When it comes to ‘80s toy lines, Tomy’s Zoids probably isn’t the first to spring to mind. Many ‘80s kids have fond memories of the mechanical battling beasts, though – they came in kit form and had decals to decorate as you saw fit, making them a much cooler alternative to an Airfix kit. Wind-up motors brought the toys to life, allowing them to battle. Or at least, shove one another off the kitchen table.
The legacy of Zoids video games is surprisingly vast, with games available on almost every console generation. Very few have made it to the UK however, and that’s despite the toy line having a cult following.
Things change this week – Zoids Wild Blast Unleashed is a Switch exclusive launching worldwide, based on the Zoids Wild anime. It’s a 3D arena battler with two-player support, a mission mode, and a battle tactics mode. Other details are thin on the ground, as are reviews, but as long as the giant mechanical gorilla is present (the Zoid every ‘80s kid wanted) we’ll be smitten.
Keeping with this theme, G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is out now. This is a ‘for the fans, by the fans’ ordeal, packing in as much fan service as possible. It’s a third-person shooter with a focus on multiplayer battles, including capture the flag and king of the hill modes. There’s a campaign too, supporting co-op. We feel confident in saying that it’s one of GameMill’s more accomplished games of late.
The Switch also gets Foregone, an action platformer which has been likened to a 2D Diablo. The reception has been positive, including a 7.5 from Noisy Pixel and a 7/10 from Nintendo World Report. “The combat provides an exciting challenge, the art style is on point, and there are just enough mechanics mixed in from various genres to keep things interesting throughout,†said NWR.
Then there’s Prinny 1•2: Exploded and Reloaded, two PSP remasters available singularly on the eShop or together at retail. Scores have been slightly mixed, varying from 5/10 to 8/10. “Prinny 1 & 2: Exploded and Reloaded contains a couple PSP games that are pretty fun and undeniably challenging. However, their clunky controls lead to much frustration so make sure you have plenty of patience in your pouch before you dive in,†warned Video Chums.
Along the Edge and Seers Isle come from the same studio, both being visual novels that gained critical praise on PC. The former entails a female fed up with life who’s presented with a chance to start a new, while the latter has a fantasy setting and sees a group of scholars embarking on a journey to find mystical elders.
The acclaimed Cloudpunk also arrives on Switch. Set in a cyberpunk city, it involves working for a shady delivery service where nobody asks questions. Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is about to be dished up too – taking place in America over twenty years from now. That’s joined by the five-game strong The Jackbox Party Pack  7, and the scrolling brawler 9 Monkeys of Shaolin. The 3DS gets a look in too with Maze Breaker 3.
Take a look at the full list below.
New Switch eShop releases
G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout – £34.99
G.I. Joe and Cobra are back! G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is a classic team-based third-person shooter where you play as your favorite characters from Team G.I. Joe and Team Cobra. Experience the action from both sides as you help G.I. Joe restore order and lead Cobra to world domination.
G.I. JOE VS COBRA – Play with 12 of your favorite characters from both sides including Snake Eyes, Duke, Roadblock, Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander, Destro and more in 4-player PvP and across 17 epic campaign story missions. Includes voice acting for over 20 iconic characters in the G.I. Joe universe.
Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World – £8.99
Step into the world of interstellar travel, where Space Pirates lurk at every corner. Kaptain Brawe, a Space Police officer will embark on a journey filled with quests, conspiracies and general chaos, as he and his friends follow the lead of two kidnapped alien scientists.
Fight – £8.09
Are you ready to Fight!
Many fighters receive an anonymous message about the exact location of hidden treasure in the ancient ruins of Saqqar.
As the fighters descend into the ancient ruins, driven by greed, little do they know an evil deception awaits them.
The infamous Draegon is the creator of this deception, whose motive is to take the life force of the fighters by using mysterious illusions from other worlds to make them fight one another.
Fight is a fun, easy to play one on one fighting game with many different fighters and scenes to choose from – no Fight will be the same.
HARDCORE MECHA – £17.99
HARDCORE MECHA is a 2D platformer action game, full of enthusiasm for classic robot designs, aiming to maximize the game feel by focusing on the detail and feel of each mecha.
Experience an immersive story with Campaign Mode, which focuses on rich level designs and a seamless transition of gameplay and animation cutscenes. Survival Simulation Mode and Multiplayer Mode will keep the game on after completing the main chapters! Unlock and drive in total of 42 mechas, upgrade and gain new skills and attributes for an ultimate battle of steel!
Apart from Online PVP mode, you can now enjoy HARDCORE MECHA with friends anytime, anywhere! Challenge your friends for a face to face battle with Local Wireless mode for up to 4 players! Or share your Joycon with a friend for an instant battle on the same screen!
Röki – £17.99
Röki is an adventure game inspired by Scandinavian folklore; a dark contemporary fairy tale underpinned by a touching narrative, alluring art style, ancient puzzles and atmospheric exploration.
We join Tove on a fantastical journey to save her family. A journey that takes her deep into a hidden and long forgotten world of lost folklore filled with strange locations and even stranger creatures.
Explore the ancient wilderness, solve its mysteries, save your family in this modern adventure game for all.
Burst Shooter – £1.49
“Burst Shooter” is a fun and creative game developed by one person.
Control this little cute bird to fight against waves of armies of balls.
Only when the balls hit the edges of the screen will they burst! You can push the balls to the edges with the bullets you shoot or with the bird itself. The more balls burst, the faster you leveling up, the faster the bird upgrades and evolves, and the faster you can shoot! Excitement is guaranteed all the way through!
Ring of Pain – £17.99
Enter the Ring of Pain…
Delve into randomly generated ring dungeons where encounters come to you!
Observe and plan your route. Will you go for the loot or backstab a creeping horror? As you scavenge, fight and sneak to new encounters, the ring reacts to your actions.
Play as fast or slow as you like in this challenging, turn-based roguelike. Just be careful where you tread – You may find yourself ambushed, or worse…
Space Crew – £17.99
Captain’s Log, Star Date 2152. This is Space Crew. Its continuing mission: To defend Earth and humankind, to eliminate the extraterrestrial threat and to boldly go where no Crew has gone before!
Seers Isle – £14.99
Seers Isle is an interactive graphic novel, set in a fantasy version of medieval northern Europe, where your choices impact the fate of a group of characters.
Dustoff Z – £13.49
Dustoff Z is a game about maneuvering combat-helicopters in one of the harshest weather conditions possible – A Zombie Apocalypse.
Hire gunners to ride along and engage in a variety of missions such as rescue operations, convoy defense, and high-value target destruction.
TERROR SQUID – £8.99
A bullet hell with a sinister twist. Think fast and strategically as you weave through a bullet hell of your own making. Easy to learn and hard to master, TERROR SQUID is an arcade experience unlike any other.
Cloudpunk – £19.99
A neon-noir story in a rain-drenched cyberpunk metropolis. It’s your first night on the job working for the Cloudpunk delivery service. Two rules: Don’t miss a delivery and don’t ask what’s in the package.
Your name is Rania. This is your first night working for Cloudpunk, the semi-legal delivery company based in the sprawling city of Nivalis. You go everywhere, from the Marrow below to the spires that pierce the grey clouds high above before scraping the edge of the troposphere. No delivery job is too dangerous, and no one is faster than a Cloudpunk driver.
Along the Edge – £14.99
Along the Edge is an interactive graphic novel set in the European countryside, where your choices impact the main character’s personality and appearance.
Vigil: The Longest Night – £19.99
Vigil: The Longest Night is a 2D action RPG with precise, technical combat and a strong narrative.
Vigil: The Longest Night aims to challenge players with its difficulty while compelling them with a tale of eldritch horror. Follow Leila on her quest to save her hometown from the creeping evil infesting the surrounding countryside. Navigate a world that wanders between dream and reality, sanity and madness, and uncover the secret of the longest night and the monstrous entities invading their world.
Dadish – £8.19
Explore an exciting world, face off with fast-food themed foes, and reunite Dadish with his missing children in this challenging platforming adventure.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! – £15.09
Hit the road in this massive sequel to the million-selling Cook, Serve, Delicious! series as you travel across the United States to participate in the Iron Cook Foodtruck Championships with your trusty robot crew Whisk and Cleaver.
Set in the radically-changed war-torn America of 2042, play through an all new story-driven campaign where you cook hundreds of foods—including many brand new to the series—across hundreds of levels in a new gameplay structure that has been completely redesigned to deliver fast-paced action, or take it easy with the all new Chill Mode that can be toggled on or off at any time!
Remothered: Broken Porcelain – £29.99
Broken Porcelain brings an abundance of welcome changes to the series, introducing new gameplay and storytelling elements that breathe new life into the characters and an unprecedented level of immersion in this haunting adventure – perfect for both new and returning fans to the series.
Foregone – £26.99
Years after a devastating war, the city of Calagan is once again besieged by an all-corrupting force known as the Harrow. As the city’s strongest super-soldier, it’s up to you to investigate the Harrow’s origins and prevent its reanimated minions from destroying your home. But the Harrow isn’t just reviving the dead – it’s dredging up memories better left forgotten.
Foregone is a fast and fluid 2D action-platformer packed with legendary loot and stunning pixel art. Collect an arsenal of powerful weapons and upgradeable skills, then use them to shoot and slash your way through hand-crafted pixel environments hiding a treasure trove of secrets.
Unravel a compelling story of regret and conspiracy as you slice your way through hordes of enemies and carry out your mission to save Calagan from total annihilation.
9 Monkeys of Shaolin – £24.99
In this beat ‘em up game you‘ll play as the Chinese fisherman Wei Cheng who wants to avenge the death of his friends and family. Get your battle staff ready for a challenging adventure in Medieval China and for merciless fights with hordes of various enemies.
Tin & Kuna – £22.99
Spin and smash through the colourful, chaotic worlds of Tin & Kuna. Explore levels filled with puzzles and peril. As Kuna collects power crystals, he obtains special abilities; jumping higher, catching fire, and attaching to magnetic objects to rescue Tin. Use all your skills and abilities to bring the world into balance and defeat Chaos!
Best friends Tin and Kuna are messing around one day when they discover a mysterious orb. Kuna accidentally cracks it open—oops!—unleashing evil spirits who take possession of poor Tin. Kuna will need all his speed and skill to rescue Tin, and together they must rebuild the orb and contain the chaos terrorising their tiny planetoid.
Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! – £17.99
When the mysterious Phantom Thief steals Master Etna’s panties, the Prinny horde must rise up once again to retrieve them…or suffer the consequences! Slash and Hip Pound your way through chaotic stages full of devilish foes, and build up the Combo Gauge to unleash powerful moves like Prinny Cyclone and Prinnykaze.
Also, dive into the bonus story of the OTHER protagonist(?) of the DISGAEA games and claim your glory with Asagi Wars: Vengeance of Asagi!
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? – £17.99
Master Etna demands the ultimate dessert, and it is up to a legion of lowly Prinnies to make it! Jump, slash, and combo your way through different stages of the Netherworld, devastate enemies and bosses with special attacks, and encounter both new and familiar faces in this explosive action adventure from the twisted minds behind the DISGAEA series!
Two Parsecs From Earth – £7.99
Robot Z3-L1’s ship has crash landed on an inhospitable planet called Dimidium filled with alien landscapes and hostile surroundings. To escape and return home, Z3-L1 (/zeli/) must gather clues, gain powers and discover artifacts needed to fix a space ship. Explore the planet in this Metroidvania-style exploration game where the environment is your enemy!
Crown Trick – £14.99
Crown Trick is a beautifully animated rogue-like RPG adventure characterized by turn-based combat and skill-item interactive strategy. Enter a labyrinth that moves as you move, where mastering the elements is key to defeating enemies and uncovering the mysteries of this underground world. With a new experience awaiting every time you enter the dungeon, let the power bestowed by the crown guide you in this challenging adventure!
Bright Paw – £12.99
A gunshot rattles the house and now your owners are dead; clearly murdered. But why? And where’s the culprit? These answers won’t be easy to come by, especially because you’re the family cat! Guided by the omniscient Narrator, play as the feline hero Theo as he embarks on an epic adventure to solve the crime and exact revenge on the evildoers.
The quest will take you through more than 70 bespoke levels, each an escape room puzzle with unique hazards, and an intriguing, fully voiced narrative full of twists and turns. With gorgeously stylized visuals, more than 180 hidden collectibles scattered across the mysterious labs of Bright Paw Industries, and an ambient soundtrack, this logic puzzler is sure to tease your brain and keep you smiling.
Postal REDUX – £8.99
POSTAL Redux is a high definition remake of The Postal Dude’s infamous first foray into the world. Prepare to experience his psychological journey with faithfully recreated high resolution visuals, remastered music, sounds, and dialog, and revamped and modernized gameplay. Crazed gunmen out for your blood await you around every corner. The only choice is clear: Get them before they get you. Fight back with a devastating arsenal as you make your way through a violence-stricken town.
Zoids Wild Blast Unleashed – £34.99
Unleash the wild mecha power and animal instinct of Zoids, in spectacular head-to-head battles on Nintendo Switch. With stunning graphics faithful to the Zoids Wild anime, and an intuitive 3D combat system that lets you chain incredible combos instinctively, Zoids Wild: Blast Unleashed is the ultimate showdown between your favorite pilots and their Zoids!
Dream – £8.99
You wake up and find yourself locked up in the morgue of a strange hospital. You’ve finally escaped and all of the people you meet are strangers. You can’t figure out how you got there and you don’t know why you’re there. Not only are you stuck, but strange events occur one after the other — patients are killed, strange figures appear, there are rooms that shouldn’t exist, children are missing…, what happened to this hospital?
This is the Zodiac Speaking – £17.99
This is the Zodiac Speaking is a fact-based single-player psychological thriller based on the story of Zodiac, one of the most famous never-caught serial killers. It mixes vintage ’70s California visuals and an original epic cinematic soundtrack with gameplay elements that include classic horror, investigation, stealth mechanics, and multiple endings to discover.
My Universe – School Teacher – £35.99
Play as a young teacher with a mission: bringing your new school back to the top! Motivate your pupils, improve their results and organize school contests and festivals. Become a model teacher as you take care of more difficult classes, win prizes and complete the director’s objectives, unlocking new items along the way.
Alpaca Ball: Allstars – £17.99
GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL! Play the craziest kind of football with the furriest alpacas around the world.
Block, ram your opponents and dive-kick your way to that dream goal!
Enjoy the frantic local multiplayer for up to 8 players.
Dead Z Meat – £8.99
Grab a gun and get blasting – these zombies are as vicious as they are silly.
It’s the apocalypse again!
You may very well be the last person on Earth! Grab your gun and get blasting – these zombies are as vicious as they are silly. Survive day to day, upgrade your arsenal and supercharge your powerups to wreak havoc on the horde of dead meat shambling in your neighbourhood.
Johnny Rocket – £3.79
In this game, your main goal is to help Johnny Rocket fight “Evil Forces.†To do that, you can run, jump, double jump, shoot enemies. Don’t forget about Johnny’s secret movement – destroy obstacles or enemies with his head All levels are unique and have a big variety of enemies. Boss fights are tough. After each boss fight you get rewarded with a comic cartoon movie telling you more about Johnny’s adventure. Game is hilarious and has a lot of toilet humour, don’t forget to collect the paper!
The Jackbox Party Pack 7 – £23.99
Five new incredible party games to liven up any gathering!
1) The say-anything threequel Quiplash 3 (3-8 players). It’s a head-to-head battle of the wits as you give hilarious responses to quirky prompts while everyone else votes for their favorite!
2) The collaborative chaos game The Devils and the Details (3-8 players). You’re a family of devils working together to survive in suburbia. Can you handle the daily torture of human life?
3) The drawing fighting game Champ’d Up (3-8 players). Create absurd characters that will battle over unusual titles. Can you take down the heavy favorite?
4) The on-the-spot public-speaking game Talking Points (3-8 players). Give a speech responding to picture slides you’ve never seen before or be the Assistant and approve pictures as fast as you can. Just keep talking whether it makes sense or not.
5) The pop culture guessing game Blather Round (2-6 players). Describe your secret prompt with a very limited vocabulary and hope that someone can figure it out in time. It’s a “GOOD†“FUN TIME†“EXPERIENCE.â€
Play using phones, tablets or computers. No extra controllers needed!
Castle of no Escape – £2.69
The game won’t let you exit the castle, no matter how you try. Technically you can win, but there is no end.
Hunting Simulator 2 – £44.99
It’s open season! In stunning natural environments, choose your gear from the best official weapons and accessories and set off with your dog in search of a variety of animal species in this hunting simulation.
New on 3DS eShop
Maze Breaker 3 – £8.99
The goal of Maze Breaker 3 is to hit and break all the blocks to clear a level, while avoiding obstacles, and getting the highest score possible.
Next week: Supermarket Shriek, CrossKrush, Galacide, Kakurasu World, Maze, Dungreed, My Universe – Fashion Boutique, TRANSFORMERS: BATTLEGROUNDS, HyperBrawl Tournament, Bullet Beat, Horace, THO Simulator, LUNA the Shadow Dust, Double Pug Switch, Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered, Nullum, Restless Hero, Toolboy, and Outbreak: Epidemic.
