Developers and publishers have well and truly woken from their Christmas slumber, collectively bringing over 30 new releases to the eShop. We even have a new Wii U release – El Silla – Arcade Edition – which appears to be based on The Simpsons’ chair meme, of all things. So much for letting the system fade away gracefully.
The biggest release on Switch is between the self-aware party game collection Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes and Capcom’s remaster of Onimusha: Warlords.
Both have received mixed reviews and for different reasons. Travis Strikes Again reportedly suffers from being repetitive and requiring a co-op buddy to make the most of it, although the boss battles help to elevate some of the boredom. The quirky humour is apparently hit and miss, too. As for Onimusha, it’s a relatively straightforward re-release with its PS2 roots still clearly visible. Some critics were fine with this, while others wished it was given a slightly bigger budget and more attention.
YIIK: A Postmodern RPG has also gained mixed reviews. It’s intended to be Earthbound for the hipster generation, but reviewers claim that it falls flat in several areas, as well as having irritating design choices. Scores are as high as 8/10 and as low as 3/10.
Gunman Clive HD – a shining beacon of quality on the 3DS and Wii U eShop – makes the jump to Switch this week too, as does the notorious Dragon’s Lair Trilogy. The £17.99 price tag has killed all interest we had in the latter, which was minimal to begin with.
Fight of Gods – a fighting game where religious leaders duke it out – is one to stay away from likewise, gaining a reputation on Steam for being shovelware of the highest order.
Space exploration game Holy Potatoes! We’re In Space?! Is a better way to blow your cash, gaining an impressive 81% from VideoChums. “If you enjoy strategic battles and management games with a side of fries, this is a game for you,†they said.
Sticking with the theme of space there’s also Planet RIX-13, which we reviewed on Tuesday. It’s a very simple and short 2D adventure game, launching at a mere £4.49. Although over in less than an hour, we still found it to be reasonably engaging.
Here’s the full line-up of new Switch releases, including a handful of new demos:
New Switch eShop releases
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes – £24.99
Travis Touchdown wanders into the game world and embarks on a rampage of epic proportions in Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes for Nintendo Switch! Beam Katana in hand, slice and dice through a variety of game worlds, then square up to the boss at the end of each game!
ACA NEOGEO NINJA MASTER’S – £6.29
Set in the world of Zipangu, where twelve fierce warriors known for being demons on the battlefield, both with and without weapons, clash spectacularly in a flurry of amazing combos and special attacks.
Bash The Bear – £4.49
Lead the squad of hedgehog commandos in reclaiming the mushrooms stolen by the lazy bear from the forest animals. Work out a plan, put your prickly friends in place, and light the fuze! Teach the old rascal a lesson – show him who is the boss here!
Bedtime Blues – £8.99
Play as a youngling surviving through the night in the pixelated horror. Your once beloved teddy bear had come to life and became conscious.
Crazy Strike Bowling EX – £8.99
Join Aiden, Mr. Jenkins and a host of other cute, fun-filled characters in Crazy Strike Bowling EX, a wacky bowling game fit for the whole family! Get a strike in new and distant bowling lands from the exotic forests of the Amazon to the pyramids of Egypt!
Build a Bridge! – £13.49
Test your engineering and improvisation skills in a puzzle game where the stakes are as high as they get. It is you who will construct bridges for cars, trucks, busses… And sometimes even monster trucks. Gather your wits and get on with the construction!
Dragon’s Lair Trilogy – £17.99
In Dragon’s Lair, you play the heroic Dirk the Daring, a valiant knight on a quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon!
DYING: Reborn – Nintendo Switch Edition – £7.59
DYING: Reborn – Nintendo Switchâ„¢ Edition is a highly unique first-person problem-solving puzzle game. In this special edition, we will be introducing you to a whole new story; every shred of paper, every nook and cranny, are scattered with fragments of the past. Don’t miss out on a single detail and piece together a complete storyboard. Explore every corner of a storied hotel of blood and violence, solve layers of puzzles, and inch your way towards the chilling truth.
Fairy Fencer F Advent Dark Force – £29.99
Long ago, a war raged between two powerful deities. The conflict endured until each was sealed into the great unknown, scattering their Godly weapons across the world. These lost weapons – now known as “Furies” – are highly prized by warriors who call themselves “Fencers” and it is said that whoever collects a Fury shall be granted one wish. By chance, a young man named Fang pulls a Fury from a stone and inadvertently becomes a Fencer himself. Now he must choose which deity to awaken!
Fight of Gods – £11.29
For the first time ever, gods, holy spirits and mythological characters from around the globe and throughout history will clash in an explosive 2D fighter where the entire world is at stake! Who will emerge victorious from the most destructive combat tournament the universe has ever witnessed?
Feudal Alloy – £13.49
Explore an unusual medieval world with a fish-controlled robot, Attu. Improve your combat techniques and skills by smashing many kinds of mechanical creatures in a beautiful hand-drawn world.
Forever Forest – £13.49
In a world conquered by darkness, in a forest that never ends, the fate of the Wyld rests on the shoulders of a brave hero with orange fur and a magical mask. Together you will set forth on an epic journey to carry the last ray of light from the deepest south to the darkest north.
Holy Potatoes! We’re In Space?! – £12.99
Space… the final french fried-tier! Set out on an intergalactic voyage of discovery, adventure and potato-based puns in Holy Potatoes! We’re In Space?!, combining hard-boiled battles, mashed management and scalloped simulation into a dish that’s out of this world!
Gunman Clive HD Collection – £3.59
In the year of 18XX, the west is overrun by thugs and outlaws. A group of bandits have kidnapped Mayor Johnson’s daughter and are spreading havoc across the land. Gunman Clive must rescue the girl and and bring order to the west, then finish the fight in Gunman Clive 2. His battle against the bandits takes him all around the world and beyond.
GetAmped Mobile – £0.00
A global cosplay battle! GetAmped, the global 3D action game with over 30 million users worldwide, is now on Nintendo Switch!
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Nitro Ball – £7.10
Join the game show and blast your way through 5 intense levels gathering power-ups and special weapons, including a special super power.
Mars or Die! – £19.99
The Interplanetary Spacecraft FORTITVDO VIII carries our Intrepid Explorers who are tasked with Scouting the Martian soil, Fighting the disgusting Martian natives, and Building Defensible Outposts spearheading our inevitable conquest. Our Supremely Illuminated Leader has bestowed upon YOU the honor of commanding them: survive, gather, and build our way to victory!
Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes – £8.99
Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes is the definitive release of the 2009 turn-based strategy classic, Mecho Wars. Fully remastered in high definition, it features new hand painted art, new visual effects, an expanded single-player campaign and six previously unreleased multiplayer maps.
Octahedron: Transfixed Edition – £9.99
Surf through a pulsating underworld on platforms YOU pull from thin air, where and when you want, in this psychedelic action platformer. Unlock devastating abilities across 50+ hand crafted levels as you defy gravity to a pumping beat.
My Exotic Farm 2018 – £8.99
So, the aim of the game is to increase your money counter by selling eggs and other farm produce, so as to buy more livestock at the Farmers’ Market and purchase equipment for your farm from the Shopkeeper. Little by little as your farm builds up, you will unlock certain bonuses: a wind turbine, a totem, a guard dog, a jeep, a barbecue, etc.
Mega Mall Story – £8.99
Design a towering mall of mega proportions! Attract droves of customers and elevate yourself to 5-star status in this mall management simulation game!
The Office Quest – £10.99
The Office Quest is a point & click adventure for all you people who just cannot stay in the office any longer!
Old School Racer 2 – £5.99
Hey there all you dirt bike fans welcome to the world of Old School Racer, race through a 2D retro world, across 60 unique and amazing levels with twists and turns everywhere.
Onimusha: Warlords – £15.99
This version features higher resolution graphics, 16:9 widescreen support and modernised control options which make it easier than ever to enjoy the sword-based combat that stunned players worldwide on its original release.
Rampage Knights – £8.99
Rampage Knights is a cooperative beat ’em up game mixed up with randomized dungeon crawling and exploration which you can play alone or with a friend.
Planet RIX-13 – £4.49
You are the pilot of a spacecraft that is looking for and exploring worlds that are potentially suitable for life. While scanning the next target, you lost control of your ship and had to make an emergency landing. It quickly becomes clear that you are not the first person on this planet…
The Shrouded Isle – £12.99
As the high priest, uncover and purge heretics to prepare for the awakening of your beloved god beneath the waves. It is a mistake to assume danger only lies within your island – beware the seas that surround you. A mysterious spiritual contagion has washed upon the shores of your village and contaminated your citizenry. Lock the infected away in the purification tower and allow the holy salt water to wash away their sins, but know such treatment can have ill effects on the healthy…
YIIK: A Postmodern RPG – £17.99
After witnessing a woman vanish from an elevator, college graduate Alex embarks on an adventure to rescue her, which spirals into an epic quest with stakes higher than he could have ever imagined.
Solitaire Klondike BLACK – £4.59
Enjoy the cool classic single-player card game, Solitaire Klondike! 300 scenarios in Stage Mode, and various problems are available in Random Mode!
Spot The Differences: Party! – £4.49
The most complete difference game on Nintendo Switch! Play solo or with up to 3 friends, and see who is the quickest spotter!
Cinderella – An Interactive Fairytale – £4.39
Explore the magical world Cinderella lives in, feed pigeons, bond with the castle’s watchdog (a noble Pomeranian) and save the prince in this little adventure for fairytale enthusiasts of all ages! Enjoy a relatable and diverse mix of characters who prove that being beautiful is not about fulfilling common, unattainable ideals of beauty. In addition to the interactive story and its puzzles, some mini-games are also included and seamlessly incorporated into the narration.
New Switch demos
Cinderella – An Interactive Fairytale
Combat Core
Drowning
Piczle Colors
Shift Happens
New on Wii U eShop
El Silla – Arcade Edition – £1.00
Help El Silla hit every character he encounters with a chair. Thanks to the advanced technology of the Wii U, you will be able to feel that you have a chair in your hands. Go player, throw this chair at everyone!
Next week: Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey, SMITE, Atari Flashback Classics, JackQuest: The Tale of the Sword, Doodle God: Evolution, #KILLALLZOMBIES, Asdivine Hearts II, Johnny Turbo’s Arcade Joe and Mac Caveman Ninja, Pikuniku, Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics, LEGRAND LEGACY: Tale of the Fatebounds, My Memory of Us, The Raven Remastered, At Sundown: Shots In The Dark, FutureGrind, IHUGU, Magic Nations, Flowlines VS, and Inops.
