Rewinding back to last week, PS2-era platformer TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD is now available on Switch, launching at a modest £23.99. The outback adventure has been remastered in HD with improved shadows and reflections, running at 60fps. It also includes a new hardcore mode, character skins, and an audio director’s cut.
While TY never reached the same level of acclaim as the big-name platformers on PS2 and GameCube, it was more than passable. Better than Kao The Kangaroo, certainly.
As for this week, the pickings are slimmer than usual – only around 15 titles are due, which is roughly half the usual amount. The long-time-coming Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is the only release heading to both retail and the eShop, priced £53.99 digitally.
Development began in 2011 as a PS3 title, but due to the devastating Japanese earthquake, it was put on hiatus. Granzella then picked up the rights and resumed development. Like many games that emerge from development hell, it has arrived in rough shape. Eurogamer even compared to something from the PS2-era. Some critics have been kinder – it apparently has a lot of heart and soul – but even so, reviews scores higher than 6/10 are hard to find. Â
Gothic hack ‘n slasher Grimvalor is a tad more exciting, offering fast-paced combat, a world designed for exploration, and a sprinkling of Dark Souls. “I can heartily recommend this game to any Metroidvania-fan looking for a new challenge,†said Nintendo World Report before dishing out an 8/10. “The style and setting might not be breaking any new ground, but the core of the gameplay is unique in its own right,†they concluded.
Then there’s the top-down Mad Max homage Convoy: A Tactical Roguelike, which has also gained positive reviews. “It does often feel like a good approximation of a ‘road warrior’ game and as with all good roguelikes when things are going well you feel great whilst nervous that one wrong move could end it all. If you want an FTL-like experience on a console then this is probably as close as you’re going to get,†said PlayStation Country. This too scored an 8.
Eurogamer, meanwhile, really enjoyed the British puzzle platformer Gunbrick: Reloaded. “Gunbrick is an absolute delight,†they said while praising the new isometric bonus stages. It also garnered a 4/5 from EGM. “While we’re counting down the days until we can finally emerge from our homes, Gunbrick: Reloaded turns one of humanity’s most intrinsic mental functions into a mind-bending puzzle-platformer.â€
As always, the full list of Switch eShop releases can be found below. Others to consider include the meme-filled brawler Fight of Animals, Kemco’s JRPG Monster Viator, and the board-game style survival sim Tharsis.
New Switch eShop releases
Grimvalor – £11.99
Slice your way through the hordes of darkness and face King Valor’s guardians as you delve deep into this darkvania!
A malicious power stirs in the forgotten kingdom of Vallaris. Tasked with discovering the fate of its lost king, your quest quickly takes a sinister turn and you are cast into the abyss. Surrounded and outnumbered, you must grab your sword, steel your temper and fight your way through a land that does not welcome you. Except for the friendly merchant – he’s grateful for your business.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories – £53.99
In the shadow of a massive earthquake, you must brave a destroyed city where your choices will determine who survives.
Convoy: A Tactical Roguelike – £13.49
Presented in pixel art and set in a future post-apocalyptic setting, Convoy is a squad based tactical roguelike in its core. You travel with your combat vehicles and convoy across a wasteland to find parts needed to repair your broken spaceship. During your journey you will encounter strangers in randomized scenarios by picking up radio signals.
Depending on the choices you make, signals can either lead to tactical combat, text based dialogue or chance based role-play. Whatever choice you make, you need to keep your convoy and its cargo safe from raiders, privateers and other enemies. Keep upgrading your vehicles, as death is permanent in Convoy.
Battle Princess Madelyn Royal Edition – £11.99
Join Battle Princess Madelyn and her ghostly canine companion, Fritzy, as they set out on a quest to save her family and rid the land of an evil wizard–in this retro arcade action packed epic!
Pure arcade action! Redesigned with the creators original vision!
New enemies, bosses, music and sfx added! Completely redesigned stages!
Towertale – £7.99
Towertale is a 2D, story-driven action game that has a heavy focus on boss battles. Fight your way up the elusive Tower and challenge the bosses of each level. Unveil the mystery that lies up in its peak.
Play four different stories and unlock multiple endings. Join Lionel, Faindrel, Lord Snicklefritz and “Dark Echo” in their quest to get to the top!
Galaxy of Pen & Paper +1 Edition – £11.29
Create your own game master and RPG party, as they roleplay, explore distant planets in their imagination, fight weird aliens and save the galaxy in the era of dial-up internet and floppy disks!
Galaxy of Pen & Paper is a turn-based RPG that takes the pen and paper games of your childhood and launches them into space.
Set in the year 1999, a group of friends brave the perils of a strange new galaxy, armed with dice and unique skill sets.
The player creates their own Game Master and builds a party to play through a number of weird and exciting campaigns, earning prestige and unlocking new skills along the way.
Pen and Paper Games Bundle – £26.99
Enjoy hours and hours of adventures in these turn-based, retro style, pixel-art RPG full of danger, intrigue, and semi-appropriate cultural references! All games include all of their ever-released expansions with many new characters, enemies, quests and locations!
Gunbrick: Reloaded – £11.99
In a future where cars are obsolete, the Gunbrick has become a worldwide sensation!
Encounter wasteland mutants, crazed nerds, law enforcement and all manner of cube based adversaries in this action packed puzzle platformer.
Fight of Animals – £8.09
Meme Animals such as Power Hook Dog, Mighty Fox, Magic Squirrel, and more have now become Fighters!!
Simple Controls & Funny Animals & Exciting Battles!!!
Choose your favorite animal and join the fight!!
Players can fight through arcade mode to become the King of Animals!
Monster Viator – £13.49
Unable to remember who he is, Culter is mysteriously able to communicate with monsters. He soon comes across Aira, a shepherd who controls monsters with a harp and sets out together on a journey to uncover his memories. A fairy-tale like adventure with a legendary Hero with a thousand monsters, a Fountain of Truth and a witch unfolds!
Ride a dragon and soar the skies or on a raft down the river! Compelling pixel art breathes life into your adventure. Journey with more than 20 monsters, each with their own abilities and personalities. Hang tight and take your time in exploring not only challenging dungeons but what this fantasy RPG has to offer!
RMX Real Motocross – £6.29
Take part in exciting motocross racing – race on different tracks. Upgrade your bike to score higher place. After each race remember to Fix broken parts and upgrade your motorcycle to win! Learn tricks, earn money, and win every championship.
Depixtion – £6.49
Based on the popular Picross genre, Depixtion blends color mixing mechanics with the rules of nonograms to create a uniquely colorful experience.
Rush Rover – £4.99
Rush Rover is a 2D top-down shooter game with game play mechanics similar to traditional shmups. It includes random map generation, unique weapons, lots of different enemies, exciting boss battles and a dynamic chip tune soundtrack.
In the universe of Rush Rover, intelligent robots and mining exploration have spread over every known galaxy. After the war of independence against humanity, these highly intelligent and powerful machines attempt to rule over everything so they start hacking other robots. You control a “clean” mining rover, picking up weapons and rushing to survive!
Tharsis – £10.79
A mysterious signal coming from the Tharsis region of Mars sets your crew of astronauts off on a risky mission. Who sent it? And why? Impossible questions, but your fate is sealed on finding out. Now, millions of miles away from home, a micrometeoroid storm damaged your spaceship and killed two vital members of your crew. The mission is no longer just discovery, but to survive the journey with those still left alive.
Tharsis is built around a unique mix of a board game and video game mechanics. The outcomes of your choices are determined by rolls of the dice, but ultimately it is up to you and your decisions that will affect the mission’s success. Guide your crew through onboard disasters, food shortages, and the unforgiving nature of space. Maintain what remains of their health and sanity as they are strained by a crumbling ship, lack of food and the strange and disturbing signals coming from the Red Planet.
Black Rainbow – £8.99
For adventurer Helen Stone, the biggest adventure is yet to follow!
Help Helen escape the burning village and guide her through the dark and dangerous forests and help the people of Amazonia.
The evil behind the curtain is far bigger and dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined. It’s up to Helen to restore the balance in this hidden and unexplored world. Will you survive the impossible!?
Ubongo – £11.99
Fast-paced, addictive, and easy to learn – Ubongo brings excitement and fun to your Nintendo Switch.
In this fast-paced game, you’ll need to use your wits to solve a puzzle of various shapes as quickly as possible. Download the ultimate puzzle fun and see how quickly you can turn these puzzles around.
Discover four exotic worlds in the Solo campaign. Take on hundreds of gripping levels in the Baobab Savanna, on the wild Fang River, in the Whispering Jungle, and in the sandy Canyon of Bones. Join a zebra, a crocodile, a gorilla, and a rattlesnake on a journey through their puzzle worlds, challenging you with increasingly tricky puzzles.
Next week: Boot Hill Bounties, Path of Giants, Doubles Hard, Save Your Nuts, CAN ANDROIDS PRAY: BLUE, Finding Teddy 2: Definitive Edition, ZHED, Billion Road, The Fox Awaits Me, Galaxy Warfighter, Later Daters, Lost Artifacts: Golden Island, Hyper Jam, Rover Wars, Freakout: Calamity TV Show, and Blind Men.
