The Switch may have missed out on Final Fantasy VII Remake, but thankfully, it isn’t without this month’s other Square-Enix JRPG remake.
Trials of Mana is a 3D remake of the 1995 SNES cult classic Seiken Densetsu 3, rebuilt from the ground up. Reviews went live earlier this week and while the reception hasn’t been quite as glowing as FFVII, most critics agree that it’s a great tribute to the original. On a less positive note, they also agree that the healer character has been cursed with terrible, terrible, dialogue which makes them sound more like a character from Rugrats.
Nintendo World Report opted for an 8.5. “It might not be the drastic departure that some remakes are, but the Trials of Mana remake is a wonderful RPG palette cleanser for Mana newcomers and veterans alike,†was their verdict.
Nintendo Life found much to enjoy too. “Multi-threaded storylines, an enjoyable combat system and flexible character progression combine to make this one a fantastic experience from start to finish, even if occasional performance problems hinder the experience somewhat,†they said, possibly referring to the camera system.
GameSpot wasn’t entirely smitten however, feeling disappointed by the formulaic story and poorly explained progression systems. They dished out a lukewarm 6/10.
MotoGP 20Â is another big release arriving on Switch this week. The PS4 version has gained a slew of 7s and 8s. Despite a steep learning curve, it’s allegedly the best the series has ever been. That said, there is still roomfor improvement.
“The presentation is more polished, there’s a real attempt to try something new, and I enjoy the more serious focus of the riding, but I can’t help but think that this game needed a little more time in development to iron out the quirks,†said TSA.
The rest of this Switch’s new releases sound like a mixed bag. Push Square found the Siberian resource management/survival sim Help Will Come Tomorrow unsatisfying, let down by a poor translation and a confusing interface. Underwater Lovecraftian tale Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition has fared better, earning an 8/10 from The Metro.
Then there’s ITTA, a top-down boss rush shooter (of sorts) which Nintendo World Report felt deserving of a 7.5.
Noisy Pixel gave graphic novel Yumeutsutsu Re:Master and its sequel Yumeutsutsu Re:After the review treatment. Re:After was given the thumbs up due to the quality of writing and respectable (20 hour) length. Re: Master gained a mauling, however, due to some “horrible†design choices.
It’s worth bearing the asking prices in mind, we feel – Re:Master is £44.99, while Re: After is almost £60. Being text-heavy, translation costs likely bumped the price up.
Other new releases include an Arcade Archives re-release of the 1984 tunnel shooter TUBE PANIC, the full-price anime brawler NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 4 ROAD TO BORUTO, and the point ‘n click pixel art adventure Guard Duty. The 3DS gets the visual novel War & Romance too, which is a fraction of Re: After’s asking price.
If none of these games take your fancy, you can always make your own – programming suite SmileBASIC 4 also arrives on Switch this week. “Hey kid, I’m a computerâ€
New Switch eShop releases
MotoGP 20 – £39.99
Rev up your engines for a new chapter of the MotoGP series! With MotoGP20, experience all the thrills of the more-complete-than-ever Managerial Career mode and decide whether to join a 2020 season team and race together with the official riders or join a totally brand new team. Discover more realistic physics, improved graphics, new 3D models of riders and face scans of official MotoGPâ„¢ team managers, plus new animations.
Broken Lines – £22.49
Broken Lines combines a tactical RPG with story-driven gameplay. As your soldiers battle the mental strain of war, you’ll need to command them in combat— will they avoid the enemy, or go head to head with their foes?
Combat is similar to that of a turn-based tactical RPG, but soldiers move only when action phase starts. However, when new enemies and hazards appear, the game pauses to allow you to plan your reaction to this new change. Will you continue to charge forward, or back off and seek cover?
Animal Fun for Toddlers and Kids – £5.99
Tap the different animals to interact with them and hear their common sounds or other funny noises. Some animals and little surprises are hidden within the game. Can you find all secrets? The game features FIVE different locations: FarmAntarcticaNorth AmericaAfricaAustralia The game makes use of the touch screen functionality only. So the menu and every scene can be played with touch controls only.
Arcade Archives TUBE PANIC – £6.29
“TUBE PANIC” is a shooting game released by
Nichibutsu in 1984. It is considered to be the first game circuit board to have
a 3D rotation function.
A mysterious tube net appears before the command ship Marcus as it cruises
through space.
Use 360 turning to battle enemy ships hiding in the depths of each stage, and
face off with the mother ship’s fleet waiting at the end.
The Copper Canyon Dixie Dash – £5.99
Help Dixie Davies get her Dad’s western robot theme park back under control. The robots have gone wild! Sheriff Bolts and his deputies have all malfunctioned and taken over. Fight through the town, the canyon and the mines to get to the menacing robot Sheriff and reclaim the park. The deputy robots can be dismantled and destroyed with some swift and well-placed shots from a choice of weapons. Use the special “dash†mode to disarm and destroy the mad robots even quicker! Use the sniper rifle for pinpoint accuracy. Be ready though, for battling that robot Sheriff, he is a really tough one!
Little Busters! Converted Edition – £40.49
“Little Busters!” has multiple endings. The choices you make during the story will have an effect on which ending you get.
In addition, the gameplay includes plenty of minigames for you to enjoy! Try your skills at Batting Practice and Matches with the Little Busters members, or serve up food in the Cafeteria! Too tame for your tastes? Then try out the Underground Dungeon or the Shooting Game instead!
While winning/losing minigames does affect the following gameplay, it does not have much of an influence on the storyline. If minigames aren’t your style, you can turn them on and off in the game’s settings, allowing you to play through the story without them.
Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition – £17.99
Take the helm of your steamship in a Victorian Gothic roleplaying game of discovery, loneliness and frequent death.
Find your father’s bones. Determine London’s destiny. Defy the gods of the deep sea.
Yumeutsutsu Re:After – £44.99
To answer the requests of the fans, here are five new stories of what happens After.
Yumeutsutsu Re:Unification: Follow Ai and Kokoro as they find themselves in charge of the creation of a fan disc for their succesful game. This time, Ai is tasked with the SD arts, while Kororo is tasked with the plot!
Deadline rather than paradise: Saki is now relaxed and planning a trip overseas with her lover when a call for help from the second game team comes in: “Our scenarist went AWOL.” What will Saki choose?
Yumeutsutsu Re:Master – £58.49
Yumeutsutsu Re:Master is a girls-love adventure game set in a small japanese game studio.
The story is set in the town of Koenji, not far from the imperial capital of Tokyo, where a small game studio called Eureka Soft has set up shop. The heroine Ai, a country girl, joins her sister Kokoro who works there, after receiving a mysterious email from studio head.
There she meets the quirky all-girl (and a dog) cast: the big sisterly head of the studio, her sister, giving her a cold shoulder, the maid/voice talent, the “tiny dinosaur” scenarist, the uniformed artist, and Banako, the dog and vice-president. Ai starts learning about game making as she slowly pieces together the mysteries of her colleagues.
Ai’s world will expand bit by bit, as the game production begins.
PICROSS S4 – £8.99
This is the 4th Picross S Series on the Nintendo Switchâ„¢!
There are brand new puzzles for you to enjoy in all four familiar game modes: Picross, Mega Picross, Color Picross, and Clip Picross.
We’ve also added bonus Extra puzzles which are dedicated for Picross S series veterans! There are two 30×30 large Picross puzzles for you to solve. Link the play data from Picross S, Picross S2, and Picross S3 to unlock an even larger 40×30 Picross puzzle for each series played, up to a maximum of three. There are a total of 300 Picross and Mega Picross puzzles, 150 Clip Picross piece puzzles, 30 Color Picross puzzles, and 5 Extra puzzles, a grand total of 485 puzzles!
Hang The Kings – £0.89
Hang The Kings is a chess-inspired puzzle game.
100 hand-crafted levels with increasing complexity.
Originally composed music to help you focus and relax while solving the puzzles
A fun chess puzzle available to everyone (even to those who never played chess)
TRIALS of MANA – £44.99
Trials of Mana is the 3D remake of the hit classic RPG released in 1995 as Seiken Densetsu 3.
This daring tale of overcoming the tests of fate has been given new life! Experience the beloved adventure fully modernized with graphic improvements, character voiceover support, a remastered soundtrack and a new episode which you can experience after the ending, in addition to an ability system and a new class that reconstructs the character levelling system plus more active battles!
This overlapping story of interwoven destinies changes depending on who you choose as your main character and companions! Will these young adventurers be able to use the power of mana to save the world from the brink of destruction?
Archaica: The Path Of Light – £13.49
As the Light Bearer, your quest is to walk the legendary Path of Light and explore an ancient and beautiful world.
The light is the key to open the secrets of this mysterious civilization.
Debtor – £4.99
Did you just wake up in the afterlife? The only thing you know is that you’re tasked with a strange mission – collect all your debts!
Pick all the coins in 30 levels full of riddles, lethal traps, ruthless enemies…and time pressure!
Be smart, be fast and make the best use of your hero’s assets: a rock-solid head that can crush blocks and some good ol’ explosives.
NARUTO SHIPPUDENâ„¢: Ultimate Ninja® STORM 4 ROAD TO BORUTO – £44.99
The latest game in the Ultimate Ninja Storm series is finally here for Nintendo Switch! It features all DLC, including the latest “NEXT GENERATIONS” DLC Update Pack.
Relive the Fourth Great Ninja War that unfolded in Naruto Shippuden, and experience the story of Boruto: Naruto the Movie featuring Naruto’s son, Boruto Uzumaki.
Plus, choose from 124 ninja—the most in the series! Join in action-packed battles, whenever and wherever you want!
Guard Duty – £9.99
Tondbert, loyal Guard to the Castle of Wrinklewood has a lot to answer for. Under his watch someone has snuck into the kingdom and kidnapped the princess — an event that will have consequences well into the future.
A thousand years later, humanity is on its last legs before being wiped out by an evil dark force. Join Agent Starborn to save the Earth, and vanquish an evil that has been around for centuries!
Discover how these two playable characters’ fates are intertwined and you might just save humanity in the process in this traditional point and click adventure game!
Damaged In Transit – £12.19
Split your attention in Damaged In Transit!
This brain-splitting action-puzzler will leave you cross-eyed! Simultaneously pilot your two drones and help them deliver their precious cargo. Spikes, pitfalls, flamethrowers and enemy robots will threaten your shipment as you trek across 125 levels of desert oases, coal mines, ports, oil rigs, and the core of the Earth!!! Deftly pilot your drones around the map and use the items you find to open pathways and get those packages delivered safely!
eSports Legend £9.99
Esports Legend is a Esports club simulator.
You are here to make a unknown amateur team world-famous within several seasons!
Hundreds of members with unique personalities and skills are waiting for you to recruit! Else than the four major leagues, there are dozens of cups to challenge.
Be the winner, win the prize and make your team legendary!
Code: Realize ~Future Blessings~ – £35.99
The Romance(s) Continue! – Experience new scenarios taking place after the main story as well as more in-depth looks at events that happened in the shadows of Cardia’s previous adventures. Further your relationships with the charming literary figures of the first game. Choose to deepen the connection with your previous beau, or explore exciting new relationships with gentlemen you bypassed the first time.
SmileBASIC 4 – £19.99
This is the programming software, “SmileBASIC 4”, that allows you to create and play games with Nintendo Switch! The programming language is “SmileBASIC” which is the most suitable language for creating games. Because it is based on the language “BASIC” that is easy to understand even for beginners and it has been developed for program learning. So, even those who have never experienced programming can work on their projects. Moreover, there are many materials and various tools to support your work development.
ITTA – £13.49
ITTA is a bullet-hell adventure set in a world filled with monstrous bosses. When Itta wakes up and finds herself surrounded by her dead family, her only guide is a strange spirit that takes the form of the family cat who gifts her a glowing revolver for protection.
MetaChampions – £0.00
MetaChampions is a turn-based strategy game. Experience classic auto battler gameplay on Nintendo Switch! It’s the best strategy battler! A strategy is key, but luck also plays a role!
Create your elite formation from a roster of 45+ heroes and be the best player in 8 player online matches.
TaniNani – £4.49
TaniNani is a puzzle game where you move parts of the level around to help the characters find the crystal and each other. Explore a unique puzzle experience in your own pace, test your brain with optional challenges and unlock cute outfits for Tani & Nani.
Help Will Come Tomorrow – £17.99
Game focuses on the survival of the characters: meeting their needs, gathering resources, expanding the camp, exploring surroundings. In order to win player needs to learn the personality of the characters and work out relations between them, mitigating conflicts and taking care of the morale. Manage scarce resources and stay alive in frosty wilderness of Siberia before help arrives.
Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope – £13.49
Disclaimer: If you own Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, you will NOT need to purchase Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope separately. This title is included with all versions of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove.
Shovel Knight is a sweeping, classic action-adventure game with awesome gameplay, memorable characters, and an 8-bit retro aesthetic. It’s a hot mashup of new and old! You play as the eponymous Shovel Knight, a small warrior with a huge quest. Shovel Knight has come to this land with two goals: to defeat the evil Enchantress and quest for his lost beloved. He wields a Shovel Blade: a multipurpose weapon whose techniques have now been lost to the ages. Always honest and helpful, Shovel Knight is a shining example of the code of Shovelry: Slash Mercilessly and Dig Tirelessly!
But, between Shovel Knight and his beloved stands a cadre of villainous knights. These terrible foes, known as The Order of No Quarter, have been dispatched to prevent Shovel Knight from reaching the Enchantress, and will pursue their mission at any cost. If you love games with perfect platforming, beautiful art, infectious music, lovable bosses, humor and levity, and real heart… Shovel Knight is for you!
Legends of Amberland: The Forgotten Crown – £17.99
Nostalgia strikes true with this 90s-inspired, old-school, western RPG dungeon crawler in which you command a party of up to seven characters!
Its grid-and-90-degree-rotation-based movement system evokes the classics of dungeon crawler genre. The game tells many little stories, that help make it’s vast, open world feel very much alive.
The larger story revolves around the player’s party of heroes (custom or pre-made) and their search for a relic of days past – the Amber Crown – an object allowing its wearer to control a great power, cursed by evil forces to be forgotten, erased from history. It supposedly belongs to the ruling king by birthright, and with the ongoing Ogre invasion, is something the kingdom desperately needs to survive the onslaught.
New Switch demos
- CRAYON SHINCHAN The Storm Called FLAMING KASUKABE RUNNER!!
- Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega MixÂ
- My Secret Pets!
- Save Your Nuts
New on 3DS eShop
War & Romance Visual Novel – £10.79
War & Romance Visual Novel, is a historical fiction story based on Medieval Egypt and Middle East.
It’s an adventure of noble warriors at the time of tyranny and slavery. A love story during brutal war times in a world full of conflict.
Next week: Streets of Rage 4, Moving Out, OMG Police – Car Chase TV Simulator, Ninjala Exclusive Ninja Club, Dread Nautical, Active Neurons – Puzzle game, LevelHead, Ministry of Broadcast, SEGA AGES G-LOC AIR BATTLE, War-Torn Dreams, Arcade Spirits, Swapperoo, 911 Operator Deluxe Edition, and Gun Crazy.