What are your plans for this Sunday? Perhaps some light housework, or maybe the garden needs a mow? Whatever you have in mind, be sure to set aside a few hours for FAR: Lone Sails, which arrives on Switch this weekend.
It’s a bleak puzzle platformer set in a desolate world, featuring more than a few similarities to Limbo and Inside. The difference here is that a rickety vessel is used to get around, which requires your full attention as you stoke the engine, raise the sails, crank the winch, and put out fires. Every so often something will halt your progress, prompting you to hop out and overcome a puzzle, some of which may use the vessel’s winch in a physics-based manner.
We were really impressed with the Xbox One version, awarding it 8/10 earlier this year. “When the wind is in your sails and the engine is roaring, hurtling you towards the great unknown, there’s nothing else quite like this,†we said.
The Switch sees fair few belated conversions this week, in fact. Friday the 13th: The Game Ultimate Slasher Edition packs in a lot of content, but it’s hardly the most polished of conversions to hit the Switch, which has ultimately resulted in mixed reviews.
Nintendo Life was left mostly impressed: “Sure, it’s still a little janky, but with servers that are seemingly holding and two years of refinements straight out of the box, this multiplayer gem still knows how to make an entrance on Switch.â€
The Metro, on the other hand, felt that it isn’t a very good fit for the system. “There’s more content than there used to, and it’s less glitchy, but the experience is still plagued by clumsy controls and dull combat,†they said.
The top-down Zelda-alike Ittle Dew is one Wii U owners may remember. It arrived on the Wii U at the time when the console was famished for new software, and as such, it received quite a bit of press attention. No reviews are live yet but seeing the Wii U version gained a mixture of 7s and 8s it should be a safe enough purchase. Just be sure to take the game’s length into account – around five hours of play is as much as you can expect.
Then there’s VASARA Collection, which combines two Japanese shooters from the early noughties. Obscure but good seems to be the general consensus. “Vasara Collection jumps from obscurity into the top tier of bullet hells on the Switch by offering both original brilliant titles without any technical hiccups and supporting the ever popular TATE option along with a whole new game that proves to be one of the few proper four-player options of the genre on the system,†said Nintendo Life before dishing out an 8/10.
At the time of typing the 50% pre-order discount is still available, bringing the price down to a mere £4.49. Be quick!
Exception is another new release hitting all major formats. It’s a neon-hued action-platformer set inside an old lady’s virus riddled computer. Scores for this are mixed too – God is a Geek claimed that it’s “pretty good†but suggested holding off for now as the Switch version is prone to crashing. Nintendo World Report’s review didn’t mention any pre-launch issues, concerned only with the game’s poor tutorial. “Exception is perfect to pick up when you have a couple minutes or to marathon through,†was their verdict.
Other new releases include the point and clicker Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes, the self-explanatory PC Building Simulator, and a double-whammy of tactical RPGs – Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark and Tactics V: “Obsidian Brigade”. The full list can be found below.
New Switch eShop releases
Friday the 13th: The Game Ultimate Slasher Edition – £35.99
For the first time ever, you will have the opportunity to play as Jason Voorhees, the most famous slasher in horror. Stalk your prey, ambush them whenever you see fit and strike fear in the hearts of many as you become the legend himself! Friday the 13th: The Game will include a variety of kills, new and familiar, that will help you set the tone for the Jason Voorhees that you want to be. You’ll even get to unlock various Jason incarnations from the movies!
Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes – £17.99
When her best friend Edna disappears under mysterious circumstances, Lili bravely sets out on a dangerous journey, not only to get her friend back, but also to confront her subconscious fears.
VASARA Collection – £8.99
For the very first time, highly acclaimed Japanese Arcade Shoot’em Ups, Vasara and Vasara 2, are made available to the whole world via this package: VASARA Collection!
Anode – £2.99
Anode reintroduces the classic falling-block puzzle genre, with new twists and challenges! Link blocks back and forth across each other. Match angled couplers to create chains of multiple colors. Earn items and use them to clear your bin. Play Mission Mode and complete randomly-generated objectives for additional challenge. Post your scores on leaderboards and see how you stack up.
Beholder 2 – £13.49
Cold, gray, forbidding walls stretch to the sky. Massive oak doors conceal the most important secrets of the State. This is where fates are decided. This is the Ministry!
Cryogear – £15.79
Cryogear is a unique Pixel Art platformer, set in an open sci-fi world and driven by rewarded exploration. Control the reprogrammed clone G.3.4.R as he discovers the world, learns new abilities and unveils the mystery of the Emperor AI.
FAR: Lone Sails – £13.49
Traverse a dried-out seabed littered with the remains of a decaying civilization. Keep your unique vessel going, overcome numerous obstacles and withstand the hazardous weather conditions. How far can you make it? What will you find?
Exception – £10.99
When an old woman’s computer is taken over by a virus bent on total annihilation, you assume control of an ordinary software program transformed into an elite combat machine. Retake the system and build your character into a formidable instrument of retribution.
Escape from the Universe – £9.00
It’s year 104 of Universal Galactic Calendar; after the destruction of the Earth, human survivors are scattered all over the universe, trying to persevere in the hostile environment of the war-torn outer space.
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark – £23.99
Take control of the Arbiter Kyrie, an agent of the Immortal Council tasked with preserving stability and order throughout the land, and lead your troops through difficult encounters.
Gravity Duck – £4.99
Have you ever wanted to be rich? What if you could become rich and control gravity!? This duck can with your help!
Flip, dodge, and traverse mind-bending gravity puzzles in 140 levels in order to grab all the eggs to return to the Maui statue!
Ittle Dew – £8.99
Adventuress Ittle Dew and her sidekick Tippsie crash onto a strange island, filled with loot and mysterious inhabitants. It quickly dawns on the duo that this might become their biggest adventure yet. Ittle Dew boils down the classic adventure formula until there is only fun left.
Rogue Singularity – £13.49
Rogue Singularity is a love letter to the classic 3D platformers, but with a high-tech twist: no two levels are ever the same! Guide your perfectly polished pint-sized pal through a never-ending sequence of procedurally-generated levels packed with out-of-control machines, bizarre alien life, dangerous natural hazards, and diabolical traps.
PC Building Simulator – £14.99
Build your very own PC empire, from simple diagnosis and repairs to bespoke, boutique creations that would be the envy of any enthusiast.
Never Give Up – £12.09
Never Give Up is packed full of vicious traps and hazards specifically designed to test your platforming skills.
When the going gets tough, the tough don’t quit! From the creators of the brutal and beloved web series enjoyed by millions of players worldwide, comes another installment of hardcore, skill-intensive platforming.
Tactics V: “Obsidian Brigade” – £18.89
Tactics V: “Obsidian Brigade” is a retro-style tactical turn-based video game in homage to console tactical RPGs from the 1990s. It’s set in an in-house fantasy setting with its own lore and magic, and it also uses techniques to convert to a 2D isometric look from 3D assets.
New Switch demos
- Bear With Me: The Lost Robots
- My Big Sister
Next week: Rad, Snooker 19, Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution!, IN-VERT, ONINAKI, Milkmaid of the Milky Way, SEGA AGES Space Harrier, SEGA AGES Puyo Puyo, Lines Infinite, and Everdark Tower.