Word has it Astral Chain is one of Platinum Games’ finest titles so far. It arrived to a waft of 9/10 review scores earlier this week, with most complaints being minor things such as a lack of variation between backdrops and a sight drop in framerate when things get hectic.
Despite it standing a good chance of topping the UK chart next week, it seems publishers have no qualms pitting their new releases against it as it’s another busy week for the eShop.
Arcade revamp The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors – created by the original team – gained a glowing review from Eurogamer. “If it’s a slice of proper nuanced 2D action you’re after, you can’t really do much better than The Ninja Saviors. Call it a beat ’em-up, call it belt action, call it whatever – just make sure you get involved with this,†they said.
After dishing up a double whammy of SUPERHOT and Hotline Miami Collection last week, Devolver Digital is back with Heave Ho, a goofy multiplayer game with stretchy characters. Reviews are mostly clocking in at 8/10, once again suggesting the publisher has a knack for spotting titles with plenty of potential. “The wackiness of grabbing your friends, flinging yourself around, making faces and noises, and just causing shenanigans all around doesn’t really get old,†said Destructoid.
Whipseey and the Lost Atlas’ reviews haven’t been any where near favourable. It’s a colourful Kirby-style platformer with one major downfall – it can be beaten in around 40 minutes. “Ultimately, I’m not sure why Whipseey and the Lost Atlas exists. It does nothing new, and by looking so similar to such a recognizable video game character, it invites unflattering comparisons and almost sells you on a promise it doesn’t even attempt to live up to,†was Nintendo World Report’s verdict. No wonder it’s only £4.99.
Turn-based RPG Vambrace: Cold Soul has gained mixed reviews, meanwhile. Nintendo World Report called it “fun and brisk†before dishing out 7.5, while Nintendo Life opted for 4/10. “Dungeons are boring and difficult, combat is bereft of any real strategic depth or flair and it thinks nothing of wasting hours of your time for zero reward,†NL warned.
LEGO Jurassic World also makes a surprise Switch appearance this week, along with the visual novel sequel Root Letter: Last Answer. There’s that Busby auto-runner too, which failed to make an impact on PS4 a few months ago. We’ll stick to Astal Chain, if it’s all the same to you. Â
New Switch eShop releases
LEGO Jurassic World – £34.99
Following the epic storylines of Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, and Jurassic World, LEGO Jurassic Worldâ„¢ allows players to relive and experience all four Jurassic films. Reimagined in LEGO form and now available on Nintendo Switch, the thrilling adventure allows fans to play through key moments and explore Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna.
ASTRAL CHAIN – £49.99
Master thrilling synergetic combat against an increasingly powerful alien invasion in ASTRAL CHAINâ„¢, an exciting new action-adventure from PlatinumGames, only on Nintendo Switch. Join an elite task force and work together with a special living weapon to solve cases and save mankind!
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors – £16.99
Along with two completely new characters, the fully revised side-scrolling arcade brawler also offers fans a plethora of individual moves, new 16-bit pixel art graphics and animations, the revamped sound of TAITO’s legendary house band ZUNTATA as well as an online ranking system so that you can compare your skills to fighters from all over the world.
Root Letter: Last Answer – £24.99
The return of the best-selling interactive mystery visual novel! Follow in the footsteps of Aya Fumino, a school penfriend allegedly involved in a tragic murder 15 years ago. Explore the prefecture of Shimane, uncover clues, and use the letters you wrote to each other to track down her childhood friends for questioning. But perhaps these friends, now adults living a peaceful life, will not be eager to let their painful memories resurface…
AER Memories of Old – £17.99
The gods of old are forgotten, lost in the events that shattered the world, leaving only fragments of islands in the sky. This mystic world of endless skies, colorful islands and ancient ruins is in danger of falling into darkness. As one of the last few shapeshifters, you are sent on a pilgrimage to the Land of Gods. Uncover the secrets that will help save reality itself.
Agent A: A puzzle in disguise – £12.99
You play as Agent A in this stylish secret agent world full of retro futuristic contraptions, hidden gizmos, gadgets and clever logic based puzzles. But do be warned… Ruby La Rouge is no spy to be taken lightly! Explore a labyrinth of perplexing puzzles in this quirky game of cat and mouse that’ll have you wondering whether you’re the cat… or the mouse!!
Boreal Blade – £17.99
Boreal Blade is a team-based melee fighting game with a focus on player vs player combat. Boreal Blade combines reactionary and tactical gameplay with extraordinary freedom to variate your attacks and develop your unique fighting style.
Damascus Gear Operation Osaka – £17.09
The goal of “Damascus Gear Operation Osaka” is to repay the hero’s significant [debt] before the due date.
In the [Cosmopolis], GEAR pilots fight day and night in the [Arena] for large sums of Eyn(this world’s currency). The hero will participate in the Arena as a Ranker, aiming to use the prize money to repay his debt.
Use [missions] to enhance your GEAR, and earn prize money in the [Arena] before the due date. If you don’t make it by the due date…
Bubsy: Paws on Fire! – £22.49
From the developers of the BIT.TRIP series comes Bubsy: Paws on Fire!, the latest and greatest in bobcat-based gaming.
Brunch Club – £11.99
Welcome to Brunch Club! A 1-4 player food fight frenzy, with a seasoning of pop culture. Work together to complete a selection of delicious challenges, but watch out, we didn’t make this easy! Test your ability to remain calm in the kitchen with your friends and be prepared to try, try, and try again!
Deadlings – £7.19
He has zero friends on his FaceTome account and no one to hang out with. So, in order to feel better he begins “Project Deadlingsâ€. Death buys a factory where he can build his laboratory and begin training a massive army of zombie minions.
DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 Lite Version – £0.00
Experience some of the key elements of Xenoverse 2 for free, with the DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 Lite version for the Nintendo Switch!
Eight-Minute Empire – £13.49
Eight-Minute Empire, by Ryan Laukat, is a quick Civilization/Exploration game using card-driven area control.
Grand Brix Shooter – £8.99
Board the Brix Core, piloted by Prince Brix himself. Combine aircrafts in different ways to gain abilities and grab crystals to boost your firepower.
ESport Manager – £7.19
Create your dream team by selecting the players who suit you the best. Care for their constant development, train, sign advertising contracts and be active in social media. Thousands of fans aren’t going to come to you on their own, you have to work for it.
FUZE4 Nintendo Switch – £29.99
FUZE4 Nintendo Switch is a coding application for Nintendo Switch. It has been designed and developed by a team of experienced gamers, programmers, artists and educators. The end result is a language ideally suited to coding games and apps for absolute beginners and seasoned programmers alike.
Headspun – £9.99
Headspun is a FMV/Adventure hybrid set in Cortex; the world of Theo Kavinsky’s broken brain.
After waking from a five week coma, Theo finds his life in disrepair. With no memory of the accident, it’s up to Ted and Teddy – the conscious and subconscious voices in his head – to work out what happened, and put his life back on track.
Heave Ho – £8.99
Heave Ho tasks up to four players with a simple goal – don’t fall to your death! Players will use their own two hands and the outstretched grip of their friends to grapple across each level on their way to victory. Grab one another’s hands, climb across dangling bodies, and swing your pals to safety in a wobbly, dangly mass of limbs.
Hookbots – £19.99
Battle & challenge your human friends on this multiplayer robot party game: 52 ways to customize your bots & 14 game modes. From knights and dinosaurs, to bounty hunters and space warriors. Choose, customize and crush tons of different bots.
Legend of the Skyfish – £7.99
Legend of the Skyfish is a beautiful level-based adventure puzzler with a unique weapon and tool – a fishing pole!
Invasion of Alien X – Earth in Crisis – £8.99
Aliens are on a terrifying Earth Invasion Tour!
Your mission: Fire artillery and protect the base from the enemy flagship…
Repel the invaders.
Little Racer – £14.39
Little Racer is a dynamic racing game and a great adventure harking back to your childhood. Enjoy various tracks, avoid obstacles and speed for the win. Take the wheel, choose a kart and start the wild ride!
OBAKEIDORO! – £16.99
A thrilling, heart-pounding struggle! Humans have 3 minutes to work together to get away from the Monster! Playing as the Monster, you’ll have to utilize your skills to catch the Humans! Play Bogeyrun! online or offline with up to 4 players.
Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s – £11.69
Share a heart-to-heart talk, watch a movie together, take a bath, remove a computer virus, help a girl in a tough spot. Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s is an adventure game with point-n-click elements (with a risk of swift loss) that tells the story about a guy looking for love renovated in a nostalgic 80s and 90s anime style.
Vambrace: Cold Soul – £19.99
Vambrace: Cold Soul is a roguelike fantasy-adventure set amidst a frozen landscape. Plan your expeditions underground, then journey to the cursed city surface with your team of heroes. Wield unique powers, avoid dangerous traps, brave strange encounters, and survive deadly combat!
Whipseey and the Lost Atlas – £4.99
In Whipseey and the Lost Atlas you play as Alex, a young boy whose curiosity has landed him in a world of trouble. After finding himself lost in a strange world and being transformed into a magical creature named Whipseey, he must to solve the mystery of the Lost Atlas to return to his original form and go back home.
Wilmot’s Warehouse – £12.59
Wilmot’s Warehouse is a puzzle game about keeping a warehouse running in tip-top shape. You play as Wilmot, a hard working warehouse employee tasked with pushing, sorting and stacking a variety of products. Over time more and more truckloads of these products will arrive, gradually filling up the warehouse. How you arrange them all is entirely up to you – organise by colour, type, the Dewey Decimal System, or some wild format that only you understand – it’s all good! Just remember where you put everything, because when the service hatch opens, you’ll need to find the things people want quickly, in order to earn the coveted Performance Stars required for all manner of labour-saving upgrades.
Hopping girl KOHANE Jumping Kingdom: Princess of the Black Rabbit – £16.99
This game is an action puzzle game that the player operates Kohane who rides pogo-stick to aim for a goal.
New Switch demos
- Automachef
- Boreal Blade
- Fifty Words by POWGI
Next week: River City Girls, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Torchlight II, FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered, BARRIER X, Gurgamoth, A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher, Fin and the Ancient Mystery, Headliner: NoviNews, Space Cows, Gnomes Garden: Lost King, Wuppo: Definitive Edition, Pocket Clothier, Battle Supremacy – Ground Assault, Spice and Wolf VR, Asdivine Menace, Fifty Words by POWGI, Hyperforma, The Battle Of Mahjong, Gun Gun Pixies, Creature in the Well, and Super Jumpy Ball.