new ranking system.
Stellar Interface – £12.99
Run through the universe, discover the numerous perks/consumables and their synergistic effects. Explore the randomly-generated galaxy to find merchants, unlock spacecrafts, collect StellarNetES Cartridges, checkmark your kills of the various galactic overlords.
Voxel Sword – £5.50
Voxel Sword is an easy to play action game, set in an adorable toy fantasy world, where you can wield various weapons to defeat monsters.
Snowboarding The Next Phase – £9.99
Snowboarding The Next Phase brings snowboarding to the Nintendo Switch for the very first time! Stomp tricks, play against your friends, and make the dream of becoming the greatest boarder of all time come true.
New on Wii U and 3DS
Azure Snake – 89p
Azure Snake is a beautiful snake in the world of light.
Next week: Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, YIIK: A Postmodern RPG, Onimusha: Warlords, Planet RIX-13, Feudal Alloy, Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes, Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Nitro Ball, Mega Mall Story, DYING: Reborn – Nintendo Switch Edition, The Shrouded Isle, Octahedron: Transfixed Edition, Forever Forest, Bash The Bear, and Old School Racer 2.
