Of the 35 new releases hitting the Switch this week, two stand out from the crowd – Wargroove and Downwell. Not only have they gained some surprisingly high review scores, but they’re also generating a buzz on social media too.
Wargroove – Chucklefish’s amalgam of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars – is out on PC and Xbox One as well this week, but Switch version is gaining the highest scores, seemingly suiting the system perfectly.
God is Geek dished out a 9.5, while GameInformer opted for a similar score – 9.25. Destructoid went with a 9/10, meanwhile. In short: it’s an essential purchase for turn-based strategy fans, even packing multiplayer for up to four players, both online and local.
In an ideal world Downwell would’ve launched on Switch, as it too is a perfect fit for a system. Better late than never, it has arrived casually late. This inexpensive (£2.69) vertical platformer has a Metacritic of 88%, with no review scores below 8/10 currently. “Its roguelike structure and twitch platforming might not be for everyone, but you should really give it a chance. For our money, it’s a modern classic that should be in everyone’s collection,†said Nintendo Life.
Then we have Bombfest, a local-only party game in which wooden characters lob bombs at one another in an attempt to be the last one standing. The Indie Game Website found the lack of content a concern, but still deemed it worthy of a 7/10.
Tangledeep – a 16-bit style roguelike – was described as both “modern†and “slick†by Screen Rant, ultimately resulting in a 4/5. “Beyond the graphics themselves, the game presents an intriguing combination of charming writing and flavor text, with an above-average script full of amusing dialogue and an evolving town of characters to investigate and chat with,†they said.
The Switch also gets New Star Manager, with scored an impressive 8/10 from Nintendo Life. “It’s not at its absolute best on Switch, but New Star Manager still provides the deeply tactile Yang to Football Manager 2019 Touch’s stat-heavy Ying. It plays a more intuitive and portable game of tactical footy than its illustrious rival, and it also packs a lot more depth than its basic presentation might suggest,†was their conclusion.
Before we rattle off the full line-up of new releases, it’s worth mentioning that a ‘Weird and Wonderful’ sale is currently underway, including Snake Pass, Slime-San, World of Goo, Flame in the Flood, Pool Panic and a dozen others. Pool Panic gets our recommendation, especially at a mere £3.73.
Anyway, here’s the full line-up of new releases:
DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders – £34.99
When the island of Havenholme is found in ruins, mysterious survivors emerge as unlikely future heroes. Scribbler is a scholar who cannot remember his past while Patch is a unique breed of dragon, a “chimeragon,†with new, unexpected powers they discover along the way. Together they must explore new islands, battle fierce enemies and recover the memories that reveal Patch’s true origin in this fun and fiery new action adventure.
Dragon Marked for Death: Advanced Attackers – £13.49
Dragon Marked For Death is a side-scrolling 2D action RPG that can played solo or with up to four players in local or online multiplayer.
Dragon Marked for Death: Frontline Fighters – £13.49
Dragon Marked For Death is a side-scrolling 2D action RPG that can played solo or with up to four players in local or online multiplayer.
AGARTHA-S – £7.19
Become an explorer and aim for the utopia “Agartha†deep underground. Cellular automaton reproduces natural phenomena in the underground world, which follows the same laws of physics as the real world.
Airheart – Tales of broken Wings – £11.99
Airheart combines free roaming, twin stick gameplay with a beautiful, colorful world. Defeat your enemies, salvage their scrap and reuse it to craft new parts for your airplane. Build and try out over 40 weapons and airplane parts. Combine their abilities to become the pirates’ worst nightmare.
Arcade Archives MOON CRESTA – £6.29
Players control Unit 1 and Unit 2 and Unit 3 of the airplane, and by combining these airplanes, will defeat the enemies.
Bleep Bloop – £3.99
Play alone controlling both characters or share the experience with a friend. Bleep Bloop is extremely easy to learn, but that doesn’t mean the puzzles will be a piece of cake.
BOMBFEST – £15.79
BOMBFEST is an award-winning party game for you and up to three friends! Battle in wooden forts, on folding chairs, and inside the kitchen sink as you attempt to be the last player standing. Use bombs to eliminate your foes, but don’t get caught in a chain reaction of explosions!
Downwell – £2.69
Downwell is a curious game about a young person venturing down a well in search of untold treasures with only his Gunboots for protection. Make your way further and further down into the darkness filled with nasty creatures and mysterious secrets to collect the spectacular red gems scattered about the rocks. Step into precariously placed shops and buy some helpful items or level up between levels to battle well-dwelling monsters and uncover hidden caves filled with riches and relics. No two trips down the well are ever the same!
Drowning – £2.69
Walk through a variety of beautiful low-poly environments as a story unfolds about how he learns to live with his inner demon. You will play in the eyes of a young boy starting out high school in year 7, and play through his following years, where he learns that living with depression is like living with someone trying to put you down all the time. Walk through all the beautiful environments with a lovely soundtrack that suits the current mood of the game, and find all the hidden endings.
Eggggg – The platform puker – £12.99
Gilbert has an extreme allergy to eggs. Eating them will literally make him vomit like a fountain. He escapes from his mean aunt Doris in order to get to a birthday party, and needs to use his vomiting superpower to survive a world of angry cyborg chickens… of course.
Fishing Star World Tour – £22.49
Over 180 kinds of fish! More than 70 types of fishing gear! 40 fishing locations! Explore various locations and see a lot of fish!
Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander – £14.99
On the edge of Terran space lies Halcyon 6, a derelict starbase left behind by a mysterious precursor race. Your mission is to reclaim the derelict station and rebuild it.
Gabbuchi – £6.29
“Gabbuchi” is a curious creature that loves gobbling blocks and stuff. His favorite food is the heart cookie. In order to get it, you have to think about which blocks he can and can’t gobble.
FREECELL BATTLE KING – £6.29
Playing locally, over local wireless play or online – enjoy the fun of competition with FreeCell!
Hyperide – £1.79
This game puts a modern spin on obstacle-course style vertically scrolling arcade games, and is inspired by the all-time classics. The player controls an ultra-fast spaceship on a rescue mission and needs be mindful of the oncoming space debris, as well as the power level of the ship, which is resupplied by picking up special crystals.
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Two Crude Dudes – £7.10
Play one or two mercenaries hired by the American government to stop the terrorist organization “Big Valley”. Take control of post-apocalyptic New York City away from the Big Valley terrorists.
Mages of Mystralia – £17.99
In the kingdom of Mystralia, it takes more brains than brawn to succeed. You will face down giant, powerful creatures and navigate treacherous terrain. You will encounter puzzles that confound even the wisest of the old sages. And you must overcome obstacles put in place by people who do not want you to succeed.
New Star Manager – £14.99
Welcome to New Star Manager: The critically acclaimed game from Simon Read, creator of the BAFTA Award-winning New Star Soccer series. Take control of New Star FC – a beleaguered soccer club which needs your management skills and instincts to unlock the team’s potential and make it to the top of the game. This is soccer management like you’ve never experienced it – Be more than just a player, be the head, the heart, and backbone of New Star FC. Be the Manager.
Necrosphere Deluxe – £6.49
Necrosphere is a (really difficult) bite-sized metroidvania game you control WITH ONLY TWO BUTTONS!
Merchants of Kaidan – £8.99
Merchants of Kaidan is a challenging trading game fused with RPG elements. You start very humbly, one cart, a purse of gold, and silver coins is all you have. Your task is to roam the world and search for opportunities to score some profit. Buy low, sell high – a merchant’s motto is easy to grasp. And yet the job is harder than it seems!
Piczle Colors – £10.00
Use the numbers around the side of the puzzle to work out how many blocks of which colour should be painted in each row and column. Since the order of the numbers doesn’t determine the order you need to paint the colours you’ll need to stretch your brain to figure it out.
Planetarian – £8.99
Planetarian was produced by Japanese studio Key, the creators of CLANNAD and Little Busters! Since hitting the Japanese market in 2004 for the PC, its popularity has led to novel and audiobook adaptations, as well as console ports of the original game. In 2016, it was adapted into a web anime and an animated feature film.
Robothorium – £13.99
Robothorium is a cyberpunk dungeon crawler with turn-based fights, where all your choices will have a direct impact on your revolution against Humankind.
Stray Cat Doors – £2.04
Stray Cat Doors is a game where you solve a mystery with a cute character. An escape game that even beginners can enjoy.
Tangledeep – £15.79
Tangledeep combines the 16-bit graphics and polish of classic SNES-era RPGs with elements from roguelikes and dungeon crawlers to create a magical experience for players of all skill levels. Trapped in underground villages with no memory of the world at the surface, you must survive an ever-changing labyrinth to discover what lies above.
Thea: The Awakening – £15.99
Thea: The Awakening is a turn-based strategic survival game steeped in Slavic myth and monstrosity set after an apocalyptic force known only as The Darkness has engulfed the world. There are Strigas and Baba Yagas aplenty, but there are no heroes, no monster slayers, and no great armies capable of banishing them. You have only a few hopeless and starving survivors who are desperately trying to stay alive. You are their last and only true hope!
Zombie Night Terror – £13.49
Prepare yourself for the most thrilling night of your life! Something strange has happened and people everywhere are turning into blood thirsty walking corpses. But guess who’s the brains behind this hungry undead army? YOU! So spread this pandemic to wipe humanity of this planet. Because the only way to survive the zombie apocalypse, is to BE the apocalypse!
Wargroove – £15.99
This turn-based strategy game for Nintendo Switch offers local and online matches* for one to four players. Each player takes control of an army and its commander unit to wage war on their enemies! Wargroove is extremely easy to pick up, with accessibility at the forefront of its design, and very difficult to master, with deep gameplay mechanics that complement strategic play.
TORIDAMA: Brave Challenge – £4.59
TORIDAMA: Brave Challenge is a mini game collection based on testing your courage. Test your weak feeling inside of you, or your “Chicken Levelâ€, based on timing of pressing a button, level, and pitch in various kind of critical situations.
Next week: City of Brass, Glass Masquerade, Stunt Kite Party, Odallus: The Dark Call, Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 2, Doom & Destiny, The Book of Unwritten Tales 2, The Path of Motus, Avenger Bird, Evoland Legendary Edition, Sky Gamblers – Afterburner, Magic Scroll Tactics, Estiman, Reverie: Sweet As Edition, Defense Grid 2, Pocket Academy, The Stillness of the Wind, Away: Journey to the Unexpected, Pumped BMX Pro, Mercury Race, BLAZBLUE CENTRALFICTION Special Edition, RIOT – Civil Unrest, 99Moves, and Food Truck Tycoon. Phew!